Beauty and the Beast

On our Own

"Beauty wake up!" My mother called frantically as she rushed into my room.
I groggily sat up and looked at her.
"Beauty, we have to go. It's happened the rogues have moved in and are planning an attack your father and the dominates have gone to try to drive them back but we must go."
She pulled me out of our room and ushered me towards the main hall where all the women we gathered. They were all crying and a woman I recognized as a good friend of my mothers was shushing her little girl Marina.
"Everyone look at me and listen we must sta...." She stopped talking and gasped.
She looked at her shoulder and watching in horror as my father's mark faded out of existence. Slowly the other's marks vanished too.
My mother ran to Marina's crib and snatched her from it and pushed her into my arms.
"Beauty, you must run. Take her and wait for us in the cave north of here. It's just inside another pack's territory. We have always been friends with them. We'll flee there in the morning. They are the ones that warned us of this attack. They'll protect us.
You'll be running away from the fighting you'll be safe. We'll catch up when we see if there's anyone left." I started to object but she interrupted. "No you must go and we must stay and wait, if there's anyone alive they'll be heavily wounded and will need healed I can not leave."
With that she kissed my forehead and Marina's mother kissed her child. They shoved us towards the rear exit of the cave and I started running.
My heart was pumping so fast I thought it would explode and Marina fidgeted in my arms. I found a small opening to a cave and slipped inside.
It was deep so I went far into it until I knew the smell of the earth would block out our scent. I shifted into my full wolf and nuzzled Marina into my side and we fell asleep to the sickening silence of the cave.
The sound of birds outside the cave woke me and Marina was already awake rolling around on the ground eating what looked like a small mouse.
I shook my head and climbed to my feet. My mother and the others were nowhere in sight and my stomachs sank.
Maybe they were in another cave and couldn't find me or they were safe at home.
So I gathered my courage and an angry Marina and set off looking for my mother's scent.
The forest had no trace of her but as I approached out cave panic set in. The smell of fresh blood covered everything and my tongue went dry. I felt tears well in my eyes as I stumbled towards the back entrance.
"Momma?" I whispered hoping to hear her.
Only silence met my ears.
I walked forwards towards my room and a thick scent of blood filled my lungs.
Vomit rose in my throat as I pushed back the fur.
My mother's lifeless body was there ripped to shreds.
I fell forwards and emptied my stomach all over the ground.
Marina started fusing and crying for her mom and I knew I had to keep searching someone had to have survived.
The great hall was just around the corner and I ran there in search of some sign of life.
My heart dropped when I saw the scene in front of me. Most of my pack was there, all in the same state as my mother. Fear took over and I began running room to room and all I found was death.
I clung to Marina and ran from the cave straight back to our hiding place and curled up on the ground sobbing into Marina's fur.
She nuzzled into my chest and whimpered.
I knew she had to be hungry because I was. But I had never hunted before my dad and the dominants always did it.
And how was I supposed to hunt with a two year old on my hip.
I sat Marina in shaded place inside a hollow tree. She liked it because she could torment the birds and squirrels that lived there while I did my best to catch food.
I made the hushing motion with my finger against my lips and she went silent.
For a baby she was very smart. It was like she knew if she made noise someone would find her and I wouldn't be able to get us food.
I crept through the trees in my full wolf form as quietly as I could and I began hearing animal noises.
I knew it was a deer and from the sounds of it, it was big.
I saw him coming through the trees. His horns were huge and I was terrified.
He didn't see me as I crept up behind him. Before I knew what I was doing I had leapt into his back and had him on the ground. I ripped at his throat trying to kill him.
I kept fighting as hard as I could and finally right before my strength failed me he went silent. I laid there panting exhausted from the fight but I knew if I didn't get a move on anther predator would smell the kill and try to steal it and I knew I'd never be able to do that twice in one day.