A Wolf's Call (complete)

Chapter 15

I ran from when the sun was surrounded by golden and blue to when the moon had risen with the stars and the darkness. Then I kept running. My jaw had stopped hurting a while ago, but my mind could not stop hurting. I felt as though everything I had wished to be a lie had been true. I could barely feel my paws when I finally stopped to rest. My hind paws were scratched and now coloured a mix of red, green and brown. I knew that they would send out the skybeast to find me and that I would have to keep moving, no matter what.

I began to run again, ignoring the pleas my muscles cried to me. It had been many moons since I had travelled so much without shoes. The night started to feel colder and darker. Looking to the moon I could see that angry black clouds crept over it. I had already run for fields and fields and knew that I must be miles from the house of my captors. It was only a little further that I ran before I felt the cold of rain begin to fall. In the air though, I could smell that this was no normal rain. This scent was that of the flashes and noises that the sky could make. These times were greatly feared by wolves as they made the rocks slippery, the prey scarce and they made things difficult to see. The pups would always fear these storms, as did most wolf members, except for the pack alphas. I especially, ever since I was young had feared these storms, and used to rely only on the comfort of my pack to get through it.

I remember one night many years before where I had been young and alone. Only in flashes could I remember being alone until a wolf came. The wolf was the alpha; he took me to his litter. The shewolf sniffed me and licked me, and then all I remember is being cuddled between the pup’s fluffy coats. Now I was alone once more and quickly becoming cold. I had nowhere to go and did not know the territory. There would be no alpha to save me here. This was both dangerous and scary and I knew I would have to be extra careful.

Continuing for only a little bit I came to a peculiar thing that stretched in two ways as far as I could see, if I remembered correctly it was a road. Placing a foot feverishly on it I realised it was the same stuff as had been in the hospital’s parking lot. Cautiously I began to make my crossing. As though from nowhere a landbeast shot past, only inches away from me. I could feel my heart almost jump from my body. Then, a rumble of thunder clapped through the air, making me jump in fear. I had to cross this path to continue. Slowly I crossed, just avoiding being hit from behind, making me jolt forward but I jolted right into the path of another landbeast.

In a flash of light the landbeast collided with me. I felt as though time slowed down. Its hard front crashed into my side and pushed me over it. I could hear cracks and feel pain as the landbeast ran into me. It pushed me over and I flew for a minute with nothing beneath me. Then slammed back into the black path. I felt pain erupt all over my body. The Landbeast screeched to a stop. Another flash of light showed me a dead creature on the side of the path. This path was one of death! Scrambling my hands against the ground I dragged myself painfully into the long grass by the path, hiding just as a twowalker climbed from the landbeast. Spotting the dead creature I think it thought that that was all it had hit. Luckily, it disappeared into the distance and left me alone again. Now I had to try and move away from the path. I could taste the warmth of my own blood filling my mouth and was beginning to shiver. The rainwater had gone all the way through to my skin and was now freezing me. I crawled to my feet, grunting in pain as though my insides hurt. I placed my paw on my stomach, as though it might make it better and tried to limp away. As I took a step forward the pain was so much. I collapsed into the muddy ground. Tears rolled down my cheek and I knew I truly was in trouble now.

I had to keep going, it was my only option. Trying again I struggled to my feet but I had barely taken a step before collapsing to the ground again. Crawling, I attempted to get further away from the death path but soon was forced to stop as every move made my body ache painfully. I would need some help if I was going to survive. I turned onto my back and looked into the sky. The cold rain splashed onto my face I didn’t know if it would work, but I’d have to call out to anyone who might be listening.