Before & After

Chapter 1: The Forest

Pain....

Cold...

My body feels heavy like dead weight is holding me down. My head feels both light and heavy at the same time. My arms feel like they have become a part of the ground along with my legs. I feel cold air hitting different parts of my skin. Everything hurts. I hear rain falling ahead of me. I can't move. No. I don't want to move. Everything hurts too much to move. I hear animal growling in the distance. Where am I? I try to think back to how I got here but I don't remember. I don't even remember who I am. I remember flashes here and there of a smile and fur but nothing else. A shining smiling that makes something in me feel light with happiness and fur that comforts me and makes me get this feeling of being safe. Something in my mind is telling me I need to get up and I need to find someone or something. I muster up enough strength to open my eyes slowly. It looks like stone rocks. I slowly move my head to the side and see I am in a small cave. I use all my strength to move my arms from my sides and push as hard as I can to sit up. My arms shake as I pull myself up feeling too weak to hold my weight, but I manage somehow. I look around completely and see there is just a stone celling above making a cave like cover from the rain. I push myself using the last of the strength in my arms to put my back against the cave wall. I look down at my body. I have bruises all over my arm and a few cuts that look like they have stopped bleeding. My shirt looks like knifes slashed through it and is socked in bleed. I can still feel blood going out of them. My heads look find for the most part except for my right ankle. It looks swollen. I hear the howls getting closer. I look down at my shirt again. Maybe these aren't knife wounds they are claw marks. I'm being hunted. 

I feel the adrenaline rush through my body. I move on my knees and feel the pain explode through my body. I feel a tear slip down my face. When it hits the ground, I realize it's not a tear it's blood. Blood is pouring down my head. I feel light-headed. I put my good leg first and lean on the cave wall to stand up. I slowly make it to a standing position. I push off the wall and limp my way out the cave. I hear the sound of the wolf even closer than before. My body protesting with every step but if I don't move, I'll die. I feel the blood from my open wounds slide down my body. I hear the wolf right behind me. I am pushing my body to the limit but if I stop it will find me and it will kill me. I have to keep going. I feel the blood gushing out of my wounds, my head is throbbing and everything is both familiar and alien. The pounding of the wolves' paws on the ground getting ever closer than before. I can't outrun this beast. It will have me in its clutches soon. It's right behind me. I look over my shoulder and turn as I see it mid jump coming straight at me. This huge wolf that has dark brown fur and blue highlights, bright green eyes with an orange hue. It is staring down at me with its jaw open saliva dripping down its mouth. My heart stops this animal everything about it screams predator and it's looking at me like I am the perfect pray.

I feel the fear hit me before it did. I hit the ground and a scream tear out of me like nothing I have heard before. My head hits the ground and black colors my vision. I feel its huge jaw at my throat as its breaths heavy against it. Its body feels like it is crushing me, and I can't breathe but suddenly it does something I never expected. It rubs its head against mine and moves its head up looking at me. We stare at each other for a long min. I was about to try to say something before another wolf jumps at the brown wolf on top of me kicking it off me. This wolf stands over it is growling with such intensity it makes my breath hitch. This wolf has light brown fur that almost looks like a dirty blonde, but I swear his eyes looked pure black when I saw them for a second. The brown wolf gets up and attacks the other with fierce slashes of its claws. The dirty blonde wolf jumps back still growling trying to jump at the brown wolf again. They get into a fierce fight as the rain pours down on all of us mercilessly. I try to get up, but my body just won't response. I know if I stay here, I'll die. I just can't move.

 I hear this roar so loud and commanding from what could be miles away ego through the forest. It sends a shiver down my spine. I force my body to its feet. My ankle protest but I don't listen. The adrenaline is pumping fast than before. The wolves fight on not paying attention to me. I take it as my chance to slip away unnoticed. I limp as fast as I can. My vision is cutting out and the rain isn't helping. I keep going using everything I have left to keep moving. I can't stop. I grab onto trees to help steady myself and take some pressure off my ankle. I see the tree line of the forest ahead. I hear a cry from one of the wolves behind me. For some reason deep inside I hope it's not the brown wolf with the beautiful blue highlights. I feel my body shutting down and my mind getting cloudy. I can't keep going. I am way passed my limit now. I feel my breath slowing along with the rest of my body. I am almost out of the forest, I think. I can't hear the wolves anymore. I can't hear anything anymore. My vision is wavering. I feel myself collapse onto the ground. I roll to my back. I know the rain is hitting me hard, but I can't feel it and I- I feel myself blacking out. The last thing I see is a shadow hovering over me before the darkness clamed me.