Waiting For August

Part 67~Vengeance

I was running.

Too late, I realized what I had done. How I had played right into his hands. I'd isolated myself. Walked away from the only support I had. I'd set out in a dark and unfamiliar place with a psychopath who had the power to hide and move between shadows.

I knew he was hunting a black wolf, and I had given it to him. I had been slowly leading him away from the farm. Away from Caleb, in order to keep him safe. I now realized just how foolish I had been.

I picked up my pace. Where before I'd thought I could do this until dawn, I was no longer certain. No matter how far I ran, or how many twists and turns I took, he was always there. Just one scant step behind me. Forever on my tail. Just biding his time, waiting for me to do myself in.

And it was working.

I needed a breather. Just a few minutes to rest. The terrain here was rugged. Constantly rising and falling. Never flat. There were hollows and ridges, small rocky ravines in which to travel along, and areas where the ground simply dropped out beneath your feet if you weren't careful.

I'd reached one of those areas, had raced up the side of the ridge only to find a steep drop awaiting me. I leapt, haphazardly, to fall not so gracefully to the ground below. Thankfully, the earth here was soft, thickly covered with an abundance of fallen leaves and pine needles. It cushioned my fall as I skid and rolled to a stop.

I glanced around. It was more of the same. Trees for as far as the eyes could see. Coarse brushwood in between, small shrubs and vegetation that would have been leafy and green at another time of year, providing an abundance of places to hide. Now however, they were mostly twiggy and bare, pointy, prickly annoyances for me to navigate through that provided no cover, no shelter. Only the hardiest, most stubborn plants continued to grow at this time of the year.

A large tree had fallen nearby, perhaps grown too big, too heavy for the soft soil of the hill to support its weight. It looked to have simply leaned too far over and finally tipped, before it toppled to the ground, giant roots exposed, torn free from the dirt. The network of thick veiny roots, clinging to massive clumps of dense earth, made an intriguing place to hide. I slipped within the tangle of roots and soil. Digging my way in, out of sight, and under cover. I needed a break. Not a nap, mind you. I couldn't allow myself to fall asleep, that would certainly spell out my downfall, but I needed to catch my breath, allow my racing heart a chance to slow.

I curled up, making myself as small as possible, and listened. Silence. At other times I might have appreciated the quiet and the calm, but tonight, it was only unnerving. It felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He would find me. It was simply a matter of time.

Time. It seemed like that was all I had at the moment. I kept telling myself that I would be okay if I could just make it till morning. At dawn, the dark would fight with the light, and the deep shadows would lessen. I could find the riding trail and step out of this maze of tree and shrub, and quickly work my way home. There, others would be waiting. Arriving. Returning from their own midnight excursions. There would be strength in numbers, I thought.

I couldn't help but long for home. For me, it wasn't yet the farm, or any building that my mind would return to. Not really. It was Caleb. He was home. My sanctuary. It was unnerving really, when I thought about how much I had become dependent on him, and in such a short amount of time too. How much I needed him. Loved him. Missed him. I sighed. He hadn't been kidding when he said I'd already bonded to him. I wasn't talking about any mark either, no bite on the neck.

I'd fallen hard for the guy. Quickly too. I'd been so terrified in making a move, worried that I might somehow screw things up, that I made no move at all. Even though I had craved nothing more. Desired only him. It was only when it was almost too late, that I'd finally found my nerve. Thank the Goddess he was a patient man!