Running Fox

Chapter 6

Tiger led her out of the forest, where the wolves were waiting.

"You tricked me!" Mercy screeched, sounding hurt.

"The wolves said if I brought you to them, they would let me live, Tiger explained, "but in truth I wanted to turn you in!"

The alpha lunger for Mercy's throat, and she waited to collapse on the ground and die.

Mercy woke, bolting onto her paws, to see the moon's light filtering into the cave. Tiger was sleeping peacfully against her. I have to get out of here, Mercy thought, before my dream come true. I can't trust Tiger. She carefully crept out of the cave and began to run for her life. The leaves on the forest floor crackling underneath her paws. She stopped when she saw two golden eyes peering at her from behind the bush.

"Who are you?" She called out, and then a large brown bird, with a white head, stepped out of the bushes.

"I'm Nafala, a bald eagle," the birds answered. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Mercy," Mercy replied.

"Well Mercy, where is your mother-fox?"

"She's dead," Mercy almost gaged at admitting the horrible truth.

"Oh," Nafala said sadly, bowing her head.

"But what about you?" Mercy asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought birds like to nest in the trees, or fly in the sky?" Mercy explained.

"Oh. I just saw your pitiful form down here, and decided to investigate," Nafala chirped.

"I'm not pitiful!" Mercy protested.

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Nafala apolagized.

"That's okay," Mercy muttered.

"You should take shelter it's going to rain soon," Nafala informed Mercy.

"I was in shelter," Mercy stuttered.

"Then why did you leave?" Nafala asked.

"I had a nightmare about a friend I was with," Mercy answered.

"Well what happened in the nightmare?" Nafala pressed on.

"My friend betrayed me to the creatures that killed my mother-fox," Mercy explained.

"That's terrible!" Nafal exclaimed. "But let me ask you this, is that how your friend behaves now? As if he's about to betray you?"

"Well, no," Mercy sighed. "But I don't know him very well. We just met."

"Mercy, you need to have faith. He's all you got now," Nafala replied.

Mercy nodded her head and sighed deeply. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she could trust Tiger. "Alright," Mercy said, "I'm going back." She raced back the way she came, bounding over logs, till she stumbled at the cave entrance. Tiger was waiting fr her there, his eyes full of fear and worry.

"There you are," he gasped. "I thought something had taken you."

"No. I just had to clear my head," Mercy answered.

"Well in a world like this, something could have taken you," Tiger said.

"Alright, I get you point," Mercy sighed.

A drop landed on Mercy's nose, making her sneeze. More drops of water began falling, and thunder roared, as lightning clashed. Rain started pouring down on Tiger and Mercy, plastering their fur to their sides. They both raced into the cave, without saying a word, and they just looked outside at plants seeming to bow to the rain.

Mercy could feel her eyes beginning to droop again, as she let out a huge yawn. She curled up, the sound of the pouding rain, make her even more tired. But as soon as she fell asleep she plumeted into a dream.

Mercy opened her eyes to see a meadow spread out before her. Chaser was standing next to me, his blue eyes looking at her. 

"So much is coming," Chaser whispered. "Mother-fox saids that not all will survive. Maybe even you."

"Wait! Our mother-fox!" Mercy yipped. "What did she say about me?"

Chaser ignored the question, "Secrets will be reveled. Secrets that could end up hurting more animals."

"What secrets?!" Mercy begged desperatly for her questions to be answered.

Mercy woke up to Tiger nudging her in the side.

"Come on, the rain has stopped," Tiger said.

Mercy sighed stumbling to her paws, it was time she told him about her dreams. "Tiger, we need to talk."