On The Run (On Hold)

Chapter 3

  *Amelia's POV*

      I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready. I couldn't wait to go to the zoo and learn another form. I had heard that the zoo had gotten a new white Bengal tiger exhibit and a new rare and poisonous snake that if bitten by one, you would die in five minutes flat. That could come in handy for defending myself. I jumped to my paws with my tail wagging happily. I grabbed my duffel bag in my jaws and trotted towards the alpha pair. They were still sleeping, curled around each other in a loving way. The Alpha female had her head nuzzling the Alpha male's neck. I barked softly trying to wake the Alpha up. He stirred, but didn't awaken. I nudged one of his legs with my paw. He lifted his head up blinking his eyes slowly and gave a jaw cracking yawn. I gave a soft bark again and he turned his large head in my direction. I motioned towards the cave entrance with my head and wagged my tail. He gave a loud huff knowing where I was going.

     He knew I wasn't a real wolf. The whole pack knew, but because of my wolfish scent when I was in wolf form and my connection with all animals they accepted me as one of their own. The Alpha nodded towards me and lay his head back on his mate's. I barked a goodbye and padded outside in the watery sunlight. It was only about 7 am judging by the position of the sun barely clearing the mountains in the distance. I ran towards the pond with the duffel bag swinging in my mouth. It took about ten minutes of me running full tilt to get there. I placed my bag near the edge and looked around testing the air for any foreign or unwanted scents. I didn't smell any so I shifted into my human form. It was weird walking on two legs again. It had been a month since the last time I had shifted into my human form and I was shaky on my legs as I walked around trying not to stumble. When I had walked around the pond without tripping and falling I went to my bag and unzipped it. I got out an outfit from the few clothes I had in it complete with socks, shoes, and undergarments and put them on taking off the clothes that appeared whenever I shifted out of an animal form. I left the thin clothes that I had taken off on the ground knowing they would disappear in a couple minutes. Don't ask me how because I don't know how it does that. Maybe little elves or smurfs that live in the trees take them and use them to make clothes for their little tiny bodies.

    I dug through my bag looking for the thing I wore whenever I was human. I found it and put it around my neck where it lay nestled in the hollow of my collar bone. It was the necklace that my parents gave to me when they left me at the orphanage. It was a small silver tree with sapphire stones as leaves. Before I was put in the orphanage, when my family was still together, I remember my mother wearing it everyday and never taking it off. It was hidden under her shirt in public though, never shown outside the house where it glinted under the lights. I remember sitting on her lap one day while she was reading me a book and asking about the necklace. "Why do you have that?" My five year old self asked my mother.

   "It's a symbol." she replied. "It symbolizes our family's great ancestors and their power." She told me this with a wistful look on her face looking at something in the distant past that only she could see.

  "One day I'll give it to you and you'll know your power and worth to our family. I hope we have the chance to give it to you and explain everything, but things can happen so quickly and we might not be able to. Just know I'll always love you Mia." she said with a sad, yet loving look on her face as she told me this.

   "I love you too mommy." my ignorant and naive five year old self replied and then promptly asked for the rest of the story. If only I had known what I do now and treasured those moments with my family or warned them that they would be killed. I shook myself out of the past trying to regain my cheerful and excited attitude that I had woken up with. I rifled through my bag once more to check that everything was in there, and everything was except for the chocolate bar I used to have. It was probably one of the pups that ate it. I'll bet it was Randy the pup that had the sweet tooth, the little rascal. Oh well. I sighed. It's not like I needed it. Everything else was in my bag so I started walking to the campground that was five miles away so I could get a decent shower and steal someones lunchbox. I felt guilty about it, but I don't have a lot of money and I only used it when necessary. Maybe when I'm eighteen and I won't be dragged back off to the orphanage for being to young I can get a job and pay back all the people I begged, borrowed, and stole from. You can dream, can't you?