Paw Prints (Book One in the Trails Series) *BEING EDITED-NEW VERSION WILL BE LONGER*

~Chapter Thirty~ Escaping

It would have killed anyone else. Any normal person wouldn't have been able to deal with a sharp piece of metal getting jammed into their neck and scraping their spine; nearly going through their windpipe.

But somehow, Sparrow managed to yank the arrow out of her neck without collapsing. She managed to wipe the blood off of her head without revealing a wound.

"What the hell?" Marley whispered, walking behind Sparrow and peering at her neck. "WHERE'S THE GAPING HOLE IN YOUR WINDPIPE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL YOU!?"

"Screw that, I'm sick of dying." Sparrow muttered, pulling a string that was tied around a piece of paper, which was wrapped around the shaft of the arrow. "And I love you too. I'll be sure to bring up a gaping hole at your funeral."

Marley raised her eyebrows. "I don't understand." She muttered, staring at the back of Sparrow's head.

Sparrow ignored the two colored gaze and unraveled the piece of paper.

We have your father.
Come get him or we'll kill him.
You have thirty minutes.

Sparrow's heart stopped. Slowly, she turned around, staring into the trees for any signs of movement. She caught sight of the silhouette of a man, holding a small tube. Shivers went up her spine as she realized he was watching her.

The man stayed still for a moment, then turned and ran into the woods.

"What is it Sparrow?" Dot asked. Sparrow tore her gaze away from the trees and handed Dot the note. Dot's yellow-green eyes flew across the sentence. She lowered her hands, which were shaking, and stared at Sparrow.

"You're going to try and save him." She guessed. Sparrow took a deep breath and nodded.

"Then we're coming with you." Miki said, grabbing Sparrow's hand and pulling her to her feet. "I don't want to get you guys killed." Sparrow whispered.

Marley laughed. "It's a bit late for precautions. We've been telling you from the beginning, Sparrow. We'll follow you wherever you go." She said.

Sparrow smiled. She pulled her dagger out of her belt and spun it between her fingers. "We need to be quick." She said. "We don't have time for plans."

"Do you even know where this place is?" Tiquail asked sharply. "You're going to need some guidance."

"You mean you know where it is?" Sparrow questioned. Tiquail seemed to smirk-though it was always hard to tell with a snow leopard-she raised a paw and licked between her claws. "I've been fighting these people for years Sparrow...much longer than you would expect. I know exactly where their location is...my only problem is getting in. If they have your father as heavily guarded as he was last time..."

Her voice trailed off. Sparrow raised her eyebrows. "We have me this time." She said determinedly. "What difference does that make?" Chase spoke for the first time, his voice cold.

Sparrow turned her stubborn eyes to him. "It means that I'm capable of much more than you think. None of you know what happened on that hill except me and Alex."

She paused, smiling slyly. "And that could play to our advantage."

"I'm coming." Tony said. "No, you're not." Sparrow and Tiquail said in unison. Tony looked taken aback.

Sparrow softened her voice. "I know you want to keep me safe, Tony, but it's time for me to prove myself..."

She smirked. "And I didn't just have a sword run through my gut."