Element

Element XXXIII

"Starr, where are we going?" Blowing the hair out of my eyes, I knew I should have tied it tighter before we left.

"It's just up ahead dear."

Growling to myself, she said that to me an hour ago and still we made it nowhere.

"Are you sure you know where we're going? I'm pretty sure we have been walking in circles." I said making the whine prominent in my voice.

Stepping over a fallen branch, my surroundings began to look more familiar than it did an hour ago.

"Trust me, I know where we're going!" Picking up her pace, she waved her staff in the air before she took off again.

Letting out a puff of air, I gripped the strap of the bags a little tighter and followed after her.
Of course she wouldn't tell me where we were going but I figured it couldn't hurt to be surprised. So far, I was regretting this decision.

"You know, I was thinking..." I started yelling so I could be heard.

"Oh, that must be new to ya! Tell me, how does it feel?" Turning around to give me a smirk, it took a second for her words to sink in before a smile spread across my face.

"Ha ha." Giving her a teasing glare, I continued on with my thought. "Seriously, I was thinking that maybe I should have gone back to the pack with the others. For all they know, I might be dead or kidnapped or who knows what and I can't just let them think that. Honestly, it's been what, five or six days since the accident at the rouge camp, I have to let someone know I'm okay." Jogging to catch up to Starr again, for an old seer, she really moved fast.

Tripping over another branch, I nearly crashed into her back before I caught myself and stood back up.

"Three weeks." She mumbled when I finally righted myself and was once again following her.

"What? What three weeks?" Watching my footing, I strained my ears to hear her better.

"It's been three weeks, not five days."

Scrunching my brow, I tried to figure out her words before it all finally clicked.

"Th-th-three weeks!!!! I've been gone for over three weeks and your just now telling me?!?" Stopping mid stride, her words hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to remember to catch my breath.

"But that's not possible! It's only been days, I've been counting! I mean, give or take a few days but it couldn't have been more than a week!" Scratching my head, I began to recount my time spent with Starr and I still didn't get three weeks.

"Well, if I were ta be more exact, it's been an actual month now." Staring of into the distance, I could see the days ticking by in her mind. "Ya, it's been about ta month now."

Turning her back towards me, she took off walking again, and I found myself rooted into place.

A month, I've been gone for a month and I'm just now finding out. Oh goddess, the pack must think I'm dead. What's happening to Michael and Alora? They must be going crazy looking for me! And poor Cole, he was my first real friend in the pack and I just left him.

And Zayne.

The thought of Zayne alone made my heart sink. I left Zayne.

Everything we never said to each other, every unresolved issue, every looked shared, gone. All of it was gone.

"Are you alright dear." Looking up, Starr was standing before me with a concerned look in her eye.