Rising Moon - A Twilight Fan Fiction

Chapter Ten - Sleepy Towns

Chapter Ten: Sleepy Towns

Running was the easy part. It felt so amazing to zip over the ground again, my feet barely touching the hard-packed dirt; I was weightless as I sailed through the forest. I passed by trees and animals, focusing on the feeling of fresh air moving in and out of my body. The underground apartment had been a prison for too long; this freedom was what I needed.

Jake kept up next to me in his wolf form, his clothes forgotten far behind us. We moved as one, never missing a beat or losing sight of each other. It was second nature to keep one eye on him and the other on where I was going, but I constantly felt his gaze sliding to me to ensure my safety. I usually slowed down after an hour or so, but I had adrenaline pulsing through me now, and I couldn't even feel the exhaustion creeping in.

We had to keep moving.

I knew they were still behind us and would be until we found a way to ditch them. Mama, Uncle Emmett, Aunt Rose; they would all die rather than be responsible for letting me escape. It would kill my mother if I got hurt in any way, especially since she and the others had promised my father to keep me safe. But I wasn't her defenseless child; I was ready to be my own person and not depend on her for everything.

Without asking, I made a graceful leap over to Jake's back, finding my place between his shoulders. I didn't want to tire too soon, especially not when we'd have a stressful time discovering a new hiding place. His rhythmic galloping picked up as I got comfortable, and our speed doubled. He'd been slowing down for me. I touched his forehead to convey my disapproval, but he just snorted and ran faster than before.

I could hear their voices bouncing off the trees behind us. They were calling for us to stop, to come back where it was safe; Jake didn't hesitate to ignore them. I had what we needed in my backpack. Fresh clothes, as much cash as we both had, passports, and a few other fabricated forms of identification that had been a gift from Uncle Jasper; his mistake for giving us a flawless getaway plan.

Hours passed, the forest turning from sunny to dim, and, finally, the voices died down. I was surprised they'd given up so easily, but I figured they'd realized we weren't coming back. Jake slowed as he heard them getting farther behind us, and I felt his shoulders heaving with the effort of sprinting for so long. He went into an easy jog while I ran my fingers through his hair and placed a gentle kiss between his ears. We were really doing this.

A half hour later, I leapt off his back and onto the ground, keeping pace with him as he slowed even more for me.

"Why don't we take a break?" I said, placing a hand behind his furry cheek. He nodded towards my backpack, silently asking for his clothes. I got them out for him and he went to hide behind a bush to phase, coming out in a black tee and jeans; his usual attire.

There was a frown on his face as he came back to me. "Ness, we have to be careful with this."

I gave him a questioning look, sitting down on a fallen tree branch as he paced in front of me.

"We have to hide from the Volturi and your family now. Do you know how hard this is going to be? They have friends everywhere; both of them. And the Volturi will have scouts in every shadow trying to catch the pair of us. We aren't that easy to miss," he rambled, running an agitated hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have let you do this."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You didn't have to come."

"I would never let you go alone," he said. "I won't ever leave you, Renesmee, no matter what crazy stunts you pull."

I got up off my branch, standing to face him. "Go back, then. Tell them I ditched you. I'm not putting up with you if you're going to lecture."