One-Shots of My O.C.'s Lives

On the Run

Fast breathing, pattering of footsteps, heart hammering his chest, running blindly through the undergrowth. Clamber over a twig, then keep running, trying to escape the pattering of pawsteps not too far behind. Weakened from hunger already, and claw marks on his back that showed through the tears in his shirt, he kept running, with only the setting sun to guide his steps into a direction.

Sunset was a bad time to be out in the woods for a borrower, but Adam had no choice; food was scarce, he was always on the run...

But right now, his life was in danger.

He pushed through a few more leaves before he burst into a meadow, and he headed straight for a small hole in the ground. Adam forced his legs to move faster, and with a successful leap, he flung himself down into the tiny burrow, just before the stray dog could swipe at him. He heard it bark excitedly as he pressed himself in the back of his small space, his chest heaving up and down as it started scrabbling against the ground, trying to dig up his hiding place.

He was trapped in a frightened trance, a few minutes passing as the giant dog got closer and closer. He could hear it panting as it barked with eagerness, wanting to snatch poor Adam up in its jaws and do what dogs did when they had their quarry. Despite how light-headed with fear Adam felt, he didn't budge, only staring at his slowly incoming bane with a terrified expression.

Then when the dog was just a few pawlengths away, Adam bolted and make a break for it, managing to dive under the golden retriever and scamper away in a random direction. The dog wolfed in glee and galloped after the startled creature, quickly closing in. Adam looked back, seeing how it was only a few meters away when the ground suddenly disappeared out from under his feet, and he fell with a trip, rolling as he yelped in alarm. He tumbled a bit before coming to a stop, lying on his back and up at the blue cloudless sky. He quickly sat up, relieved and confused that the dog was hovering at the edge of his vision, hesitating. He started in alarm and ducked when he heard a snarl and a flapping of wings, and he put his face to the earth, hearing the snapping of jaws and hisses of one animal, and the yelps of the stray.

Then the dog suddenly whimpered, and Adam heard the noises cease as a set of paws pattered away. Then it was quiet, and Adam dared to look up just enough to have a crack of sight above his arms. He didn't see anything. Shivering, Adam slowly sat up, quickly rising stiff-legged onto his feet as he stumbled back a few steps. What had happened? Where had the dog gone? Was it gone for good? What had made it stop?

His heart skipped a beat when he remembered that predators usually stopped chasing their prey when another predator chased it off, and he glanced around fearfully, rubbing his scuffed elbows while panting softly in fear. But there was not a creature in sight. Confused at this, Adam let out a shaky sigh of weary and pressed his back to the small cliff he had fallen over, only to stifle a moan of pain as his injuries reminded him that he was wounded. How the heck was he supposed to get that taken care of?

He slowly got up from his lean-on and took a few wobbly steps, but his adrenaline had left him, and his legs gave out on him, causing him to faceplant. He tried again, but ended up sinking to his hands on knees, breathing heavily as he gritted his teeth to try to ignore the pain. How was he supposed to get back to his makeshift home now?

He stiffened when he heard a heavy fluttering of wings again, and he went deathly still when he heard something big land not too far away from him. Adam slowly crawled to huddle against his misstep, hardly daring to breathe. It was back, he knew it, it was gonna find him and then kill him, he just knew it!

He heard the quiet shuffling draw closer, and he squeezed his eyes shut, a small vocal shudder escaping him. He didn't want to die, not after all he had been through!