The Price Of Wishing

Alleyways

Miriam was running as fast as she could, which was nothing to the monster chasing her.

"A little smell. But how little?"

He swiped at her and she managed to dodge it only because she fell. 

"How long have you been with the boy, helping him evade me?" he asked like it was all pleasant. Like he wasn't trying to kill her.

Miriam crawled away.

"See how he doesn't come for you? He betrays you like he betrayed me. He is the betrayer. It's in his half-breed nature. Are you a half-breed too? Is that why you smell so different, little one?"

She looked up into his face, tried to see passed the teeth to the eyes. Were they focused on her? No, they darted around. But his noise was on overdrive. It sounded like a huge helicopter was above her.

"Why are you helping him though? Yes, you smell sweet now. Fear always smells sweet."

Something very large was thrown her way. It missed her because she rolled, but not my much. She staggered into standing and started to run again. 

Miriam suppressed a whimper, turned into another street so she didn't have to slow down. This street was wider. It was too wide. He would catch her. There was something like a stage ahead of her. She ran to it, dived under. A few seconds later she heard him jump on top of it, the sound almost as loud as the heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"See how he doesn't come for you? He betrays you like he betrayed me. He is the betrayer." he voice was sweet. He almost sounded sorry for her. "It's in his half-breed nature. Are you a half-breed too? Is that why you smell so different?"

She lay flat, look at the shadow that seeped through the gaps between the wood which creaked under his weight.

"We were friends once. I thought we were good friends. But then his brother murdered my family. I needed my revenge. Can't you see that?"

He moved in slow, fluid gestures centred about pointing his nose. He was smelling for her.

"He was sworn to help us. But what, little sweet one, do you think he did? Did he help me? Do you think he will he help you?"

Miriam felt something brush against her leg and stifled a scream.

"Relax, fool," whispered Caleb, jumping on top of her. "The boy found a secret way from the town. Leave something that smells like you here. Follow. Be quiet, be quick."

Miriam shuffled out of her coat and dropped it. She crawled after the cat, quietly, ignoring the taunts from the lion as he pace about above. 

They crept out the side. A breeze blew in Miriam's face. They were downwind from those too-sharp claws.

 They ran. Caleb darted from one hiding place to the next. Miriam tried to follow.

A roar from behind sounded, letting them know that Prendre had already discovered their trick.

"Quickly," cried Caleb, bounding ahead. "There is a cellar with tunnels leading out. Davis is keeping it open. Hurry."

Miriam put all of her efforts into pounding one foot in front of the next as fast as she could. Her muscles screamed but a voice in her head was screaming 'RUN' louder.

She heard something very heavy running behind her. She saw Caleb up ahead. He darted into an open cellar down. Davis popped his head out and looked at her, beckoning for her to come to him. Then his head went down again. 

The footsteps behind her were too loud, too close. Miriam bent and picked up a rock, twisted, threw in back into the face of the lion. He had been less than four feet away. He shook his massive head, stopped for a second. Miriam didn't run straight for the cellar. She turned and hid behind a corner of a house. She waited.

"Don't you want to know more about your hero, little one? Don't you want to know who Davis really is?"

Miriam hesitated. She looked to the corner and passed it to the cellar with the open door.

"We grew up together, me and your travelling companion. I saw the best and worst days of his life with him. I shared some of the good times."

She should run, she knew that. She should not be standing listening to him as he got closer and closer, sniffing her out. She should be moving her legs.

"You remember Shadow Day, don't you?"

The question was mocking, and suddenly she was afraid again. He suspected she was different. She moved, peering at him. He had chased her with purpose, she realised. 

He had knocked and thrown things not with the blind fury that he suspected but with the intention to drive her to where his nose could more easily sniff her out and his teeth could more easily wrap around her.

Such an obvious trap. 

Stupid girl! 

He was growling, a deep, angry, animal noise that drove a primal fear up her and made her catch her breath sharply.

"I know you remember. You must," he said. But he had not completely stopped growling as he said it and she was frozen with fear. She started to gather her courage. "But you confuse me. A mystery smell, one that I almost remember."

He was much closer now. Too close. "You must remember. How could you not?"

He was too close to run by now, so Miriam edged forward.

"You travel with him. You give him a disguise and distraction when he needs it. You give him a courage. How will he feel when I take you away?"

The wire wolf screamed, startling the lion. Miriam could see it behind him. It was farther down the street, approaching them.

Miriam looked at the wire wolf. It was different than when she had last seen it. Then, it had been like a metal skeleton. 

It had grown. It was bigger, it's teeth sharper and sticking out in all wrong angles. The metal had grown between the gaps and melded together to resemble enormous muscles that worked as it walked towards them.

He waited, hoping she would beg. He had so many lights on him, she noticed. And everyone only started off with one. He hadn't noticed the wire wolf.

"Come. Tell me, little one. The mystery of you is one I think I have to know before one of us ends you."

She stepped out from the wall and stood in front of him.