Still breathing

Chapter 4

Green Time. Early Morning. Sun's day. Unknown location. Day 14. Year 286.

Kira stood in the middle of the field, heavy fog blanketed the area. The fog was so thick, Kira could only get see three to five yards out. She did not know where she was, nothing smelled familiar.

"Hello?" Kira called out. She twitched her ears in confusion, she was just at home, enjoying delicious bread pudding and leftover beef stew. Where did Brenton and Melathe go? She walked forward. Where could she be? Were Ash and Blake playing a trick on her? They once left Kira in the woods when she was a newborn kit. They took her out and left there. The Royal Guard found her almost an hour later, safe and sound. Maybe Ash and Blake played a trick on her again. Whatever. She needed to find something familiar and walk home. Simple.

"Melathe?" Kira called out. The fog swallowed Kira's voice, leaving behind dead air. Kira's SOUL began to race in her chest. The fog never did that before.

"Brenton?!" Kira cried. Dead air.

"KORA! ASH! BLAKE?" Nobody answered her. "LILITH!?" Tears ran down her face, it soaked into her fur. Kira choked back on her tears. No, she cannot cry now, she needs to do what Brenton would want her to do.

Kira took in a massive breath of air. It smelled like the woods behind her house, but it was different... Different in a way Kira didn't understand. The pines twisted over each other, most of them were on the ground. The grass was black like the nighttime sky. She looked up at the sky. It was dark gray, like the fog. She really didn't know where she was. Kira cried out for her family once again.

But nobody came.

Kira sprinted into a random direction, hoping this will lead her straight back to her house. The fog made it hard to see ahead of her. She suddenly tripped over a branch and fell face first into rose bushes on the other side. Thorns pierced Kira's face, it scratched her and dug into her fur. She screamed out and threw herself backward. The thorns burned. Oh, Gods, it burned.

Kira bawled out. She clawed at her face, trying to get the thorns out. She soon realized, after several minutes of scratching, it was useless. Ab-so-lute-ly useless. It only made the pain worse. Finally, Kira just gave up. She picked herself up and began to cry once again.

Gods.

She was a baby.

One massive crybaby.

She was no Amarande.

The fog swallowed her cries like quicksand swallowing one of those long birds near the lake. Kira managed to open her eyes. Luckily, the thorns missed her eyes. She pulled the thorns out of her face, each one caused her eyes to water.

Gods, Kira wished Melathe was here. She would put some medication on the wounds and kissed the pain away. She missed her.

Would she ever see her again?

Only Kira has this part forest memorized, not even the elders know the forest as well as her. Maximus has maps, but it's half-finished and only has notable locations.

"KIRA!" A voice cried out. Kira stared into the direction of the voice.

Melathe?

How did she get here? She hates the woods! She usually sends Kora to find her

"MELATHE!" Kira called back. She heard Melathe called out in the opposite direction.

There!

"Coming!" Kira yelled. She hopped up to her feet and sprinted into the direction of Melathe's voice. Melathe's voice echoed in another direction. Kira skid to a halt. What's going on? Why did Melathe change directions?