The Cursed Kids Never Sleep

Chapter 2: The Beginning

Ren ran through the forest in wolf form, covering ground quickly. He jumped over a fallen tree, his bag hitting his side occasionally. Once he got far enough away, he changed into human form and pulled on clothes. He walked to a rest area a short bit away and washed the blood off, walking out looking normal again. He went back into the woods and changed forms again after putting his clothes in the bag, trotting around looking for a river.

Blake runs at a man, sinking his teeth into his arm. The man yells as the wolf lets go, getting a hold of his neck and squeezing the life out of the man. His pure white coat was now splattered crimson with blood. He let go, nosing in the man's pocket and pulls out a wad of cash, padding off.

Jaye walks around calmly in wolf form, snow drifting onto her frosty gray pelt. She sighs, thinking about the dream she had the night before.

The snow crunched underneath Leo's boots as he walked through the forest near his home. His head was in the clouds, thinking about last nights dream. The dream showed him going to a tree in Minnesota, other people present but their faces blurred from his sight. He internally debated obeying the dream or not. He sighed and looked around at his surroundings.

Adeline walked down the busy sidewalks, people whose heads were buried in their phones bumped into her on occasion. She kept to herself, looking around with crystal, ret tainted eyes and holding her satchel close to her hips. She'd been mugged before, so she always kept iron brass knuckles in her pocket.

Blake set the money down and jumped into the river, washing the blood away. He walks out, shaking water from his coat and walking to a tree, pulling a bag out of some bushes, He shifts and changes clothes, picking up the wad of money and putting it in his bag. He walks on a trail in the woods casually.

Ren laid down beside a river, wanting to sleep quickly before continuing on. As soon as he closed his eyes however, the dreams started. First he saw himself in human form, walking alongside a familiar face, then the dream turned bloody. Just before he woke up, the dream showed a large tree and a map marked off. Ren stood up quickly and shook his fur, drinking water before running off through the woods towards the direction of the dream tree.

Jaye pads off in the direction of Minnesota, knowing she had nothing more to lose, after the loss of her family to her former pack of savages, the memory of blood spattered across her home making her shiver. She picked up a full charge through the woods, blundering through the thick snow, hopping to cover some ground.

Blake looked around. He was at the border of Alabama and another state he didn't know. His eyesight goes black and a tree shows up, he steps back though he couldn't see. Then Minnesota flashed across his vision. He falls, closing his eyes. When he opens them again the woods are back to normal. "Weird." He growls and shifts, his bag disappeared but would reappear as soon as he shifted back. He had a long ways to go.

The subway was almost empty at 2:00 p.m. with most people in work. Adeline paid her fare and walked into the L train. It took her downtown to a bus station, and the bus ride would take her to Minnesota. There was a tree she'd always wanted to visit and take pictures of, although she didn't know where the idea came from. She was a hipster and photographer, how cliché.

As Ren ran through the forest, he smelled another wolf, this one not a shifter and he growled, his hackles raising. He crouched low and his eyes gleamed darkly. He circled the new wolf, sizing him up, then lounged, biting the shoulder and backing off, his gaze defiant, baiting the wolf into thinking he was an easy fight. The other wolf was older, but clearly less experienced, an easy kill for Ren. The new wolf made a few useless attempts, Ren dodging easily before getting bored and lounging forward. He grabbed the smaller wolf's neck and dragged him to the ground, tightening his jaws and the life faded from the wolf's eyes. Ren releases the wolf's limp body and trots off, shaking blood off his muzzle and then dipping it in a small creek to clean it before entering Wisconsin.

Jaye makes her way across the border into Minnesota, her heart racing. She stops once she crosses the border, shifting back into a human and slipping her clothes on. She settles down under a tree, tucked up in her sweatshirt. She drifts into a light sleep, resting before the continued journey.

Over a day of traveling left Adeline bored out of her mind, itching her skin while switching in between books, working on her poetry and drawings. She pulled her glasses up as she finally crossed the border. Adeline walked to a small motel, traveling with almost nothing, and bought a room. She walked in, taking a short shower and fell into the bed, taking a nap.

After about 3 hours of running, Blake stopped by a river and drank, he then continued on his way for 5 more hours then stopped to rest.

Ren stopped at a large tree, laying down and waiting, but for what he didn't know. He drifted off into an uneasy, but dreamless sleep. After no more than 2 hours, Ren woke up and lifted his head, sniffing the air in unease before standing up and prowling around restlessly. He walked quietly away from the tree and found a fresh scent trail belonging to a herd of deer. He trials after them, finding a large doe standing alone. He closes in, staying low, and leaps to her neck, using his large body to drag down and he locks his jaw, tasting blood as the life leaves her eyes. He eats quickly and leaves the half eaten carcass, going to a river nearby and rinsing his muzzle. He jolts up when he hears a howl, and he growls, running back to the tree.

Adeline awoke from a strange dream about a tree surrounded by several silhouettes she couldn't identify. She got dressed, grabbed her satchel and camera, and walked out the door. She rented a car for the week and drove off to the location. After about 3 hours of driving, Adeline pulled over, getting out of the car and left her belongings. She stripped out of her clothes and left them in the car, shifting into a tri-toned wolf as she growled and ran into the woods. She let out a loud howl, echoing throughout the forest.

Blake gets up after resting and shifts, taking off again, now in Missouri.

Jaye wakes up after a few hours and snorts, stripping down and dropping down onto all fours, her features turning wolf-like as she sprouted fir. The wolf took off, the tree only a few miles away.

Lee darted around trees, watching the grass fly by while she ran happily towards an unknown destination, following only what her gut instinct told her.n