Valiant(Editing)

Chapter 10; Akela

I was alone again. I hated being alone sometimes. Being alone only made me feel lost and confused. It made me feel more unsure of which path to take and where to go.

Yet, in the moment, I knew I had to focus on doing what Dakota told me to do; I need to get as far away as possible from Dakota's pack. I wasn't sure exactly where I was heading towards, however, I did know it would have to be far away from Dakota's pack.

I continued on my walk, observing my surroundings. I first noticed that I was surrounded by a lot of tall trees, each one full of green leaves, and a few pine cones. This was nothing new. I see these pine trees everyday. From when they sleep in the winter, to when they wake in the spring.

Next, I started to observe the sounds around me. Normally, there would be the sound of birds chirping in the air, yet I didn't hear the birds tweet. There weren't many birds near me, only a few. And those few birds didn't make a sound.

However, in all of the sounds around me, my steps were all I heard.

The simple step forward per each leg, with the sound of each one of my legs padding on the ground. All of them sounding strong, except for one. The one leg that was wounded. The one leg that limped, being weaker than the rest. And in fact, it was the weakest. It could barely keep up with the others. Yet, it still managed to stay alive, to keep up with the others. It managed to survive with the help of Dakota. Dakota.

The one whose ever cared for me in a long time. To risk his life for me. I felt strength and certainty when with him. I never felt lonely around him.

And yet, I left him.

The thought only made me miss Dakota even more.

I began to sigh with a frown. Maybe I should've stayed with Dakota, I thought for a moment, yet then another thought came at me, but the look he had on him...a scared, worried, frightened look.

I could barely stand glancing at that look. I couldn't bare to see him so worried.

I mainly hoped though, that I did the right thing. I did the right thing, right? I kept asking myself that question. Did I do the right thing? Whether I did or didn't, I couldn't change what I decided now.

Another turn of a corner, the same looking path as before. Each path nearly identical. Why must I feel so confused and lost?

With a sigh, I began to grow more tired as I walked.

I wanted to lay down and rest my weary legs, however, I knew that I had to keep moving. I could rest when I got far enough away from Dakota's pack. Yet, when would far enough away be? I shook my head with uncertainty.

I just had to keep moving forward.

Pushing through exhaustion was difficult. I had to fight the urge to not let myself fall asleep as I walked, which was already tiring enough, along with walking. Never ending walking...

I continued to walk, unsure of how long I've been walking for. I kept my walking pace constant, not ever slowing down.

After a lot of walking, I grew tired and weak. I felt as if my legs were going to collapse.

Keep going, I kept telling myself. I had to keep going. I couldn't stop. Not now, at least.

My legs started to ache even more. I had to ignore the aching. I couldn't let exhaustion defeat me. I just had to push on through the difficulty.

So, with my energy drained, I kept walking.