Learning To Live Again

Chapter 13

As I ran through the forest I was hoping that someone was looking for me, and part of me wanted Wally to be one of those people. I looked behind me to see if I was being followed, which I didn’t see anyone, but when I turned back I stopped in my tracks.

Standing in front of me was a huge black wolf. I looked around to find an escape when the wolf growled. My head snapped back to him. We were at a standoff, waiting for the other to make the first move. Neither one of us moved for what felt like hours, but I knew it was only minutes before I saw the wolf take a step towards me. That was all I needed to get moving. I took off to my left with the wolf following behind me.

“Come on Malia, remember all those times you ran away from the foster homes, channel that energy girl,” I said, trying to encourage myself.

I didn’t dare check to see if the wolf was still there, I’ve seen enough movies to know that’s when you get killed, so I kept my eyes trained ahead. I groaned as I came to a hill, but pushed myself to make it to the top. Just as I reached the top, I came face to muzzle with a wolf. However, this one was brown in color and bigger than the black wolf. Instead of making a run for it, I stayed on the ground and cried, accepting the fact that I wasn’t going to make it out of this forest alive as I let my exhaustion catch up and pull me into the darkness. My last thought was that at least I won’t feel any pain when the wolf decides to tear me apart.

 

Wally’s Pov

 

I continued sniffing at everything trying to pick up Malia’s scent when I heard Damion howl, signalling a shift change. I was reluctant to leave but I knew I need sleep and food if I was going to be at my top game. I ran back to where I had been staying at for the last two, about to make it three days, the Kent’s.  By the time I made it back nobody was awake so I let myself in quietly and flopped down onto the sofa. I breathed in and caught a trace of Malia, when I looked over; I only saw one of her sweaters. The faint scent I got off of it was barely enough to draw me into a dreamless sleep.

 I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep when Mrs. K was shaking me awake.

“Wally! Wake up! They found Malia, she’s at the hospital! Let’s go!”

“Which hospital?” I asked as I got up and got ready to leave.

“Quincy.”

I gave Mrs. K a quick thanks as I ran to the woods and shifted. I knew I would be able to get there faster as a wolf than by car. As I ran I prayed that Malia wasn’t hurt and scared out of her mind. I prayed that she didn’t have a panic attack and passed out because she couldn’t get to her inhaler.

“Wally!” I heard Jason as he shifted.

“Who found her?” I asked.

“Mike and Donny. Mike took care of the rouge that was on her trail and Donny brought her in to the closet hospital.” Jason answered as I felt him closing in on me, and in no time flanked my left.

We made it to the treeline in near the hospital, but there was a few blocks separating us. I turned as Jason shifted back and threw clothes at me, which I picked up and left to shift.

“Figured you need them since you were in such a rush that you didn’t bring any along yourself”, I heard him yell as I got dressed.

I thanked him as we ran the rest of the way to the hospital as humans. The closer we got the more nervous I could feel my wolf get. He wanted to see Malia just as much as I did. We made it into the ER and rushed to the front desk and flagged down a nurse.

“Fill out the form and have a seat,” the nurse said as she tried to hand me a clipboard.

“I don’t want a doctor,” I snapped at her.

“I’m here to see a patient.”

“Name?”

“Malia Keahi”, I said.

The moment the nurse finished speaking, I took off in the direction she pointed off to with Jason on my heels. I stood outside the exam she was in while Jason gave me a pat on the back and pushed me forward. I knocked before entering the room and slowly walked in.

There she was. Lying on the bed with wires and tubes attached to her. I felt pain just by looking at her and I hoped she wasn’t in any pain. I held my breath as I saw her head turn and I let out sigh and smiled as she smiled at me.

“Wally!” she said as she moved to sit up.

“Careful,” I said as moved to help her.

I pulled up the chair to sit beside her and took her hand in mine as I took in her scent.

“I looked for you. When I came to pick you up and you weren’t there. I looked, and I never stopped looking.” I told her as I stared at our conjoined hands.

 

I looked up as I felt her shift and throw her arms around me. It was awkward from all the wires but I would take it.