Cinnyris

Running. That is all I did, I ran. And I could push, the adrenaline didn't desert me yet as my thoughts are continuously pursued by everything all of what I'm running from. Still, there's a five year old on my back, the repetitive small tugs on my fur keep me heavily alerted of her fatigue, and so I cant go on.. a tired child on a wolf's back is a dangerous thing, she might sleep and fall off my back.

expanding nostrils, warm air coming out in hot fog, the scents of the wood, tiny hands woven into my fur, warm, sticky with cold sweat. The sky is heavy, not so limitless today. I'm down on my belly and she steps off, the sound of her shallow breath fills my ears, curls brush against my eye as she flops down on the floor.
I try to do it without thinking, the quicker the better. My bones shift under my skin, needles are drawn inside, all the extra hair, fangs tucking in and im up on two. the backpack the was on my back along with the child is down on the floor. I kneel and pull out a black shirt, cool cotton, faint masculine scent, a pair of jean, a few sizes too big. It's more convenient, I don't want anything to irritate all the scars down my legs, too many have reopened from the running.   

After I am done I rush back to the little girl, my bare feet tickled by the grass, i try not to think about all the things i could've stepped on in this tar dark night. The kid's face carries a heavy yet sweet smile, a tired one. I return the smile with a loving one of my own, the best I can put on. That's all I have to offer her. We ran out of food the other night.

"Can I sleep now?" She asks with that soft childish voice of hers. There was this one time where she slept on my back while I was running. She almost slipped,and I growled at her, flinched, and we both fell down. Her leg got cut and we had to talk about how cuts are okay, and how I got all of mine from shooting stars. With a few kisses and good care, only a small trail would be left of the shooting stars on me, but her small cut would heal fast.  Now she doesn't sleep except with my permission.
There are too many things that I'm trying to not think about, including the horror she must be going through.

"Of course you can sweetie." I say, scooping her up. I lift her between my arms and let her head rest on my shoulder, her hands cling to my shirt, the weight of my responsibilities regarding her resurfaces. She can feel the tension coming out of me, I can tell from her squirming, that wont help her sleep. Slowly I start to hum, half of the notes flying away with a rasp, she doesn't relax. "Would you sing to me like you used to before?" She asks quietly, somewhere near shy. I shiver, then pull the hood of her jacket to cover her head.

That before was a really long time ago, I don't even know how she remembers, but I'm kind of glad that she does. That she didn't completely forget about me, and stuck on to whatever pieces of me they allowed her to remember . Yeah, I'm glad indeed.

"Sure, yes." I sigh, submissive . I think I entered a new territory and I want to get out as fast as I can WITH OUT getting noticed, and I don't think singing would help, but I feel so sorry for her, beyond the superficial vibe the word "sorry" often radiates. I sing softly, the words of the song slowly turn to gibberish, I forgot the most of it, so I carry on humming. she finally relaxes and her head gets heavier on my shoulder, her hands are now by her side, dangling loosely, she is asleep.
I rest her head on the bag and position my self next to her, I'll give her 4 hours- five tops, then we'll head on.
An hour or so pass until I hear a twig break, and some leaves shiver. I try to drop it and think that it's just an animal in the wilderness, but the distant howl I hear doesn't allow me, I get up and grab my sister so fast that her sleeping form doesn't even register the movement, better, let her sleep, I don't want her to be awake for whatever is coming.

Naturally,I consider running but they already got my scent, so there is no use. And because of the direction the noise is coming from, I am assured that who's coming is from this pack, not my old one, and that is almost reassuring. I walk closer to a clearing then stop, suggesting that I'm no threat. I stand still waiting for whoever they're sending with the kid nearly motionless between my arms. I hear bones cracking and I know that whoever is here is shifting. But into what? i have no idea.