Running with Rogues

CHAPTER 11 - LION'S SHARE

The sun was up and so was I. The floorboards under my mattress were squeakier than a guinea pig, because the adults had deliberately loosened them, so I had to inch my way out of my sleeping bag and tiptoe to the ladder to avoid waking Jess. Cluck Norris and Princess Lay-a were fast asleep, their heads tucked under their wings. They'd spent the night on Nia's old bed, and I sincerely hoped she would never find out.

I'd left my trainers by the front door. They were Sketchers, and I'd stolen them from some Riverside girl last year. The backs were wearing thin now, but there were another few months of use in them still. I sat on the kitchen floor to lace them, wincing as the cold seeped into my backside.

Next, I stuck my head under the tap, drank half of a carton of orange juice and grabbed a handful of raisins. I had the morning routine pretty well memorised to the point where it was automatic, and that was lucky, because I wasn't much better than a zombie until I started running.

I shut the door softly. It was strangely warm for this time of the morning — no dew on the grass, no soul-sucking wind. I began to run, slowly at first, and then faster as I got into the trees. The track had overgrown in the last two months, but that didn't stop me picking up the speed until the trees began to blur and my feet were hitting the ground in tune with the lub-dub of my heartbeat. It wasn't a dead sprint. Not yet.

Two miles on, I turned left and started my circle. Mam didn't set a dawn patrol when I was home. I did the perimeter in human form first, and then I shifted and did it all again with my nose to the ground.

I was sprinting now. The forest was open here — no brambles, no ferns. There was a very slight downwards slope, and the extra split second it took my feet to hit the ground made me feel like I was out of control, like I wouldn't be able to stop if I wanted to. I loved that feeling.

The slope ended quite abruptly, and I eased off the accelerator and let my momentum carry me another hundred metres before I came to a messy halt. I bent over to catch my breath, but I just ended up laughing. I'd still gone running these past two months, of course, but it wasn't the same. Every morning I passed these same trees and I could watch the seasons change leaf by leaf. I knew the path like the back of my hand, so I didn't have to think about where I was stepping. I could just enjoy myself.

Back to running. It was lonely out here — I didn't like being on my own much. Normally, I'd be linking Rhodri and Liam while they lay in bed, and sometimes one of them would even come with me. Those days were my favourite because they could never keep up, and it was hilarious watching them try.

When I was getting near Arlow, I slowed down to catch my breath. If the flockies came from any direction, it would be this one, so it was a good idea to keep my wits about me.

Not a minute later, I heard the birds singing a warning ahead of me, and I stopped altogether. It could just be a fox, but I doubted it, somehow. The back of my neck prickled. I crept forwards, eyes on the trees ahead, looking for any glimpse of movement.

Nothing. Not a twitch. I risked glancing down, and I saw a footprint in the mud. It was so fresh that I could still see the glimmer of moisture on its surface. I swallowed hard. There were more leading along the path, all of them big enough to belong to an Alpha.

Shit, shit, shit.

"Mam," I said through the link. It woke her — I could feel her thoughts sparking and then picking up speed. "There's someone at Arlow."

"Is there?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've got footprints here."

"Weird," Mam murmured. She didn't sound very worried, so she was probably still half asleep.