The Dawning

Chapter Four

I had to jog just to keep up with the Pack and not lose my placement in the line. I didn't want to lag behind and end up at the end with John who I was guessing to be the Alpha of the Pack or at least, the acting Alpha for this rescue mission.

The half form that he had turned into still freaked me out and I didn't want to face that form anytime soon. Then again, I was wary of all of them besides from Tommy and Charles. I could tell that they stayed close too, making sure that I was protected.

There was a bear behind me just a few yards and I had learned to not look back because turning around and seeing a huge brown bear running towards you did some things to your heart. I had started running instead of jogging and I overtook Charles until I was first. That was how freaked out I was, and father and son had noticed.

I hadn't known that wolves could laugh, but Charles and Tommy proved me wrong. It sounded like a mix between a cackle and yip. Their laughter made me feel stupid and I ended up falling back in place but now I just didn't look back. The fear of getting a mini heart-attack from the bear was one reason but there were others...I couldn't look back.

This was it.

It had come two weeks earlier than I had suspected and in the worst of ways that it could have possibly gone down but this was freedom.

My freedom.

The one I longed for since I realized that I'll never belong in the Clan. That there would never be a place for me there. At least, not one I wanted. They would keep me on a short leash and I'd always be reminded of my dirty blood. I wouldn't have my own life like I wanted.

So yes, this was my freedom.

In those first few hours of the morning, even though I was dead tired and full of different emotions, I took in everything with fresh eyes.

The sky was beautiful in the first few hours of the sunrise, with vibrant colors painting the sky, red, yellow, pink, orange; the sun glowed and the sky opened up, its rays first soft and just adding a touch of light to the forest. As the sun went higher in the sky, sunlight started to stream in through the trees, making the forest look almost mystical.

It was beautiful. More beautiful than anything I had seen. I reveled in it, knowing that this was my second chance of a life that could be better. If I could find beautiful places like this, then surely I could make my own life wonderful.

As we went deeper into the forest, the wildlife started to show themselves, birds were singing in the trees and gliding through the blue skies, we were at one point passing by a herd of deer that took flight at our presence, a bunny here and there, a fox, and there were some other beast calls coming somewhere else in the trees.

No one tried talking to me as we made progress through the forest even though I could feel their eyes on me and their curiosity. I figured it was because they wanted to make it to their safe spot first rather than not being able to shift into a half-form. There was still so much I didn't know about the werewolf side of me and werewolves in general.

Or were-shifters, I reminded myself thinking of the bear.

We had walked the entire morning and hunger started to spike in me. I was definitely wiped out now, I had stopped jogging and was now just walking as fast as I could. It had been more than twenty-four hours since I had slept. I should have been sleeping already and be waking up in an hour or so but instead I was almost at the other side of the forest.

Charles had slowed down until he was matching my pace and I looked up at the massive werewolf. He had been the first werewolf I had seen, it was him in the cage that had started everything. Him and his brown eyes.