A Winters Memory

Twenty-Two

Silence fell through the cabin as night swept through the forest, the full moon high above in the sky, the beams of moonlight illuminating everything in its path.

Ara and Alec grabbed their belongings, mostly necessities not wanting to overcrowd themselves with too much baggage. They would only take what they could carry and what would not slow them down.

However, with how fierce winters got in Red Wings, they would need to bundle up as much as possible to beat the bitter cold. It was finally time for their great escape.

Dahlia made sure to pack them both some essentials to last them for the time being, but they would need to look for food on their own once it ran out.

Alec grabbed a bag that he had made from the hide of an animal and made it into a bag that could hold their item of clothing.

He had managed to sneak some gowns from the other pack women; he knew Ara would not be able to make it out of the cabin wearing the burlap fabric and expect to survive in it.

He had made sure to give one of the gowns to Dahlia so that Ara could put it on before they would leave.

In the cave where they stayed most days to spend some alone time together, he had hidden some pelts that they would use to bundle up with to keep warm, but they would not stay in that cave. It could easily be found and wouldn't give much shelter or protection.

It was a little past midnight from the look of the full moon out; it was at its highest peak signaling that now was the time to head out before they ran out of time.

Alec quickly made his way out of his bedroom making sure to keep his weight at the forefront of his feet even if it proved difficult given his size and weight he had to manage and withstand the pain in order to get out of there safely and undetected.

He went down the flight of stairs into the basement to collect Ara. Grabbing Ara, they said their goodbyes to Dahlia, lingering a moment too long.

Dahlia wiped a straying tear from her cheek and smiled to Ara as she quickly handed her the bottles of herbs that she threw together to hide their scents so that they were given more time to run.

"Please be very careful you two... Especially you, Ara." She wrapped her arms around Ara once more and sniffled as she released her.

"Okay, go on, get out of here. Keep heading north. I'll catch up eventually."

Ara nodded her head wiping at the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Thank you so much, Dahlia, you've become my best friend and the best sister I never had... I hope we reunite again someday."

Without another word said Alec and Ara set off, making their way through the kitchen and out the back door; making sure to be as quiet as possible. Leaving the house would be their biggest complication.

Everyone had exceptional hearing being wolves and thus would be creating quite the obstacle. Once they were able to exit the back door without hindrance they quickly made their way into the forest their only destination away from this horrid place and the people who resided in it.

As the two moved through the snow, Alec made sure to cover their tracks to better conceal their trail, the fresh snow falling too helped them in covering what Alec could not do fast enough.

By the time they were discovered the frost would have covered every footprint as if nothing had once disturbed the beautiful white blanket that spread across the lands.

Alec and Ara were making good headway despite the freezing cold; they were on their way towards their secret hideaway spot to grab the extra pelts before they ventured any further out.

Being a shape-shifter had its perks; their core temperatures were higher that of your average human; running at a hundred and four or hundred and five degrees. It helped them to withstand cold temperatures but of course, they still needed to bundle up, especially Ara who was in a rather delicate condition needed the most care of all.

As shape-shifters, they were given certain abilities that surely came in handy in certain situations such as the rapid healing and incredible strength; so much more than your average man; but it wasn't those that helped them in this situation...

No, what helped them now was far better. It even wasn't their higher body temperatures, but the ability to see so clearly at night.

This ability was what was allowing the two runaway lovers to navigate their way through the snowfall and dark forest.

Alec and Ara finally managed to reach the small cave and quickly slipped inside, rummaging around for the items Alec had hidden within the rocks.

"They're not here!"

Ara turned to face Alec, her brows furrowing in worry. "Are you sure you put them here?"

Alec ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Yes, I'm sure. I put them right here!"

He jerked his hand forward motioning to the empty space before them. Ara sighed wrapping her arms around his waist,

"Maybe someone found them after stumbling onto the cave, they could've thought they didn't belong to anyone..."

Alec sighed shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter anymore; we need to get going already. We've been here for too long, we'll have to make do without them and just go with what we've got on our backs. We'll keep heading north even in this cold; we're bound to run into someone who can help us or give us shelter."

Ara nodded her head and smiled softly. She knew they needed to stay warm but without those extra pelts, it would be a bit more difficult but not impossible.

The harsh winters weren't to be toyed with or even underestimated but even so, they needed to escape, they couldn't go back after this. She mentally shook her head and looked back to Alec who was staring at her with worry.

"It's alright; come on let's go now." Alec grabbed a hold of Ara's hand and quickly they ducked out of the cave and continued on heading northbound.

Back at the cabin, Dahlia hadn't slept a wink. She was far too worried that the pack would wake up in the middle of the night and somehow manage to find out that Alec and Ara were gone and signal for the others.

She would have to keep her eyes open and hope for the best and hope that Alec and Ara were already far from here. Daybreak was just a few hours away and once the sun was up, all hell would break loose, and the manhunt for Alec and Ara would begin.

She knew it would not finish until they were caught, whether they were caught alive or dead was anyone's guess, though she hoped they wouldn't be caught and if they were, they were both still alive.