Ellas Haze (Book One of Ellas story)

Part 1

 Ella

I have always enjoyed the sound of running water, even as a child it always soothed me, my mum used to say it was a sign of great things to come, yeah right great things, sitting in a cold forest at sunset sketching scared animals as they try to drink from the fresh water stream I am sat near. I lost my mum a few months ago and now every waking moment of my life feels as though every minute passing is another step In a direction I never thought my life would turn, when my mum got sick she didnt have much in the way of savings and a basement flat that no one even notices is there in an area where people constantly come and go. I make a decent living selling artwork in my online store but since this takes up most of my time I quite often feel as though most of my life is spent staring at a laptop screen, I carry my laptop everywhere I go and the rest of my belongings I can easily carry alone, most people would think I am isolated but my mum taught me the value of talent over possesions from a young age.

"shoot" I groan as my art subject a young doe suddenly scatters into the brush across the stream before I get chance to finish sketching its head. I glance up at the sky to see it turning gloomy as the sun begins to disappear in the distance, deciding to pack my supplies and head home before its hopelessly dark I pack my pencils and sketch pad back into my bag and begin the walk back through the trees trying to find the dirt path that brought me here a few hours earlier, the problem however as the evening set it I found it increasingly difficult to get my bearings stumbling through rough patches of overgrowth sure im going the wrong way until I realise im probably heading the wrong way, I sigh reaching for the water from my bag and take a sip before the hairs on the back of my neck begin to prickle. Well done Ella you are going to die here, I think to myself thinking im just paranoid and scaring myself until I suddenly hear leaves rustle nearby. About to bolt I drop my bottle in shock only to be startled by a small bunny hopping from the tree next to me. I sigh mentaly laughing at myself as I crouch to collect my bottle from the floor, when a twig snaps infront of me I expect to be met by the same bunny from before but instead I look up into the most terrifying thing I could encounter, I stare into the dark brown eyes of a wolf.

I let out a deafening shriek abandoning my bottle and darting In the opposite dirrection as fast as my legs will take me. I dont need to turn around to know the wolf has taken chase. I am however not built to be an athlete and within just a few yards my lungs are burning, I dont stop I just keep pushing myself trying to gain distance from the wolf that I now hear snarling behind me, sure I am about to be its dinner I blindly stumble through the now dark roots and plants that try to tangle my feet with every hurried step. When I do trip which I knew was inevitable I fall harder than I thought dazing myself for a second and the monster closes on me quickly snarling heavily, I spin round to look into the eyes of the predator once more, it hunts towards me slowly, it is a rather skinny looking creature, patches of dark fur missing along its back and one of its ears were rather damaged or missing, if it was not snarling with drool dripping from its jaws like a rabid dog I would have pitied the desperate looking creature, my pity of its appearance does not last long as it latches its dirty jagged teeth into my lower leg. I scream so loudly it reverberates around me bouncing from trees and unseen obstacles, the wolf does not seem to react at all. On instinct I kick it with my other foot which seems to piss it off and tear my leg open a little. Suddenly something black barrels from my right and knocks the wolf flying, I dont stop to look at my leg or what just saved me from the wolf I just get up and hobble away as quickly as my now damaged leg will carry me. I dont hear them following me and I finally manage to stumble along a path. I follow it and hear the stream along side me, I keep going and I feel tears drip down my face as the city comes into view ahead of me and street lights aluminated my path, the trees clear and I don't stop hobbling until I crash through my front door. The bite does not look too bad on closer inspection. A few puncture wounds and smeared dry blood and mud, I lost a nice pair of jeans but my leg wont need amputating I dont think. It feels hot and swollen but after cleaning it up and putting ice on it I wrap it in a bandage and try and get some sleep, I dont sleep, my entire night is black fur dark eyes and blood.