Inherent Instinct (In Another Life Part Five)

Chapter Four

Elayn ran, and while she ran she thought furiously, as though she were being chased by the fragments of memory and what was running through her mind at present. The pack, the Monster, this red-bearded alpha, all of it was becoming uncomfortably close to her past. And she had worked hard to leave her past and pack behind.

It was stupid to run from shelter, but the sun would be up soon. It meant Serana wouldn't be able to come after her, which she felt glad for, even though it made her feel terrible to acknowledge it. The bond between them let her know that her mate was shocked and worried, and while it was nice to have that comfort, it wasn't enough to quell the racing in her mind.

They would have to leave, plain and simple. It was horrible of her to leave the humans to fend for themselves, but the Monster couldn't stay in the same region forever, right? They would be fine, as humans always were.

Screaming, fire, blood, images flashed at her like the first rays of the sun peeking over the horizon. No, they would not be fine, and she was too much a coward to try and do something about it.

While ordinarily Elayn was quite dexterous, her state of mind took a toll on her nimbleness, and without warning her foot caught a root and sent her tumbling down the hill. Eventually she came to a halt, sprawled on her back, on what hard enough to be a road. And there was someone up the way whistling.

The whistling got closer as Elayn laid there, somewhat stunned, and she was still lying there when a face suddenly appeared above her, wizened and grey and covered by a long, grey beard.

"Goodness me," he said, and his accent was too vague to place. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine, grandfather," she said, tempering her tongue so she didn't inflict her distemper on needless victims.

"Grandfather, ey?" He looked solemn. "I'm no one's grandfather, old as I might be. If I were your grandfather, I'd tell you that you'll catch your death of cold lying on the ground like that."

"It's spring, not that cold," she rejoined, and sat up. "This road isn't safe to be traveling alone even for a young man. I'll walk with you a while."

He seemed amused, but didn't smile. It was in his eyes. "How gracious. What kind of dangers would this road pose to an old man like me?"

She scoffed. "Besides the bandits? There's wolves out here that would love to make a meal of you."

"Wolves." He nodded as they started walking, and stroked his beard. "I know a thing or two about wolves. I've survived this long, after all."

"These wolves aren't your average wolf," Elayn said, unsure of how much she wanted to tell a complete stranger.

"Oh I'm sure, they're never ordinary wolves. Always bigger than a man, rabid, man-eating." The old man chuckled and shook his head. "I've heard the tales before."

"This isn't a tale," she said, growing irritated. "But believe what you will."

They walked on for a while before the old man spoke again. "You seem under such t terrible strain for someone so young. Are the wolves the cause of your troubles? Or something else?"

"If I say wolves will you leave it be?"

The old man raised an eyebrow at her.