Far From Home

Bittersweet

They were finally out of that's prison cell! Only no one felt like celebrating. Chilli and Izzy we're taking it the hardest as they had known him the longest. "Charlie should be here," Chilli said.

"He should" we all agreed

"I don't feel like going on" Chilli cried, "It's not the same without him"

"Charlie sacrificed himself so we could escape, giving up would be an insult to his memory" Izzy replied and we all agreed.

The rest of the day they trudged on, memories of Charlie hanging over them like a dark cloud but they were free and thanks to him none of them would suffer the same fate he did. Silently the four of them walked on, Bree in the front and Chilli, Izzy and Jasper in the back. All the other dogs had all ran off in other directions. They stopped for a rest, only now did they take in the beauty of the Forrest. Tall oak trees surrounded them reaching for the sunlight, the leaves and grass shone with a bright green glow and there were many wildflowers in bloom so there was plenty of colour. Wow! They all thought this place is beautiful!

———-

The light was fading, they had to get shelter and fast. They didn't want to become food for the animals that hunted here at night. They searched for a few hour until they found a place suitable for the four of them. It was a small cave, the ground was covered with leaves. There was only enough space for the four of them if they huddled close together.

That night it snowed, the four of them huddled close together for body warmth. When we woke up it was all dark, it was so cold in there it was like being in a freezer. Jasper searched around for the exit only to be met with a wall of freezing cold snow. Oh no we're snowed in! By now he was so cold that His paws had turned bright red. By now everyone else was as awake and they were helping Jasper dig for an exit, but every time they would make any progress more snow would fill the gap. Finally the snow stopped caving in and they could see daylight. They lay in the sun tried to warm up. They guessed it was around 8 o'clock, people had just started to arrive on the walk trails. Not wanting to be seen they run deeper into the forest and hid.

That day Jasper, Chilli, Izzy and Bree hid in the forest and foraged for food. They managed to find wild berries and some fruit but not enough to feed everyone. For the rest of the morning Bree sat on a rock and made a sling shot. Afterwards she made traps so they could catch rabbits. For the next two hours Bree and the dogs would run around setting traps to catch rabbits. They waited for about an hour and then went and checked the traps, the first two were empty so they went to the last one which was further away. This time they had more luck. That night they made a fire and they had the best meal they had eaten in ages.

The next couple of days went by quite quickly. They had discovered more berries that could be eaten and occasionally Bree would trap a rabbit. The rest of the week went quite smoothly, occasionally a person would wander off the path and they would have to quickly hide. They were having the time of their lives the dog could all agree this was better than the shelter and for Bree was finally free of her past.

~Flashback~
Bree's point of view
I stared at Mum. She looked very different from when she had before she got sick. She was very beautiful, she had long brown locks, bright blue eyes, and a loving smile. But now? All the light had faded from her eyes, her hair fell out due to chemotherapy, the only thing left was her smile. Every time I go into the hospital wing she smiles at me and tells it all right, but I know it's not.

"Sweetie" Mum croaked in the smallest voice.

"Yes Mum?"I said.

Mum always acted as if she wasn't sick. She would treat me like she would at home. It was these small chats that would keep me going, the only thing in fact. Dad was never there. It broke his heart when mum got sick so he hid himself away and very rarely came out of the house. Occasionally he would come visit Mum but these visits made him even sadder.

"How was your school day?" She asked

"Good" I replied

"Have you done your math homework yet?"

"Yes mum"

"So you're ready for your test this Wednesday?"

"Yes I'm ready for the test"

It went on like this for a while until I had to leave. We talked about school, friends, home and normal conversation topics. I always hated leaving, every time I left I didn't know if I would see her again.

It was three weeks later and mums condition had gotten considerably worse. I visited everyday now, not knowing if it would be my last.

~Time skip~

I sat in bed staring at the ceiling. I had no idea how Mum was, the doctor wouldn't tell me anything. Then the phone rang. I ran to it hoping it was news about Mum. It was. But not news I wanted. The doctors answered.

"Hello this is Doctor David Hart, who is this?" He asked.

"This is Bree Ardley, I'm the daughter of Hannah Ardley." I replied.

"I'm sorry but your mothers health has suddenly gotten worse than we hoped. There is nothing we can do. You can come and see her before she passes."

It was four months after the funeral. I was hiding in my room. Ever since that day dad was never the same, he had started drinking and had turned violent. I had had enough so I packed my bag and ran away.

~End of flashback~