Blood Burden

« Chapter Twelve »

She remained as still as the dead. 

Her mind was a hurricane of emotions, fear and anxiety topping the list. She tried the mind link with Fabian but they were too far apart. She couldn't even feel his presence in her mind when she reached for a connection. She was alone. 

There was no physical way that she would be able to fend off two rogues. They were unpredictable, ruthless, and vicious. She would face a very painful death if she left her hiding spot. She was not a skilled warrior. She didn't know the first thing about defense. 

The only reason she was able to seize the life of Alpha Drake was because he was already facing other rogues. She was the last brick that was stacked against his life and she took that opportunity like an idiot. She had help in defeating him, an Alpha, and that very act alone seemed to send her whole life into a spiral of things she didn't understand. Things she didn't know. 

If she made a run for it, the chances of the rogues chasing her all the way back to the pack were too high to risk. She had to wait, no matter the fear the crept up her spine, no matter the memories that flashed behind her eyelids every time she blinked. It was all too familiar, only this time she had a place to hide. She wasn't left utterly defenseless. 

For once, as she watched the rogues search for a scent trail right in front of her, she was thankful her blood was scentless. Her mind drifted to the marks upon her skin, did they have a purpose, too? Would she figure it out in the heat of the moment? 

Suddenly, a howl resonated in the distance. Both of the rogues snapped to attention, their bodies rigid as they listened, and then they took off. She almost breathed out a sigh of relief as they left in the direction they had come from, which meant they hadn't quite got the trail of the pack. She had to fix that. 

After a few more minutes, just to be sure she was alone, she began scrambling out from underneath the bush as fast as she could. Her wolf joined her consciousness, girl and wolf merging as one, and they ran like the wind. Her surroundings were a continuous blur but with her wolf's strength, her paws barely touched the earth, and her ability to maneuver the forest was incredible. Her wolf's instincts were strong, as one with nature, and she latched onto it. 

She ran until she felt like her lungs were on fire. She couldn't be more than a few hours away from the pack. She trusted her wolf to guide her in the right direction since she had always been a horrible tracker herself, and soon she was relieved to catch sight of familiar figures. 

The sun was slowly descending from the sky, it would be night soon, and she felt the dread build up in her stomach all over again. They were in danger. Grave danger, at that. 

She shifted, barely slowing to a walk before doing so, and Fabian came over with wide eyes. 

"Val? What's wrong? Are you okay?" He grabbed her arm to steady her while she heaved in air. Pack members watching warily with fright interlaced in their eyes. They knew something was wrong, it was quite obvious while she stood there gasping. 

Finally, she coughed and spoke in a rush, "I saw them. Rogues, they're following us. They're tracking our scent trail," She sucked in another breath, "We can't stop tonight, we have to keep moving." 

There were gasps of horror and the children immediately burst into tears at the mention of rogues. Fabian's face fell into a grave expression, his jaw clenching tightly, "I should've known they'd follow our trail." 

"I should have, too," She consoled, "We don't have time to stop, if we don't stay ahead of them they'll be on us before morning." 

"Okay, we'll just keep moving," Fabian agreed, "But they'll be behind us the whole way --" 

"Unless we mask our scent." She finished his thought. 

Fabian's mother, who stood beside him, cleared her throat, "Alpha, if I may, mud is very pungent and I think it would cover up a scent. Especially if we found a river, then the clay would help it stick to our skin." 

She nodded, thoughtful, "That's a good idea. Fabian, are there any rivers around here?" 

"There is one just east, it would be a major detour but it's very close to another pack territory," Fabian explained. 

"We don't have any other choice," She said, "We'll go east." 

"My name is Laura, by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you, Alpha." Fabian's mother bowed her head. 

Admiration for such respect blossomed beneath her breastbone, she gave a small smile, "Thank you, Laura, you might have just saved us." 

Her earlier assumptions about Laura were even more prominent in her mind. She decided she liked Laura, if even for the smallest of reasons, regardless of what happened in the past. It wasn't like she could go back and change what had happened. Right now, Laura was treating her with proper respect and she wouldn't ask for anything else. 

She walked by Fabian's side as they headed east. It wasn't long before the sun left them in crawling shadows, and eventually pitch-black that whispered around them and threatened to swallow them up. She flinched at every stick that broke beneath an accidental footfall. Her heart ached at the sound of the children crying and whimpering from fright. 

But they couldn't stop. It was a miracle they lasted the night before unharmed, especially with a group of rogues being so close to catching up. She wondered how long the rogues had been trailing them. Possibly before they even left the house. She would never know. 

Slowly but surely, after what felt like years of walking in the dark, she began to hear the rush of water. Sighs of relief resonated among the pack members. She wanted to sigh with them but their night had only just begun. They had to stay ahead. 

When they reached the riverbank, she turned and addressed the members, "Rinse off your scent and then cover every inch of your skin with mud. Do it quickly, we will keep moving until dawn." 

"But we've only just gotten here!" A man protested, his exhaustion evident, "We need to rest!" 

"Keep your voice down," She hissed, approaching him, "We're close to other pack territories and they will have less mercy than those rogues. You will do as I say because if not, you'll be resting in your unburied grave." 

He instinctually lowered his head in the presence of her command, "Yes, Alpha."

"Any other objections with staying alive?" She snarled at the others. 

A young woman nervously stepped forward, "What about our injuries, Alpha? Some of the wounds have not closed completely." 

"Bind them with gauze and cover the top of the gauze with a thin layer of mud." She answered, less angrily. Her wolf only rose in the presence of disrespect. When no one else spoke, she said, "Good, now get to work. We have little time to waste." 

It was going to be a very long night. 

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It's been a while since I've done a double update, eh?

I'm just going through a lot right now and I'm feeling everything pretty deep so I have to get it out, I need to talk about it in some way. Writing is, and always will be, my emotional release. I am going to keep writing until I don't feel anything anymore, that's what makes it worth it.