Alpha Black and His Luna

Keep Running

Abbie

"I don't know. She looks pretty bad. Poor girl. We need to check her temperature, see if it's gone down." I heard a faint voice as I came in and out of consciousness. My vision was blurry and my body felt like it had been hit with a tone of bricks. I groaned trying to move, but every movement just made me hurt more.

"Is she going to die, Mommy?" a tiny voice says. "No, baby. Not if we can help her."

"I swear Elora, we should stop picking up random strangers and help them. You never know what can happen. What if she's a murderer or something?" another woman's voice says.

"Oh, quiet. This poor girl needs our help. Look where you found her. Out in the middle of the forest. If we left her out there, she could have been eaten by a bear or frozen to death, or... something, what if she's lost?" the same lady says, making me internally glad they helped. I groaned again, moving slightly as I fluttered my eyes open.

"She is waking up. Shh, shh, shh." I heard the other woman say. "Dear, how are you feeling? what's your name? No, no, don't force yourself to get up. It's ok." I tried getting up, but my body felt so heavy and weak. Goddess knows how far and long I ran.

"What were you doing out there?" the first lady asked as I tried to get up. My head throbbed so badly. I wasn't sure how long I was out. "I... where am I?" I asked, trying to turn to my side. "Careful, don't force yourself. You still look weak, child. You're fever still hasn't gone down completely."

"Please... Water." I begged. The little girl came close with a glass of water. "Is she going to hurt us, momma?" the small girl asks, making me confused. "What? No, baby. She's just a child, she won't hurt you."

"Did you run away?" the other lady asks dryly.

"Candace?" the first lady, Elora scolds her, making her scuff as she rolls her eyes. "What? It's possible. Teens these days are too rebellious. You never know. Does your mom know where you are kid?" Candace rolls her eyes, crossing her hands over her chest. Elora rolls her eyes and sighs. "I swear, Candace. You act as if you don't remember all the s**t you made mom go through. You were the worst of us." Elora says, making Candace's mouth gawk open. She had just uncovered her truth before a complete stranger after all.

Little by little I regained myself, and I realized... these were not just any people.... They were humans. Humans? But why...why would they help me? Were they not afraid?

Well... Maybe they didn't know what I was. Because if they did, they would certainly not be here helping me.

"I'm sorry, honey. It's just... Well, we found you by a small creek, and we had passed a group of Rudy teens a few miles away. We just got here too, we're out here vacationing and decided to take a walk through one of the trails before settling in. We found you unconscious. You looked badly hurt, and you weren't responding. We tried calling for help, but our phones have no service out here, and we're far from the trail. You looked so out of it that you tried attacking us when we were getting you inside. If we even tried getting you to a hospital... well," my eyes went wide in shock as she elaborated on the last few hours of my arrival with them.

"We could have taken you to the nearest hospital, but we have no idea where that would be. And, my sister dear here didn't want to stop to fill up for gas, so we don't have enough to go on by even if we tried. Our husbands won't be here for another two days to help us refill."

"You've done enough. Thank you." I said as I drank all the water in big gulps. The cold water clenched my throat wonderfully. I've never appreciated water as good as I am right now.

"Slow down. We have plenty of water." Elora chuckles as I choke on my last gulp of water and begin to cough.

"You'd think she hasn't drank water in months. Geez!" Candace says, making the little girl chuckle, earning a warning look from Elora.

"Mommy. Does this mean we're not going to fish later?" the little girl asks.

"Uh, probably not until tomorrow, sweetie, it's getting a bit late. I think it'd be best if we leave it for tomorrow morning, don't you think? In the meantime, I can make you smores." Elora smiles at her daughter, making her look at her with a gleam in her eyes.

If only I had my mom, or I was able to have that connection with my stepmom. Even though she was nice to me, it didn't mean she treated me with love. She was just nicer. Or perhaps... she just pitied me.

I wonder what my real mom would have been like. Did I look like her? Did I have her eyes, her hair, her looks? It saddened me inside, making my Wolf, Merida whine with sadness.

The next day, Elora took care of me, making sure I rested and had warm meals to get me strong again. But at night, I sensed things off. I peaked out the window and my heart sank, making my eyes widen. I saw piercing eyes look through the forest toward the cottage.

These humans would not have a chance against rogues. If my father had gotten notification that I was still alive and had run, it was only a matter of time before he found me again. He'd send men after me and finish me off. Especially since the men he sold me to were probably dead now.

Elora, Candace, and their little girl were sound asleep. I tiptoed to the kitchen area as my heart thumped uncontrollably and my body shook.

I cried, hoping for the best as I scurried, grabbed a small bag, placed a water bottle, bread, and a few pieces of fruit strapped over my shoulders, and took one of Elora's coats to stay warm at night. I had to keep running.

When I felt the rogues leave, I made a run for it. I could no longer smell them, they were far away.

And thus... my run continued. Where was I going? I don't know. For how long or where I would end up? All I hoped was I didn't end in their path.

I ran all night and through the morning until I couldn't anymore, my fear and adrenaline served as my only source of energy. The sun was too high, it was too hot and I had run out of water.

When I saw a small stream, I decided to stop and fill my water bottle. I went for the water running through the rocks, where it was cleaner. I took big gulps, clenching my thirst.

I made sure to keep a vigilant ear and looked around to avoid being seen by any other humans or worse...more rogues.

I sat under a tall Redwood, to calm my shaking body and took an apple from the bag. Drinking what was left of my water, I took a bite of the apple.

I have to remember to refill my water bottle when I'm ready to keep running. But the solitude got the best of me as I sat. The dumb knot in my throat came back, and no matter how badly I tried to hold it in, I couldn't hold back my tears.

I began to cry again, covering my eyes and muffled my cry. Then, I heard leaves crackling making me startled.

I looked everywhere but I couldn't see anything. I could smell them, but they were nowhere around. The sun was blinding me, maybe it was just that I was too tired. I panicked, getting up quickly, and making my foot slip under me.

The loose dirt slipped and the rubble was soft under me, making my body slide toward the small creek, my eyes widened... I was heading straight to sharp rocks. "No. This is bad... really... Really bad!" Merida says as I hit the rocks with my ankle, twisting it. I groan, turn, and gasp as I see a big rock coming my way, and hitting me right on my temple, making me lose complete consciousness again.

I could hear growls, and wolves running through the forest. Oh goddess, no. Could it be? My dad had found me. I was done for.