Chapter 4 -On The Run: Vanessa

I was fortunate that my wolf and I had trained extensively. We would occasionally go down to the train tracks and test our speed against that of the locomotives barreling down the tracks. I never did anything risky like trying to outrun and cross in front of it, but I like to test my speed and endurance.  

I ran past the river, past the spot where Tyler and I always went to celebrate, to cry, to just escape the everyday moments of pack life. I didn’t know my heart could shatter any more than it already had, but the weight of all that had happened since I arrived on the riverbank this morning was suffocating. I don’t know if I could ever find peace there anymore. I didn’t know if I even wanted to.

I ran for what seemed like hours, but I knew the moment that I had crossed the pack borders because I could breathe easier. Somehow, I knew that if anyone had recovered quickly enough to do anything about me running, they wouldn’t cross the pack border to come after me. I wish I could say that the same was true for the pain in my heart. I wish there were a barrier I could cross that would instantly heal my heart.

I didn’t know where I was going, but I wasn’t inclined to stop anytime soon. Consciously, I knew I should be concerned about the dangers I could face being outside the pack’s borders, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I would be better off taking my chances against whatever had been killing wolves over the last several months. I would welcome death rather than face everyone back home. 

The night air was quickly becoming cool, and I could feel Lena beginning to tire. I knew that we would need to find shelter soon, and water would be a key factor in finding the right place. Another two hours passed before I spotted an opening in the mountainside. It didn’t seem much bigger than one of the larger sheds that surrounded the training center near the center of the pack’s land. It wasn’t like I needed much space, though. I was a lone werewolf and only needed shelter so I could rest and Lena could recover enough to carry us further away from the shattered life I am leaving behind.

After determining that the space would suffice as a resting place, Lena lifted her snout and sniffed the air around us. Through her, I could smell the plant life, and when the wind shifted, water. Lena led us to a riverbank that was larger than the one near home, and lowered her head to drink. When she had her fill, she returned us to the spot in the mountainside and curled into a ball. Far off in the distance, I could see the first rays of sunshine dawning on the horizon. We ran for longer than I thought. I would only take a nap, and when I woke, travel further in the daylight.

I didn’t have a plan for how far I would run or how I would survive; I just knew that I wasn’t going to go back. I wasn’t going to be forced to rescind my rejection and live with Tyler continuing to mess around with Cass or any other female. What he did was unforgivable, and I hoped he would be punished for his actions. I doubted that would happen, though, in the Alpha’s eyes, infidelity wasn’t considered abuse. In fact, it is said, he encouraged male wolves to seek fulfillment outside of the bond if their mate didn’t make them happy or couldn’t bear an heir. In short, he was a misogynistic asshole.

Now that I was no longer running, exhaustion was beginning to settle in. “Okay, Lena, let’s get some rest. I don’t want to be out in the open again tonight, so we’ll have to travel as far as we can and find shelter again before nightfall,” I told my wolf before the fatigue pulled me into a deep sleep.

When I woke, the sun was shining brightly, and though we were in the shade of our shelter, the temperature was already promising to make this a miserable day of travel. On top of the heat, my stomach decided to remind me that we hadn’t eaten since dinner last night. I wasn’t thrilled at the thought of having to hunt for my food, but with no other option, I told my wolf to search out something small for us, because we couldn’t risk trying to wrestle a bobcat and possibly getting injured in the process. Plus, a bobcat would be too much food for one wolf to consume.

At first, Lena tried catching a fish while we were at the river getting a drink of water, but the effort was fruitless. She did, however, spot a squirrel, and even though it was fast, we were faster. After that, she caught a lizard. I tried not to think about it too hard because I knew if I did, I would be sick. After our meal, Lena went back to the river for another drink of water before we started on our way.

Moving during the day was much slower than it had been at night. We could see better, but with our thick fur coat, the heat kept us from exerting excess energy. When I could see that the sun was starting to set again, I started searching for a place to take shelter for the night. We passed by a stream and Lena paused for a drink, then I began scouring the landscape for a place to stay. 

It took another hour to find anything that would be big enough for me to sleep in. Most everything I had seen was either a hollowed-out log or a pile of brush. I didn’t relish the thought of the bugs that would also be in those places, though. I finally spotted a place. It was another cutout, but it went deeper into the mountainside. I had no intention of going too deep into the cavern; I only needed to be out of sight of any predators and the possible effects of a windstorm. 

Once we had settled in, I fell asleep quickly. I’m not sure how long I had been sleeping when I was startled awake by the feeling of being watched. “Lena, do you see anyone else here?” I asked my wolf. 

“No, but I haven’t looked any farther than what I can see in my periphery. I am going to stand up so I can look at our surroundings better, but if there is danger, we’re going to have to run,” she replied. 

Lena raised her head slowly and used her paws to push up off the ground. She looked to the right and then the left before slowly turning around. There’s no one visibly present in the little cavern space with us, but I do know that it goes deeper into the mountain. 

“Do you think it is safe for us to stay?” I questioned. I am certain that I am being watched, and I have no idea if my life is in danger.

“Maybe we are just being paranoid. We haven’t slept much in the last two days, and we haven’t had time to process everything we have been through,” she replied. She’s right, the last two days have been complete turmoil, and maybe I am just paranoid.  

Just as Lena had lain back down, we heard what sounded like a rock skidding across the floor of the cavern, and she was back on her feet and looking around the area. “It was probably just a rock, Lena. We’re inside a mountain, and pieces of rock probably fall all the time,” I said, trying to calm both of our nerves.

She lay back down and curled up into a ball with her head resting on her paws. I knew she was on alert, and we weren’t going to get much sleep tonight as a result. I took the time to think about where we should go from here and how we would survive once we got there. I couldn’t try to seek refuge with another pack; they would question why I left, and they would likely arrest us and turn us in or just flat refuse to grant us haven.

If we try to go into a human city, I have to find clothes somehow. I would be shot if I wandered into a town in wolf form, and I would likely be thrown into a mental institution or jail if I walked into town naked. In either instance, I would have clothing and shelter, but neither would be a pleasant experience. 

I was still thinking about the decisions I would have to make when I drifted back off to sleep. I’m not sure how much more sleep I had gotten when I woke again, but strong arms were around me before Lena could even react.

Lena let out a warning growl for whoever had been stupid enough to sneak up and capture us. When they didn’t release us immediately, Lena began fighting with all of her might. Her head swiveled left and right, trying to take a bite out of our captor. It was no use, though; whoever it was had been fortunate, and we were exhausted. That’s the only reasonable explanation for why we had been captured.

Since we were having no luck trying to bite whoever this was, Lena put all our effort into trying to wriggle our way out of our captor’s hold, or at least around enough to use either our paws or fangs. It wasn’t working, though; whoever this was had a vise-like grip around us. Being on the run for two days made us weak, so we were not at our best. We were tired, hungry, and even a little dehydrated. That didn’t keep us from trying to fight, though. It wasn’t until our captor spoke that we stilled.

“Take it easy, poochie. I wanted a new lapdog, and you decided to rest on my front porch. Looks like it’s my lucky day,” a gravelly voice came from behind our head. Somehow, I don’t think life is going to get better any time soon. I guess my next plans are gonna have to be for escape, fuck!