CHAPTER TWO

The whole pack was silent such that anyone could hear the sound of a fallen pin. Just a few guards on watch were awake. The rest, asleep. Eirlys saw an opportunity and the best time to execute her plans. She tiptoed on the cemented floor of the big hall after which she escaped from her cell. Everyone was snoring and fast asleep from the day’s work, so no one could have noticed her. S

he made way for the field, the only place all the prisoners felt a little sense of freedom. She peeped through the iron door and noticed the guard, though was fast asleep, sitting at the other end, his head bent and resting against the wall. She took a deep breath, hoping not to draw attention to herself. 

“You can do it, Eirlys. Yes you can.” She whispered, nodding her head and breathing out with her mouth. She unlocked the door and opened it slowly. She rushed towards the other gate at the end of the fence without looking back. It was way out. She got there faster than she could imagine. She grabbed it like she was going to study it. It was thicker and stronger than the first door. 

She took a brief look at the keys in her hands and then back at the iron door. She selected a key and inserted it right into the lock but the door won’t open up. She shook her head and looked over her shoulder. The guards were still sleeping but yet, her hands were trembling. She selected another key and tried opening the door but the door wouldn't open. 

“Come on, come on… not now.” Her voice came out with rasped breath, her hands shaking, and her heart beating faster such that she could hear the sound of it. She was about to insert another key but then, it fell, creating a slight clinking sound, like swords clashing together.

She froze, contemplating whether to pick up the bunch of keys or watch her back for any possible threat. She could not afford to execute the second option. No, not this time that thousands of thoughts rushed across her mind.

She picked up the keys and without thinking about which to use, she inserted another key and another key. She looked over her shoulder but won't stop changing keys and suddenly, there was a slight sound. The door was unlocked. 

Instead of being happy, knowing she was finally free, it turned out it was the beginning of her trouble, if she was caught. Little does she know that opening the door would stir up a sound, an alarm.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the handle and pulled it backward but then, there came a sound, an alarm, like a trumpet, loud enough to wake the whole pack. 

“No, no… this can't be.” 

She pulled the door with every strength she'd got. She wasn't expecting that, it was heavier than she could have imagined, maybe more than her weight.

Eirlys grunted, well aware of the consequences if she was caught. 

“Over there, a prisoner is trying to escape.” One of the guards screamed out, alerting the others.

Eirlys didn't look back at the sound of the guard. She knew it was a waste of time and every second counts. She pulled the door, creating a creaking sound. She could hear the footsteps of the guards marching toward her.

 “It's time you open up.” She screamed and pulled harder. The door slightly opened enough for her to pass through. She watched her back, seeing the guards were almost upon her, she managed to pass through the small space between the door and the wall.

She was out of the pack but that wasn't the end. There's a lot more to do and that was to escape. She had to get to the city and probably would be safer. And now, there were different routes right in front of her and the best she could do was to follow her instincts.

“What's going on?” The Tyrant questioned, pulling back a guard.

“A prisoner escaped… It was a girl.” He slightly bowed his head. 

“A girl? and what does she look like?” 

“I think it's the girl that has always sat alone…” He straightened himself and dashed away the moment the tyrant gestured with his eyes.

“Don't let her out of sight… she must be caught.” He said in a loud voice, referring to the dozens of guards that went after Eirlys. In one accord, they all responded, eager to capture her at all cost.

Meanwhile, Eirlys breathed heavily, her chest lingering upward and downward. Her legs seemed to get heavy but she knew what's best for her. It wasn't the time to give up. Giving up meant getting captured and getting captured meant going back to her cell and facing a lot more than she could imagine.

She sprinted, her hands dangling at her sides. She looked up, she was not anywhere near the city. She was all alone and then, she could hear the howling sounds of the guards coming after her. She accelerated, knowing she can't beat the guards when it came to racing. 

She dashed in-between the miles of trees, towering over her, their thick, gnarled branches forming a dense canopy overhead. Into the night, it was no longer young. It was pitch-black and the only light was the silvery glow of the moon peeking through the occasional gap in the leaves. She widened her eyes, trying to have a clear path.

“Argg!” She screamed but the next second, her hands flew to her mouth. It wasn't the right time she gave her location. Even without her scream, they could easily spot her because of their great sense of smell. 

She looked down, her toes bleeding already. She didn't notice the rock on her path not until she limped forward and was about to hit it a second time. She groaned, holding her right leg with one hand, striving to continue.

But it wasn't easy. She sat for a moment, tore a piece of cloth from the tip of her already tattered gown and wrapped it gently around her big toe. It was the main spot where she felt the pain. 

“I have to go on…. I have to keep going.” She muttered, her voice faltering. She soon noticed the claw marks on the tree trunk she pressed her back on. The mark was bigger than anything she'd ever seen, yet, it was something she could relate with.

“These claws. I've seen this before, right?” she tilted her head. “C'mon, this is not the right time.” She stood up and decided to follow the path where the claws had been engraved.

Howls echoed through the trees, chilling and disorienting, as though the wolves were everywhere and nowhere at once. She wandered around with her eyes but could not tell where the sound was coming from.

Well, how could she, she was different and thought of as an outcast, not because of the way she distanced herself from others but rather, she had no sense of smell and hearing. 

The guards chasing her were ten times ahead of her because of her inability. Yes, that's how it was. Without your wolf, you would be treated like a slave even amongst families and friends. 

Eirlys would always think about her dilemma as a curse. She had never seen anyone who could relate with her, not anyone… Better off staying alone than relate with anyone— That's who she was.

She limped forward as fast as she could, grabbing every tree trunk she came across. Their footsteps were now loud and clear. They were close. The way the guards sounded or rather, wolves. They sounded like they were hunting and with their voices, they were happy about it. They've always wanted a chase, they've always wished for a slave, a prisoner to be confident enough to escape the pack.

It wasn't the first time a slave would make an attempt to escape but it's just that, they escaped the pack but they never got to the city before they were captured. Eirlys had heard stories and had been privileged to see what happened with the escaped prisoners that were caught.

And now, it would be her turn. But she could not let that happen. Could she?

Eirlys leaned her back on a tree trunk, gasping. She wagged her head sideways in a swift manner and began running. She sprinted through the woods, stepping on fallen and dried leaves as she brushed her hands against branches of leaves that sprouted out. 

She raised her head, she could now sight from afar, streetlight, glowing toward her direction. She raced with every strength she had got. The piece of cloth around her big toe had already fallen off. But that wasn't her top priority. 

She was almost out of the woods when she heard another sound, branches breaking and the sound of leaves stepped on, sounding like someone eating crunches. 

She discontinued, stopping in her tracks.

“How's this possible? They couldn't have been ahead of me all this while, could they?” She whispered, pondering about what the answer could be.

The sound came again and this time, it was clear, more audible than the first. They were behind and at the same time, they were ahead of her… Could this be one of their tricks? Could it be that they've always been prepared for this moment? Could it be the reason, all the prisoners were always captured a second time after escaping?

“I can't go back… I can't… I would rather fight.” She glanced at the ground and searched with her eyes for a moment. She sighted a piece of wood. By the looks of it, though it wasn't fat but kind of long, it looked thick and hard.

She picked it up and without a second thought, she hurried away, her eyes focused on the streetlights. She was almost out, when a scream came at her front. She looked up, it was a wolf, up in the sky and had jumped down from a tree, his claws out, ready to pierce through her skin.

She threw the wood at him and crouched down to the other side. Eirlys swallowed, standing up slowly on her feet, only to see she was already surrounded. It was as if they were already waiting for her.

It was dark, she could not see their faces. But she knew they were from the Dreadhowl pack.

“Do you think you could run away from us?” One of the guards questioned. He seemed to be in control. “You should know our leader, the tyrant by now… what he would do to you… I just don't know why he wanted us to bring you back to him.” He shook his head, a gesture the other understood–Bring her.

“Stay back… I'm not going with you… I'm not going back.” she pivoted on the spot, her bare feet grinding against the muddy ground as she turned to face the approaching footsteps, her heart pounding like a war drum.

“You have no way in this, prisoner.” The guard said, almost upon her. He was about to grab hold of Eirlys when they all turned. Another footstep, approaching them. It wasn't friendly. It was fast—really fast