Chapter 7: Moonlight

The first rays of morning light filtered through thick branches in the forest canopy, casting a soft golden light on the cave entrance. Slowly I stirred; the cool morning air brushed against my skin as I lay on damp earth. I blinked. Momentary disorientation and then it all came surging back-flight, forest, fear. But I was alive. My chest heaved with much unspoken thanks to the moon goddess that she had kept me from harm. I slept through undisturbed, and still in freedom.

I stretched, forcing myself slowly to my feet. My muscles groaned-my long journey weighing heavily upon me-but the call of freedom still pulsed through my veins, stronger than any pain. I had to keep moving. I couldn't stop. Not now.

Save for the rare rustling of leaves when the soft breeze whipped through, the forest was still. I breathed in deeply, the scent of fresh pine and earth filling my nostrils. Since no immediate danger was in sight, I allowed myself this small respite from the storm of my emotions.

My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since the day before. I could feel the weakness creeping into my limbs, gnawing. I needed to eat, and fast.

There was something in the air today, though-something that whispered of the unfamiliar. I couldn't place it, but it made me more cautious than usual. Still, the hunger was stronger than the feeling of unease. I moved quietly through as I entered the forest again, my eyes scanning the underbrush for anything edible.

A little ways further along, I came upon some wild berries: small fruits with a dark purple skin clung together on prickly vines. My fingers lightly caressed the soft leaves as I gently plucked and raised the berries to my lips. They tasted sour but sweet, and a hungry cavity of my tummy got a much needed respite. I ate in a hurry, not daring to waste any time, conscious that every second of being on the spot was a second closer to finding.

Satiated, I wiped my hands on the torn cloak and set off again, my pace slow yet sure. I had no idea how far I was from the mansion since I had fled but hoped I was moving in the right direction-away from Alpha Cassius, away from the life that sought to consume me.

The forest was quiet, it seemed to me, but the premonition of eyes staring at me from behind this screen of foliage would not clear my brain. Attempts at chasing such a silly feeling were very short-lived-my heart racing with every forward step in a determined decision not to give in. And it wasn't very long after this that I encountered something totally unexpected.

I saw them through a break in the trees: wolves, a small pack of them, fur matted and wild, their eyes aglow with feral energies. They were not like the wolves I had seen near the pack territories; these were rogues, creatures that had no master, no allegiance, save to the wilds themselves.

A caught-in-throat gasp. Suddenly, I could feel my heart pound in my chest, with some primal instinct to flee urging me to turn and take off running. These were not wolves that had been domesticated to be tame beasts; these were dangerous creatures.

But as I continued to watch them, that changed. They didn't acknowledge me. They flowed into the forest, intent upon their own missions, apparently quite oblivious to my presence. My curiosity piqued, I took a very cautious step forward. Their power weighed heavily in the air, but there was no belligerence in their bearing. They didn't seem to be hunting.

I took a deep, shaky breath and did it. I dropped quietly to the ground, not wanting to spook them. I was tired, and my body ached for rest. The wolves had a rhythm in them, a serenity in the way they moved, almost as if they were home in the world. I allowed myself a moment of respite, sitting in the shade of a nearby tree, watching them from a distance.

Time stretched further the longer I lay there as the sun climbed high across the sky. The wolves continued with their movements, their actions totally uncaring. I shut my eyes, let the heat of the day ease my tense muscles. After a while I got up and continued my journey, but then, I caught something in my ears, which sounded distant.

A voice.

"Halt."

Rasping, a warning in that word.

My heart skipped in my chest. In an instant, my mind was racing, my pulse quickened. Was it one of Alpha Cassius' guards? Had they found me already? I cast a glance around, my eyes darting in all directions. There was nobody in sight, but the sound of the voice echoed inside my head, heavy with the weight of authority.

I simply ran.

I propelled my body forward, legs screaming in protest as I ran, not daring to look back. I couldn't afford to stop, not now. My breath was coming in short gasps, and my feet pounded against the earth, but behind me, I could hear them. The growls of the wolves, distant but closing in. The sound of heavy footsteps on the forest floor.

I hit exposed root and fell to the ground hard. When my palms hit the floor, it was like my body screamed from within, but there was no time for dwelling upon it. I struggled back onto my feet and furthered my sprint.

Still, I knew I was running out of time and definitely not going to outrun them.

The growls grew louder, they were upon me, all before I could find energy enough to push onward.

Strong arms tugged me off my feet, and I kicked, struggling, but my strength was no match for theirs. The wolves, by this time revealed not to be Alpha Cassius's guards-for that I was relieved-but I was scared to death, these were alien faces. They were far more determined to drag me back to whence they came.

You're coming with us, rogue!" one of the guards snarled; thick malice laced his voice. His hands tightened around my arms as I fought him, trying to break free.

I kicked and scratched but to no avail. Their hands clamped on my arms like iron did not budge, no matter how much I wriggled. It was then that the strength of the wolf inside of me seemed no more than a faint, weak echo deep, deep within me.

A green blur, the forest was nothing but tugs and jerks hauling me through undergrowth, gasps desperate in my throat lost to wind. Pain seared my chest with every step taken, every jolting movement that hauled me along. Thick air wrapped around me, acrid with fear, and my head could grasp only the proximity-so near I'd been to freedom.

Finally, when we reached our destination, my limbs were sore, fatigued to the very limit. Spent, I had fought; I had run, but never enough.

They flung me into a dark, cold cell; the door shut behind me with that deafening finality of shutting. My body went onto the stone floor with a thud, and I felt my breath come in gasps-the pain of my fall and relentless journey making everything seem like a blur.

Tears sprang to my eyes, but I forced them back. I couldn't let them see my weakness. I couldn't show them how terrified I was. I had escaped one prison, only to fall into another.

I wrapped myself into a ball, landing on the cold floor, with the chains clanging on the stone. My mind raced, and no thoughts seemed to bring comfort. Despair smothered.

I had failed.

I was finally at the edge of my emergence into a more free existence, yet I found myself here once again.

It all came down around me, and I had nothing planned out; nor did I have any strength. The only thing remaining was to run, trying but failing to have that sweet taste of freedom, it was slipping away through fingers as the sand does.

As the darkness closed in around me, I could not but help but ponder: will I ever truly be free?