Violet
I stopped, turning back to look at the territory I'd left behind.
The trees were dark and silent. There were no movements. No sounds either.
'I made it.'
Relief washed over me, and it was so sudden and overwhelming that my knees nearly buckled. I gasped, holding onto a nearby tree and preventing myself from falling to the floor.
It was too soon. I had to keep going. Wolves belonging to a pack can still enter neutral territories without repercussions. And if they were dead set on hunting me down, it would still be unsafe for me to linger at the border.
I kept walking, and soon, Shadowpine territory slowly faded into the distance behind me.
My body felt heavier than before, but I still put one foot in front of the other, even as my legs trembled and my vision blurred at the edges. The neutral forest stretched endlessly in every direction. It was thick, dark, and completely unfamiliar.
The air itself seemed lifeless.
I had no idea where I was going.
I just needed to get away. To create some distance between myself and the border.
The sun climbed higher, and its light filtered through the canopy in scattered patches of light. For some strange reason, I felt a little stronger.
It seemed almost unnatural.
'"Child of Moon and Sun…"'
The realization came slowly, but disturbingly accurate. Was I gaining strength from the sun? Come to think of it, when the patrol wolves attacked me the last time, the moon was bright.
My stomach immediately growled, followed by a sharp sting that paused my thoughts. I was starving. I didn't have much food to begin with and I had eaten a bit of the dried meat hours ago.
I needed… water.
I faltered to a stop, my mouth dry as I stood face to face with a flowing, clear stream. I remained still, thinking my eyes and ears were deceiving me. But there was fresh water in front of me.
I dashed forward, lost my footing, and blacked out.
[-]
When I regained consciousness, I still felt weak, but the water lapping at my cheeks made me drag myself across the wet sand. I shoved my face into the stream, gulping water down my burning throat.
It was cold too.
I took my face out and slowly shifted to lean on my knees. I cupped the water in my hands and splashed it at my face. I took out what was left of my stale bread and ate some more dried meat with it. Then, I drank even more water.
When I was done, I just sat there, staring at my reflection in the rippling surface.
I could barely make out my face, but from what I could see, I was drained, tired, and dull.
Sweat and grime riddled my skin and clothes, I decided to wash myself, and put on another change of clothing.
I washed the dirty material and spread them on the nearby rocks before leaning underneath the comfortable shade of a large tree.
I would be safe. I had to.
But no matter how hard I tried to reassure myself, I had other concerns to worry about aside from the forest's wildlife.
Rogue wolves.
[-]
The first night alone was the hardest.
I didn't want to leave the stream. It was the only source of water I had seen. And I didn't want to wander too deep into the neutral zone and increase my chances of meeting rogue wolves.
I found a hollow beneath the roots of a nearby massive tree and curled up inside, shivering despite my warm clothes. Night was louder than day. I could barely sleep. Every sound made me jump. The snap of a twig, the rustle of leaves, the distant call of birds.
I was alone in a way I'd never been before.
No pack. No safety. No walls to keep the dangers out.
Just me.
I pressed my hand to the pendant on my chest. It was warm. The new found power was also within me. Faint but steady.
I closed my eyes and focused on it. If I couldn't sleep, I had to do this much at least.
To figure out how to use it.
[-]
The second day was worse.
I had exhausted my food and was hungry. For some strange reason, I was getting hungrier. I could usually do with a meal a day, but this…
The constant hunger that afternoon made it hard for me to think. I had even tried to hunt a few small animals near the stream, but I was too slow and too loud. They always slipped out of my grasp. I decided to venture out a bit. I found some wild berries and ate them. My stomach cramped, but I didn't die.
By the third day, I could barely function.
I lay on the ground, my breathing weak. My body ached. My feet were blistered and raw. The rejection pain had faded to a dull throb, but it was still there, a constant reminder of what I had escaped.
The force within me had been steadily growing stronger since that first night, but it made me weaker for some reason.
It was supposed to give me strength, so why?!
My eyes stung, and tears fell out.
The pressure in my chest was becoming unbearable, and it almost seemed like it was about to burst.
I didn't want to die.
I wasn't going to die yet!
I forced myself up and something shifted in me. I stopped mid-rise. It had burst.
Seconds passed, and nothing happened. I grunted and shoved myself forward.
It pulsed through my whole body again.
I moved, straining myself.
Again.
Again.
Again!
I was standing on my feet. Then, I collapsed to the ground, realization dawning on me as the power pulsed through my whole body.
I had felt weak because this thing was killing me from the inside.
My heart quickened in horror. The power had been concentrated in my chest, and it had been growing with no release.
'If I hadn't discovered this sooner, I would have—'
The forest suddenly became quiet.
Too quiet.
I felt something near me and I spun around, my heart hammering in my chest.
A wolf stood right in front of me.
This wasn't a rogue.
My heart nearly stopped.
This wolf was massive! Larger than even Damon's wolf form. And Damon was an Alpha. Its fur was snow white, and its eyes were a cold icy blue that froze me on the spot.
It stared at me, unmoving, its gaze piercing straight through me.
The force in me raged through my body, as if it was reacting towards it. I tried to speak, but my voice wouldn't come. My hands twitched toward the pendant.
'What is wrong with me?'
I should have been terrified. I should have tried to run.
But I couldn't move.
The force surged to my head and before I could think of anything else, a sudden weakness took over my body.