FATED

Keep moving. Don’t stop.

Ignore the burning in your feet, forget about the sharp sting ofstones on your toes. Just keep moving. The trees shake against the cold wind, forcing goosebumps across my skin. I shouldn’t be here, but I don’t have time to stop and question it.

No time to gather my thoughts and figure out where I am, even if a part of me recognises it. Like a name on the tip of my tongue, I know it but It wont come to me.

I push myself more, further, deeper into the forest. The ache in my legs protesting with each stride. Mist escapes my breath, my sweat and fear mixing all as one. I pull on the tie of my night gown forcing it tighter around my waist. When a clearing opens I ignore the protesting alarm bells in my mind and stop. The rumbling pounding on the ground has is non-existent, a sure sign that whatever was chasing me. Now lost its course.

I lean against a tree sucking in deep breaths, panting for my life. THINK. Where does this path lead to? Look up, is the moon low or high? Listen for water is it close by?

I close my eyes, tipping into my senses, desperate to hear out for the lapse of water or the tunnel of wind. A twig snaps and by body freezes, my eyes opening so quick meeting the dark bark of the tree. I turn slowly, praying that its some type of animal but a low growl so unnaturally animalistic sends another jolt through me.

My body trembles, a mix of fear and exhaustion. A sinking feeling pools into my stomach swashing around as an animal steps out from the bushes slowly. Stalking me, watching me like I’m prey. Eyes of white gold and body of chestnut fur. It huffs out loudly in warning. A threat saying don’t move. I push off to the right of the tree, staggering, my hands tremble, and my breath hitches with every pull in.

Please don’t kill me; please don’t kill me, I repeat in my head as if an unconscious thought of understanding the beasts intent.

It’s as if the wolf-like creature could hear me, a huffing human-like chuckle coming out of its mouth. It prances further, practically inches away from touching me.

The creature circles me in almost a tease of its prey before the pounce. Then, a cry of panic, “NO,” my head snaps to the left of the clearing, shrouded in trees I squint looking for the source. Adrenaline rushes though me and I can’t help the panicked relief.

Thank God, please come closer here. So, help me; I’m about to be eaten by some beast. A woman comes barrelling towards me. Long black hair in a braid swatting down her back. Her arm bleeding a deep long gash, and her face is bruised a tinted green. She wears a tight brown leather top with halter straps wrapping around her arms and legs, carrying all sorts of random sharp weapons.

A scabbard strap is on her back, and she is missing one sword. The other tucked away, the handle just reaching her ear. Easy and quick enough for her to grab.

Just take the damn sword and cut this animal down. Let us get out of here. The wolf staring at the woman looks back at me with a menacing glare, almost as if it heard me again. What is going on? I want to go home…

The woman pulls the sword out fast, holding it in front of her in a defensive stance. She crosses one foot over the other as she walks before me. “Please, I can’t see her die, not again.” She says, stopping right in front of me. Her sword is held higher now, defending me behind it.

The wolf looks at her and closes its eyes. It waits a couple of seconds and opens them again. Like a piece of my mind has been unlocked, a burning pain of invasion, itching its way through my thoughts, pulling at the doors to my secrets.

My body lets out a shudder as I stare at the beast between my saviour and death. Waiting for something to happen. It stares back eyes sharp with fire, I look to the woman begging her with my eyes to save me.

And then a voice like soft butter, deep and seductive, creating a warmth layering over the pit of fear in my stomach. My body grows with fever.

How can a voice drip with such nectar? So sweet yet deadly. “Move aside, witch or should I even call you that anymore?” I whip my head back to the direction of the sound, where the pull of my mind leads me to the tugging of a voice, the wolf spoke, not from his mouth but in my head. This isn’t possible; I must be dreaming. Come on, wake up.

I raise my hand and slap my face hard, the woman looks back with concern. “Look at her; can you not, see? She is but a child; show mercy.” The woman cries with a sternness, a hint of begging in her tone.

“You self-proclaimed protectors are all the same, asking the same thing again and again. And yet, here we are every time. When will you learn?” The wolfman speaks with a sneer. He looks to me, ready to come closer. “She must die; it is but a fate she sealed herself.”

My heart quickens, and the air feels trapped within my lungs as if the pressure were like being stuck underwater. The woman changes her stance, ready to attack. I back away further at the action, looking around for any possible escape.

I don’t know what they are talking about, and I don’t understand what the woman means by dying again but I want no part of it.

With a loud snap of its teeth, the wolf lunges for me. The woman yells a battle cry, stepping forward and swinging her sword at the wolf. It swerves grabbing the blade between its teeth, cracking it with a sharp snap.

The woman pushes hard on the handle trying to hold the beast back as she turns her head slightly towards me.

“RUN” She shouts in horror, and with that as my cue, I turn on my feet as fast as possible. With each step I take, my heart beats faster, my legs roaring in pain. All I could do was run, only run.

The forest seemed to stretch deeper the longer I pushed forward. I couldn’t hear the beast behind me. Hopefully, the woman was keeping it at bay. I mentally thank her, but now was no time to be thinking about others. I need to get to safety, some form of solitude.

As I run through the forest, it seems like it was becoming more expansive, the exit I pray. My breath slows, my chest burning, and my head feeling like it might explode. I have to stop I have no choice so I rest up again against a tree. Laying my arms against it, gasping for breath begging for anything to get in my lungs. I look around my surroundings peering in between my forearms. Trees, just trees…

I don’t know the way out. Come on, think, Alara, just fucking think. I sniff, trying to catch the snot running down my face from all my huffing. Rubbing my nose with the back of my sleeve, I sniff again. Then I catch the smell of smoke. Like the burning of wood drifting through the leaves.

I look up to the sky, trying to find where the smell was coming from. That’s when I caught it small smoke cloud coming from the end of the forest. Whatever it is, there must be a house? Cottage? I don’t know something that’s refuge. All I know is I need help.

Hobbling my way over with my tired legs, I walked towards the smoke. I hold against my ribcage the sharp pains stabbing me from exerting myself too much. When I get home, I swear I’m going to have the longest bath in the world. Wherever home was. I’m sure Loraine and Mathew were already looking for me.

A low growl stops me in my tracks. Was it the same beast as earlier? A shiver travels down my spine. Taking a breath in, I pivot slowly on my feet facing a row of bushes behind me. I squint my eyes trying to find the sound within its leafy depth. You wouldn’t be able to miss it, yellow. No, wolflike eyes peering at me. Bloodthirsty eyes looking at its prey ready to kill.

Without missing a beat, I turn so fast I almost give myself whiplash. Running towards the smoke I could hear the galloping and crashing of paws against mud behind me. The snarls getting louder, and my heart beating faster. I run right through an archway of vines that cascade down and block my view. There I find it; the God damn opening.

I suck, in a breath, looking around. This was no cottage burning wood to keep warm. It was a whole fucking manor on fire; some wooden building covered in vine leaves no doubt making the building burn down faster. Shouts and screams bellow all around me along with howls of wolflike creatures. The grass covered in blood making sure to touch any flower it could find among its meadow.

I let out a cry as I’m pushed roughly to the ground by a large hand. I look up fear spread across my face thinking another beast was going to get me. I had barely escaped the last one. “Are you crazy? what are you doing here? Where’s Joslin? She was meant to protect you.” The well-built man screams at me.

I stare up at him half winded. What the hell is he even talking about? Who’s Joslin? The warrior woman? Now that I look at the man, he’s dressed almost the same as her. Sword in his arm only this time he looked as if he had been through hell and back.

Before I could even ask what was going on a light brown wolf jumps at the man knocking him to the ground.

They fight, rolling on top of one another like animals in a cage. The man holds his sword in-between the mouth of the wolf doing anything to not get bit by its sharp teeth. Now was my chance, I can get up and leave, run away, and go home.

I try to move my arm, but it won’t budge. Am I in shock? I look down to my hands they shake viciously against the ground. Like an ice bucket over me again, I’m consumed in fear. I can’t move and I’m going to die. This fights not mine.

I feel it again, the warm feeling I had earlier face to face with that beast. Some new type of fear, I’m guessing but I knew it was close. It wanted me dead, and I could feel it. Feel its anger, its vengeance… Its pain. I look straight towards the burning mansion, and there positioned in front of the flames the wolf. Walking slowly towards me.

The shake of my hand travel to my body. I let out soft pants as tears stream down my face. I’m going to die. I’m going to fuck die. Please anyone. I turn my head to the side looking at the man still fighting the wolf, then back up to the stalking animal.

I roll my body onto my stomach still watching the wolf like animal walk its way towards me. With a painful cry I push my scrapped and bloodied hands up from the ground brining my aching body with it.

I stand with wobbly legs, out of breath as I take a step back and the wolf stops walking.

I take another back again almost buckling from the weight of my unsteady body. The wolf looks at me dead in the eyes then up to the sky letting out an ear-piercing howl. A howl filled with anguish as it rumbles through my me right to my core.

I close my eyes, placing my hands on my head trying to steady my thoughts. When I open them, I knew that was it. The a mere few steps away from me.

The wolf lunges at me and I scream, the void taking me.