A Wolf's Fairytale

CHAPTER 10: On The Run

Once my mother was healthy enough they packed backpacks with clothes and a few precious items and left their pack. Using underground tunnels and the cover of darkness they ran, only coming back above ground just past Zeds army. My father's uncle was sad to see them go but was hopeful that with them gone the endless war would end. He gave my parents some money and a few pieces of jewelry in hopes it would help them until they could find somewhere safe.

As they ran, they traveled throughout many territories, doing their best to stay on the outskirts and only going into the smaller villages when they needed supplies. They did not ever go into a large town and tried to avoid other wolves and shifters at every turn. Even after the first year when my sister was born, it was my father the tended to my mom. She did not have a Dr or any midwives. It was just the four of us.

In the first 6 years they barely had time to breath, every time they thought to stop for a bit, they would hear of the massive army heading their way and had to quickly gather the few belongings they had and now two infants and run. As a child I think I enjoyed the adventure we where on, but then again I didn't know the dangers the lurked around every tree.

As we traveled my parents taught me to survive. My dad taught me how to hunt, always stressing that killing was sometimes necessary. He taught me process the meat and what parts could be used for things like tools. I learned how to dry the hides and use them for our shelter. Mom showed me what herbs could be used for helping with pain, and what could cool a fever. She would take me on walks, quizzing me on what I could eat and what to avoid. It seems I knew about every herb and every berry by the time I turned 8 years old, but my mom said I should never stop trying to learn.

By this time my little sister had become my shadow. She would follow me when I went to gather mushrooms or berries. She was never interested in picking them, she instead would chase butterflies or pick flowers. One day, while I was distracted picking a rare mushroom that had healing qualities, a wild boar came running out of the thicket strait towards Serina. Luckily I was fast, I jumped on its back, using the knife my dad gave my I cut into its neck. Blood covered both me and my sister, but she didn't scream, she just stood there, looking at me. When I climbed down off the boar and ran over to make sure she was ok, she wrapped her arms around me, letting the tears flow, she whispered "you saved me" . That's when I told her I would always be her protector.

I tried to show her how to process the boar for food and tools, but she had no interest. When I finished with the boar, we packed it up and still covered in blood we headed back to camp. I was afraid to face my parents, I was not supposed to hunt when Serina was with me, and even though I wasn't hunting, I did kill in front of her and that was against my mom's rules. Serina seemed to not have a care in the world as she skipped along the path gathering flowers.

When we came into view of the camp fire my mother looked up, before I could say anything she let out a blood curdling scream and ran to get my dad inside the tent. He came out and ran directly over to us, checking both my sister and I for injuries. Before I could start to explain what happened my sweet little sister exclaimed "Laurel is a hero, she is my hero!"

I quickly interrupted with what happened. The more I explained the broader my father's smile got. He took the meat I packed and led us over to the small creek that ran close to camp. He cleaned the meat while I washed both my sister and myself up, washing our clothing using round river stones to get the blood out just like my mama taught me to. When we finally finished cleaning, we walked back to camp in just our undergarments and laid our wet clothes by the fire to dry. Dad explained to mom what happened and gave her the meat we got to cook and dry.

In the next couple years we slowly made our way north. When ever I asked where we are going I got the same answer, "some where safe"

We had already gone to the south and to the west. Now we were somewhere east but also north. The trees got bigger and the nights got really cool. It was mid fall and I felt if we went any further north we would run into a big slab of ice that would block our way.

My mom use to tell me stories about places covered in ice. She called them glaciers and said they where in the great white north where everything was covered in ice and snow. The water from the glaciers melting was said to be pure and to hold magical powers.

I was nine now, so I would help my parents by taking first watch every night. I sat out in the cool air and imagined what it would be like to live in the great white north, to drink the glacier melt and maybe even meet a golden bear. I was sure that I would dream about it tonight. I was just about to go wake my father for his watch when a slight glow deep in the pine forest we decided to camp in for the night caught my attention.

Because of the tree cover I could not see the Moon even though I knew it should be full tonight. I was being drawn towards the glow, as though it was calling to me. When I walked far enough that I could hardly make out our camp behind me, I stopped. As much as the glow was calling me, I knew my father would be angry if I wondered to far from camp, but I knew that what ever the glow was, we needed to check it out. I turned around to go get my dad and was shocked to see my mom standing right behind me, tears in her eyes and a slight smile on her face. She pulled me into her arms and whispered into my hair "I think we are home"