Fate of the Moon

Home

Lana let her paws carry her downriver. The cool water felt good like it was washing away all of her troubles. She caught a whiff of something foreign. Something sickly sweet and mouthwatering. Lana decided to follow it. The grass crunched under her paws as she exited the water. She navigated the trees, bushes, and boulders until she came upon what she thought was a gas station. Gleaming red pumps that smelled of gas next to a small building.

She spotted an old faded map stamped on the side of the building. Lana crept over to view the map, keeping her ears tilted toward the building and road. Seeing the small red dot she slowly figured that she was two days run away from home. She just had to follow the road west until Venango then follow the highway north until her village. She’d have to be careful because within a day she’d be in pack territory. Quickly, she ran back into the shadows of the forest.

Tensing up her muscles, Lana took off through the forest. Brush and branches snagged at her fur. Her paws and fur became bloody with cuts. Lana had hit her road turning point by nightfall. She found a patch of moss and settled in. Being on the edge of pack territory made her nervous. Would they remember her? Would they accept her? Thoughts kept running through her head until sleep found her.

A howl jolted her awake she sat up and scanned the foggy forest. There was a thumping of pawsteps as they bound past on the border patrol. Lana pressed up against the tree hoping that they couldn’t sense her presence. She waited until the sun was high over her head then shifted back into a human. Calling upon her powers, she summoned clothes to put on. A red t-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a blue jacket. After dressing she walked along the highway. She listened for the pack, but the forest was silent.

Lana started to hear the bustle of the town. People chattering, doors closing, cars driving around, and food cooking. As she neared town she could see main street hadn’t changed one bit. Russ’s Eats was still open serving their greasy delicious food. Ray still gave five-dollar haircuts across the street in his old building. Eyes fell upon the new person in town as Lana walked down the street. She veered towards her old family home on the west side near the river. After passing a few houses she saw the familiar wooden paneling of the roof. “Finally I’m Home.”