Awaken the Luna

It burns, everything burns! ... my lungs, my nostrils, my muscles. Keep going, keep going... WHACK! I didn’t realize had been running with my eyes closed. I smacked into a tree and I wrapped my arms around it’s hard and rough bark to steady myself. Come on Wren you have to stay awake. I keep telling myself to push on. My dad always told me your biggest motivator is yourself. As if he was running next to me giving me a pep talk “You are in control of your actions and if you set aside the pain you can keep going.” I start to pick up my pace again, I have been running cross country for years I know my body can handle this cardio. This is my element and I know my body’s limits. I can keep going. Aaaaahooooooo. I stop as if someone hit the freeze button on a remote. My breath deepens as I try to catch up with my heartbeat. The sound sends cold chills down my body. I can see my breath in front of me with the glow from the moon. I never thought the moon could be so bright or so huge. The sky is crowded by the tall trees that reach up towards it. Home was so open and free and now I feel like a prisoner in these woods. SNAP. I realize I had stopped moving for to long and it must of caught up to me with the scent of my blood. I probably left a trail of my blood right to where I was this entire time. All that running and just to be faced with the beast that I was trying to escape in the first place. The sound came from the left so I quickly took off towards the right. The forest is so dense and dark I can feel twigs and branches clawing at my clothes and my skin. I ripped the bottom half of my black t-shirt and wrapped it around my head the best I could making a knot and pulling it tight. I know it’s freezing out but I am numb to it now. That should help with the blood from my cut for now. I can hear thuds from both sides of me but I block it out I keep running and find my stride. Jumping over stones and dodging branches the best I can. The beast must of called for friends earlier. Ha guess one 20 year old girl is to much for it. I didn’t know wolves were so vindictive. I mean don’t get me wrong I would not go wandering into a wolf den and expect to have man’s best friend ready to greet me. But to be hunting me down for the sport of it is insane. Then I hear it. The sound of rushing water and it is straight ahead. Okay here are the choices you have, jump in and risk hypothermia or be eaten by a pack of feral wolves. I’ll take my chances with swimming in a freezing river. The rushing water is getting louder and so are the thuds of paws behind me. The trees open up and reveal the river in front of me. With no hesitation I jump into the rushing water. The cold water paralyzes my body as my head is engulfed by the dark water. My whole body is under the water and quickly being tossed around in the rapids. I push of a large rock and erupt through the surface trying to find the will to move my limbs to swim. I can see the other side of the river it has to be 20 feet away I can do it. I make long strokes and use the rivers natural direction to help me not over exert myself. After what seems like an eternity I grab onto the roots of a tree on the river bank and pull myself out of the water. My body is done I can’t go on any more. I lie on my back and hug my arms around my self. I am going to need a lot more than my scrawny arms to warm up. It has to be close to 32 degrees especially with the sun gone and the trees blocking out its warmth during the day I’m sure it doesn’t get warm in this forest until summer. A bone chilling growl rumbles through the forest, I can feel it in the air and through the ground. I sit up and see the wolf who put me into this situation in the first place. It is pacing back and forth on the other side of the river where I just was. Even with the bright moon lighting up the scene it is hard to make out how big the wolf is. It’s fur coat is a dark ebony and it easily blends i with the dark background of the emerald trees. It must be the moon light reflecting off its eyes because sits eyes seems to be glowing a warm amber and gold. Well it looks like it has given up and won’t be crossing the river like I did. Which looking back was a stupid move, I will probably freeze to death before I can find my way back to a road and get help. I laid back down since I am out of danger from being eaten for now. Okay Wren deep breath and then we need to get up and keep going. I stand finding it a challenge to get onto my feet again after running for so long and then swinging in an ice cold river. Looking over to the wolf again I see it has vanished, most likely going to hunt down an easier prey. I chuckle to myself as I turn towards my new direction, to find help. As I turn around it’s hot breath hits me in the face and those amber eyes lock onto mine. It could be the hyperthermia, the head concussion, or plain fear but I fall into darkness as my body and mind finally give out on me.