Twisted Ties

Another gunshot rang out, she heard the bullet pass her as she ran. The sound of it rushing by was enough to make her shake. Nothing more than fast air and yet, it was too much. She was afraid, too scared to even cry. That had been the fourth shot she heard fired off. How many bullets could his gun hold? If it was a simple little hand gun he might have nine rounds in the thing. But she didn’t exactly have time to stop and look back, or ask questions. Anyone that would dare give their pursuer a better chance at hitting them in this situation would be insane.

Glancing behind her as she ran, she went about trying to gauge where he was. It was then that she missed what was right in front of her as she ran. Her foot connected with nothing when it should have met the ground, but by the time she cast her gaze back ahead of her, it was too late. She barely had time for a gasp to escape her before she started falling. Her body reacted before she could comprehend what to do, which was at least one bonus in this terrible scenario.

Yet another hill she went down, and this time she wasn’t as lucky as she had been before. She tumbled through some thick brush and nearly skidded clean into a tree. A few branches had scratched at her as she went tumbling down. Rocks and sticks sliced open any exposed skin that she was trying to use to slow herself, and at the bottom, she had landed with such a thud that her head was spinning. Everything hurt. Her body would have ached less if she had been struck by a car. Or so it felt anyway. A groan escaped her as she forced herself onto all fours. Lifting her gaze, she came face to face with a pale colored wolf.

Claire wanted to scream, and yet nothing came out. Of all the things she would have expected it wasn’t this. To come face to face with an animal was strange, usually once an animal heard noise, especially something as loud as a gunshot they would flee the area. Panic gripped her so hard it felt like her heart had stopped beating altogether. She could hardly breath and she was pretty sure her shaking was all fear and not because she was cold.
The wolf stared at her for a long moment, even tilting it’s head to the side as though it were trying to figure out what she was doing there. She hadn’t heard the shout that echoed among the tree’s. Was unaware that the driver that was trying to gun her down was at the top of the hill. It wasn’t until the sound of another gunshot split through the forest that her fear had her ducking and covering her head. The sound had the wolf jumping back a foot or two as well, tail and ears perking up as it looked towards where the sound had come from. Glancing up she could see the things mouth open, as though it were surprised. Funny, she was pretty sure wolves didn’t express like that.

Why wasn’t it running away? Was it afraid? Scared stiff as the saying went? Every muscle, or at least the ones she could see on the animal, seemed to be tense. Perhaps it was stuck? Torn between fight and flight? Was that even possible? Slowly Claire lifted her gaze a little more, letting her hands rest on the ground again rather than shielding her head. Lucky for her the guy was a bad shot. Her thoughts were torn apart however as another explosion of sound ricocheted around them.

Another gunshot? That made five if she was still counting right, or maybe six? Yanking herself to her feet she waved her hands at the wolf. Watching as it took a step back from her, it’s head pulling back as though it was surprised she had moved at all. “What are you doing? Run! For all you know he might skin you for your coat! Shoo!” She started hollering the words before she could really think about it. With her luck today, the animal might decide to make her it’s lunch. And this was probably not what she should be worried about, especially when she turned around to see the shooter making his way slowly down the hill. Which would put him at an advantage if he got down without injuries.

With one more look at the wolf, who seemed to be studying the situation, Claire shook her head with a huff and took off as quickly as she was able. If the wolf wanted to stand there like a dope who was she to yell at the thing. It was an animal, surely it had instincts to survive didn’t it? Wouldn’t it run when it realized fully what was going on? It would make sense, but if that were the case, the animal should have already taken off, so what had it been waiting for?

Twisting to the left to take a new route in hopes of throwing the guy off, Claire started thinking things over, trying to make some kind of plan. Maybe if she could find a spot to hide she would be okay? If she put enough distance between them, she should be able to find a good hiding spot. It wasn’t much to go on but it would have to work for now. It wasn’t like she could just keep running forever. Eventually her body would just shut down and say no more.

It would help if everything didn’t look the exact same. Every tree she passed seemed to be mocking her. Every bush that seemed big enough to hide her had gaps. Everywhere she ran she kicked up leaves and dirt. It was infuriating. If only she had time to make a real plan maybe she could turn things around.

A fox that scurried off sounded like it was laughing, an eagle that soared above the canopy of the trees made her feel like nature was plotting against her. The forest seemed to loud, and so quiet all at once it was unnerving to say the very least. Everywhere she looked there were more tree’s. No people, no roads, no hope of escape. It was as though every step she took, was actually bringing her closer and closer to her grave. Which would work to her pursuers plan a little too well for her liking. Her only hope would be if he ran out of bullets. And even then, the guy was twice her size and probably knew how to fight, unlike her.

Shaking her head free of the thoughts, she had to slow to a stop, doubling over slightly as her lungs begged for more air. Pain ripped through her, and she was fairly sure she wouldn’t be getting too much further unless she at least caught her breath. She flicked her gaze about, left and right, but she couldn’t see the driver from the car anywhere. Even after she looked behind her, she couldn’t spot him. Had she finally managed to put enough distance between them? It was possible, she might not be very strong, but her smaller build would give her an advantage speed wise if nothing else. She count fit in tighter spots too. Maybe if he ran out of bullets she could find a small space to squeeze into.

Using a sturdy oak to steady herself for a few moments she focused on catching her breath and getting her heart beat to even out. A twig breaking snapped her attention to the right. Fear rushed through her veins like ice water. She had been expecting to see the man that was pursuing her, had expected to see the gun in front of her face. She had already seen in her mind how she would scream just before her head was blown open. So when she looked over, she had never dreamed of coming face to face with a large buck.

Blinking like an idiot, she pressed herself against the tree as the animal looked at her. All that mental prep for a gun in her face left her feeling like a complete idiot for getting so worked up over a freaking deer. But why was a deer this close anyway? Had it approached her? Or was it just passing by and she just hadn’t seen it. Perhaps the snapping twig had been the animal moving to leave before she cast her glance at it.

Mentally she went back to what her mother used to teach her, what would she do in a case like this? It wasn’t everyday someone ran into so many wild animals, and while she knew she should probably be running, her lungs really did need the break. Besides, wouldn’t the animal hear a human coming even from far away? Surely there would be some warning when it’s ears flicked, or perhaps it would even twist it’s gaze in the mans general direction before taking off the opposite way.

Slowly, she lifted her hand, the animal didn’t even flinch, which was strange. If anything, it seemed to look over her. If she had been face to face with another human, she could imagine the person would be debating whether or not she was friendly. The buck didn’t come closer, nor back away, it just stood there, watching her. At least until it’s ears flicked and it twisted its head in another direction.

Claire hadn’t heard anything, but she knew better than that. Animals like this, they had far better hearing than a human. Following where it was looking, she saw the black jacket that her pursuer had been wearing. Okay, more or less a fast moving black blob for how far away it was, but still. Her eyes widened, and she didn’t think twice as she pushed at the male deer. “Shoo, go! Run!” The thing made a weird sound, she wasn’t aware deer could make noise, wow. The animal did however take off. Good, now it wouldn’t get shot. Which should have been the least of her worries.

She watched as the gun followed the buck for a moment, apparently Mr. Driver hadn’t actually spotted her yet, the sound must have drawn his attention. Slipping around to the other side of the tree as quietly as she could, she hoped he would go right past her. The thing was large enough she should be hidden, and if he walked right past her she should be able to sneak back to the other side, and make a run for it when he got far enough away.

Listening to the quiet of the forest however she was at a loss. How would she know if he was close? Were there enough twigs and leaves on the ground to make sound? If she was quiet enough would she hear it? The pounding of her own heartbeat was all she could hear at first. Shouldn’t she be able to hear something by now? Peeking around the tree, she couldn’t see him anywhere. Had he gone the other way? That would be great, maybe he was following after the deer. As terrible as it was the thought almost made her happy.

A sigh of relief escaped her, and she turned around, she had been intending on walking further into the forest to get as far away as possible, but that didn’t happen. “Well hello there.” She didn’t even have time to scream, a strangled cry escaped her as she was slammed against the tree, before his hand slammed over her mouth to silence further noise. A sharp stinging pain hit her side, and her hands flew down, even as tears pricked at her eyes.

Why wouldn’t he just shoot her? What had just- Her thoughts were cut off as the pain in her side grew, and that was the moment she realized, it was a knife. It should have been obvious, sharp pain that didn’t ebb should have told her it was a weapon. But she had been so focused on why he hadn’t just used his gun. Maybe he had been out of bullets, but it wasn’t like she would figure that out now.

As he pushed the blade a fraction further into her side, she found that screaming didn’t do any good. Nothing more than a muffled sound escaped her, and that sound didn’t carry past his hand. She tried to shake her head, in some feeble attempt to loosen his grip, maybe she could bite him and run. Her thoughts were running over her options even as the pain tried to wrench all planning from under her. All of a sudden he seemed to stop, his gaze was pinned somewhere off to the side. And he sure as heck didn’t look happy. A moment later she heard a voice she didn’t yet recognize. Which was no surprise considering they were in the middle of the forest.

“Tallah, get rid of the wretch will you.” She strained to try and see who was talking to her attacker, who told off whoever was off to the side him. He let her go for a moment however which was wonderful. Besides the blade in her side. She lowered herself as slowly as possible, until she was mostly sitting. Tears threatened to spill over her cheeks even before she dared to move her hand to her side. Glancing at the knife she nearly gagged, an attempt to move it shot enough pain through her that her vision went blurry. Needless to say, that was staying there. At least until she could muster up the will to yank it out.

“I don’t want any trouble.” The driver said, at least his voice she knew now. Dragging her gaze up to look at what was happening, the first thing that stood out to her was the wolf at a the young man’s side. It’s fur was pale, and the way it seemed to be looking between the two humans was strange. If she wasn’t mistaken, that was the same white wolf she saw earlier. When she had tumbled down that hill. Maybe the guy with it was the owner. She could have been mistaken, perhaps the thing was only half wolf, or heck even a husky. No, that wasn’t a husky, it was wolf, there was no denying it.

The thing was growling now, snarling as it circled around her attacker. And that was when she noticed a second person. Where on earth had he come from? Where had any of them come from? Did it really matter as long as they were here to help her. Flicking her gaze between those present she found herself wondering if maybe someone had realized she was missing. Maybe they were a recovery party of some kind. But then why were there so few of them, and what was with the wolf, none of it made any sense.

“That’s the girl I mentioned, who shooed me away before the S.O.B. could shoot his gun.” Casting her gaze towards the one who spoke, her expression gave way to confusion. It was strange, she didn’t remember talking to anyone, and surely she would recognise him if she had. Her head was starting to spin though, perhaps she had spoken to someone and she just hadn’t remembered, it was hard to think straight. Wait. Gun?

Just as the thought ran through her head, she watched as the driver reached behind him, his shirt lifted and she saw the metal. There was no mistaking what he was planning as his fingers went around the handle of the thing. Eyes widening she cried out a warning without thinking. The strangers seemed to tense, and the wolf growled. She heard someone say something along the lines of shut up, before a searing pain hit her shoulder. It burned, like the first shot of tequila someone ever had.

Strange though, her body almost felt numb. It took a long moment or two to register what had happened. She stared ahead of her as everything unfolded in front of her eyes. He had spun on her, shooting the gun in her direction. If she had to guess the bullet was supposed to go through her head, or maybe her heart. Heavens knew he was close enough not to miss. And he probably wouldn’t have.

Before the gun had been fired, the white wolf had slammed into his side, biting and clawing at him like there was no tomorrow. It was terrifying to think that could have been her earlier. She could have been the one with those teeth clamping down on her. And what was worse, she wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing about it.

Her breath came in quick short bursts as her body began to shake. She didn’t feel cold, and yet there she was shivering...or was it fear? Claire couldn’t help but watch until the wolf dragged her attacker away behind some bushes. And when someone else started talking, her gaze was slow to move over. “You should go change, you’ll have to carry it. Eliot will decide what to do with it.” They were talking to one another, that much was clear. But what was the it? Were they talking about her attacker or were they talking about her? Not only that but, why did the person have to change? It didn’t make any sense. She didn’t see any blood on his clothes, unless there was another reason she hadn’t thought of.

The young man walked away behind a tree, and the other man that had been with him approached her. She watched as he crouched in front of her, his hand lifting to come towards her, she had flinched then, he had paused for only a moment, to try again, at least, that was until the wolf wedged itself between them.

Claire jumped she had been so surprised, and that had her side and shoulder burning all over again. The wolf growled at the guy, and while she was happy the animal seemed to ready to defend her, it didn’t make a lick of sense. “I’m not going to hurt it Tallah. Move or go change if you want to deal with it yourself.” There was that word again. That was twice now she heard this guy say change. And why was he talking to the wolf like that? It wasn’t hard to figure out the animal's name must be Tallah, which supported her theory on pet, but, why would he tell it to change.

It took her two tries to get her words to work, and her voice hardly sounded like her own anymore. “What do you want from me?” It was quiet as a whisper, and she was fixing to try again when the guy raised a brow. At least he had heard her, and yet he said nothing. His hand moved to her shoulder for a moment, and she had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from crying out. “Leave me alone.” Her voice sounded as shaky as she was. “Please.” Tears started to fall before she could stop them.

Something wasn’t right. The guy in front of her pulled his shirt off, folding it over a few times. “Bite down on this. This is going to hurt.” Wait what did he just say? Looking up at him, she watched his arm move slightly, which brought her gaze down, his hand was on the handle of the blade that was buried in her side. Her eyes fell closed as she began to understand. Opening her mouth she tried not to recoil at the feel of the cotton. “On three.” She heard him say, and she was glad, at least she had time to get prepared.

“You ready? One...Two...” Three never came, he pulled the knife free of her before he even finished saying two. Her teeth clamped down on the fabric even as her body tried to have her scream. Everything in her tensed, and she wished he would have waited until three. But then, that was the point wasn’t it? If she had tensed on three before he pulled the blade from her, the injury would be worse.

Darkness was creeping in on the edges of her vision. A young woman with pale blonde hair came into view then, pressing something against her side. Probably to stop the bleeding. She was starting to lean a little when she saw it. The large buck from earlier. It was walking right towards them. She didn’t have time to contemplate the meaning behind that, as she passed out a moment later. Nothing but images flashing here and there when the pain woke her up or knocked her out again.

She had been lifted. When her eyes were open again, she could see the ground below her moving. Turning her head she saw antlers. “It’s awake again.” Someone said. She started to shiver, and then she felt a hand on her. The buck turned until she could see it’s face, they had come to a stand still. Confusion flickered over her expression before the darkness of sleep washed over her once more.