Thorn (Werewolf) ✔

Chapter Five

My father has been chasing me for over an hour. At least it feels like an hour, it could be longer. My brother too probably. My legs and arms are bleeding from the amount of times that I've fell over or scraped against branches. My body is now tainted with wounds and I'm almost certain that I'm one more fall away from staying on the ground.

"Devon!" My father's scream makes me flinch. "You cannot run from this you stupid girl! We will find you!"

I push myself down a hillside, my dress becomes tangled in branches and I have to rip it to break free. I am plunged into an aggressive roll down the hill. My head smacks against something hard and my entire vision is compromised. I hold my head as I try to stand but my legs will not comply with the order. I spot a safety zone hidden underneath a broken tree stump, it's just deep enough to hide in. I drag myself over to it desperately, my fingers clawing into the leaves and dirt as I crawl myself into the small hole beneath the log. I think that I'm safe but then I hear footprints right above me. I clench my hand around my mouth.

"She can't have gotten too far," I hear my father say between pants.

"It'll be dark soon," Coan says. "We should head back."

"And admit to the King that we lost her?"

"What other choice do we have? Lyle is going to punish her for this. Maybe she's better off out here."

"Lyle has every damn right to punish her!" my father growls. "She accepted his proposal and then ran into the woods on their wedding day. She has humiliated him. She has humiliated all of us!"

"She didn't accept."

"What?"

"Devon never accepted a proposal. There was no proposal. She is being forced. So you can't really blame her for wanting to escape."

"Watch your tongue, boy. Did you know about this?"

"Of course not," Coan says.

"Well she isn't going to survive for long out here without help," my father says. "If we don't find her then an animal will. Check down there and I'll take this path."

I nudge myself deeper into the hole as Coan slides down the hill. He walks right by me and at first I think he hasn't noticed but then he turns his head and looks directly at me. I remove my hand and I shake my head, tears falling down my cheeks.

"Stay there," he says. "I'll lead him away from you."

"Thank you," I whisper.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

Coan jogs away from me, towards the direction of my father. My head is spinning and I cannot stay conscious any longer. The whole world fades away as I rest my head onto a pile of leaves and I close my eyes.

I wake up in the dead of night. My head is aching but my vision is better, despite it being dark. The moon allows some light and I follow it through the trees. Walking in the woods in the middle of the night is probably the worst choice a human could ever make but I have to keep moving. I've already lost a lot of time.

I am disoriented. My body sways into trees aimlessly as blood leaks from the wounds on my legs. I am lost but I do not care that I am lost. I do not wish to find my way out of the woods, I wish to go in deeper and become so entangled in the wilderness that death is the only option.

I don't want to die but I'd rather die than go back. I would rather be killed by everything I could be killed by in these woods than have to marry Lyle.

I walk for hours. Through the spooky and calm mist, through the noise of hooting owls and distant howling wolves, I walk.

Lyle will be looking for me. He will be sending an entire army into these woods to search for me, if he hasn't already. I embarrassed him in front of the entire kingdom. Everyone will know of my flee by now. I'm not sure if he'll still want to marry me or if he'll kill me on sight.