Heaven's Eclipse: Star-crossed Fate.

Chapter Nine: On the Road.

We hit the road half an hour later, after Samantha had told her pack where she would be going and not to worry. It was hard to convince her pack not to tag along and I had a feeling that they had become used to looking up to her. As a dominant wolf, she was quickly becoming the alpha of their small pack, whether she realised it or not. With Samantha keeping a look out, I had hot-wired one of the cars in the car park and we'd quickly set off.

We got on the main road and ended up sitting on it for a few hours. I had hated this journey so much as a child and couldn't wait to get to the other end, but now as the driver I found there was so much to concentrate on that I didn't feel the hours slipping by and I knew that this time, the visit to the family holiday home wouldn't one of relaxation and enjoyment.

We stopped off at a small gas station and Samantha paid using the money from her account. In my rush I hadn't even thought of bringing cash, but luckily she had thought to bring a card. Yet another reminder that I had no possessions left and that all my memories from years my years of childhood and young adulthood were now gone; forever. The miles flew by as the car ate them up under its sturdy off road tires and we munched on gas station chocolate bars and drank coke, as we continued on. The car was mainly silent, as Samantha spent most of her time staring out the window, or dozing silently with her head propped up against the front passenger window on a folded jacket. I had the suspicion that she didn't really know how to broach the subject of where we were going, or why I thought I'd find answers there and so she just sat in contemplating silence.

The motor way changed to country lanes eventually and we meandered through the Devon countryside with dales and moors the only thing to see for miles to see all around us. The wide expanse of the countryside was dizzying to comprehend and after roaming several country lanes and back tracking back to some junctions to correct wrong turnings, we finally made it to the village. I had gotten us here from Yorkshire by memory and deserved a medal, but judging by the ache in my back and tense neck, I would settle for a rest and warm food.

The drive had lasted through the night and I had only caught a few z's in a lay-by, opting instead to drive through most of the night so we could make it to our destination quicker. We pulled over in to a local inn, a watering hole that was familiar to hikers and dog walkers touring the local moors. We were far enough away from Yorkshire that our car shouldn't be recognized by any passing police, but it was still best not to stay too long in fear of attracting any unwanted attention; after all we were only two kids travelling alone. The inn smelled musty with age and was dark inside, a stark contrast to the bright and cold outside, but a roaring fire summoned us inside and we perched in one of the dark corners of the room. Samantha went off to order us some dinner and drinks, whilst I nestled down in the chair, glad for the soft cushioning at my back and finally relaxed a little. I was familiar with this inn, as it was a place me and my parents had frequented on our trips away, when staying at our holiday house. Looking around the room, I noticed a group of people staring at our corner, but as soon as I noticed them, they turned away again; back to the drinks in their hands. Samantha came back a few minutes later, with two glasses filled with what looked like coke as they bubbled and fizzed away in her hands.

"The bar tender said she'll bring the food over when it's done, which should be about twenty minutes, can you hang on that long." I was about to laugh at her joke, when I saw she was completely serious.

"I'll be fine. I don't have the high metabolism demands of a primorph." Grabbing one of the glasses, I sipped from it in silent, getting fizzing bubbles popping against my nose and coughed, as I drank it too fast to quench my dry throat.

"It's coke not water so take it easy and I've seen what you're like when you're hungry." I mock glared at her humour and relaxed against the back of the chair as well; I didn't know why she was so exhausted as she'd slept most of the way here. Out of curiosity, I once again glanced over my shoulder and once again saw that the group of people across the room had their sights locked on me. With the uneasy feeling of being watched, I turned away and tried to ignore them. I was sure they weren't local hunters and didn't recognise them from any of the times I'd spend up here; with my parents.