I'm On My Way

Chapter 27

AN: I think this story is drawing to a close. I should probably make it 30 chapters, don't ya think? That would be a cool story to end on, haha.

I will be starting a fanfic for a different fandom, but I hope to keep doing one shots.

Here we go!

Jana was right. Jana had been right, and Maddy had ignored her. Maddy wanted to face palm or something, but her arm was restrained by a tight grip, similar to a thick, scratchy rope.

Why hadn't she planned for the weather. Maddy only wore thin clothes, and the wind was chilling her through as much as her kidnapping - was that the right thing to call it? She guessed it was. The whole atmosphere wasn't helping. All she could see where the grey outlines of the trees and the Wildbloods; the corpses of leaves littered on the ground were the only sound, and the damp smell wriggled in her nose. It was odd really; she wasn't crying. She felt slightly numb.

She just wanted to go home.

But home was slipping away behind her. She barely knew this part of the woods. It was eerily quiet, but occasionally there would be a snap or a crack, and Ian would laugh at her as she jumped out of her skin.

"Get off me!" Maddy almost froze in Renny's hold. That was Jana's voice, right? Or was she imagining it. She had almost been dozing standing up just now, and in this forest, with subdued lighting; any hallucination could be possible.

Feeling the grip on her arm loosen, Maddy swivelled round to see. And, yes, it was-

"Jana?!" Maddy shook Renny off of her, and ran over to stand by her stricken friend. "What are you doing here?"

"You think I'm going to let them take you away?"

"No, but how did you even get here"

"I followed you"

"Why?"

"Because I told you didn't trust them!"

"But-"

"That's enough twenty questions, girls. I take it your the leader of the other Wild pack?"

Jana hesitated for a second, before tentatively nodding.

Ian threw a wicked glance at Renny - who looked unsure, in Maddy's opinion - before taking a hold of both girls in his rough hands.

"Perfect. I'm sure it'll be even better if we take you, too."

Maddy and Jana turned to look at each other; Maddy's eyes wide, but Jana's surprisingly calm.

"It'll be okay" she mouthed. Maddy opened her mouth to investigate, but Jana shook her head frantically.

"Wait a second" she continued, pointing towards their company. Maddy gave a minuscule nod, and began fidgeting whilst waiting for a time for answers.

After a minute, Ian let go, and, with a glance which said Don't you try anything, he walked in front with Renny.

"So, what's the plan, Jana?" The words had left her mouth a bit more fierce than she had planned, and she put it down as her panic. It sounded even worse as a whisper, and in a forest, though.

"I brought paper."

"Oh great!"

"No, I've got a pen, too. I've been leaving them every once in a while since we set off."

"So, if the others find them..."

"They'll know where we are, yes, that's right. I've got our names on and a quick explanation, so it should work. But now all we can do is leave scraps of paper."

"Jana, this is brilliant!"

"Really? I thought it was a bit obvious."

Maddy pondered quickly, whilst hurrying them forward to keep up with their captors.

"I guess, but it's working, and it could save us, right? So it's great."

"Okay? Okay. Well I'll take that as a compliment. Now, you take these, and drop them every twenty steps or so. I'll drop them, too, so they should be sure which way we've gone."

Maddy studied the items Jana had subtly handed her. In her hand was a stack of blue card, which was a capturing shade of silver-blue in the slits of moonlight, but blue nonetheless.

"And if they lose the trail?"

"Well, they'll still have Rhydian, so he should be able to sniff us out..."

"Okay." Maddy bit her lip. She still wasn't sure, but she guessed that it was their only hope.

As they walked along, Maddy discovered that it was actually really easy to get lost in her mind in a forest. Following people, and following the paths which wound through the trees allowed her mind to wonder where her feet didn't. She had never found this before, but soon the soft pat of her feet on the soil, similar to paws on snow, faded away and she was left. Sadly for her, all she was left with was worrying thoughts. She was basically being kidnapped, and graphic images filled her mind. And they all lead back to her being alone in the dark.

"Okay" Maddy repeated when she realised she hadn't spoke in a while. The looks she received from Jana, and the two men at the front made her guess that it had been a while, and Maddy shrunk back into herself again.

As they were further from the town, the stars were more visible, and it also seemed like this part of the forest was different to what she was used to. The sound of rustles in the undergrowth soon became apparent, and it seemed very loud after the silence of before. Maddy also began to pick up the scent of cooking meat, and damp fur.

"Do you think we're nearly there?" She whispered, continuing to stare ahead.

Jana gave a nonchalant shrug in response.

"R-right."

Maddy's shaking, dancing hands were stilled by a warm, slender hand. Maddy looked up and gave her a grateful smile.

Embers of a fire glistened through a gap in the trees, and the entrails of a smoke smell tingled in Maddy's nose. Ian cast a look behind him, his eyebrows wiggled and he had a wide grin. That only made Maddy more scared.

The entrance to the camp was a tight squeeze between two cowering trees. Maddy stifled a little yelp of pain as a thorn clawed at her leg.

The camp was quite similar to Jana's. Around the edge were several battered tents strung with ivy, with a fire in the centre. There was a gap in the trees right in the centre, meaning a ring of moonlight lit the middle; just like a spotlight, Maddy thought bitterly.

The people had a similar appearance to the other pack, except they were more rough, and their faces were littered with scabs and scars. As they entered there was a sudden silence, filled with burning eyes and sniffing noses.

"We brought the cubs." Ian addressed the group. "You might want to stay back, they're contaminated with human." He sneered, which was quickly echoed through the group.

Maddy and Jana were rushed to a small tent - which reminded Maddy of a shattered shack - on the edge of the grove, furthest from the other Wildbloods. Practically throwing them in, Ian bade them a nasty goodbye, before disappearing into the fog of moving bodies.

"So, what do we do now?"