Young Writers Society

{first off, i'm only putting part of chapter 0 in here, because it is a little long, if you would like to hear more, please say so, and I will post more}

A Hidden past

Chapter 0: Escape

“We’ve come so far only to be separated, now,

by lost memories we can not retrieve.

You may not remember me, but I will always remember you…”

Tired and out of breath, she continued to sprint through the woods almost noiselessly. A dark trail of blood followed her, marking where she had been. Behind her, the pounding of horses hooves was heard as a rider drew closer, not willing to give up on the chase. He kicked the horse on, coming up right behind the wolf.

She pushed her speed as she fled her pursuer. The forest around her was now a blur of green and brown. Nimbly, she maneuvered herself over roots and dead branches that crossed her path. As she cleared a stream, landing on the other side, she staggered for a heart beat, but instantly shot onwards.

Disappearing into the trees, the splashing behind warned that she was still being followed. Her breathing was shallow, and at the pace she was running, not enough air was reaching her lungs.

Her legs gave way under her, and she stumbled. After tumbling a couple feet, she laid motionless on the ground, barely breathing and unable to get back up. Her energy was spent, and the loss of blood wasn’t doing anything to help. Stained and matted down was her fur, glistening red in the sunlight.

Seeing the wolf fall, the man reined the horse to a stop and slid off, slowly walking towards the injured animal.

She started to snarl, but the warning quickly changed to that of a painful whimper. The black horse stood of to the side, pawing the ground nervously while the rider crouched down next to the wolf, staying out of reach of its sharp fangs. She stared at him as he held her eyes with his. He reached his hand out to touch her soft silver fur as a small smile crossed his face.

“Don’t worry…” his voice didn’t sound cold and hollow, but rather sounded like he cared. But he looked exactly like one of them, only his voice sounded nothing like theirs. Cold and gripping.

The wolf winced as he placed his hand on her side. Her breathing was labored, and each breath was just as painful as the next. Laying her ears back against her head, she growled from her throat, but once again it ended in a pain filled yelp.

While softly petted her fur, he brought his right hand over to carefully see where she was wounded, never breaking their stare as he inspected her. He paused as he came to an odd feeling rib. His hand lingered over the spot and then gently pressed against it.

The wolf howled as searing pain traveled through and up her side. She tried to pry her eyes from his, but he held them firmly, as if he had a spell keeping her from looking at what he was doing.

Seeing the fear and misery in her eyes, he spoke softly, trying to calm her down.

“You have a broken rib,” continuing to pet her, he looked up at the sky and then around the area. Seeing no sign of approaching trouble, he then settled himself against a tree and carefully pulled the wolf so she leaned against the side of his leg and so that her head rested in his lap.

She protested with a low growl, but she knew he didn’t care what she thought. Slowly the pain ate away at her as she rested against his leg while he comfortingly stroked her stained silver coat.

Knowing it was a risk, she spoke to him with her mind. It would take a great deal of energy to do so, but she didn’t want to change forms yet. If he knew she was a slave or a shapeshifter…he might turn her in. But then again, how many wolves talked…

“I know what you are.” his voice startled her as it broke the silence around them. “It’s fine, I won’t turn you in.” something in his voice made her want to believe him, but she couldn’t yet trust him.

-How did you know what I was?-

“I was in the town area…so I decided to look in on what slaves were being sold…” he paused, “when I came across your cage, I knew instantly what you were. Your eyes told me everything.” he stared out into the seemingly never ending forest for a moment before looking down at her.

-My eyes?-

“Yes, it’s a talent I posses.” he smiled slightly, letting out a deep breath.

-Why did you help me back there?- she felt herself fading from consciousness, dizziness starting to overwhelm her.

The sky had begun to darken. The once white spirits of the sky, now gray with rain. Thunder rolled in the distance, commanding the rain to fall. Dipping behind the horizon was the sun, barely visible, the last rays of its light hidden by the storm clouds.

“I helped you because…” he wasn’t able to finish, he couldn’t tell her who he was yet. Staring once again into her eyes, he said a spell so she would sleep. She was already half unconscious, and she desperately needed the rest.

She recognized something in his eyes when he looked at her, but it quickly faded from her memory as sleep claimed her. She fought against it, but it consumed her by force and she was overpowered.

Sighing, he grinned at her stubbornness and thought back to her question, why had he helped her?

A breeze swept through the forest as the rain broke through the branches of the ancient trees. Only the soft pitter patter of rain hitting the ground and thunder roaring high above was heard. Everything was quiet.

“I helped you because…we used to know each other once upon a time. A long time ago…before they took you.” he went silent for awhile, knowing that he was only speaking to himself. She was sound asleep; nothing would wake her, unless he let the spell rise from her.

“I don’t expect you to remember me, but we were once friends in a small town called Nerina. Emerald grass covered the ground, and streams of pure azure water hummed by the mountain side, fed by the great waterfall. We lived there…and so did everyone else, everyone that betrayed you.” he stopped and watched her, making sure she was still breathing.

“It must have been hard for you…” he shuddered as he remembered what he had seen in her eyes.

It was both a curse and a blessing to have his talent. Through the eyes, he could see the past of a person’s life. Every once in a while, he was able to see what might be in the person’s future, but no person’s future was set in stone. They had choices they could make; they could change what would happen to them in years to come.

Even though he had tried, he could not see anything in his eyes, nor did he want to. He liked surprises in his life. Knowing his future would spoil that.

Closing his eyes, her memory flowed through him, forming a clear picture in his mind, making him seem as if he were actually there again…