"I Must Protect You"

Hours seemed to pass by quickly and before Denise knew it, the darkness had left the lands and the sun rose from its hiding spot. Beams of light hit her soft black fur as she thundered through, uncaring of the constant slashes of limping branches.

She knew not where she was going, but the only thing on her mind…was running. And she didn’t stop, not until her lungs burned as if scorched with fire and her paws ached…by then, the sun had gone down again. If she ran any further, it felt as if she’d explode from the inside.

But how far had she even gotten? Even though she had left the pack and broken her bond with Kain, it didn’t feel like she had escaped their clutches at all. Somehow, the hateful eyes of her family were still digging into her skin, the words that hurt the most were still blaring in her mind, and what’s worse, it felt like Kain was only a step away. What was she to do so she could just forget about it all? Must she perish first?

Her legs slowed to a trot amidst the trees