There was a rustle of movement in the trees, and I froze, looking around me as I waited for an attack. When it didn't come, I moved carefully forward, trying to keep my movements as quiet as possible, my gaze alert. I broke into another jog. One thing being a bike messenger all these years had given me was decent stamina. Running might be a little different than riding a bike, but at least I hadn't lost all my cardio when I left the military.
My foot caught on a dead branch, and I pitched forward down a sharp incline, my shoulder bouncing off a rock before my knee slammed into a tree as I tumbled, collecting bumps and bruises along the way. I fell into empty air then hit the ground several feet down with a thump, coming to a halt as I reached the bottom. I lay there a moment, blinking up at the dark trees standing sentinel over me.
Dampness seeped into my pants, and I sat up with a silent groan. My legs had landed in water, while the rest of me was still on dry ground. I rotated my shoulder, grimacing at the stab of pain. My knee wasn't much better. My healing abilities had already been maxed out because of the sun, so both hurts lingered when normally my body would have started healing them by now.
I looked up at the hill I'd fallen down. It looked every bit as high as it had felt during my trip down, making me glad I hadn't broken my neck in my headfirst tumble. There was a cliff of rock above me, which explained the fall through empty air. I was at the bottom of a ravine that had a small creek running through it.
Near the top of the hill, my othersight picked up on a flicker of inky darkness broken by streaks of burnt umber. Caroline. I pressed myself to the ground, ignoring the mud that seeped through my clothes as I kept my eyes focused on where I'd seen the umber and dark. Suddenly my tumble seemed less like an inconvenience and more like a timely save.
Her light moved back and forth before she disappeared up and over the hill. I let out a tiny sigh of relief.
She wouldn't be gone long. When she realized she lost my scent, she'd have to circle back. Eventually, she would find her way down here. I needed to be gone before that happened.
First, though, I needed to do what I could to disguise my scent. It was already half done with all this mud clinging to my front and back. I dug my hands deep in the bank, pulling up mud and smearing it over my arms and legs, covering myself as best I could given the time constraints.
Finished, I climbed to my feet and hobbled along the creek, being careful to move quietly and quickly. My othersight flickered wildly, giving me odd glimpses of light trails. Some in colors I didn't have words for. Some showing shadows like wraiths across the ground. It was like trying to watch two movies at the same time. One normal and the other technicolor.
I blinked rapidly as my left eye showed me a yawning chasm while my normal eye just showed more of the same hill covered in years of dead leaves. Not having time to humor this new oddity of my eye, I stepped forward, reasonably sure that the yawning chasm wasn't really there, or at least not in the sense of the real world. Black ink blots detached like seaweed waving in some unseen ocean as they drifted toward me, only to shy away from touching me at the last moment.
A harsh growl came from my right, and I jerked back, forgetting this new world my eye was showing me. A wolf's eyes gleamed at me from the dark, its head lowered. Caroline. I backed up a step. She advanced before skirting to the side. I turned with her as she circled me, not coming closer. Every time she veered too close to the chasm she would hop back before continuing her slinking walk.
I watched for several seconds, amazed that she hadn't already killed me, even as she snarled and whined in confusion. She wouldn't pass the chasm. How was this possible? How was she seeing the same thing I was? Could it be the wolf? It was the only thing I could think of, the only thing different.
Another growl came from my right, and a much smaller wolf crept into view, its head lowered, and teeth bared, as it eyed me like I was juicy steak it wanted to eat. Lisa. It passed the chasm like it wasn't even there, taking no notice of the thing that kept Caroline at bay.
"Oh crap," I whispered. What worked on one didn't work on the other.
The wolf crouched, the slight bunching of its muscles all the warning I had before it sprang—its leap carrying it through the air. I dropped, rolling under it in a burst of speed fueled by adrenaline and fear. It landed across the clearing, close to Caroline, spinning as it darted back toward me.
Caroline's wolf swiped out a paw, knocking it several feet to the side. A yelp escaped Lisa, and she scrambled to her feet even as Caroline leapt, landing on her, teeth buried in the smaller wolf's throat.
While they were ripping and tearing at each other, I darted away, taking advantage of their distraction in the hopes they'd keep each other occupied.
There were twin howls as I disappeared over the hill and then the snapping of branches as they chased after me. I flew across the ground, reaching for more speed with each stride. Behind me came the sound of pursuit as they gave up on stealth in favor of running me to ground.
Lisa's wolf appeared next to me. I veered sharply to avoid the snapping teeth. Caroline bounded up on my other side, leaping at my throat as I ducked and rolled, hitting the ground on my bad shoulder, then popping to my feet and taking off again. I darted around a tree, weaving through them as the two snarled and snapped at my heels.
My thighs burned as I sprinted uphill. I came to a crashing stop as a cliff appeared, my arms pinwheeling before I grabbed a tree. I stared at the sharp drop, panting.
There was a snap of branches behind me as the two wolves slunk into view. They'd been herding me. That was clear now. With the cliff at my back, I had nowhere to go.
I stepped away from the tree and the cliff's edge, holding my hands out in front of me. "Caroline, I know you're in there. You don't want to do this."
I had little hope that talking to her would help, but I was desperate, and this was the only option left.
My plea had no effect on her as she circled one way and Lisa circled the other. I kept my eyes on Caroline. She was the bigger threat.
"Do you remember how we met?" I asked, my voice high. "We were in elementary school, and I liked Jimmy Grey. You told me I was an idiot for trying to get his attention, and then you dyed his hair green when you caught him talking trash about me to his friends."
The wolf didn't pause as it crept closer, its eyes focused on me with single-minded intensity. It was a massive animal. Majestic and beautiful. At another time, when my life wasn't in danger, I would have been tempted to capture its beauty on camera. Now, I just wanted her as far from me as possible.
"Caroline, don't. You need to control your instincts," I warned, backing up. One foot slipped over the edge; I caught myself from pitching backward and stumbled forward, falling to my knees in the process.
Caroline was there, her fangs snapping at my throat. I jerked back as she towered over me. Her eyes had intelligence in them, but it was hard to tell if it was the kind of intelligence that was slightly crazy or if my friend was in the driving seat.