Keep running! Keep running! No matter what she couldn't stop running. Though her feet were bleeding and her lungs were burning she couldn't stop. The bundle in her arms depended on her ability to keep running and not be found. She could hear voices behind her, but she couldn't tell how far they were. When she heard the dogs barking her heart gave a jolt. What was she going to do? The dogs would find her easily with the trail she was leaving. She knew she was leaving blood behind and because of the dark she had blundered into bushes and trees.
Suddenly she could feel ice cold water on her feet. She had made it to the river. If she could just make it across and stay in the shallows on the other side she could follow it down stream and hopefully lose the dogs. She might be able to find shelter farther down the river. If she could just stay hidden until it was light she would be able to find her way without a problem.
Without making a noise the bundle gave a squirm and she bounced it slightly until the contents settled. She took a large breath and started across the water. Thankfully the water wasn't too deep; in the middle it came up to her waist and she was able to keep the bundle above the water. The moon was full tonight so she had no trouble seeing but she knew the hunters would be able to use it as well. She moved as fast as she could without making too much noise; she knew sound traveled farther over water. She realized that she was again leaving a trail in the shallows so she moved back into the middle.
The cold was starting to make her bones ache and shivers rack her body. She barely could keep a hold on the bundle, but she knew if she dropped it all was lost.
After wading for what felt like hours she could barely keep her eyes open. She just kept telling herself that around the next corner she would find somewhere to hide. The voices had faded away awhile ago she just needed to find somewhere they wouldn't find her now.
Eventually the next corner did have what she was looking for, a small cave on the river. To someone walking by on the bank it would just look like a shallow overhang but from this angle she saw that it was actually quite deep and sturdy, better yet it was dry. She carefully waded over to it, making sure she didn't disturb anything she could avoid.
As she crawled out of the water she realized that others had used this hiding spot before her; there were branches forming a bed in the corner and the remnants of a fire were off to one side. Thankfully everything looked old and she thought it would be safe to spend just a few hours here. The cave took a sharp turn to the right near the entrance that was hidden from the outside. Dragging a few branches with her to use as make-shift blankets, she curled up around her bundle in the corner away from the entrance.
After straining to hear any noises that might alert her to pursuers for a few minutes, she felt her eyelids droop. With her last waking thought she reassured herself that the bundle was dry and warm. "Goodnight Luke. Don't worry I'll take care of you, they won't get you," she whispered as sleep took her over.