Run. Don't look back, don't look down. I huffed out a shaky breath, my legs going numb from the exertion of continuous running.

Was Scott following?

I didn't have the energy to shake my head to clear my thoughts. No, keep running. Scott wasn't being chased; he would be okay. As a roar sounded behind me, I sprinted faster on the toes of my feet and leaned forward. My chest felt compressed. My whole body burned with the lack of oxygen. I felt scared. Exhilarated. I felt so many emotions at the same time.

I hurried along the frosted ground of the forest, minding the fallen logs and the above-ground roots of the trees. I ran for another minute. I was ready to give up by then, get killed brutally by the beast chasing me. I shouldn't have never run. As I wallowed in self-pity, I had come to an unexpected end of the frosted ground, a river raging forming.

I fell.

I tumbled down the steep bank, sharp rocks poking me in the sides. I had enough luck to not hit my head right then and there. Or, maybe I shouldn't have been glad. I wouldn't have to be awake to get eaten if I was unconscious. I let out a yelp as I landed on rocks just beneath the frigid waters. The only thing I could hear was my fast breaths, my heart hammering in my head, and the gentle lap of the water around my body.

I clamped my mouth shut, suffocating myself to see if I could hear anything else. For seconds, nothing. I opened my mouth as my lungs burned with neglect, and took a huge gasp of much-needed air. I lay there for a moment, collecting myself, and scanning the area. The water had cooled me off, but now I felt my hands and feet turn numb from the cold. They were so cold, they were hot with a burning sensation. I pulled myself from the water, letting out a groan of pain from my side. My right hand traveled to the pain. My shirt was wet, but I desperately hoped I wasn't bleeding.

I continued pulling myself, until I reached a muddy bank, and lay there, shivering. Adrenaline still ran through my veins, but it was disappearing fast. I was scared again, the darkness of the night surrounding me. If it wasn't for the moon, I would have been completely blind with my non-elite human eyes. Where was Scott? The beast? Was Scott dead? Oh, God no. Please don't let Scott be dead. If anyone should die, it should be me. I had come up with this idiotic plan. I had put us in danger.

A whimper escaped my mouth, and I bit my lip to quiet myself.

So stupid...

"C'mon! Hurry it up, will you?" I hopped from foot to foot, trying to escape the coldness of the air.
"Shut it, Stiles! Can't you see I'm trying?"
"You should've tied your shoes inside!"
"I did!"
"Triple-knotted them?"
"Stiles!" Scott shot me an annoyed glare from his crouched position.
"Ugh," I moaned, rubbing my arms hurriedly. "Take your time, princess," I added in a lower voice. I looked around in the vast wilderness. Surprisingly, I felt alive. I felt hyperactive in the raw coldness in the middle of the forest at night, highlighted a sliver by the full moon. Scott rose beside me, flexing his legs and nodded at me.

"Ready." I rolled my eyes.
"Obviously. C'mon," I started on my way again. Scott trotted beside me.
"Tell me again where we're going."
"I didn't tell you a first time, so I can't tell you again," I retorted with a smirk. Scott pushed me with an elbow to my side.
"Funny," he deadpanned.
"Aw, thank you. I'm flattered." I did a quick half-bow as I stopped beside a tree. I looked around at my surroundings. I grinned. I relished in the familiarity of the place that I had found earlier. "Almost there," I told Scott. I quickened my pace. I heard a groan of protest from Scott. I hurried him up with a signal of my hand. Soon, I found the stick I had placed in the ground to later show I was on the spot. I made a noise of triumph and let my hands feel the bark of a certain tree. It was very tall, but gnarled with the teeth of bugs and dying. My fingers began to dip slightly into a crevice. I dropped the small bag on my pack and searched for my flashlight.

"This is what you wanted to show me? A dead tree?" I gave Scott a look, who was squinting at the tree.
"Wait a second, will ya'? Aha!" I grabbed the flashlight and clicked it on, showing what made the tree special. I looked over to see Scott's eyes widening.
"Woah," he murmured. I nodded.
"Yeah. Take in that." I looked back at the huge scratches in the tree. They were four of them, each about an inch deep, and deadly looking. I wasn't sure if a cougar or grizzly bear made them, but whatever did, it was big. Scott shook his head, glaring at me before he punched my shoulder.
"What the hell was that for?" I exclaimed, momentarily dropping the flashlight.
"T-This-... monster made this and you bring me in the middle of night to show me?!" He yelled and grabbed my jacket. "Don't you know this i-is a way bears can mark territories? You idiot!" I evened my stare, pushing him away.
"Dude! I had my dad take the dogs down here. They didn't find anything! Chill!" Scott paced and I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, it's fine."
"Is it, Stiles?"
"Are you dissing my dad?" I glared at him. This was supposed to be fun, not a yell-here-and-a-yell-there party. I went to pick up my flashlight, freezing midway as a loud, shrill noise broke through the peaceful quietness of the night. I hurriedly grabbed the flashlight and joined Scott. Already, he was pale in color and giving me a scared look. Oh God.

"What the hell was that?" He asked. I shook my head, waving the only light I had crazily around us. Another shrill roar, this one sounding closer. Oh, fuck. Oh lordy. Before I had time to process this information, Scott was running.
"Scott!" I yelled, taking off after him, but I had lost him. Damnit. How did a guy with asthma run so fast? I pushed on harder. "Scott, come back!" A roar sounding behind me with a sickening sound of a tree cracking and falling. Oh, fuck. "Nevermind! Don't come back!" I ran faster than I ever had at lacrosse practice, branches whipping me in the face.

Run. Run. Run. The only things repeating in my head as I ran. Now, skip to the river part, that was everything that had happened. By now, things had quieted. My mind and body both had calmed down, enough that I was allowed to think straight and clearly. I had long since dropped the flashlight, but I could use the moon's light to guide me. First off, I had to find where I was located.

Luckily, I know this river. It was around two miles from the main road. Follow the river downstream, locate civilization, call my father, and have him search the forest for Scott. At the thought of Scott, guilty and sorrow-ridden thoughts entered my mind. Please be alive. Please be alive. I couldn't imagine what life would be without- no!

Think straight. For Scott. I groaned with the effort to heave myself onto my legs. I stuck my fingers into the cold, sticky mud, my arms shaking with the amount of stress. I folded my legs underneath me, toeing my way up. My left ankle ached; I had probably sprung it on the tumble down. However, I bit my lip and stayed quiet. After a minute of crawling uphill, I stilled. I had heard something. My fingers desperately clung onto the hillside, trying to keep myself upright. My ankle and side both ached and burned. A gasp got stuck in my throat when I heard branches breaking. A mumbled curse that caused me to melt in relief.

Oh, thank the Lords above! Scott! "Scott! Down here!" I yelled. I no longer cared who- or what - else heard me. I heard the crunching of frosted ground getting trampled underfoot, and then finally, a face appeared above me. It wasn't Scott's.