Sunlight burned warmly into Anna's closed eyelids and with a disgruntled sigh she flickered them upon. Her eyes met her sun-washed bedroom ceiling, gloriously beaming with wintry sunlight. Her head turns slowly on her pillow, blinking at her window which had the curtains partially drawn. Through the sliver of a gap she could see the bright sky that reflected enchantingly on the snowy grounds. She closed her eyes again; their sensitivity to light increased since last night's drinking activities.
Last night, the later of the hours were not all that clear in her head. Memories seemed to be a little patchy in places and she wondered if this was how Wolverine felt. No, he's Logan now. She told herself, a small smile coming across her face as this thought crossed her mind. For some reason, seeing the man under her father's name seemed to be a fitting tribute, and it warmed her.
And with that reflection, a whole host of other memories slotted into place that seemed to snap her out of her early morning reverie. From when they were sat together in front of the fire, him holding her and when she followed him outside and was met under the shed canopy by a breathtaking kiss. And then some. She vaguely recalled him bringing her upstairs when she got too tired and put her to bed, even leaving the curtains open a little, simply because that was the way she liked it. After that, he had sloped off, and before she could question him she had gone into the blackness of sleep.
Feeling little a giddy teenager, Anna giggled into her pillow; then feeling appalled with herself and deeply pleased that no one could see her blush. But her cheerfulness remained, and she had a feeling she would be carrying it round like a talisman for the rest of the week. Then, out of the peaceful silence there was the definite sound of her front door closing. Curious, Anna pushed herself out of bed, ambling towards her bedroom window. Her eyes squinted at the brightness of the light, cursing it as she peered down at her driveway.
Then her elevating exuberance seemed to drop out onto the floor along with her leadened stomach. A tall figure was trudging through the snow, passing her parked vehicles and continuing out onto the road, clearly leaving. Anna seemed frozen in place as her face sat shocked. She watched as Logan checked the road for traffic before he crossed over and headed on. Anna forced her hollow self into action, whirling from the window to ram her feet into her boots, running to her bedroom door and flinging it back. As she ran down the staircase, her mind worked heavily to try and make sense of the situation. Hadn't last night ended on a good note? Had he said he was going to leave? She was sure he had never mentioned anything like that, that would stand out. Surely he had no incentive to leave. What was going on!
Once more, he had had little sleep. Logan that was, as he was constantly trying to refer himself as. Logan.. he told himself. Feeling as though shaking off the name 'Wolverine' was part of his cleansing process, even though it would always be part of him. But Logan had been startled awake by nightmares, but there were not the only think on his mind. Skulking around the faintly lit kitchen that morning, he went over the process in his head over and over. What made him do that? What made him kiss her? Sure, it's not like it was negative.. and the night didn't even end badly. So why did he wake up with this feeling of dread?
Did he feel guilty? Scared? Did he think he'd wake up the next morning with a broody Anna or something crazy like that? For some reason, and he felt it ever since he woke up, he felt like running. Getting out of there. Putting it all behind him and hiding from something he couldn't even see. He sighed tiredly, rubbing his aching eyes as he stood before the kitchen window. The morning sun was peeking over the horizon, sending clear rays over a dazzling blue sky. Guilt was nibbling away at him, how could he leave her like that? Just abandon her by taking off one morning? But for some hidden reason, it felt like it would be the best thing to do in the long run.
And his decision was made. Perhaps wildly, recklessly, but it was made. And Logan quickly turned from the window, striding out of the kitchen and into his bedroom where he shoved a few items of clothing into a found backpack. He was sure Anna wouldn't mind. For safety precautions, he also added the blanket in which Anna had wrapped him in when she first found him the previous month. He continued to move quickly, as though this would not give him chance to change his mind. Already he was planning: he'd head out to the next town, doing a spot of cage fighting, get some cash and try and purchase himself a vehicle.
As he made his way to the front door, he paused, looking back at the dark staircase. He knew that Anna would be laid in bed above him, completely unaware of what he was about to do to her. Releasing a sigh he opened the door, pulling it firmly to as he stepped outside. He forced himself onwards, trudging through the snow down the driveway and heading out onto the road. There was no snowfall this morning, the sky crystalline blue and the wintry sunlight giving the slightest increase in temperature. The calmed gusts also helping the temperatures creep warmer. A few moments later, he headed off the road, disappearing into the dense woodland for a shortcut.
Missing Anna's frantic arrival onto the road by moments.
Anna pushed herself back into her house, feeling suddenly angry and stung by the injustice and lack of answers at this situation. Then, with a wave of determination she strode into her father's old bedroom. Since she had been put to bed with her clothes on, she didn't have to waste time dressing. Logan clearly didn't want to embarrass her by undressing her when she was nearing unconsciousness. She stomped across the bedroom floor, reaching up onto the wall where she yanked her father's shotgun off its mount. Pulling a coat on, she made her way back out, locking the door she striding off to her truck.
She was going to track him down, even if it meant travelling through the dark woodlands - hence the gun. She deserved answers. The car was forcefully yanked into first gear, and with a squeal of the tyres she raced off the driveway, disappearing off down the road.
She had a feeling of where he was headed.
She needed her answers.
The truck was roughly parked at the side of the road, and she wasted no time jumping out of the driver's seat, her shotgun in one arm as she locked up her vehicle. Within moments she was running off across the snow, disappearing from the clear roadside and into the density of the trees. Besides her car hung a faded, bent sign, the peeling letter's roughly spelling 'Alkali Lake.' She fought her way through the fir trees, smacking the large snowy covered branches out of her path as she stumbled and slipped, eyes frantically searching the area. Through the distant trees she could see a glimpse of light, meaning she was nearing the lake itself.
There was a soft rustle behind her, causing Anna to stagger to a halt. She quickly looked round, "Logan? .. Wolverine?" When there was no reply, her hands instinctively tightened on her shotgun. "Logan?" she tried again, turning slowly.
There was another crunch of snow before everything fell deadly silent.
"Logan..?"
This was no joke, he would definitely have responded by now. But the sound didn't return again. Casting one last cautious glance about the area, she straightened her posture, lowering her gun.
Then her scream pierced the cold silence.
Ghostly shapes burst out of the trees, running for her on four legs. Having no time to shoot her weapon, Anna spun on her heel, running back towards where she had parked her truck, but that was so long ago now.. Behind her, she could hear the soft pad of the animals' paws as they ran after her, growls and barks following. She had never been confronted by wolves before; she'd never gone this deep into any woodland. She just needed to get back into her truck, and she'd be safe. That kept running through her head, like a mantra to keep her burning legs running at full pelt.
She leapt over a small mound of snow, reaching a steep slope. She gasped as she stumbled down it, her feet staggering to try and keep her balance. Her momentum caused her to move faster than she could cope and with a horrified cry she lost her footing, being thrown forward into the snow. The growls became louder, snarls mixing in as the wolves bounded towards her. She pulled her face up out of the snow, chancing a small look. Haunting yellow eyes gleamed at her as one of the wolves burst towards her. Her shotgun lay out of reach. Feeling a wave of frozen fear come over her, her eyes clamped shut in await of the impact.
Cliffhanger! You want the rest? Review my dears! Review! (: