Padfoot's Puppy
Chapter Three
'Chase'
Amber didn't stay to see how the man knew she was there, the second he pointed at her, she bolted. Some might call her cowardly, but she didn't care, she wasn't foolhardy. She refused to wait and see if the four people were allies or enemies.
She ran, dodging trees, jumping stumps, running so fast her chest felt like it would explode. But she didn't dare slow down even just a bit. Behind her, she could hear the people shouting.
If the people were Death Eaters, than she would be safe. If they weren't, well Amber didn't want to think about that.
Amber was forced to slow down a bit when she came to the top of a hill. If she went down the hill at full speed, she would surely fall.
She didn't slow down enough though; Amber hit a small root, and couldn't stop as she somersaulted over. Somehow, she managed to stop somersaulting, but she couldn't stop her descent as she rolled down the hill.
It was tree that finally stopped Amber's rolling trip down the hill. She hit it with such speed that all she could se for several long seconds was complete darkness. She felt paralyzed, and it filled her with such fear she couldn't keep her thoughts straight.
"She's over here!" The shout filled Amber with more dread than she'd ever felt before. It was enough to make Amber force herself out of the paralysis and stand up. Her vision was only beginning to come back; she could barely distinguish trees from the darkness surrounding them.
Taking a few shaky steps, Amber's first instinct was to sit safely on the ground, unable to trust her own two legs. Fighting the instinct, Amber forced herself to run blindly forward, her arms straight out in front of her to give her a seconds warning if she were to run into something.
Slowly, her vision started to come back well enough that Amber could avoid running into anymore trees. Instead, she managed to trip over a stump that was too dark for her to distinguish it from the dark ground.
Scrambling to her feet, Amber hesitated before resuming her fun. Her vision hadn't completely returned, so she relied on her other senses to give her an idea of what was going on around her.
She could hear someone coming up a distance behind her. Whoever it was wasn't running, and walked with a slight limp. They were breathing hard and a smell of stale alcohol was carried on a breeze over to Amber.
Knowing that she could see enough to continue running, especially if someone was so close, Amber chose instead to hide inside a bunch of bushes. It was uncomfortable, and there were a few thorns pricking her skin, but she was well hidden, the only way anyone could see her was if they were to climb inside the bushes.
It didn't take long for the already dark forest to become pitch black. Judging by the little bit of sky she could see, Amber guessed that it was close to eleven pm, nearly two hours since she'd throw the rock at Mister.
Close to an hour later, Amber finally moved. She hadn't heard anything but crickets for a long time, and her body ached so much she couldn't stand it anymore. She crawled out of the bushes and stood straight up, picking a few dead leaves out of her hair. Slowly, she stepped forward, frocking herself to walk. Her mind was screaming at her to run, but Amber knew she had to look around first. There was still a chance someone was around.
Placing each foot down gently, Amber was careful not to make a sound. It'd take a while to get back to the cabins, but this way, no one would be able to hear her.
Soon enough, Amber started to recognize where she was. She was getting close to the rocky cliff, where she'd last seen Mister. Though she could follow a trail from the cliff down to the cabins, Amber didn't dare go there. If she was seen, there was no place to hide.
"Stupefy!" Amber jumped forward, causing the spell to miss her and hit the tree she'd been standing in front of. As pieces of bark flew of the tree, Amber bolted forward into a run.
It was easier now for Amber to run. Her vision was back and she knew this part of the forest like the back of her hand. She had long ago found all the best hiding places, most she was sure had never been found by another human, wizard or not.
Amber never got a chance to hide though. On the way to a tiny cave she'd found only days ago with Mister, she nearly ran into someone. Only by skidding to a stop and falling over herself did Amber avoid running into the man. Instead, she was in a pile at his feet.
"Get up you stupid girl!" Lucius Malfoy said, grabbing Amber's sweater and pulling her to her feet. Amber couldn't help it, a sigh of relief escaped her lips; never did she think that she'd ever be so glad to see Lucius.
"Where have you been?" Lucius snarled, pulling Amber close to him. Squirming to get away, Amber choked out an answer.
"I-I got lost." She lied, too scared to tell Lucius the truth. She knew that if she did, he'd freak and never let her leave his sight.
"Well you better not get lost again! Do you know what the Dark Lord would do if you disappeared?" He asked; his voice low and even. Terrified, Amber shook her head.
"N-no." She stuttered. Lucius pulled her a little closer, his grip on her sweater starting to choke her.
"And you don't want to find out!" He hissed, releasing his hold on Amber's sweater. Amber almost fell, gasping for air.
"Now come along, quickly!" Lucius said, giving Amber a whack on her knee with his cane. Gritting her teeth, Amber forced herself to ignore the pain and follow Lucius. Out of the corner of her eye Amber was sure she saw something black back into the bushes and out of sight.
Author's Note: I really did not like writing this chapter; I found it kind of boring and actually pretty hard to write. But it needed to be done, and I hope you guys like it more than I do.