Lucie shivered, hugging herself tightly, and looked up and down the riverbank, hyperaware of everything going on around her. Crouching behind a few bushes abutting up against the water, she wringed out her shirt before pulling it back on and squeezing as much water out of her pants as she could without removing them. In the cool morning air, she suppressed a shiver, a chill running down her spine from the cold water. Goosebumps rose along her arms, and she rubbed them, trying not to let her teeth chatter – it wouldn't do if someone came upon her here. But with a few breaths, she slowly warmed herself, blinking her eyes several times. The urge to shiver finally faded away. Running her fingers through her hair, Lucie let out a slow, measured breath, and shook her head, spraying the water off the ends of her hair. Drawing in a deep breath through her nose, she allowed herself to relax: the stench of rotten food and cat litter that had been clinging to her ever since she had arrived in Berlin had finally gone away, washed off in the Havel.
Living with the smell had been torture for the week since her arrival, yet she had resisted the urge to clean herself too quickly. Jumping into the garbage truck had masked her scent, giving her the opportunity to escape from her pursuers; if she washed away the garbage smell too quickly, before the pack returned home, they could have caught her scent and searched her out. So instead, she had camped out in this park ever since, avoiding the walkers and joggers who occasionally appeared on the path, hiding under bushes and sneaking into the public restroom when no one was around. Her stomach rumbled – since leaving home, most of her sustenance had come from foraging for nuts and berries, along with the occasional foray into the dumpsters to search for uneaten food. When she had left, she had not been able to bring anything with her… and that had included money. She could find her own food, of course – but it had done nothing for her clothing, after the weeks on the run. And especially after spending the last week covered in filth.
But as long as she threw them off her scent, it had all been worth it.
A twig snapped off in the distance, and Lucie froze, huddling a little lower to avoid detection. She furrowed her eyebrows, sniffing the air and peeking out between the branches of her bushes. There could be people entering the park now – it was only just light out. But were they joggers? Or were they here for her? If they were here for her, then she wouldn't have expected them to be so careless as to alert her in that way. So, maybe they were just walkers who had come early – she was lucky that she had already bathed and put her shirt back on if that was the case. Quietly, Lucie sank back down to sit in the bare dirt between the bushes, her ears trained for any follow-up sounds.
Growing up, she had played hide-and-seek all the time, hiding in the fields around the village, or else between the houses. When she had been younger, she had been among the first to be found almost every time; the older kids had always been able to hide better than she could. But that had changed when she had gotten older and learned how to trick them, to mask her own trail while leaving one in the other direction, away from her. From then on, she had been almost unbeatable.
If she was lucky, that experience would serve her well to hide here.
After what felt like ages, Lucie finally allowed herself to relax, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall beside the entrance. She let out a relieved breath, slumping against the bush behind her. Bracing herself, she glanced back out of the bushes, searching the path for any sign of people who might find her. Her stomach clenched anxiously. Cautiously, she turned in either direction, searching for anyone who might be in this park this early in the morning. But she hadn't heard anything since the snapping twigs – if anyone was nearby, they had not come in Lucie's direction. But that didn't have to say much.
Lucie had been hiding here for days already, too afraid to leave the park and try searching for her quarry, yet at the same time too afraid to stay in one place and wait until she could be found. Stuck in this impasse, she had hidden during the day and prowled the park by night, looking around and hoping against hope that her target might appear nearby at night. But she had no idea how or where to find the Teutonic Knight. And with how she was dressed – looking down at her clothes, she grimaced, fingering one of the many tears in her shirt. Her top had gotten ripped in several places and stained with dirt and mud and even blood that no amount of washing would remove, to say nothing of the indescribable things that she had picked up while hiding in the trash. The bottoms of her pants had gotten ripped to shreds up to almost her knees, which had worn out weeks ago. And the last time she had had good shoes and socks felt like it had been ages ago.
So much for keeping a low profile, dressed like this.
Her stomach sank anxiously. How was she ever going to find the Heroes of Berlin if she stayed hidden away in this park forever? Unless they happened to fly overhead, she would have to leave the park eventually – and sooner, rather than later. If the pack found her before she could find them, then all of this would have been for nothing.
There was nothing for her to do but to leave the park and take her chances.
Gritting her teeth, Lucie strode purposefully away from the river, crossed the path, and started jogging toward the distant city skyline, just visible over the tops of the trees.
Off in the distance, she could hear howls.
Abruptly, Lucie picked up her pace, glancing back over her shoulder and suppressing a shiver. She couldn't find the Teutonic Knight soon enough.