Chapter 6

Bronwyn had spent the day hanging out with friends when she noticed how dark it had gotten as the moon was almost at its peak. She jumped off the half pipe and looked back at her friends,"I gotta go, guys, it's gettin' late," she said before hopping onto her board and skating away. As she skated home Bronwyn passed a dark forest. She knew it was dangerous to be a forest at night but it was a short cut to her house. "If I skate at top speed I should be able to get home before something comes out to grab me," she concluded as she turned around and went into the forest. Bronwyn pumped her legs almost nonstop trying move as fast she could through the dense forest. Suddenly she heard something, it almost sounded like growling. Just then a werewolf jumped out from behind a bush and began to chase her. Bronwyn gasped as she pumped her legs harder trying to get away when she hit something in front of her knocking her off her board. She looked up and saw another werewolf. It leaned over her and growled in her face. She then kicked it in its crotch before grabbing a rock and smashing it in its face. Before she could start to run however her arm was grabbed as she was then flung into a nearby tree. Bronwyn fell to the ground dazed with her vision slightly blurry. When her vision cleared she saw one of the werewolves coming closer to her. She grabbed a few rocks and threw them at the monster but that just seemed to make it angry as charged towards. In that split, second Bronwyn grabbed a fallen tree and swung as hard as she could breaking the branch into splinters as it crashed into the monster's head. She got up and ran when the other wolf launched at her. Bronwyn ducked below it but as it went over her it stretched out an arm and swiped at her digging it's claw into her arm. Bronwyn screamed in pain as she held onto her arm. She started running again, unfortunately, she didn't get far as the other werewolf had come charging at her before clawing at her leg. One claw managed to sink deeply in her right thigh causing her to fall once more. Both werewolves slowly made their towards her while she tried to crawl away hoping to escape until something dawned on her. "Bronwyn you moron!" Soon storm clouds rolled over the forest with several lightning bolts striking the ground before one hitting her horn. The lightning absorbed her just as they were about to pounce on her.

Far off in the distance, a lighting bolt struck the ground releasing Bronwyn. She looked around her hoping that she had teleported near her home, unfortunately, she didn't. She was unaware of where she was currently. She must have panicked and picked a random spot to teleport to in high hopes of getting far away from those two. She only hoped that she had enough energy to teleport home. Storm clouds gathered above her as another lightning bolt struck her horn absorbing her once again.

Bronwyn was soon spat out of the lightning as it crashed into the ground sending her skidding along the ground for a few feet. "Ugh", she groaned. That last teleportation more out of her than she'd hoped. In front of her, she saw lights and the silhouette of a house not too far off in the distance. She smiled to herself realizing that she was home just a short walk in and she'd be in the arms of her loving parents. Slowly she got off the ground and limped towards her house. When she heard something moving the forest behind her. Scared she limped faster moving as fast she could as she heard getting closer. There were two low growls coming from behind her as she tried to move even faster only trip and fall. Tears soon began to well up in her eyes as she thought that this was the end. This was how she would die, close enough to her home so her mother and father could just barely hear the dying screams of their child. She could tell that the two werewolves from were right behind her, she closed her eyes as she waited for the end to come. Except it never came. Bronwyn's shot open as she heard one the of the wolves cry out in pain. She saw a large orange fist floating in front of her before opening up and swatting the other one deep into the woods. She looked back and saw her grandfather running toward her. Instantly she got up and ran as fast as she could before jumping onto him and hugging him tightly while she cried into his shoulder before passing out.

When she awoke her body felt stiff and felt as if she'd been lit ablaze. Without even looking she could tell that covered in bandages, no surprises since she did get attacked by werewolves. The thing that did surprise her, however, was the fact that she was in her room lying on her bed, instead of being in a hospital. She tried to move but the pain was too much.

So, she continued to ly there hoping the pain would fade away. Eventually her she heard the sound of her door being opened. She looked towards her door and saw her grandfather walk in her room. "Oh, look who's finally up," he said with a smile. He sat next to her on the bed before his smile dropped into a frown, "We were really worried about you," he said somberly, "seeing you come here like that had us all riled up. We so scared that you weren't gonna make it." By this point, Bronwyn could see tears building up in Jake's eyes. "I mean you'd been out for three days." Tears were now falling down his face as he silently sobbed.

"It's okay," Bronwyn said choking back a sob. Slowly she sat up fighting through the pain of moving and reached to up hug her grandfather. Jake returned the hug as the two cried on each other's shoulders.

A few weeks went by as Bronwyn healed from her injuries. Over the course of those few weeks, Bronwyn would sometimes overhear her parents talking about her, mainly about her injuries and how they could affect her studies and her later years in life, along with how they could prevent something like this from happening again. This made her feel weak, as they would sometimes suggest that she stay home until she was an adult. She'd always grind her teeth upon hearing this. She hated being weak, she hated being treated like a child. She hated being confined to her bed by her injuries, because of those injuries she couldn't go out and prove to her parents that she wasn't weak, that she didn't need their protection. The second her body was fully healed she was going to find Grandpa Jake and have him train her. Another month rolled by and her wounds had finally healed. Right now she packing her things into a duffle bag. She was planning on finding her grandfather so that he could teach her how to fight and protect herself. Once she was done packing she opened her window and climbed out. It was the middle of the night which meant her parents would be asleep making it much easier for her to sneak out. When she landed Bronwyn turned around facing the forest and grimaced. She did not want to go back into the forest anytime soon but she had to. She needed to be a good distance away from her house so that the sound of her teleporting wouldn't wake her parents and since their home was surrounded by trees there wasn't much she could do. So she swallowed her fear and jogged towards the forest. She was constantly looking around making sure nothing could get the jump on her. Suddenly she heard something stirring in a bush next to her. Bronwyn hastily backed away from it. She looked around her and saw a large branch, she picked it up and inched towards the shaking bush. When she close enough she raised the branch over her head preparing to strike when something jumped high out of the bush. Bronwyn shrieked as she fell backward landing on her rear. Something squeaked in front of her which caught her attention. It was a possum. It looked at her quizzically before scampering off into the distance. She sighed in self-pity as she was so easily scared by a possum she stood up and continued to jog. When she could no longer smell the scent of her home Bronwyn summoned a storm and was soon struck by lightning.

She reappeared out in the grasslands and had a look around. She'd never been to her grandfather's home before but she had been to her grandmother's house so going there first was her best bet on where to find him. Only problem was that it was very far away and she couldn't teleport that far, not to mention that teleporting also took a fair amount strength from her so she couldn't do it endlessly. She let out another sigh before being struck by another bolt of lightning.
Four times. She teleported four times last night before having to rest. She spent the night under a tree in a sleeping bag. Unfortunately, she didn't get much sleep as she kept jumping at almost every little sound trying to make sure there were no predators close by. She only went to sleep when the sun came and woke up what she assumed was mid afternoon. That afternoon she sat under a tree, eating an energy bar hoping to regain more of her strength before she'd continued to make on her journey. When she finished eating she packed up her sleeping bag and continuing on.

She teleported a few more times before having to stop and recharge. She pulled out another energy bar and began eating. "Mom and Dad must've read that note by now should be out looking for me," she wondered until a new thought came to mind. "What if they called my grandparents and they're out looking for me? If no one's there how am I supposed to get in? Who would let my parents know that I'm alright? No wait, uncle T.V. should still be there so he can let me in and call to tell them I'm alright." She ate another energy bar and drunk some water she brought with her before walking further into the woods. She walked a decent distance before deciding to teleport once more as the sun was beginning to set. Another lightning struck her horn absorbing her.

Lightning struck the ground releasing Bronwyn next to a river. She noticed and wondered, "Doesn't grandma live near a river? Hopefully, this means I'm getting close." A soft smile touched her lips at the thought seeing her grandmother again and being out of the woods. She walked for a few minutes before seeing a red silo just above the trees. She wasn't sure if it was close to her grandmother's house or not but hopefully, the people who owned it were nice. If anyone owned it at all. She started jogging wishing to find shelter before nightfall. As she got closer to the silo she could start to see what looked like a large red building. Her jogging turned into a run as she hoped she found a place where she could spend the night. She got closer and closer to the building and could see that was a barn and it was one that she recognized. It was her grandmother's home. She ran faster, as fast her legs could carry with a smile on her face. When she finally reached the house Bronwyn stopped to catch her and leaned against it to help support her. When the air finally returned to her lungs Bronwyn made her towards the door and knocked. No answer. She tried again and knocked a little harder this time. Again no answer. She tried once more nearly banging on the door. Still, no one answered. She sighed heavily and decided to look inside to see if anyone was there. She looked through the window next to her and saw a light coming from one of the rooms but that was about it. She went to a few other windows hoping to find the source of the light when she finally saw what was creating that light, she gasped. It was her uncle sitting in front of his computer with headphones on. She started knocking against the window to get his attention but it didn't work. She growled lowly. The sun had just set and the moon was beginning to rise. She banged on the window and yelled to his attention. Somehow it worked.
T.V. could something that wasn't coming from his headphones he looked around and saw Bronwyn making him jump and fall out of his seat. He quickly got up and opened the window, "What the heck Bronwyn?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" he yelled at her. "Get inside I'm gonna call your parents," he said as he went for his phone.

"No wait!" she screamed as she climbed through the window. When she was through the window she rushed over to T.V. to stop him. "Wait you can't call my parents at least not yet."

"Why?"

"Because they'll just drag me back home and lock me up in my room, and I need to speak with grandpa," she answered.

He put the phone down and raised an eyebrow, "Okay why did you run away and why do you need to speak with dad?" The two sat down on the couch as Bronwyn told him her reasons for running away from home, why she needed to talk to Jake and why she came here. T.V. sighed, "Okay I won't tell Kim Kil Whan."
Bronwyn smiled joyfully, "You won't?"

"No you are," he replied. Bronwyn instantly lost her smile. "But I am going to call mom and dad and have them come back here, so they help sort this thing out." T.V. got up and walked over to the phone and dialed Jake's number. After the second ring, Jake picked up, "Hey dad you can stop looking Bronwyn's here."

["She is?!"]

"Yeah and she want's to talk you, so hurry back before Kim Kil Whan get's here," T.V. said before hanging up. "Okay, now you gotta call bro," he told her making her hang her head in shame, "but wait a couple of minutes first so that mom and dad can get here before he does so that they can help you sort things out." She looked back up at and smiled softly happy that her uncle was willing to help her. He then walked into the kitchen and pulled a frozen pizza out of the freezer and turned on the oven. A few minutes rolled by and Bronwyn had finally decided what she would say to her father. She got off the couch and walked over to the phone and hesitated momentarily before picking it up. She dialed her father's number and waited for him to pick up.

["Hello? Did you guys find her?"]

Bronwyn cleared her throat before speaking, "Uhm, hey dad."

["Bronwyn?! Look stay there I'm on my way."]

"Wait dad!" she yelled but he hung up on her. "Well there goes that plan," she said with a dejected sigh.

A second later she heard the door open, she thought it was her father until she poked her head out of the kitchen and saw her grandparents. Instantly her face lit up with a smile as she rushed towards them greeting them with a hug. "Hey there kiddo," said Jake as both he and Lady returned the hug. Jake pulled away and asked, "What are you doing here? Why'd you run away?"

Before she could even speak her father burst through the door, "Bronwyn?! Where is she?!"

"I'm right here dad," she said somewhat bashfully.

"Oh, thank Glob you're safe," he said as rushed towards her and wrapped her in a hug. "You are in so much trouble!" he yelled. "How could you even think of running away like that?!"

"Wait, dad you have to listen," she told him as she tried to break free from his grip.

"Listen?! Bronwyn, you ran away with saying anything!," his voice started to crack, "I thought I'd actually lost you," tears fell down his face as he held her closer. Bronwyn kept silent for a few moments before returning her father's embrace.
They stayed like that for a few minutes before Bronwyn slowly pulled away. "Dad I'm sorry I should've told you how I felt before running away."

Kil Whan wiped away a few tears and took a deep breath before asking, "Why did you run?"
Bronwyn gripped her arm and blushed softly before telling them her reasons for leaving. When she was done Jake spoke up, "You didn't have to run y'know. You should've just called and asked if I could train you."

"Yeah I know," she said bashfully she then looked to her father to see if he had something to say.
Kil Whan took another deep breath before speaking, "Bronwyn I'm sorry. Your mother and I didn't mean to make you feel so small. We just wanted to find a way to protect you. We didn't want to see you hurt that way ever again." The room went silent be Kil Whan spoke again, "Well I should call your mother and tell her that we've found you and that you're safe and sound." He pulled out his phone and walked out of the house to speak in private.

Bronwyn then sighed dejectedly, "Well, I'm grounded forever."

"Eh, not quite," said Jake, "Why don't I see if I can convince him to let you off easy and let Finn be the one to train you."

"You'd do that for me?" she asked surprised that he would offer such a thing after everything that just happened.

"Of course," he said with a smile, "Now if you would excuse me," he said as he made his way over to Kil Whan.

She watched them speak for a few minutes before Jake walked back over to her, "What did he say?"

"He said that he needs to talk to your mom first but it did sound like he would agree to it," he answered.

She smiled softly, "Thanks, Grandpa Jake," she said as she gave him a hug.

"Hey guys foods ready!" her uncle shouted. "Bronwyn come eat!" Jake and Bronwyn ran back inside ready to eat… whatever it was T.V. had prepared.

A few days later Bronwyn was walking through the grasslands with her grandfather. Quite a lot had happened in the past couple of days. After telling her mother that she was okay her father had brought her home and her mother swept her up in a bearhug. After she was done crying the three went inside and decided what to do with her. They thought about grounding her but her father remembered what Jake said and told his wife the same thing. At first, the two were wary of the idea but the more they talked about it the more it started to make sense. Eventually, her parents, although reluctantly, the two would allow her to be trained in self-defense by Finn. However, they would check on her progress every now and again and if they found out that she was disobedient or not paying any attention to him they would bring her right back home and she would be instantly grounded. She told them that she understood and was then sent to her room to get some sleep and start preparing. Over the next couple of days, her grandfather had helped her gain some muscle by putting her through a light training regiment just to help her prepare for whatever Finn had in store for her. He even bought her a dagger and taught her a few basic tips on how to use it. Once they were done with her basic training it was time for her to go see Finn. "We're getting close," said Jake as they continued walking.
Bronwyn looked around and saw nothing but what to be a large tree off in the distance. "We are, but there's almost nothing out here?"

"See that tree off in the distance?" he asked while pointing at said tree.

"Yeah what about it?"

"That's where Finn lives."

"Oh," she said in slight amazement. Unconsciously she started walking faster until it turned into a jog which soon became a full blown sprint. As she got closer she could see just how large the tree was, it amazed her how many things were added to it. Like the windows, the boat that sat up top the tree or the door that she almost ran into. She knocked on it while she tried to catch her breath.

A few moments later the door opened up revealing a cyan colored woman wearing a green dress. "Hello?" she greeted.
"H-hello."