Maddy's P.O.V.
It's the dead of night.
The forest is silent, me and Jana's creeping footsteps on the undergrowth the only sound to disturb the sleeping beasts of the shadows. The moon looms huge and bright, just a night away until a full moon, and clusters of stars stare down at us from the black sky. Occasionally we see the sharp silhouettes of bats flit across the tree line, but apart from that the forest really does seem to be dead, or at least hibernating. At this time you normally hear the sounds of skittering insects and owls, but tonight everything seems to be holding its breath, waiting.
Waiting, but for what?
"Maddy." Jana's stopped infront of me, and the soft tread of our footsteps dissolves into the shadows once more. "I'm going to use Eolas again. He must be near now."
"OK." I've agreed to come with Jana to meet Alric and the new cub, despite the fact that the last time we met he nearly strangled me to death. Everyone loves a baby, right? That's why we've crept away from camp at midnight, careful not to wake the other sleeping wolves. If anyone found out where we were, they'd no doubt accuse us of being traitors and exile us from the pack, like they did to Rhydian. I've already lost one home, and I'm not keen on losing another. Besides, if Rhydian does come looking for me, how would he find me if I've been chased out of the wild pack?
I watch Jana as she slowly lowers to a crouch and raises her head to the sky. Her normally hazel eyes flash a brilliant yellow-green in the moonlight and her long scarlet hair falls behind her as she gazes up into the stars. Her pupils flicker with the rush of Eolas, and I see a smile of glee flash across her face-before she suddenly gasps and her jaw drops.
"NO!" Jana cries, and leaps up, grabbing my arm.
"What? What is it?" I ask, gripping her so she looks at me. Her eyes move wildly in shock.
"No…" she mutters repeatedly under her breath.
"Jana." I try and get her attention, but to no avail. "JANA!" I yell at last. She finally looks up at me, her still-yellow eyes wide in anguish.
"He's dying Maddy. He-he's been attacked," she stutters.
"What? Where is he? Is the cub OK?"
"I don't know!" She's a mess, her face frozen in panic. I quickly sit her down on a tree stump and force her to look into my eyes.
"Look, it'll be OK. We'll get to him. Let me look for him."
She nods limply. I crouch down and spread one hand out firmly onto the soft ground. I haven't used Eolas since the day I ran away from home, back when Rhydian and my parents had to come and rescue me, but I can still remember the rush, the feeling of flying. As I bend my head back to look up into the sky I feel the tingling of all my cells, and I can see everything. I see the trees surrounding us, the moors in the distance, the heath land far away which leads to Stoneybridge. And there, is Alric-he's lying brokenly on the ground, breathing raggedly, one hand clutching his side as blood seeps through the fabric of his clothes onto the purple heather. There's no sign of the cub, or anyone else.
I stand up, breaking out of Eolas, and turn to Jana. "He's in the heath land on the edge of the border of Wales. Let's run. We might be able to get there before dawn break."
"He's dying though, isn't he Maddy? This is all my fault!" Jana cries.
"No, it's not! Look, we have to go NOW, he might still have a chance if we can get there in time." To my surprise, I'm actually concerned for the man who once tried to kill me. I drag Jana up to stand. "Hurry up! Let's go, Jana!"
I feel like a teacher as I force her to transform and then run into the lead, checking behind to make sure she's following me. But as we race through the dark forest, there's only one thing on my mind.
Where's the cub?
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