Maddy's P.O.V.

We race through the forest, side by side, panting heavily. My lungs feel like they're about to burst and my heart pounds through my whole body. I've never run this fast in my life, and for what? For Alric to try to kill me again? For me and Jana to watch him die? For the pack to wake up and find us missing, use Eolas, see where we are and then exile us forever?

I shake my head to rid myself of the thought. If we were exiled, where would we go? Me and Jana, probably with my parents, forced to leave yet another home. For the first time in my life I realise what it must feel like to be Rhydian-moving from home to home, having to give up everything each time, never really fitting in anywhere.

Jana whimpers as she runs, and it breaks my heart. I've never seen her cry before; she's normally so bouncy, so to see her so upset is unnerving. Over the three years I've been here we've become best friends, seeing as it's basically just me and her who are the same age in the pack, although I still think about Shan and Tom a lot, wondering what they're up to. But in fact, life in the wild isn't half as bad as I thought it would be. Eating meat for every meal, being free to run wherever you want, and not having to get up on non-moon days is amazing, and not having Mr Jeffries on your case whenever you're late (Which for me equals most of the time) is sure fun. And the things that I actually miss aren't the things I was expecting to. I mean, hot showers and hair straighteners barely cross my mind. It's more: I miss running to school in the morning and seeing Bernie open up the café to put out the little chairs. I miss pretending to listen to Shan as she drones on and on about Galileo etc, etc, etc. I miss arguing with Rhydian about something completely unimportant and uninteresting, just arguing for the sake of it…

The sun slowly peaks over the hill tops as we bound into heath land. The thick scrub is prickly on my paws after the miles of leafy forest floor, but I can sense we're nearly there now and we unconsciously begin running faster. The dawn light sheds warmth onto my fur, and I close my eyes for a second in pleasure. When I open them again, I find Jana's stopped.

I turn around to see her transform back into human form. I do the same. "What is it?"

"I need to use Eolas…just to check. If he's still…" She trails off and stares at the floor. "I don't want to get there expecting something which might not happen."

I nod slowly. "I understand." I'm just about to look around for something to eat, when she says suddenly "Wait. Can…can you check for me?"

I look at her in surprise.

"If he is dead, I just…want you to see it first. Or I might start screaming." Her eyes are fixed nervously on the heather at our feet.

"Well yeah, of course. If that's what you want." She nods and I kneel down onto the floor. As I place my palm firmly on to the ground, I lean my head back and skim my gaze over the landscape. Amongst the clumps of bushes and heather I pick out Alric, sprawled on the cold ground just as before, but he's not dead yet-his chest gently rises and falls as he breathes. To my surprise, I actually feel relieved and I'm just about to turn away to tell Jana the good news, when something else catches my attention.

Two figures, about a thousand yards away from Alric. At first I think the smaller one is a doll, like a toy little kids cart around in pretend buggies. But then I see it breathing, very softly. It's a baby girl in a white dress and she's sleeping, cradled tightly in the arms of-of-

I stop breathing.

She's cradled in the arms of Rhydian Morris.

Sorry. This chapter is really bad. But next chapter there will be romance! Thankyou for all your reviews, you are all amazing!