-Verrrrrry short. Sorry, guys, I just wanted a suspenseful ending to a chapter. So here you go! More coming soon!-

Sarah was sure that she'd never been this terrified in her life. The creature was still watching her from the darkness, growling that low growl. It didn't move and neither did she. They were rigid, waiting for the other to make a move. She wanted to run, wanted to stand up and pelt through the trees as fast as possible. She wanted her mom and she wanted the safe security of Haven. But that was all far behind her somewhere and it was her own stupid fault. She suddenly cursed the woods she'd called her own. They were a large, formidable thing now. What was she to do?

Gulping, she tried inching her right hand back. The golden eyes flicked to he movement and flashed dangerously. A loud bark lashed out and she stiffened with a whimper. Pawsteps rustled in the surrounding undergrowth, the sound of heavy things moving about reaching her ears. Her head whipped from side to side as she struggled to track them all. She glimpsed grayish fur and glinting fangs from every angle. They were spreading out in a semicircle around her, leaving a clear path at her back. She could run down that path, she was sure of it. But as soon as she turned her back, she knew somehow that they'd be on her. She could see it in their malevolent eyes, in the evil lolling of their scarlet tongues. They wanted her. She was prey.

She was just about to make a run for it anyway, when a snapping twig from behind startled her. Gasping, she risked a glance back over her shoulder. Something else was stepping into the clearing with her, taller than the things hunting her. At first, horror claimed her in cold jaws. But then, she recognized a sharp face and a shock of black hair. It was a boy, one of the teenage boys from Haven. Her mind raced furiously and landed on a familiar name: Minho. He was standing behind her now, a wary look in his dark eyes as he gazed back at the yellow gazes of the creatures.

"Minho," she whined softly, and a hunter barked at her again. Jumping, she whirled back to meet the burning eyes piercing her own. They were closer now, testing her and this new threat behind her. Shoulders shaking fearfully, she gave a little sob. "Minho, help."

"Shh, shh, I'm gonna help you," Minho's voice assured from behind her, low and soothing. "But you have to listen to me, okay? Can you do that, Sarah?"

Lump in her throat, she nodded. Tears dripped down her cheeks, but she couldn't wipe them away in her terror.

"Okay. You're going to back up very slowly, Sarah. Back up until you get to me. But don't look away from them."

"O—okay," she stammered. She ached desperately to turn and see him, pulling some comfort from a friendly face. But she couldn't. He knew it too; the hunters would take her the moment her back was to them. So, cautiously, she began to edge backward on the ground. The growls around her intensified like rumbling thunder and she cringed. But Minho's voice was behind her, saying comforting things, and she kept moving. She was nearly to him, when one hunter placed a paw out into the clearing. Her eyes went round as a silver-furred wolf stepped elegantly from the shadows. Its lithe body was laced with muscle, thick fur dusted with rain. Lips peeled back from wicked teeth as it glared at her with stormy eyes. This thing was a killer, as were the multitude of others in the pack behind it. She didn't stand a chance.

"M—Min—"

"Just keep moving, Sarah," Minho cut her off, a tremor in his tone. "I won't let them hurt you."

"But what if—?"

"Don't think of 'what if.' Just keep moving, it's only a little bit farther."

"I...Okay." Sliding her hands over the grass, she scooted back another inch. The wolf parted its jaws, slavering fangs wide and dangerous. She couldn't stand one more second of looking into that wretched, monstrous expression. It was all too much to bear. With a small noise of fear, she looked back. Her round emerald eyes met Minho's. He gazed back at her, then his eyes lifted to the wolf behind her. His gaze went dark. "Sarah."

With a snarl, the wolf lunged forward.

It happened fast. Barely a blink of time. Sarah felt strong arms around her, scooping her up off the ground. Then she was thrown to the side, tumbling into a thick stand of ferns. Yelling in pain, she rolled to a stop among the shielding branches. She sat up quickly, twigs and leaves caught in her hair. Her eyes probed the darkness for the clearing, terrified at what had happened to Minho.

Between the gaps of the ferns, she glimpsed the roaring pack of wolves leaping from every corner of the forest. She saw a whirling, seething mass of gray-and-white fur, of tearing fangs, and wide maws, a black shirt barely visible. She saw the mass move, staggering across the clearing, a moving being of screeching wolves. Something hunched in its center and she spotted two hands grip the back of a wolf near the top of the pile. They tore the animal free and threw it. Crashing into a tree, the wolf yelped, scrabbling for a footing on the grass. Sarah finally found Minho then, shoving wolves off of him as he'd done to the first. Her breath caught. He was completely covered in blood, panting, a gash in his arm. It took only a moment for the pack to regroup and lunge for him again. Limping heavily, he struggled to stumble out of the clearing. The wolves chased after him, a whirlwind of howls and cries. She didn't think it'd take long before they found him again.

In their wake, the grass was painted red.

As she ran frantically for home, Sarah left scarlet footprints in Minho's blood.