The moonlight glimmers a path that flickers in and out of sight as the wind twists and contorts the tree branches in the woods. Shadows swallow the dimly lit path between every blink and breath. Along the damp and earthy hills with occasional gravel paved paths, thinly pointed heels piece through the miry soil. Beyond every occasionally snapped twig and light gasp, the only constant sound besides growling in the forest is the desperate panting ringing in her ears and undoubtedly his ears as well.

The growl ticking through the air ripples towards her as the full-moon-turned werewolf claws through their distance. Oxygen flooding her lungs washes the fatigue away, despite the continuous running, beneath the tide of her now very human constitution. Each turn to monitor the closing distance hoists the weight crushing her legs, leaving seismic throbs to pulsate through her body. With every forced step, cramps lock her calves, thighs, abdomen, rib cage, and arch of her feet, stiffening her normally poised and nonchalant demeanour.

Call it dumb luck but either way, the sun was slowly tearing itself over the horizon and the curtain of darkness that once painted the night sky. As she stumbles up the dollhouse-sized ravine, her heels plummet into the soil, forcing the pitch flush against the ground. She jerks her legs but only feels her body ricochet backwards. The tug spins her on her heels and she watches as the werewolf pounces toward her. Panic freezes her and her balance falls into a spiral of turmoil as she watches the werewolf leap over her, missing and flying onto the street in now what appears to be broad daylight. A disjointed person forms from the werewolf mid-air before screeching tires blair loudly like a warning before a thud echoes with birds flapping away from the scene.

"He came out of nowhere," a feminine voice cries in dread, "No that's not right, he flew onto the road! Just get an ambulance here or something," the woman's cry diffuses from panic to frustration. The woman gets out of her car and the base of her shoes begins to click as she paces around her car and the body.

The following words trickle in and out of Katherine's head with many words muffled as she blinks away her exhaustion. It has been centuries since she has been on the run as a human and for the first time she doesn't dare call it close. That alone already equates to death to her. If she hadn't fallen and turned exactly the way she did, it would have truly been her last dance at this run. As the fatigue hammers in her muscles, she crawls back up feeling disgusted at her soiled clothing and dirtied stilettos. Tracing the roadside, she attempts to avoid the concerned woman who certainly committed manslaughter. A scoff escapes Katherine's mouth as she notes the woman could have certainly driven off, as a matter of fact, if Katherine were in her position she would have. Not that Katherine intends to avoid the responsibility of murder, but it really didn't seem all that significant to her. That bastard almost killed her.

A hiss spills from Katherine's mouth as she stumbles on her heels after her ankles grow weak. A sequence of footsteps follow after her and as she begins to run, the voice raises a comment in confusion, "Elena… What are you doing here Elena?"

This stops Katherine in her tracks, she might be able to squeeze a little more use out of her doppelganger after all. 'Innocent and naive little girl,' Katherine reminds herself under her breath before turning around to face the woman. Tears glisten as they line her doe eyes but once facing the woman, Katherine clenches every part of herself to not react. Caroline's mother. The tone ridden with concern earlier didn't sound like the authoritative sheriff Katherine had studied to know. Playing her doppelganger would have been easier if it were around just about any other person. Katherine melts her face into relief moments later as she focuses on the sheriff. Relief would be how Elena would react, but maybe it was too much this time as Katherine's body began to fail her. Collapsing on the ground she feels warm arms catching her fall.

…

The mechanical whirling of the AC tugs her awake and she straightens her back to scan her surroundings before realizing she is in the sheriff's car. "You've only been out for thirty, you should give it a rest," Liz's voice comes out small and comforting, "We should take you to see someone. You have a lot of cuts, although small, you could still get an infection."

Wariness kicks into Katherine's mind as she assesses her position. It's bad enough she ran into someone as she was making a run for it, but now that it's someone who is personally close with Elena and part of the authorities, it makes it all the more dangerous. Jeremy was sent off to college by form of compulsion, although he really isn't in college but hunting. Elena on the other hand is at Whitmore so she shouldn't even be here. Liz's connections as the sheriff make it far more dangerous because if Silas' favourite little pastime — compelling a whole town — is still his favourite, the whole of Mystic Falls would be, frankly, more problematic than ever and bringing her to somewhere like the station or hospital would be a death sentence. It has been months of running from Silas and his little circus tricks that some meagre error like this just couldn't happen as long as Katherine has the power to prevent it.

"I-I just want to go home and rest," Katherine squeaks in her most Elena-like voice and Liz answers with a defeated sigh before rolling onto the Gilbert driveway seconds later.

Katherine hisses as her wounds stretch and sore muscles shake when she slides out of the sheriff's car. Holding her side, she walks up the steps in stuttered strides. She hears a sigh and the car's ignition cut and she spins around to say, "I-It's okay, I'll make it. Check on…the other guy," Katherine spits out in her most sympathetic tone and Liz says, "Alright but if anything happens, call me or at least Caroline."

Katherine gives Liz a reassuring nod as the car rolls away before opening the door and stumbling into the house. She crashes onto the ground while her breath follows similarly, barely keeping a steady pace. Air seeps through every crack and hole of escape as it passes into her body, never fully fulfilling her need for air. Her vision darkens due to the lack of air and Katherine's eyes flutter shut as her body fails to keep up with her racing thoughts and needs.

'It's cold… Freezing cold…'