Chapter 3 - What Next?

Carrie POV

            I follow behind the rogue ensuring that I will not bump into her again.  She knows I am there as every so often I hear her growl and mutter to herself.  I cannot hear what she is saying but I know she is muttering something about me.  I cannot help following her.  I am terrified of being left out here alone.

            “Can’t you just speak to me?  I just want to get out of this forest, and I will be on my way,” I choke out trying to speak around the dryness in my mouth.  “Do you think if there was a way out, I would not have already taken it?” she snarls.  “What do you mean?” I ask.  “You can leave, but you will always be dragged back here,” she says mystically.

            “I want to leave … to find a better life.  Maybe a new Pack.  A better way of living,” I tell her.  She stops and turns to look at me.  “Why the hell would you want to do that?” she asks me.  “I lost my wolf somewhere along the way.  I need to be around people who will not see that as a weakness.” I reply to her quietly.

            The she-wolf simply stares at me.  She was considering what I had said.  “Do you think it will work?” she asks me.  “What?” I reply confused.  “Trying to live somewhere away from the forest?  I cannot take this life much more.  I have been out here for six months and can only say that the abuse I have endured has been comparable to what I endured at my Pack,” she says softly.

            “I need to try.  My chosen mate has already said he would hunt me down.  It is only a matter of time before he sends one of his trackers after me,” I reply.  She looks at me in surprise.  “He wants you back that badly?” she questions.  “Yes,” I answer.  She pivots and continues to walk away from me.  I sigh as I continue to follow her in silence letting her consider my request.

            “What is your name?” I ask her after a period of time.  Her foot falters.  “Nobody has asked my name in a long time,” she replies quietly.  I wait for her to consider replying when she finally does.  “Jessica,” she says.  “That is a beautiful name,” I reply to her before offering, “My name is Carrie.”.

            “Well Carrie, it looks like we have come to my place,” she says.  I eagerly look around expecting a little home that I could get a drink of water and perhaps a shower.  As I move around her my heart sinks.  There is a shelter canopy made of broken trees.  There is a small spot where a campfire can be lit.  There is an old, rusted pot used for cooking.  As I look around, I do not see any water. 

            “It is not much,” Jessica says, “But it is mine,” she adds defiantly.  “Is there some place I can get some water?” I ask desperate now for a drink.  She nods and walks away.  I follow her once again, and she leads me to a stream of fresh water.  I pounce on it going to my knees and scooping up the water to get it to my mouth. 

            I lose more than I scoop up, but it is quenching my thirst.  Soothing my dry throat.  I continue to slurp up the water, when Jessica cautions, “Slow down, you do not want to make yourself sick.”.  I take one last gulp of the delicious water and then lean my hands on my knees.  I look at the stream and cannot help but ask, “How do you do this?”.

            I look towards Jessica, but she is looking around her, “When you have no choice, you do what you have to do to survive,” she replies as she turns and walks back to where her makeshift home is.  I slowly stand and follow behind her.  “Do you have any money?” she asks me.  I shake my head, no.  She sighs, “How do you plan to go anywhere if you have no money?” she asks.

            “I will get a job,” I reply confidently.  “Doing what exactly?” she smirks.  “Whatever I have to do to survive,” I reply using her words.  She looks at me in surprise and nods her head in agreement.  “Come with me,” I say to her.  She looks at me in surprise.  “I think I am too far gone for living someplace else – someplace new,” she replies almost sadly.

            “You aren’t.  We can make it work together,” I say excited for the first time since this nightmare began.  She looks at me, “You are crazy.”.  Before I can reply I hear a crash in the bushes.  I jump in fear.  I have been found.  As I see Jessica tense up, she moves in front of me intending to defend me.

            I watch, holding my breath for the monster to come through the trees.  Instead, there is a smaller golden wolf who walks forward.  I see the tension leave Jessica’s body as I watch the wolf shift into this sprite like young woman.  She is also a rogue and seems to know Jessica well.  “What do we have here?” she asks with a smirk.

            “Fuck off,” Jessica says turning away from the small she-wolf.  “Fuck off yourself; I have a right to know who else is out here,” she replies before moving to stand in front of me.  She is naked and has no qualms about coming up to me.  “Like what you see wolf?” she snarls.  I look away from her but not before I see the scars that littered her skin.  I immediately felt sorry for her and wondered if Jessica also had similar scars.

            “My name is Carrie,” I say to the new wolf.  “I do not care what your name is.  What are you doing here?” she demands.  Jessica turns towards the she-wolf, “It is none of your fucking business what she is doing here; get the hell away from my space,” she growls at the unknown wolf. 

            The wolf turns and walks slowly to stand in front of Jessica.  “I could kill you right now,” she declares as Jessica bursts out laughing.  “I would like to see you try,” she replies as her body grows tenser with each moment as they stare at one another.  “Please do not fight; I will leave,” I say not wanting to cause more trouble.

            “You are damn right you will be leaving,” the new wolf replies as she focuses her attention back on me.  I am relieved and terrified at the same time.  I see Jessica’s body remains tense, as the wolf walks towards me.  Before she can reach me a dingy brown wolf flies through the air and tackles the little wolf.

            They roll in a flurry of fur, growls and whimpers coming from the smaller wolf.  Jessica quickly shifts and to my surprise goes in to help the she-wolf get away from the male who just tackled her.  Before I can blink, Jessica rips into the brown wolf’s neck and starts twisting it between her big jaws.

            As I finally take in Jessica’s wolf, she is a huge black wolf.  An Alpha wolf.  An Alpha wolf and she was rejected?  How was that even possible?  My attention is drawn back to the fight as I hear a yelp and see her rip the head off the male wolf.  Blood gushes from the wound and falls onto the she-wolf below the male.

            Jessica pushes his body off the small female, and she shifts back to her human form standing quickly and racing to the stream to remove the blood staining her body.  Jessica has shifted as well and simply looks at the mess in front of her.  “Well, there goes the rest of my day.  Now I have to get rid of the body, before it draws more males,” she mutters as she walks around me and heads towards the stream.

            “Or you could come with me,” I remind her softly.  She stops walking for a moment and turns back to me taking in the scene in front of her.  I know there are blood drops on my face.  I was close enough that the blood splatter reached me.  She looks at the dead body of the male wolf.  She takes a step back towards me, “You better know what you are doing,” she scowls before moving back towards the stream to rinse her body off in the water.

            I smile nervously.  I hoped I knew what the hell I was doing as well.