Chapter 4: Where To?

It was 5AM Sunday morning, Maaike had packed all her necessities into a large backpack. She was bubbling with excitement at the prospect of breaking free from the Clan.

She and Laila had spent the whole night together, talking about their past and their hopes. Maaike didn't know what she wanted for her future, but she intended to figure it out.

She wanted to find out who she was, to meet new people, to be free of all the restrictions that came with being a werewolf. She wanted to forget everything that went wrong in her life.

"It's time Mya." said Laila, walking into the room and pulling her in for a hug, "I'll miss you bestie!", she whispered, "Me too L, me too." They pulled themselves apart and Mya hurried out of the room.

When she got to the edge of the square, she met Matthew waiting under a tree, hidden by the shadows of the early morning.

When she got to him, he turned to her and asked, "Are you sure about this? If you leave, my father would be Alpha, your mother's legacy would be left behind."

Mya hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly, "I know that mother was the leader of this Clan, but I am not what they need, neither am I what they want. It feels like I'm running away, but I can't stand living with the people who swore allegiance to someone else. I don't blame you; I know I did the same thing."

He sighed then gestured for her to follow him, "Don't shift." He muttered, as he shifted and rubbed his scent around the area.

Maaike followed beside him, as he led her away from the clan and into the thickening woods. About half an hour later, they heard a loud howl and Matthew sent a mental message to her 'I must hurry back, head East and don't stop till you get to the highway. Run!'

He turned back and ran as fast as he could round back to the Clan and then West from Mya. She turned and ran as fast as she could, avoiding the branches as well as she could. She knew if she got scratched by one of the branches, the gig would be over.

The wind rushed past her ears and adrenaline pumped in her veins. She couldn't help the rush of excitement that filled her as she pushed her senses and muscles to their limits. She had to manoeuvre around the uneven ground and run through strong scenting plants to avoid leaving her scent to be tracked.

She soon got off the flat land, and she began to run down the slope of the mountain.

After a while she began to slow down panting. She was physically fit, more than any human could be, but without her wolf she was still human, and she got tired very quickly.

Her muscles twitched and she could tell that they would be aching very badly soon enough. Struggling to catch her breath, she staggered forward and tripped on a tree root, catching herself by grabbing onto a nearby tree.

When she got to the edge of the forest, she bent over placing her hands on her knees, huffing and puffing as she looked at the concrete in front of her.

Maaike was feeling proud of herself for breaking free from her clan, it had suddenly hit her that she wasn't exactly sure of where she wanted to go, or how she could start figuring things out.

It was the exact same impulsiveness that she finally cut off her wolf for, yet here she was, guilty of the exact same thing.

She hurried closer to the main road, hoping to hitch a ride with someone, when she saw an old challis hardware truck heading toward where she stood. She moved closer and waved her hands, hoping to catch the attention of the driver.

The truck slowed to a stop and the driver wound down his window, "What's up with ya?" He asked with a raised brow, "You look like a mess!". She looked down at her dusty outfit covered with leaves and branches and her muddy sneakers, "I'm fine, was in the woods for a while though, got lost, can I hitch a ride with you?" She replied acting slightly stunned at her situation.

He watched her for a while feeling sceptical, "I'll drop you of close to the nearest town I see, get in the back." He snorted and started moving when she got on.

As they distanced themselves from where he picked her, she could hear a distinct sound of howls that faded with the wind blowing across her face. She settled in the back, heaving a sigh of relief.

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After a while, Maaike had fallen asleep on the truck. She was soon startled awake by the honking of the truck as it slowed to a stop. The sun was high above in the sky and scorching hot.

"We're here lass!" yelled the driver and she hopped out of the back of the truck, turning around to look over the place where they stopped. "Thanks for the ride..."

"Michel." He answered and stopped the truck to sip a drink of water as he watched her turning around in circles, observing the town. From the corner of his eye, he could see someone peeking out from behind a curtain in one of the homes.

Shaking his head slightly, he spoke to the oblivious girl "Bye!" and drove off without waiting for her response.