Alice collapsed to the ground, short of breath, her chest heaving. She wasn’t sure how long it had been now, wandering blindly through the forest, but her legs felt exhausted. She needed a break. No matter how much she wished to keep running, forcing her way deeper into the woods with reckless abandon, her body couldn’t keep up.


    It wasn’t just her legs. Her arm, still heavy and prickled with pain, was struggling. The spikes of pain had worsened, and her motor control had gotten worse with time. She found she could barely lift it as she ran, and barely control it to brush the foliage away from her.


    Sat beneath a rather large tree, she leaned back into the grove of the trunk, resting in the shade of the many overarching branches snaking above her. She closed her eyes for a minute and enjoyed the cool stillness of the shade. A cold breeze blew past, her hair rustling softly in the breeze in the dark shadow of the tree. It was peaceful. It was peaceful now on her own. It could definitely be worse.


    Her anger still bubbled within her, roaring within the pit of her stomach if she stopped too long to think about her circumstances. Still, though, as the run through the forest continued, the green of the trees unending and creeping vines abundant, a new feeling had grown within her. Slowly, it seemed to encompass her whole body and drown the blinding rage she’d felt. As the sun rose in the sky, the morning passing her by in a daze of furious running, she sank into apathy.


    Blind indifference that didn’t discriminate. Her anger towards him died down to rest in an uncomfortable mass deep within, seeming to take with it every other emotion she held. Now sat beneath the tree, the cool of the shade on her skin, the calming wind rustling her hair, she simply felt… nothing.


    She thought back to just a few weeks, just a few days even, earlier. Sat around with him under the rustling trees or shining stars. She felt so scared to share anything about herself. Worried about shattering the illusion of their journey. So worried sharing anything about her past might make it more real somehow. It might give it some power over her. What a joke. She could have told him everything, but it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. This was always the plan after all.


    It didn’t matter anyway. Not anymore. She’d be fine on her own. Her eyes opened to take in the beauty of the world before her. As the leaves rustled in the wind and the midday sun stood aloft overhead, the wonderous scene of nature evoked nothing within. She sighed slightly, a sad smile on her face. Whatever. Give it time. It would come back. The beauty of the world. The joy of nature. The thrill of traveling. They’d all come back.


    Pressed against the trunk of the tree behind her, legs beginning to curl up beneath her involuntarily, she didn’t have time to react. From up above, slinking in the darkened shade of the tree, a mass she couldn’t see but could definitely feel crashed into the side of her body. Sprawling sideways, her bag slipped free of her shoulder and clattered open, leaving her stranded amongst a collection of odds and ends as the mass stalked forward closer and closer to her form.


    Her chest heaved a bit as she breathed in. Her side hurt, and her ribs felt bruised. Glancing down quickly for a split second, she saw no crimson patch appearing amidst her clothes and decided rather quickly that she must not be bleeding. She’d have liked to have done a more thorough examination, but found she didn’t have time. Before she could react in any way, the mass was upon her again, swatting her about across the forest floor.


    She slammed hard into a tree a few feet away from her. She heard a sickening crack, uncertain if the sound came from her spine or the tree behind her. Sat in a more upright position, she could finally have a chance to take in the details of her attacker.


    Through slightly dazed vision, she could see a prowling beast with midnight black fur creeping closer on its hunches. Amidst the shadow of the tree, it seemed to flicker and fade, vanishing from her already struggling vision as she intermittently watched it leisurely walk towards her across the grass. Only as it got closer to her was she able to make out another detail about the creature aside from its shimmering black pelt. That was its fangs, long and slender and sharp, drawn ready to pierce her flesh as the beast drew ever closer.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    She barely managed to roll to the side, dodging in time as the creature pounced forward into the tree. She’d hoped it might collide with the tree, collapse to the ground, and give her a chance to put some distance between herself and it, allow her to retreat. Instead soon as it soared over her, the beast changed trajectory midair and met the tree at the ready. It scampered up the tree quickly and quietly as it disappeared and left her on the ground alone.


    Still, she couldn’t relax. Now she could hear it above. Hyperaware of every creak of the branches or odd rustle of the leaves, she hurriedly crawled across the ground, her hand tripping over the luggage strewn haphazardly across the floor.  The branches above her head creaked a bit more as the creature shifted its weight, slowly stalking closer toward her from on high as it prepared to pounce on her.


    A sense of trapped desperation rose up in Alice’s frame. No matter what she tried, there was no escape. Not anymore, now the beast lay in waiting above her, ready to jump down for the kill whenever it wanted. She was pinned down, at its mercy. All she could do was scootch back along the ground, too afraid of making any sudden moves to stand up. Scootching back across the ground further into her luggage. Back further and further…


    Her hand hit something hard, Metallic and cold, its finish uneven as it lay covered in scratches, its overall shape was a mess. She quickly grabbed hold of the harp, brought it close to her chest as the leaves above rustled with hurried movement, and the monster leapt down from below, aiming for her skull.


    The notes rang out fast and desperate. No real plan in her mind, she let muscle memory take over as her fingers strummed along the chords of the harp. The beast’s form seemed suspended above her as she played, moving down in slow motion. Slowly, it fell, its teeth bared. Slobber and spittle fell from its mouth as its blackened lips drew even further back, allowing the creature to extend its jaw out even further.


    Then the flame began. Between her and the beast, it roared to life, sparking and growing fast, she kept it alive and growing as she desperately hoped to drive the creature back. Roars of pain reached her as the falling beast narrowly missed her, falling face-first through the wall of fire and landing blindly upon the ground, howling in pain. Its fur alight as it began to roll on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish itself.


    Not wanting to let her hunter recover, Alice pressed what little advantage she had and strummed a new fire around the beast, encompassing the whole of its body. Sharp howls continued to escape it as it rolled amongst the flames in a desperate attempt to extinguish itself, only managing to worsen the spreading fire. Finally seeming to realize the problem, the beast, still blind from the first batch of flame, rushed off into the woods away from her, its fur still burning as its howls echoed back toward Alice.


    She stood awhile, panting heavily, the harp held loose in her arms. Slowly, the adrenaline seemed to fade from her system, and in its place came pain. Her back and ribs ached with every breath, and her arm was killing her. Sliding down to her knees, she sank forward with a shudder. She was fine. She could do this. She could do this. She could survive just fine on her own.


    Bent over panting and shuddering, her eyes landed upon the harp, which dropped free from her grasp and fell between her legs. Her eyes locked upon the newest thread of the harp, wound just a few days ago by Jake. Wound just in time to save her life. A tear rolled down her cheek as she sat amongst the burned grass and her scattered luggage.


    She could survive on her own. But she realized sitting there, pain racking her body, tears finally falling free down her face as she allowed sorrow to replace her apathy that she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t want to do this on her own. She didn’t want to travel around, struggling day by day just to barely scrape by. Not on her own. What was the point of that? Where was the fun in that?


    “Damn it all…” She muttered to herself, gaze locked on the swaying leaves above.


    <hr>


    Jake was growing more and more hopeless as the day wore on. The forest was so dense he struggled to move himself in a straight line, forget tracking someone else. He could especially forget tracking someone who doesn’t want to be followed. He had no clue what sort of path she might have taken, how she might have doubled back on herself, or looped around to try and shake him from her trail.


    He had nothing. No way to find her, nothing but the growing sense of loss. The growing emptiness beside him. The growing, mocking regret of his mistakes haunted his every step. Stood alone amongst the mulch of the forest, ivy and bark his only company, he stood still. No clue where to go next, no clue what he could possibly do now. Stood as the wind blew against his skin. Heard it rattle amongst the trees. A sweet melody of nature, crisp and clear and inviting.


    …


    No.


    Wait.


    That wasn’t the wind.


    It was definitely faint, but moving slightly closer to where it was coming from, he could hear it better. The sound of her harp ringing in the wind, blowing towards him as she played. How far away exactly, he couldn’t say, but she must be close. She had to be if he could hear her. Right?


    Setting off in a sprint toward the direction the song had come from, Jake beelined through the forest.