The Broken Warrior's Daughter

| have to hand it to my girl. Running all day is not for the weak. | pushed us hard, knowing the wolves were trailing us. | haven't heard them howling in hours, so I’m hoping that we have some time to relax.

When we get to a small hill near the Arkansas border, | find an overhang where | can put Grace to let her rest while | keep watch. I'm used to not sleeping for days or only sleeping lightly for a couple of hours. That is how my life has been, but that is not the life that Grace has lived. She needs her rest and she will be sore after pushing so hard today. | know we'll have to go more slowly tomorrow, but once we pass out of red wolf territory, we should be safe to slow down.

When Maia collapses, | shift and pull on some shorts before walking over and picking her up. She's a big wolf, beautiful in her coloring, black but with streaks of different shades of brown. I’ve never seen another wolf like her.

“I've got you, gorgeous.” | tell her as she whimpers when | pick her up. “You did. so well today. Louis and | are very proud of you. | know that was hard.”

| find some pine needles, small branches and vines and build a make-shift bed for her, laying her on it gently. | run my fingers through her fur, massaging the muscles in her shoulders, down her back and to her flank. Maia alternates between whimpering and purring at my ministrations.

When she’s half asleep, | lean into her, running my fingers in the fur around her face. “You rest, I'll be back shortly.”

Her eyes open in alarm, and she begins to stand. | put my hand on her chest, holding her down. “No, stay here. I'll be back soon and | won't go far. You'll be safe. Don’t shift, stay in your wolf form. Promise?”

She reaches out and licks my face. “That’s my girl. I'll be back as soon as | can.” | tell her before shifting and running off to find us food.

Louis finds and kills several rabbits. When we return, he proudly lays them at Maia’s feet, laying down in front of her to see if she'll accept his offering. I’ve become used to Louis eating animals over the years. It was the only way | could survive. But Grace hasn't lived that life, and this may not be something that she can handle. It’s instinct for Maia but may be problematic for Grace.

Louis and | watch as Maia sits up, sniffing the rabbits. She crawls forward and pulls one closer to her before tearing into it ravenously. We sit and watch her until she finishes. When she’s done, she looks at them and then at us. Louis scoots forward, pushing another one toward her with his nose. She grabs it and

IS BONOS devours it as well.

When she finishes, she looks at us and then at the last rabbit. Louis goes to push the last one at her, when she stands and picks it up, dropping it in front of Louis before laying down next to him. He leans over and begins licking her muzzle, cleaning her. When he’s done, he grabs the remaining rabbit and eats it in two bites.

He gets up, pushing her back into the safety of the overhang with his head. Once she’s as safe as we can make her, he lays down in front of her. She curls up beside him and lays her head over his back. | can feel her deep sigh as she settles in and eventually falls asleep.

Louis and | lay awake for a while longer, keeping watch from our makeshift lair. Eventually, the warmth of my mate and the sound of her even breathing lull us to sleep.

It's still dark and the moon is still high when | jolt awake. My ears prick and | listen to the sounds of the night to see what woke me. | can hear the sounds of creatures scurrying over the rocks, the hooting of an owl in a nearby tree, the soft sounds of small creatures running through the grass below and in the distance, the sounds of a river flowing gently in the night.

My eyes start to close when | hear it, the crunch of pine needles under a heavy paw. Louis lifts his head, taking a deep breath. | watch from our spot, listening intently, unable to smell what | am hearing.

| hear it again, but this time, | hear more than one set of paws. The wolves are close, we have to go. | turn my head to wake Maia, only to see her eyes glowing in the dark. She’s heard them too. She pokes her nose into my face, letting me know that she understands that we have to go.

We silently get to our feet, climbing over the top of the hill, making no sound. The wolves will have to either climb up or go around, which gives us time to make our escape. It’s why | chose this particular spot.

When we get far enough away, | begin to run, giving Maia a few minutes to warm up to running again, before | begin pushing us hard. We cross into Arkansas and | push us through the morning and into the early afternoon, until we get to a large river.

There are a lot of places to hide here, | just need to find a place away from human hikers. | finally find a place where we can easily access water and there are rock. formations where Maia can hide while | go get us human food. When | find the spot where | feel like she'll be safe, | shift back, quickly grabbing my bag and putting on a pair of shorts.

+15 BONOS “Grace, I’m going to go into town and get us some food, some human food. | want you to stay here and stay hidden. When | getBelonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

back, we'll eat and then we can find a spot to rest for a few hours and even bathe if you'd like. While I’m gone, stay in wolf form. If you hear anything, or feel that you are in any danger, you head east.”

She begins shaking her head, and | take it in my hands. “Listen to me Grace. You are too important. Too important to me and too important to the other Guardians. If they come before | return, you run.”

| put my forehead against her furry one. “If you have to run, | will find you, but let's hope it doesn’t come to that. | will be back soon, love.”

I stand, removing my shorts and putting them in my bag, before shifting, taking my bag in my teeth and heading down the hillside.

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