Fated reborn - Chapter 85: Chapter 85

My gaze filtered through the canopy of trees, but all I could see was leaves fluttering from trees and the occasional bird landing on a low hanging branch.
Okay, maybe I'm just overthinking things and hearing things too, I tried to convince myself. The forest was silent so as time ticked by, it got easier to believe, barely.
I calmed my racing pulse and continued on the grass covered path when I heard another thud, and this time it was much closer than the first.
My pulse picked up again, and my head snapped in the direction of the sound. I let out a shaky breath then faced my path again.
"I'm not about to stick my nose in something that is not my business," I let out, my voice shaky as I continued on.
But what if someone was in trouble? The tiny voice in my subconscious asked and I let out a sigh.
"But what if it wasn't? It could just be an animal," I countered, then my mouth clamped shut. Was I going crazy? Or is talking to yourself something you do when you've recently been banished?
But what if it was? The voices were persistent and I had already started to wonder if I was losing it.
With a sigh, I trailed off my path in the direction I heard the first thud, the canopy of trees were thicker there, and the surrounding grounds were shrouded in the shadows of the trees.
Grass, squirrels, shorter trees, and more grass greeted me, and I almost slammed my hand against my forehead at how I had over thought everything. Maybe it was just an animal that had fallen then scurried off after picking itself up? I thought.
My pulse was still slamming under my skin, and the gentle breeze that ruffled my sleeves made my arm hairs stand on end. I chucked up my fear to just being in my imagination- I hoped.
Faster than I would like to admit, I pivoted on my heels and walked back to the trail without so much as a glance back at the dark patch where I had heard the first thud.
I walked quickly, ignoring every sound that my ears picked up because my heart rate right now was extra sensitive. It picked up at the slightest noise, and I was not ready to have an unpleasant surprise.
I still felt disturbed, but I had started to leave the ordeal behind. That is, until another thud sounded, right before my hyper active ears. A wolf, no bigger than a cub dropped from a tree ahead, and my cloudy mind thought it had to have been running from something.
That was what was swimming in my head until I inspected it closely. Blood ran down it's side, and it still looked fresh. The coppery smell hit my nose with a punch and I backed away from the wolf due to shock.
It looked liked the belly had been gashed open, and I knew it hadn't been killed here because the blood pooling under it was too small for the wound I was seeing.
Alarm rose in my chest as I turned every which way to find something I was too afraid to see. The tree branches were empty, and I was positive I would have heard if something... Or someone, had creeped up on one just to drop a wolf's carcass in front of me.
"What do you want?" I shouted, my voice wobbly from paranoia and fear. No response came back, and the only thing that clouded my ears was the harsh pounding of my heart. My hands were like lead beside me, and though they were numb, I could feel how sweaty and cold they were.
With as much grace as someone with two left feet, I dragged myself ahead because I needed to get out of there, and I made a point to walk a wide arc around the carcass.
I didn't look back because I was afraid of what I would see. I had to have taken at least ten steps away when I heard a crash, and this time, it sounded distinctively like feet, human feet.
I broke out into a sprint, not caring to listen if whoever that was was following me or not. Someone was hunting me down, and there was no way I could hide now. I needed to get to the borders of Luciano's pack where I would be protected beyond it.
Getting out of the forest was the first step, and as unrealistic as it sounded, I ditched my plan of hiding altogether and wanted to get out of the forest before dark which was practically impossible, but i didn't care.
My body was running on flight or fight, and my flight mode had been hitched into overdrive because I ran and ran.
Hot blood rushed to my ears but I didn't stop. I could have ran a few hundred meters when I felt the familiar burn in my side that indicated my stamina was wearing thin. I ignored the messages my body was sending and pushed another hundred before I collapsed on the grass carpeted ground, sinking to my knees in one swift move.
Hot and heavy breaths left my lips as thick beads of sweat streaked down the sides of my face. I stayed that way for at least five minutes before I started to become aware of my surroundings again.
This part of the forest was quiet, and the only distinct sound I could pick up was the chatter of birds high up in tree branches. Other than that, nothing. Whoever it was that was stalking me hadn't followed,... Or they had gone back to stalking me again and I didn't notice?
A cold, electric shiver ran up my spine and gripped my heart in its icy hold. With wide eyes, my gaze darted across the expanse of trees but I couldn't see anything. Shadows were casted all around and it was easy to hide beyond them and stay out of sight.
An idea struck me and I got up, slowly, just in case I wasn't alone. I scanned the trees again, with as much precision as a hawk before heading into the shadows of the trees. And that's when I heard footsteps approaching.