Run, Forest... Oh Shit! RUN!

Death nips at Fern’s heels, terrifying the girl. She runs as fast as she can, weaving around the stones in a vain attempt to slow the incoming felines. Mind turns as fast as her paws strike the ground wondering how the hell she managed to find a group of cheetahs! The universe must be playing some kind of sick cosmic joke is her, just when she is ready to marry Rudy! Just when she is finding happiness. Fear drives the thoughts from her head one of the cheetahs gets a little too close and she feels the whisper of claws ghost over the fur near her right hip. The closeness of the cat, the near miss has the gray wolf dropping her head and putting all her energy into her legs. A mantra starts to repeat inside of her head as she moves, ‘just a little further, help will be here soon’.

Yet, as the moments drag on and help has yet to appear, Fern feels the icy fingers of fear wrap around her throat and the air suddenly seems thicker. She feels her already oxygen deprived lungs trying pull in deep breaths working harder and harder to pull in the air she so desperately requires. The world narrows to a single point as the gray girl dances with death, trying (and failing) to pull away from the swift hunters and reach safety. The group of cheetahs’ herds her through the runestones, toying with the wolf and her stoat, giving opens and closing off retreats. Realization finally sinks in that is where she is going to die, that these cats are going to take her life. But, she does not lay down and die, her primal instinct may tell her to flee but it is the need to protect Puff that keeps her fighting.

A grim determination settles into the gray girl as she runs, ready to fight for inch of ground. Fern rushes past a pillar and, to her great surprise, sees a streak of caramel rocketing out toward the charging felines. Something tells the gray girl that she knows that caramel blurr and indecision slows her frantic gallop. Ocean-hued eyes cast a quick glance back toward the hunting cheetah, catching sight of a downed cat and the wolf that interceded on her behalf. Bowen is racing up toward her and Fern groans inwardly as she turns her eyes back to the front, the fact that Rudyard’s sister is in danger because of her has Fern’s resolve to live strengthening. The smaller wolf’s words are met with firm nod as the gray girl moves to stick close to and match pace with Bowen. The cats begin to circle, playing with their food.

Then there are sounds of a commotion from behind the pair and Serenity is suddenly joining them. Hope flickers to life in Fern’s chest as the thought that the three of them can make it out of this together has the gray girl giving a tight smile. She adjusts course for the Cathedral, barking out, “Bowen lead the way! Serenity take Bowen’s right! I got her left!” Fern allows Bowen to pull slightly ahead of their small group, falling into rhythm with Serenity as they take up their respective positions. Puff deftly adjusts her own position on her friend, moving to watch the felines at the women’s backs. Her small voice shouts, “Fern! Coming up from behind! Left hip!”

The girl gray drops back a few more paces and skids to stop suddenly, stunning the swift feline for a moment and in its to turn and bite the wolf, causes it over shoots its target and trip over its own paws. Fern is already running back to her spot at Bowen’s side when Puff once again shouts, “Serenity! Incoming straight at right hip!”


WC: 636
Total WC: 1691/1500
"Fern Lark" | "Puff"