After making some purchases at the Outdoors Equipment Warehouse, I started to feel like someone was watching me. At first, I wasn't sure if it was the paranoia about being followed, or me actually being followed.
I kept my guard up as I walked through the parking lot.
'That uneasy feeling… there, to the left.' I thought, as I carefully watched out of the corner of my eye.
It was an older, male werewolf who was looking at me with interest. My heart jumped as I realized I knew him. He was from our pack. I pretended not to see him and kept walking at the same pace.
Sigh. 'So much for me having a head start.' I thought.
Since he didn't follow me right away, I hoped he had mistaken me for someone else. But I knew that it was more likely that he was mind-linking the Alpha or Luna about it.
Plan A was just to keep going on my merry way. Plan B was if pursued, to find a way to move faster than he could.
At the end of a row of cars, there was a lady with a toddler in a shopping cart seat. She was loading her bags into the back of the car. But more importantly, the keys were in the car and the engine was running.
I turned my head to slightly glance over my shoulder. The older, male werewolf had left his car and started jogging lightly towards me.
I heard a train whistle in the distance, and it sounded again as it got closer to the road, about half a mile away.
I smiled and snuck as quick as I could between two cars, to the front of my target car. I grabbed the drivers' door, yanking it open and swinging my backpack and a plastic bag inside.
The woman looked up. She had all her purchases in the back of the car and the back hatch was still up.
"Hey!" she yelled.
I jumped in, slammed the door, and pushed the lock button. Then I put the car into drive and pulled out of the spot. The lady and the werewolf were both chasing me now.
I made it to the end of the row and ran the stop sign, swinging the car towards the exit of the parking lot.
As I drove, I tried to break as few rules of the road as possible, but still, some things can't be helped.
I ran a red light, that had previously been yellow, and swirved to miss colliding with a van.
Driving in the direction of the railroad tracks, I heard the train whistle again. It was almost at the crossing. I had to go faster.
There were no more lights between here and the tracks, but there were other vehicles. I drove up the dirt edge of the road, the tires spitting loose gravel as I went around a smart car. I looked in the rear-view mirror. There was a werewolf in wolf form chasing after me.
I swirved left, and back onto the road, then inched further left over the line. There was a break in oncoming traffic.
'Perfect!' I thought.
I shifted the car left, onto the opposite side of the road and hit the gas. Doing 100km in an 80km zone, I easily passed the three cars. Then got back into the proper lane before a transport truck went by, horn blaring.
'You needed a little more excitement in your life- just admit it.' I thought as I smiled to myself about the trucker. 'At least he will be alert for the rest of his drive.'
A minute later I drove the car into the shallow ditch, hitting the breaks hard. With the car at a complete stop, I pushed the 'unlock' button with my left hand and grabbed my bags with my right. Then, I shoved open the door and ran the last few car-lengths to the tracks.
I could see the rail cars whizzing by. I heard voices yelling for me to stop. Maybe people stopped at the tracks thought I was crazy?
I took a deep breath, focused, and shifted myself into a black bear. I snatched up my bags with my strong jaws. I could hear the incoming snarling of the wolf. He was not happy I made him chase me this far.
With four powerful bear legs, I let out a burst of speed, running the rest of the way to the tracks. I had to go fast, there were only a few rail cars left.
I dug my claws into the earth, shoving with my back legs, to jump at the side of the rail car. At first, I started to slide down, until my claws caught. I pulled myself up to the top of the car and sat myself down. The metal creaked under my weight.
I watched as the older werewolf slowed to a stop. He didn't have it in him to chase down a train. I could tell from the way he was panting like a greyhound after a race.
I sighed. 'That didn't go as smoothly as I wanted it to.' I thought.
For the next two hours, I sat on top of the rail car, conserving my energy. The train was headed north, far from the more densely populated areas and into the more wooded area of the province. On one hand, it was easier to hide up north; but on the other hand, survival was harder.
I admired the landscape as it went by. So many forests of pine, spruce, and fir. I saw many birds of prey along the way too.
When I spotted a town ahead, I suspected it might be the train's destination. I decided it would be better to get off before it stopped.
As the train began to slow a little, preparing to cross a bridge, I took the opportunity and jumped off. My four legs hit the ground with a force that would have shattered every bone in my human body.
I shook my black fur and walked it off. I was heading north-west now. As I ambled into the forest, making my own path, my stomach grumbled. I stopped suddenly for a moment, mistaking it for the growling of another animal. But, no, it was my stomach.
'Fair enough.' I thought. 'I never had breakfast this morning.'
After I shifted to my human form and got dressed, I pulled a sports bar out of the plastic bag and ate it.