"I will be back home soon." Avana momentarily closed her eyes, thinking of her mother and her sacrifice. Everybody would surely blame her for the failed union.
A guard shouted about the arrival of new guests, abruptly jerking her back to her current situation. Quietly she sneaked around the corner, using the distraction as a chance to escape the mansion without being noticed.
Avana looked left and right as soon as she reached the exit of the mansion, careful not to be seen by anyone. Her focus was on the task ahead, trying hard not to look back.
"I will not fail." Promising in the wind, running as fast as her feet would allow her until she could hide behind a large tree.
So far, no one seemed to be following her as her eyes roamed around her, leaning on the wide trunk that could easily cover her slim body. Breathing a sigh of relief, realizing she was still safe.
The guards stood stiff, on guard with their new guests. From her vantage point, they had seemed important, but staying for chitchat was not her priority, but getting as far away was.
An opportunity presented itself while the guards were busy, giving her the chance to run in the open area without being caught. Until the trees and the bushes surrounding their perimeter area swallowed her, hiding her from their sight.
Avana immediately ducked for cover, inspecting the area around her, finally finding herself alone in the woods. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, gasping for air, allowing the oxygen to enter back into her lungs.
Her hands grabbed her phone and started typing a number, concealing her body behind the bushes. She could not allow anyone to see her, believing that the guards sometimes roam this area.
"Pick up." Softly whispering more to herself, afraid that someone else might hear her. But the phone just kept ringing. With time running out, she quickly typed a message instead, hoping that her friend would see it in time.
After sending the message, she pressed the off button. Using her fingers and nails, she dug into the dirt and buried the phone deep under her feet.
It was no use to her now. Their security would only use it to locate her whereabouts. Disposing of it was the only logical thing to do.
A loud cracking sound made her stop moving, seeing broken twigs underneath her feet. The noise echoed on the trees, disturbing the birds, and causing them to fly away.
"I think I heard something moving over there." A man's voice resounded in the woods as if talking to his companion.
Her ears picked up the man's location, and she could tell he was not far behind with his company. She immediately ran towards the forest, hoping to lose whoever was coming after her.
There was no certainty that they were looking for her or just passers-by who were startled by the disturbance. But she was not waiting to find out, preferring to be out of there before anyone else found her.
Her legs kept running and running until her ears heard a reaping sound, then her foot tripped, forcing her to stumble on the ground.
Suddenly, her body rolled down the hill until her face lay flat on the dry leaves, her front sprawled on the dirt ground. Luckily, the earth was dry. Otherwise, muddy clay would be covering her from head to toe.
It took a minute for her to recover from her fall, feeling the pain of her injuries. But the fear of imminent threat suddenly caused her adrenaline to pump faster, ignoring her discomfort and the ache, hearing footsteps and voices coming her way.
Avana immediately scrambled to her feet, scanning the place, then patted herself, removing the dirt and leaves sticking on her skin.
"Why did I even agree to wear this?" She slammed her hands on the piece of cloth ripped in half at the bottom portion of the dress.
She always preferred to wear jeans and a shirt, thinking she should have been a man and not a girl. Although she loved being a girl, there were limitations to being a female in their group.
Her legs propelled her to run again, not minding her torn clothes or the bruises on her body. At least she did not have to suffer from a broken bone or a sprained ankle. But that was the least of her worries, knowing that her body would heal eventually.
After more than an hour of running, exhaustion finally caught up with her, but at least she had reached her destination. "Where are you?" She mumbled to herself, wondering if her friend had received her message.
Her eyes and ears tried to pick up a movement, but no one else was present. Suddenly she regretted not double-checking her phone before burying it in oblivion.
Then again, maybe her friend was just busy. She might not yet have read her text. She started pacing the area, wondering if she should keep waiting or go ahead and run.
But when a loud engine roared around the vicinity, she quickly hid around a big rock, only relaxing after recognizing the car. It was her friend to her rescue.
Using her car to escape earlier was not an option. The security would see her, and they might have stopped her. Thinking of an alternative, this was what she came up with within her limited time.
"What is the big rush, and why the secrecy?" Her friend asked as soon as she was inside the car, buckling her seatbelt. "And, what happened to you?" Her friend again asked in shock, finally seeing her torn gown and slightly bruised skin.
Concern covered her friend's eyes while she took a deep breath. But at the moment, explaining to her friend was not her priority. "Can you just drive us out of here?" Instructing her friend instead, leaning on the backrest and closing her eyes.
Her body was still exhausted from all the running despite having extra ordinary strength and speed compared to a human being. But compared to a male wolf, she admitted she was still inferior.
Her minor injuries would need a few minutes to heal, while the deeper cuts would require a longer time. As her breathing evened out, her heart also calmed down.
"Fine, but I deserve an explanation." Her friend said, allowing her to keep her peace and silence for a while.
The roar of the engine was a welcome noise in her ears. A few seconds later, the machine sped up, hopefully as far away from her home as soon as possible, needing the distance away from her family.
Her eyes saw the mountains behind her through the side mirror. Goodbye for now, but with a promise of returning with her answers. A place Avana had called home for most of her life.
But now, where to go and look for answers? As tears finally dropped down her cheeks, looking at the signboard that said White Mountain Heights.