Ivrea chose not to attend the earlier ceremony as a sign of her protest against her plan to marry the prince of darkness. Her friend could not agree with it, declaring the entire prophecy bogus.
Avana wondered if she would see her friend again after this was over. But she had to remain positive. She could not admit defeat when the war had hardly begun.
"Now, tell me. What is the plan?" Ivrea asked, picking up a rock and cradling it in her hands before throwing it as far as her arms could manage into the bushes.
"Honestly, I do not have any plans yet," Avana admitted, gazing at the landscape of the mountainous scenery.
She could feel her friend's eyes boring at her back with her statement, but her eyes kept looking at the majestic view.
Long lines of trees make up most of the terrain of the land, with occasional bushes and wild grasses covering the grounds. She could hear birds chirping in a not far distance, probably settling on the branches around them.
She could only wonder what animals lurked behind those shadows. Are they the predator, stalking silently to catch their food, or are they the prey, running for their lives to survive?
"What?" Ivrea expressed her surprise, quickly moving to her side. "You must have some kind of an idea on what you should do." Knowing how she always had answers to most questions.
Unexpectedly, a ringing sound interrupted them, but it was not hers as she remembered burying her phone in a pile of dirt. She watched Ivrea take it out of her pocket.
"Yes, I am with her." Ivrea quickly answered her phone, making her wonder who she was talking to but slightly wary that she was giving out her information. "It is Elisia." Her friend mouthed, making her sigh with relief.
Avana suddenly thought of her other friend, who must be worried about her. She distinctively remembered Elisia attended the party, but she never had the chance to say goodbye to her.
"Don't worry. I am ok." Avana interrupted the conversation as they talked over the line while Ivrea put it on speakers. But after a few minutes, they had to end the call reluctantly. "We have to go."
However, before Ivrea could put the phone away, it began ringing again. Panic was evident in her eyes this time as colors drained from her face upon seeing the caller on the screen. It could only mean one thing.
They were already looking for her. As her best friend, Ivrea was the first person they would ask about her whereabouts. Ivrea just stared at her phone, afraid to answer the call.
"I think you should go." Avana quickly uttered as she looked again at the mountains. "Go home." She walked a few feet away from her friend, letting her hands touch the grasses that swayed freely with the wind.
It looked soft to the touch as it gracefully danced with the breeze, but it never bowed down to the ground, persistently fighting the wind's dominance.
She turned to her friend and smiled, walking towards the edge of a cliff. It was a long way down on the steep, vertical slope, but she realized it was one path towards her freedom.
"No, I am not leaving you." Ivrea returned her phone to her back pocket, not bothering to answer it.
Determination shone in her friend's brown eyes to stand by her. To help her in whatever she had to do. But Avana could not risk another life by including her friend in this mission.
She was glad that Ivrea had helped her get as far as this place. But she could not ask her to follow her and disobey her parents. "I have to do this alone." Convincing Ivrea, putting her hands on her shoulder as she begged her to understand.
Besides, Ivrea could hardly hurt a fly, so how could she survive in this harsh environment.
Then, she turned away from Ivrea to choose the direction she had to take. But instead of looking at the path, she closed her eyes, allowing her instinct to guide her.
A soft breeze caressed her skin. It was like it was beckoning her to follow them. It was a gentle whisper that tickled her ears, but it formed a sound that had calmed her racing heart.
When she finally opened her eyes, something had sparked on the horizon, a bright light that called to her. It could be anything from her imagination to just a coincidence of nature, but she felt obligated to run towards it.
"But..." Ivrea was about to protest once again but abruptly stopped.
"Where are you going?" Ivrea decided to ask instead, probably seeing that she had finally made up her mind. There was no way she would change it. They just had to accept their fates.
They would remain friends for life, but their paths had different directions to take. As much as she wanted her friend to be part of her journey, it was time for them to go on their separate ways.
"I do not know, but do not worry. I will be ok." Avana assured her friend, wrapping her in her warm embrace. "I will be back before you know it."
She had no idea where she might be going, her path was still unknown, but she knew this was her only option, for now, to allow her ancestors to guide her.
She believed that, just like her, they never believed in the prophecy, and they would help her find the real answers to end this already overrated war between species.
She stepped away from Ivrea, who now shed tears for her. She did not want to believe it was tears of sadness but a parting gift that would guide her to wherever she had to go and a way to get back home.
"I love you, Avana. Be safe." Ivrea whispered as she continued to move away from her. "Runaway for now, but return to us and take your place as the real heiress of your pack."
Avana heard chanting words that only her friend's kind would understand. But she believed it was a blessing to guide and protect her in her journey.
"I love you too, Ivrea," Avana called to her before she finally turned around and ran, never looking back. She did not want another reason for her to doubt her plans.
She ran her fingers through her hair, unbinding it from its tie. Finally, her wild, red, curly hair cascaded down her shoulders, flowing down at her back, free from its suffocating restrain.
For now, she had to fend for herself and look for answers. She never, not even in her wildest dreams, imagined she would be doing this.
She kept running in the unknown direction, allowing her feet to guide her, not allowing fear to stop her. She never thought she would turn out to be the runaway heiress her friend had mentioned just moments ago.