They would turn south from here, leaving the coast behind, and Bat squashed whatever feelings of nostalgia that remained and pointed her toes toward the future. Speaking of which, her feet were sore and she'd lost a couple pounds, yet she was in relatively good health.
@Tegan helped her rustle up some grub from time to time. Never before interested in hunting (or anything that required effort), Bat now recognized its merits. She made a note to get in more practice once they reached their destination. Maybe there was even someone there who could help her, aside from her new best buddy.
Right now, though, Bat only wanted to do one thing:
sleep. As the sun slipped away behind the western horizon, her steps grew heavy and slow, as did her eyelids. By the time her traveling companion proposed they settle down for the night, she was a zombie. As soon as he said the word, she flopped to the ground and closed her eyes. She was out like a light, tongue lolling from her gunmetal gray muzzle.
The first cold drops of rain roused her in the middle of the night. Bat groaned as she rolled over and lifted her head, blinking up at the cloudy sky. It quickly began to rain in earnest.
"Tegan," she mumbled, prodding at him. He must've been hell'a tired too, because he snoozed right through both the increasing downpour
and her gentle shove.
"Tegan." She loved rain herself but they were exposed and it was
cold. Putting her mouth right next to her ear, Bat bellowed,
"WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!"
Tegan shot to his feet, giving himself a shake and then promptly acting as if he didn't even notice the rain. Bat squinted at him—partly because she was incredulous of said behavior but mostly so water didn't get into her eyes—and then informed him, "It's raining, you nerf—"
Whatever fun insult she'd been about to unleash on him died in her throat when she noticed a pair of yellow eyes lurking just over Tegan's right shoulder. Bat swallowed and blinked hard against the droplets assailing her eyeballs. Was she hallucinating? Was she actually asleep and dreaming?
The chill that wracked her slim young body felt pretty real. "Tegan," she muttered, keeping her voice low and barely moving her lips, "don't look now but there is a fuckin' spooky ass ghost right behind you." If either one of her mothers saw her now, would they even recognize the wolf she'd become in the last two weeks?
Despite her warning, Tegan looked. Quick as a whip, he then pushed against her and began to run. Bat didn't need to be told twice. As soon as he was in motion, she fluttered after him just like her namesake. And when she saw that Tegan wasn't just running but
running for his life, she coaxed her aching limbs to increase her speed. Meanwhile, the cold, driving rain and the eeriness of their predicament had woken her more quickly and fully than a shot of espresso directly to the veins.
Now, surely, the feeling of hot breath on the back of her legs was all in her overstimulated imagination, right?
It looks like our "ghost" went inactive. Do you care to continue this a few more rounds,
@Tegan? I wanna use it as a trade thread! :)
i am so sorry!! i'm the worst! i will have him drop out, so you guys can conclude if you want for a trade
he was only several strides in pursuing them when his forepaw struck a limb which arched out over the unsteady terrain. he was brought to heel immediately, his chin crashing to the earth in a resounding clatter of teeth.
he tasted blood, and pain -- it snared his senses in a kaleidoscopic flare of white. with the breath knocked out of him the wraith curled, clutching his wounded paw with sucking, gasping inhales.
some other time he might have given them chase, with his own pain fueling his wrath. but today he had been well-grounded by the sting of injury. he would not have caught up to them in his present state, and so, he resigned to turning around and lurking for less savvy prey.
No worries! I'm going to conclude this for us. :)
Whether or not she imagined the furl of hot breath on her hind leg, nothing more came from it. She and Tegan sped over hill and dale, the falling rain driving them for miles before they finally felt secure in their escape. They slowed and stopped, seeking refuge beneath a dripping tree as they drew in breaths of rain-washed night air.
Although their rest had been disrupted so violently, neither one wanted to bed down again. There was a certain safety in movement; sitting still would only make them feel like sitting ducks. Fortunately, the rain slackened as day broke and the many features of the sprawling moors captured their attention.
The brilliant September sun quickly chased away the cool and the wet, the evening's nightmare included. After exploring the salt-scented landscape a bit, the twosome resumed the final southward leg of their journey toward the plateau rising in their distant view.