Chapter 50 CAN WE STOP AND EAT?
“Take this," Dylan says, handing me the additional blanket from his bag.
I shake my head. "No it's alright. This one is enough."
Elsa is next to us against the rocky outcrop already fast asleep. She is exhausted, I can tell by the look on her face as she sleeps. She hasn't spoken much our entire journey either. What we have put her through has to be a lot to process. Even though we have saved her from Grog's pack, Dylan and I both know that if they ever catch up with us we will all be dead.
"You sure?" Dylan asks with his arm still outstretched with the blanket.
"I'm sure. It's not that cold out here." I shift my blanket over my legs and arms. It is a good thing the weather is not problematic because even if it were any cooler, we can't light a fire. It will draw too much attention to us. There is nothing that sticks out more than a fire blazing in the darkness of the night. Elsa had consumed two apples and a granola bar right before she crashed and Dylan and I each had one granola bar and a bottle of water. We still have enough food to last us at least two more days, if we go sparing. If the worst comes to the worst though, one of us can hunt to keep the rest sustained until we reach our destination.
If I am right, we only have about three more days until we reach our pack territory. Hopefully Samuel will be there waiting for me and not trying to pull off a rescue mission, risking his own life for ours.
I must be looking very concerned because Dylan reaches over and grabs my hand to reassure me. "We'll get there, Grace. Don't worry about it so much. I'll keep you safe from Logan and Grog. Once you reach your wolf, we'll be a lot faster and make better time."
"It's not happened yet. I don't know if it ever will. It feels like I'm still trapped. I have no control over my shifting." I pick up some dirt and throw it back to the ground.
"You will. Give it time. You'll do it." He pulls back his hand and lays back against his bag, using it as a pillow.
"When you go to sleep," he says, "I'll shift. It's easier for me to keep you safe in my wolf form, that way the slightest sound or movement will wake me up."
"I feel like I should be helping you keep guard. I'm sorry I can't." I adjust my bag and lay on it, copying him.
"Don't be sorry for things you can't help. There is no point," he says gently. "I'll take care of you. You should get some rest."
I yawn and close my eyes. "Alright." I pull the blanket up to my neck. "I'll carry Elsa tomorrow. You can take the bags. It should be easier for you to move."
"If you think it will help," he says. "Goodnight, Grace."
"Good night, Dylan."
Elsa wakes up before me the next morning and shakes me awake. She needs to use the bathroom and she is hungry. Dylan is nowhere to be found by the time we are packed up and ready to go. We wait for him.
He probably went to hunt for something before we start our day up again. I will only become worried if he doesn't show up in the next half hour. He knows we have to start out before daybreak or our chances of being seen will be increased drastically. Grog's wolves are probably already out searching for us
My stomach rolls and I reach into my bag for a vitamin.
"Are you okay?" Elsa asks after I take it. "You look sick."
I give her a reassuring nod and a fake smile. "I'm fine. I just get this way sometimes."
"Where is Dylan?" she asks, looking as far through the woods as her eyes can reach. "He's close." There is a stirring inside me that tells me he is. It is an instinct I thought I'd long lost since being taken. It sends a thrill through me at what that could possibly mean. Sensing Dylan is no small thing. It means my pack link is coming back which means other things could come back too. Like my wolf.
"Grace," Dylan's voice breaks through the morning air. My eyes scan the wakening light for him. Then he appears next to me from the opposite direction I am looking. I jump.
"Sorry," he says. He looks from me to Elsa then back again. "Is everyone rested and ready to go?"
"We were waiting on you," I tell him.
He picks up the bags from the ground and throws them over his shoulder. "I scouted the area. There is no one close to us. There is another river up ahead we'll have to cross." He pauses for a moment, gazing off into the trees then back at me. "When I got there, I discovered something." Elsa's eyes brighten at Dylan's tone. She can sense something in it as I do. Whatever he has found out there, it has to be good.
"What was it?"
"Our location," he says, a slight smile appearing on his lips. "We're closer to Alpha James' pack than we are to ours. If what I remember is correct, we can be at James' by early morning if nothing slows us down. We'll have to make a slight change in our direction, but at this point, it's the best thing for us. The sooner we are out of these woods the better. Plus Grog is expecting us to run strait to our pack. Best to throw him off a little, don't you think?
I jump at that and scream with delight. "James is nearby? Why didn't you say so sooner! Samuel would want us to go to him. I know James will keep us safe." I am shouting every word with excitement. This is much better news than I have anticipated. We just might stand a chance out here after all.
"There is too much distance between us for me to contact Samuel through our pack link. I'll call him personally as soon as we reach James' land," he says.
I nod. I can't believe it. We are so close now. Just a one day's journey instead of three. I can't be any happier if I tried. "Good. We're ready to go."
He nods and repositions the bags on his shoulder. "I'll lead the way."
A few hours into our journey there is still no sign of Grog or his wolves. The closer we get to James' the better I am beginning to feel. Something inside of me finally feels like it is loosening, shaking itself awake.
Since being with Logan and Grog I have felt like I was half empty inside, just barely the shell of someone I used to be. But the more distance I put between us, the more I feel myself again. The more I am becoming Grace again. That puts a smile on my face.
"You're looking oddly cheery considering the situation we're in." Dylan says with a trace of a smile on his lips. "Like being chased by a pack of wolves, do you?"
My face grows hot. "No." I didn't know he had been watching me. "I'm just... hopeful."
The sun is shining down on us giving us some warmth on the cool fall day. My shoulders are a pale pink and the tip of Elsa's nose is also the same color. I can see how tired she is getting from the walk. Dylan and I both want breaks and since Dylan hasn't sensed any threats in the last half hour, he lets her walk on her own without him carrying her.
"I'm hungry," Elsa says. "Can we stop and eat?"