When I woke up, I couldn't feel the shaking of the van anymore. I curled my fingers into the ground. Crunch.

"Leaves." I mumbled, identifying the first thing my senses could. I breathed in and smelled the earth. Then I sat up and looked around me. There was no one in sight.

Birds chirped in the distance as the sun began to shine through the trees. The tree line, just like the ones I used to paint countless of times. But this time it seemed different, the colors seemed duller and the details of the leaves were sharper. I rubbed my eyes and blinked multiple times, processing the situation.

"Leaves. Forest." I mumbled, I looked down at the ground in front of me. "Tire tracks." I got up, my knees feeling weak, and walked over to them. I traced my fingers along the muddy tire tracks, must have been the van.

She drove off. She left me here.

"but why?" I spoke aloud. Then I let the events from last night hit me and I stumbled against a tree. I didn't want to believe it. It hadn't happened, there was no way.

I slowly opened my palm and there it was, the long pink scar. I shivered and traced my finger over it. How had it sealed so quickly? It felt like a normal scar, but the skin was new. It was foreign, but I must have been delusional. All scars felt this weird, right?

I shook my head and tightened my olive jacket around me, tying the string at the waistband together and sighing. I pulled the faux fur covered hood over my head and allowed my messy hair fall down my chest. It's usual sleekness was gone, replaced by mud and pine straw. I began to walk away from the tire tracks.

I needed help, I needed to alert someone. The authorities, anyone. Then it hit me, if I alerted the police, what would I say? I didn't want to see my análi behind bars, but I didn't want to see her anytime soon either. Even if I made up a story, like I had been kidnapped and left out here, then I would be sent back to her. What would I do then? Or worse, what would she do?

I stopped in my tracks and pondered this, I felt lost in my own mind. Decisions and plans flitting around all at once, all of this made it hard to see my thoughts clearly.

Then I thought of Mindy. She must be so scared for me right now, I needed to let her know I was alright, even if I actually wasn't. I patted my pockets but there was no phone in them. But I had memorized her number from when we were little, all I needed to find was a pay phone of some sort. And to do that I needed to find civilization, and to find civilization I needed to get out of these woods.

I lifted my chin up and breathed in, allowing the scents of these woods fly into my nostrils. I blinked and looked straight ahead. I could now smell more than just leaves and dirt, I could smell the fresh pine, it was stronger than the other scents. I could smell a dead squirrel, it's fur was soggy, it must have rained. I licked my lips then shook my head. "No, no no no." My stomach grumbled. "Oh, no no. There is no way I'm eating a dead squirrel, and sleeping on the ground and- berries! That's it, berries!" I wandered around, my stomach grumbling, looking for a bushel of plump berries. But there were none in sight.

At last, after a while, I found a bush of bright red berries. My stomach grumbled and I stumbled towards them. As I sniffed the air again- it had now become some sort of habit- I sensed another animal in my presence. But at the moment, I didn't give a shit. They weren't getting my breakfast. I reached my hand out to the bush and I heard a growl. I spun my head around, and there I was again, standing face to face with a wolf. I got serious déjà vu.

This time, the wolf didn't seem sick. He was a tall, lean wolf, he perked his ears up and seemed to narrow his eyes. I made eye contact with him, his eyes. They seemed human, yet wild at the same time. They were a bright amber color and I gasped slightly. His eyes seemed to tell a story, one of gain against loss.

I noticed his snarl hadn't escaped his expression and bent down, onto my knees. I held my hands up in surrender, waiting for my attack mode to snap. But this time, nothing happened. He snarled at me again, I was in his territory now.

"I'm sorry." I whimpered. "I didn't realize..." I said, hoping for some reason the wolf would take mercy. And to my surprise, he did.

He backed up slowly and bowed his head at me, permitting me to venture forth. I stood up and began to walk in a different direction, the wolf was soon in front of me, snarling at me.

I backed up towards the direction I was previously heading.

He pricked his ears.

I raised my eyebrows as I watched him bounding front of me, yipping and wagging his tail at me. He wanted me to follow.

"This is the craziest-" I began, but decided not to finish the sentence. I began to follow him.

Sorry for the shorter chapter guys :)

I just wanted to get this 3rd chapter put as a transition, or else it would have been a part of a much longer chapter.

~Cat Out~