Apollo's Wolves

Chapter Three -- Amari

Flashback Over:

I hid in the woods, hoping that someone would come looking for me, but no one has come and night is falling.

Of course no one's going to come for you! They all think that you're a monster! Why would they come looking for you? These kinds of negative thoughts take over my mind, making me sob even harder. I have to get out of here!

Concocting my plan in my head, I stand up and brush myself off. I sneak over to my cabin and peek inside. Once I make sure that everyone's asleep, I slip over to my bunk and pack a small bag. I change into a fresh set of clothes and brush my hair. Then, I grab a bunch of nectar and ambrosia and snacks before sneaking out of the cabin. Making sure the coast is clear, I sneak past the border patrol and past the border. I feel the slight tug that I always do because the border doesn't want to let any monsters past, but I shrug it off and just pull a little bit harder. Once I'm through, I shift, grab my bag in my mouth, and take off without looking back. As I'm running, I notice a certain scent and pull that's guiding me, but I don't think anything of it since I'm now in wolf form. I must be seeing some sort of trail from an animal or something. I run for miles upon miles; I run past a sign that says 'Welcome to Virginia' and am stunned to realize that I made it all the way to Virginia in 45 minutes. I quickly shift back and sneak out of the woods and onto the main road.

"I wonder if there are any motels nearby," I muse to myself quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping people of the town.

"There's one about half a block down, young lady," a kind old voice tells me, startling me.

I look up at the old woman. "Oh, I'm sorry; did I wake you?" I ask, trying to calm my racing heart.

She chuckles and shakes her head. "No, this old woman never really sleeps," she answers. "But, I would hurry before the riff-raff find you. They're not especially nice to newcomers like you."

I nod in appreciation. "Thank you, ma'am," I say respectfully. "I'll hurry." After bidding farewell to the old woman, I scurry down the street and find a motel. Thankfully, the office is still open and I'm able to rent a room. Upon entering the room, I throw my stuff down and collapse onto the bed, exhausted from my run. Before I know it, I'm sound asleep.

*********************

Sunlight from the window in my motel room cuts across my face, waking me up. "Urgh! I hate getting up this early," I murmur, glancing at the clock and finding that it's six in the morning. "Might as well make the best of it." I stand up and stretch, walking into the bathroom so I can shower. Finding towels and soap, I start the water before stripping so it can get warm. Once it's warm, I jump in and wash myself from head to toe, making sure not to miss my hair. When all the soap is gone, I shut off the water and climb out, toweling myself off. Then, I got to my bag and put on a change of clothes.

"What should I do now?" I muse to myself as I pull on a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top over my undergarments. "What's there to do here in Virginia?" I tie my shoes and repack my bag. Then, I walk out of the room and lock the door, slipping the key into my bag before walking down the road again. My stomach gurgles to remind me that being a werewolf requires a huge amount of food to keep up with my high metabolism. "Let's find a diner....ah! There's one!" I walk inside the diner and take a seat at the bar.

"Morning, sugar. What'll it be to drink?" A waitress asks, sliding over to me.

"Black coffee please," I answer politely, accepting the menu she handed to me.

"Sure thing." She places a mug down in front of me and fills it with coffee.  "Just let me know when you're ready to order."

I nod as I look at the menu. What is there that looks good today? I muse to myself.   I notice the waitress coming back, so I signal her over. "I'm ready to order now."