I run aimlessly for a long time without slowing down until my legs are on fire, my steps sluggish, my breath labored and failing.
The darkness begins to dissipate, it must be dawn by now.
The icy wind hits my face like blades.
Suddenly I feel an urge to stop.
I gradually slow down.
The first rays of sun begin to cross the sky and I finally pay attention to what's in front of me.
How I wish I knew what to do.
Thinking like that, it was kind of stupid to have run away.
But I won't give Pietro the pleasure of seeing me cry.
A sound of breaking branches rings in my ears.
Instantly the image of Theodore comes to my mind.
Did he wait until I was alone to attack me?
Stupid!
The strange thing is that I don't feel really scared, nor can I move my feet, which once made me run so fast.
By now the blood already dried on my face and clothes, the sensation making me uncomfortable.
Although the pain in my chest from earlier that made me bleed stopped, I'm not used to running like this and for so long, hell, I'm a couch potato, I have no idea how my speed increased like this. So everywhere muscles I never felt before are aching.
I want to leave, but I can't.
The noise comes closer, like someone stepping through the forest.
A grunt echoes softly.
Wait, grunt? Theodore is not a dog.
The owner of the grunt finally appears from a bush in front of me.
It's not a dog either.
It's a wolf.
An albino wolf.
Better yet, a beautiful, wonderful and incredibly cute albino wolf pup.
He grunts again, and it sounds more like a cry.
He has a black patch of fur that starts below his forehead and ends below his right eye.
I fall to my knees and he runs towards me.
The soft feeling in my arms, warm and light, comforts me somehow.
I feel as if I have a connection with it, as if it is a part of me.
I look into his big eyes (which are strangely offwhite white, and the iris is outlined by a black circle) and something strange happens.
A voice resonates in my mind just like Lucca communicates with me, only it is a more childish, sweeter whiny voice.
'I've been searching for you for so long, master, but I've finally found you. My name is Sinuhe. It might sound strange, but it's like I'm a part of you now. If you die, I die; if I die, you die. Don't worry, master, I'll protect you with all my strength, but I can only communicate with you mentally.'
He gives a soft bark, the sound so tender it makes me cuddle him more.
Wow, I have a wolf.
And I feel this strange need to protect him at all costs.
I just met him, but I don't even want to think about what I would do if Theodore caught him.
'Why me?' I project back.
'Because you are special and we have a bond from the moment we were born. I was born just to be with you. You are also a part of me. I am a part of you, I feel your feelings and you feel mine, the real ones, and I can't block them yet.' His fluffy ears drop and I pat his head.
What did he mean by the real ones?
'Why are you down?'
'Because you can never hide your feelings. Like you're doing now. Nor your thoughts. And the answers to your questions you'll have to discover on your own. I can't tell you'
I feel my mouth twitch. This is the second time someone tells me this and is just as infuriating.
'But how did you know how to find me? Where did you come from?'
'I told you, I have a connection with you, I just followed my instincts, master. I come from far away, it was three days of traveling without stopping. I had to leave the pack because I felt you needed me. I was supposed to find you only when I was an adult, but you needed me.' I feel his wet little tongue lick my hand and it's a little ticklish.
Oh, poor thing, it's all my fault.
'But your parents?'
'My parents know my destiny is tied to yours.'
I look at his delicate little paws.
Only now I see they are raw, the dark blood matting his fur.
'I know it looks horrible, but it doesn't hurt. Ever since I got close to you, I haven't felt any pain anymore.'
My heart gives a painful throb. I feel my nose sour.
Just in case, I get up, tucking the bundle into my jacket carefully, to share my warmth, because the weather is still very chilly.
I hold the lump that has formed on the outside of the jacket with both hands.
I feel him adjusting his head over my heart.
He was so tired that he soon fell asleep.
Although now I can't run like before, I still continue going forward.
Always forward.
The weight in my arms is the only thing keeping me awake and persisting.
I hope this is all worthy.