Within Waves Prologue

Stones scuttled on a nearby path through the forest. At first Rebecca was confused, pausing to listen to see if she had been followed by one of the boys from the village. It was rare that anyone came this far into the woods, it simply wasn't necessary for them. The scuttling of the stones was followed by the whinnying of a horse, the sounds of their hooves clicking on the rocky ground, a sound much clearer to Rebecca now. Panic flooded her as she realised. Everyone knew that only the Lords of the villages rode horses. Rebecca no longer hesitated, running as fast as her legs would carry her. They were on a hunt; that could be the only possible reason for them to be this far in the forest. If they found her wolf, she knew he would be killed.

The road to her wolf suddenly seemed so much longer, so much more treacherous. Roots and sharp sticks caught at her ankles and clothing, slowing her as she ran. The bag with the meat she'd snuck away smacked into her back continuously. Finally she found the oak tree which her wolf was near, the rush of the water a soothing music to her frightened mind.
As she approached the wolf, he lifted his head eagerly, starving for the meat she had brought. Yet he sensed her fear and discomfort, instantly he was alert, despite his weakness. Instantly she tipped the contents of the bag in front of him as she thought of a way to hide him. His cut; though quickly healing, was still too deep for him to be able to run. Instead she ran to the nearest bush and began to tug it from the ground.  She desperately tried to cover the wolf with leaves and parts of bushes she'd managed to rip from the ground as she heard the horses approach. Yet no matter how she seemed to place them, she never managed to cover him and he was still in too much pain to escape himself. Tears formed in her eyes, she couldn't lose the wolf as well. He needed to live.
"Lord Victor." She heard the deep voice of a man from the corner of the cliff. They were going to find her. Knowing she could not hide the wolf, she crept forward in hopes of distracting them from him and sending them away. As she stood in order to face the hunters, she met the ice blue eyes of a boy. She froze in fear, staring in horror at what would happen should he shout. Without a doubt he could see the wolf lying under the mess of leaves.