Chapter 1 - I AM ONLY SIX (2/2)

”Can I open my eyes now?” she asked. She could feel her father's heart beating so fast and his breath was labored.

”Yes, little one, yes,” he said breathlessly.

The little girl blinked a couple of times before she took in her surroundings. Apparently, they were in the woods near the basketball field, which meant they would be in human residences within a few minutes of walking.

”Daddy, my hand hurts,” she whined and showed her almost healed backhand.

Her father kissed her small hand and her cheek, but he said nothing, as he kept staring behind his shoulder and picked up his pace again.

The little girl looked around her and whispered to her father. ”Were the green people chasing after us, daddy?”

Her father nodded vigorously, ”yes, yes.”

She furrowed her brows. ”It means we can't go back to our house again, daddy?”

”We will go to your uncle's pack, honey.” He stopped walking all of a sudden. His muscles tensed up when he caught a strange sound around him.

The horror was palpable in those hazel eyes, the same eyes as hers, and his fear permeated through his skin, cloaking the little girl with dread.

”Daddy?” she tightened her small arms around her father's neck, her hazel eyes looked around her worriedly.

”Honey, shift to your wolf,” he said, as he bent down his body and put her down on the ground, yet her arms snaked around his neck, as she stubbornly clung onto him. ”Be a good girl and listen to daddy.”

He tried to pry her arms from his neck, trying to not hurt her as much as possible. He knew that she was terrified, but he didn't have time to coax her.

”Shift to your wolf,” he said sternly. The urgency in his voice made the little girl panic. ”Listen to me baby girl,'' he said, cupping her small face between his palms. ”Go to your uncle's pack.” Desperation was thick in his voice as he had to send his daughter away no matter what.

”But, uncle's pack is very far,” she sobbed, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't like it, because she knew what would happen later. She knew that she wouldn't see her father again, just like she knew that their lovely pack no longer existed. She wouldn't be able to see her friends either.

She knew that once the green people came, they would destroy everything dear to her. She slept experiencing the same nightmare time and again that became a lullaby.

”You have been there a couple of times, you know the way,” he said, demanding his little girl to be brave and mature enough to take care of herself. ”You have to reach the pack. Don't look back, just run. Promise me you will run.”

She looked at her father, tears fell on her rosy cheeks and then to her hand that had healed.

”You are a big girl now.” He looked around and realized that they were close.

”I am only six, daddy,” she reminded him.