The moon was low, casting the jumbled mass of dense forest in a silver glow, with long, striding shadows. Kiera stumbled on gnarled roots and uneven ground within her uneven breath, coming in little gasps that were short and sharp. Every step seemed one of struggle, as if the earth tried to grasp at her with all its many reaching arms. Her heart was racing, pounding against her chest, surging adrenaline into her veins and further clouding thought.
She burst into a small clearing and looked up to the moonlight filtering down through the canopy of leaves above her. Her outline was outlined in an eerie glow. Kiera turned and scanned the darkened forest behind her, checking for pursuit. An oppressive silence prevailed; momentary rustles of leaves, or an owl hooting somewhere in the distance, were the only sounds.
"Keira!" The voice cut like a knife in the still of the night. Adrian's voice was full of anguish and resonated into the night to join the tormentors when his sound once had been her comfort.
Her body tensed, frozen. Adrian stepped forward out of the dark, his face lit by the moonlight, etched with a desperation and determination, his eyes pleading with hers, imploring something from her that she couldn't quite work out whether she could give to him or not.
"If you are not going to leave me alone, then what? What is it with following me?" Kiera's voice was tight with frustration; it definitely was an edge in it.
Adrian reached forward, his hands releasing. "I know you are in pain, Kiera; I know I've done wrong, but this running away has got to stop. We have to talk, and now."
Kiera shook her head, the welling of tears in her eyes. "Talk? About what? You screwed up everything we had, and where am I supposed to go from there?
Adrian's face contorted with regret. "I did not mean for any of this to happen. I did something terrible; I am trying to make it right, please."
Kiera looked away; she was still raw with pain from the last confrontation. "I really don't want explanations now. I do need to understand finally why I should trust you again.
Adrian's voice gentled, hinging almost on pleading now. "I know I lost your trust, but I'm here because I care. I'm trying to fix this, impossible as it might seem."
The sudden rustle of the underbrush threw them both into instant alert. Kiera's heart juddered; her senses were high. Adrian's gaze flashed around, his body rigid. "We are not alone," he said in a low urgent voice.
Whereas some time ago, the forest had smoothly opened its arms to Kiera, now it would be folding upon her as a maze of possible dangers in every respect. Every shadow seemed to move into her peripheral view as she began glancing around her in trepidation. "What do you mean? Who's out there?"
Serious, Adrian replied, "I don't know, but we need to be careful. This place isn't safe.
She swallowed hard, her eyes screwed tightly to betray as little fear as possible. "We need to go. Now."
Adrian nodded, his gaze not ceasing its scan of the woods. "Fine. But we stick together. If there's any kind of danger, we face it together.
Smoothing on, through thickset of the woody undergrowth, their footsteps were almost deadened; the silence was in the air heavy, dense, speaking loudly to their ears, and conveyed in an augmented form to their senses. A thousand wild and incoherent tongues talked to her in her head-anger and fear; tongues of untold and unresolved feeling.
He was comfort and irritation as he fell into step with her through the forest, his determination to stay with her warring with her need to be left alone with her thoughts of betrayal, and the wreck their relationship had become.
A distant howl of the wolf startled Kiera. She came to a dead stop, her body clenching as she whipped towards Adrian. "Why are you still here? I said I need space."
Adrian's face showed both hurt and determination. "I know you need space. But I am not just about walking away and leaving you to face whatever may be coming your way.
Frustration flashed in Kiera's eyes. "I am not asking for your protection. I'm telling you to go away. I need time out to figure things out for myself."
He sounded both firm and soft: "I am not deserting you. I am here since I am caring for you and since I want it to be right. For me, I must prove it even at this moment you may not believe.".
Kiera's resolution crumbled, tears building in her eyes. The politicians they were, the words they had flung at each other, the betrayal, as it were, lined her mouth with their bitter taste. She drew deep to steady herself. "Fine. We'll stay together for now. But this doesn't mean I'm ready to forgive you.".
Off Adrian's face, the tension loosened, and a gleam lit his eyes with what almost resembled a flash of relief and determination all at once. "I understand. I just want to be here for you, whatever you need.".
With every deeper step in the woods, the air grew thick with impending danger. It was dark now, and this filtered sound seemed louder, coming now with their anxiety magnified. Her mind was in storm from mixed feelings that pained her, from Adrian's betrayal to all her fears over the unknown.
A sudden snapping of twigs had them freeze in their spots. Kiera's breath hitched in her throat, rummaging her gaze around their surroundings, her heart overdrive. Adrian moved closer to her, his hand reaching out to steady her.
"It is not safe here," Adrian whispered, "We really need to find a better place to hide."
Kiera nodded, and her instincts were screaming for her to keep moving. It was as if the trees leaned in against them, twisted branches and other unseen dangers, like the very forest itself was fighting them every step of the way. The path ahead wasn't well defined, each step deeper into the unknown.
She gave it no second thought as she leaned forward with her free hand and gently wiped the tears from his eyes.
They came to a small stream, and Kiera, quite obviously tired, allowed herself to stop. She leaned against a tree, her breathing highly audible. Adrian stopped beside her, still watchful with his eyes.
"You have any idea at all who might be following us?" Kiera whispered softly.
Adrian just shook his head. "No, but there is definitely somebody who watches us, and that means we should be more careful."
Kiera's eyes flashed hot with fear and frustration. "I don't want to do this anymore, Adrian. I don't want to run and hide anymore. I need to know what's real and what's not."
Serious, Adrian repeated, "I know, but for now this is about keeping us safe. Everything else can be sorted out along the way."
Keira nodded only; the storm outside had no echo on her face. There was nothing to say to each other, nothing but this particular point in time, swollen with avoidance, which seemed never to end. The trees seemed to close in on them, the darkness palpable.
This time, it was Adrian's voice that cut through the night, softer: "Keira, I know I have messed things up. I know I have hurt you. But I am here because I want to make things right. I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I am asking for a shot at showing you that I can be better.".
The softening of Kiera's eyes belied the anger faltering within them. "It is not about forgiveness, Adrian. It's about trust. And right now, it feels irreparably broken."
Adrian looked regretful. "I know. And I am not asking you to trust me right now. I only want you to know that I'm trying. I am willing to do whatever it takes.
A wolf pierced the night with its howl, reminding them the danger was still quite alive. Kiera's heart went into overdrive at once, consumed by thoughts of being found or, worse, attacked.
Adrian's hand grasped hers, firm yet soft. "We need to keep moving. We'll find a place to rest and regroup. And in the meantime, we'll deal with everything as it comes."
Kiera watched him, a look of acquiescence crossing her face. "Okay. Yet, let me remind you-this does not make it all right. Everything that happened is going to take a lot of working through."
Adrian nodded, his gaze even. "I understand. Tonight, let's get through, and then take things one step at a time.
They pressed deeper into the forest, its shades and ambiguities closing around them. Before them lay a way so full of peril, whereas for the moment they were bound in a thin truce. Between them lay an emotional weight wherein every step made a reminder of strife unresolved-of battles yet to be waged.
It had been one of those nights, dragging along interminably, the black closing in from all directions. Kiera's head had gone through a storm of old memories combined with the agony of Adrian's betrayal and the uncertainty of their future. It was but a perfect mimesis of turmoil outside in the forest they trudged through, every rustling of leaves, every snapping of twigs reminding them just how fragile that line stood between trusting and betrayal.
Far from over, it had so much more in trials and discoveries yet to come. Kiera and Adrian fell into their step with one another now, their futures as cloudy as the path stretched out before them. The moon kept watch in its watchful vigil, silently watching their struggles, their fragile hope of redemption.
