A steady, dripping sound roused Sloane from a fitful sleep. She shot up with a start, still clutching her satchel to her chest.
Glancing around her surroundings, the memories from last night returned.
After the Lycan stole her pouch of calming pills, she began the long trek to the nearest temporary shelter indicated on the map.
It took at least the better half of an hour before she stumbled upon the cave with a well hidden entrance.
It was a sorry excuse for a shelter, but Sloane would have chosen anything over a night out in the wilds, exposed and vulnerable.
At least, with the cave, there was a roof over her head. Beggars couldn't be choosers, they said.
She'd been lucky enough not to encounter any other first years on the way.
But it seemed her luck was about to run out.
A shuffling sound came from outside the cave. Sloane stiffened in alert, eyes wide.
The guidebook had said the temporary shelters weren't accessible to predators.
Sloane didn't know how true that was. She still couldn't believe any of this was real, or happening to her...a simple laundry maid from the Glacier pack.
The rules of the hunt were completely absurd. Nothing about this situation made sense to her.
The shuffling sound came again. It sounded closer this time, like it was just beyond the entrance of the cave.
Sloane got up to her feet slowly, creeping over to the darkest corner of the cave she could find.
It wasn't much of a hiding spot. The entire cave was barely larger than her shoebox room, so the shadows didn't provide much cover.
"Finally." A voice sighed heavily, "A shelter."
She heard footsteps approaching. Boots thudding heavily against the ground.
Her heart slammed against her ribcage as she curled in on herself, her arms wrapped around her knees like she could somehow get small enough to go unnoticed.
Her eyes went tightly shut, and she pictured herself back in the corner of her mouldy room. Hiding away from an angry pack member, whenever she made a mistake or mixed up the laundry.
She had thought she knew what terror was. But all of that seemed like such a joke now.
She would give anything to go back to that unassuming life. Where scrubbing, drying and ironing piles and piles of dresses, earned her her keep, and a place in the pack.
"Sloane?!"
Sloane glanced up at the familiar voice. "De..Denna?" She stuttered, rising to her feet in surprise.
Denna's eyes widened and she raced over, laughing in delight as she threw her hands around Sloane. "I can't believe it! I thought you were dead!"
Sloane gulped down the knot in her throat. She'd thought the same.
In fact, she'd done everything possible not to think of the fate the other girls might have met.
"Alexis... and Elise?" Sloane croaked,
Denna pulled away, her smile dropping lightly. "We got separated while escaping the gatekeeper. Most of us girls took different paths."
"I don't know where..." Denna trailed off, heaving a sigh. "Alexis is a hurricane, I'm sure she'll be fine. Elise..." She heaved another sigh, shaking her head like she couldn't handle the thought at the moment.
It was then Sloane noticed the slight limp in Denna's steps. A strap of cloth was wrapped tightly around her knee, and there was a discoloured patch Sloane could tell was dried blood.
"Just my luck I ended up stuck with Bailey's group." She grunted, going over to the corner of the cave. "The bully, from earlier at the entrance."
Sloane winced at that. That would perfectly explain the limp.
"She and her mindless minions did this to me." Denna gestured at her knee, "Snatched my satchel and coat too. Left me for dead."
There was a crack in the rock where water dripped down slowly, and Denna cupped her hands beneath it, and then lowered her head to take a drink.
She sighed in relief, "Can you believe it?"
"No one back home would believe the daughter of Alpha Bronte of the Fury Pack, could stoop as low as robbing other girls like a common thug." Denna scoffed in disgust.
Sloane's gaze moved to Denna's injured leg, her brows furrowed slightly, "You bled last night..."
Denna followed her gaze, and then sighed. "I know, right? In the woods teeming with blood sucking first years."
Sloane hadn't planned to say it out loud. At least not in those exact words. But she'd definitely thought it.
There was a reason she'd hastily escaped the clearing. The blood from the kill was sure to attract vampires. She'd figured that was what the Lycan meant when he said the bloodsuckers would arrive anytime soon.
"I paid for my safety. And directions to the nearest shelter." She lifted her wrist, revealing a fresh bite mark with a weak smile. "With no calming pills, or a map, it was a costly bargain."
Sloane winced again. She didn't ask any further. She wasn't sure she wanted to know just how much 'payment', Denna had to offer to save herself.
Had the tax brides known this was what would be required of them when they were marked?
Sloane didn't know. But she guessed no one could have been prepared for this harsh reality.
The first years weren't much older than the girls. But young as they were, they were nothing as simple as werewolves.
Lycans and Vampires were known for their cruelty. It was exactly what the Federation was built on.
Her knees suddenly felt weak and she sat down, leaning against the cold wall of the caves.
It was already sunrise. The guide book said the temporary shelters could only be used at night hours.
It was mandatory to vacate them at sunrise and resume the grueling journey to get to the other side of Evernight.
They would have to hit the road again, or the mud paths, or risk whatever consequences came with flaunting the rules.
And if there was one thing Sloane had learnt from the attack of the gatekeeper,
There was no hiding place in Evernight. Here, safety was a non-existent concept. And there was one rule to this no-rules hunt after all.
It was a simple rule, really.
'For the predators to hunt, it was essential that the prey stayed on the move.'
'Play your part.' Vice Chancellor Hannes had said.
"You know we have to leave, right?" Denna broke the tense silence, eyeing a trembling Sloane. "Staying in one place is even more dangerous. The sooner we get to Eclipsera, the safer we'll be."
Battered and bandaged, Denna's composure was as intact as it had been in the carriage. Sloane envied it.
She exhaled sharply, reaching for her satchel with shaky hands, she got up to her feet. "We had better make it to a supply cave and find something to treat your injuries."
"We'll have a better chance of surviving if we're both in good condition." Sloane offered a small smile.
Denna returned the smile, nodding firmly.