• I ran in fear, ran in the pain of the moment. It seemed all that I had been doing was running my entire life. Yet I could change all this. But the horror of it all was too much; so I just ran.
    Okami was after me now, I could hear his claws raking across the concrete. I could hear the humans around us screaming and shrieking in shock and fear. We made a mistake. We showed ourselves to mortals, to the simple-minded humans. One human could threaten our existence; yet this many was as if we were begging to be killed.
    I could see the end of the road now; I had a clean break through the humans. Yet the people were in my way. I could never make it without killing someone. I couldn't run full-speed now, yet the world around me a blur and hum. All exept for Okami's claws clicking, and his snapping growls of warning.
    Damn it! Why won't these humans move? They're slowing me down, and Okami is catching up.
    I had to slow down, there was no way I could find a way to beat Okami at this speed; through this crowd. The spectators cried out and shrieked, it had to of been a scene straight out of a horror film.
    A pale girl running like a bat out of hell in the middle of a crowded city. A huge black wolf chasing her and manipulating her every move. Yet the speed, we were going faster than any human could wish to go, pushing toward sixty-miles-per-hour plus. We would go faster, yet this place had too many people.
    I growled under my breath , snarling at the ignorant spectators who were watching me. I would find a way out of this. Whether Okami and I murdered people or not. They were after us. The enemies we had been running from. They were silently following us from the shadows, taking care as to not let anyone see them.
    I leapt from the stairs at the edge of the side-walk, launching myself into the air. I landed a crushing blow to my ribs, yet continued to run. The violant spinning in my head made it hard to see where I was going. It seemed like a haze was covering my vision; making it difficult to concentrate. Yet I could still hear Okami's claws ripping across the cement, this was good. I hadn't lost him with my jump.
    I ran to the fountain in front of the tourist shops, leaping onto it. I gripped it tightly with my long, thin fingers, trying to find a better hold. I dug my long nails into the crevices of the tall fountain, climbing.
    I slung my body with a wave of fear onto the top, water coursing down my arms, dripping into the koi filled pool below. Yet I looked around slowly, my eyes grew wider, my heart beat faster and faster.
    I didn't see them. They could have tried a daring attempt like us, yet no. They had to hide to where it would be more difficult to see. Yet it would be even more difficult for them to find Okami and I if we made another random attempt to save our lives.
    A flash caught the corner of my eye from an alley. There, they're advancing now. Stalking us from the alleys and corners.
    Okami's snarl from under me set a new wave of panic through me. I had to move; anywhere. I did only what would have been expected. I leapt.
    I launched my body off the huge fountain, slinging my tiny weight onto the shop roofs. I hit the shangles with a harsh thud, sending a sudden aching through my body. I tried to force myself upward, attempted to get myself through this, tried to continue.
    I started to slide, my wet form slipping on the shangles and roof tiles. I tried to grasp the tiles, yet to no avail. I enveloped my hands with my jacket sleeves, trying to get a more firm grip. I felt my body slide off the roof, my world fading as I silently hoped Okami would save himself.
    A sudden pain in my throat alerted me of my new place. I felt the zipper of my jacket and my hood ends bite into my throat as I hung. I was being dragged upward, a violant snarling and clawing ringing in my ears.
    "Okami," I managed to gasp out one word through my pain and fear. I felt myself being slammed onto the roof as I was dragged at a furious speed. I struggled to get to my feet, yet Okami growled and bit into my hood with tension.
    He suddenly dropped me onto the hard shangles, several tiles flying over the edge and into the masses of people. I could hear them screaming and yelling as they watched in terror. I fought to get to my feet, praying that we'd make it.
    I began running full-speed on the roof-tops with Okami behind me. We were pushing speeds a car would go, our fears would only be true if we wouldn't. I wished he could go back to being a human at this moment. I didn't feel like focusing on every gesture and sound he made to have a conversation.
    We leapt the buildings, going higher and higher. We sent down a rain of different tiles as we feared for our existance. Getting seen by humans was the last thing on our minds. The real danger was all around us, unsen. The sunlight blinded us as we ran atop of the city, fighting to stay above the city instead of blow.
    Sudden snarls and growls sounded below us, Okami's old pack tracking us so cleanly and perfectly. They would have us for sure if we couldn't find higher ground. They weren't going to let him live for joining sides with a vampire. I suddenly leapt for the window ledge of an apartment, trying to find freedom.
    I missed, landing on the roof of an apartment higher than what I had intended on. This was good. I heard Okami's crude grunt as he hit the solid building behind me. I layed down onto my back; it was in the shadow of a hotel, no one would see us.
    Okami merged into a human, sighing as he heaved himself down by my side. I closed my eyes, his pack would take hours to track us down. They were too far below; and much too slow.
    "How the hell did they find me? We're not anywhere near the old territory! Lord," he sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets, "why do they have to be like this?""
    I laughed. It was always funny when he cussed; he put so much emphasis on it. "We still have hope. They can't gonna find us up here. We can continue running after a little rest. It never hurts." I unzipped my jacket, carefully taking it off.
    "Okami, look! Look at this," I pointed to the hood, "slobber. You drooled all over it. And you've gone and got your teeth to dig into it! Lord. You owe me a Skelanimals jacket."
    He popped open one eye, studying his work. "Sorry," he shrugged, "would you have rather died?" He smirked andleaned back down. I glared at him, muttering slowly, " I would rather have a jacket."
    He rolled his eyes, smiling. "Fine. I'll buy you a jacket, if we live long enough." I slit my eyes in protest; I was going to win. "Hot Topic?"
    I questioned him with a sense of self-satisfaction.
    "Fine," he rolled over to face me, "from Hot Topic." He smiled, knowing that through even this life-threatening danger, I was blonde enough to worry about something as simple as a jacket.
    I began humming, it almost seemed like a dream. "Ya know, Okami? This is actually sort of fun, in a bizarre way." I stood up, leaning my back against the back of the hotel. I stuck my tongue out, digging into my pocket. "Hmm....," I pulled out my cell phone, "I need to tell Rose and Tru about this."
    I turned my phone to the side, sliding up the top half so I could text easily. I rapidly began hitting the small buttons with my black thumb nails, texting. I finished it off with by sliding my tongue back into my mouth, closing my phone within my fingers and hiding my black nailed hands behind my back.
    I swayed back and forth on my Chuck Taylor tips, looking at the concrete roof below me. "'Tru, Rose, its imporant. I need you to call me when you get this. Come to Virginia whenever you get the chance. If I don't pick up, me and Okami might be dead. TTYL, Kitsune.'"
    I stopped looking at the ground, yet continued to sway, "Do you think that should work?" I walked to the edge of the roof-top, peering over the edge, "I don't see Riku and his pack."
    Okami sighed, yet I could tell he was relieved that we had friends somewhere. "Yeah. Sure, it should be enough. You didn't spell anything wrong again, did you?" He closed his eyes, rolling over and turning his back to me.
    "Oh," I slumped down to the cement, curling up into a ball. "Yeah, I spelt a couple of things wrong, I'm sure. I probably left out a couple letters. Yet wot does it matter," I curled tighter, " we might be dead by time they get--"
    I was cut off by a buzzing in my hand, my phone angrily buzzing. The familiar 'Sailor Song' ringtone was going off. I nearly leapt into the air in surprise, yelping like a frightened dog.
    Okami's laugh echoed through the summer breeze as I struggled to grasp the phone. "H-hello?" I timidly picked up.
    "Kitsune! Where are you?! Are you okay?" Rose's voice was screaming through the phone. "K-Kitsune! Hello? I'm here,too! Tell us where you are in Virginia!" Tru's voice was muffled by a crackiling sound; they appeared to be fighting over the phone.
    I glanced down to Okami, I raised one eyebrow. He nodded, so I set it on speaker phone. "Yeah, we're fine... for now, at least. I don't know how long we'll be safe." We huddled around my cell phone, I set it on the cement as our heads bumped into one another's from getting so close.
    "Good! Now, what damn thing is after you guys now, cuz, ya know. I wanna know." Tru's sarcastic voice. "Kitsune, Okami! Are both of you okay? Cuz I'll be damned if one of you have died." Rose.
    "All checked here. But we all should have paid attention in school; werewolves and shapeshifters are dangerous, a family group. So, my family is trying to kill us." Okami was breathing into the phone.
    "We're all a bunch of animals," I muttered under my breath. "That never paid attention in school." I could hear Rose and Tru laugh in recognition to what I meant. None of us dared to pay attention to school; and we were a bunch of animals. If werewolves and vampires even are animals.

    -----------------------


    After we got off the phone with Tru and Rose, we were running again. Exept now, we took breaks. It was on one of these, that Okami became hungry. His rumbling stomach made this all too clear.
    He groaned and rubbed it, "I miss popsicles." He sounded hungry, even. I raised one eyebrow and moved my hand toward him, I placed two thin fingers on his arm. He jumped.
    "You feel like an ice berg!" He was starring at me as if I was a stray animal. I snickered at this. "Don't you mean 'popsicle'?" He gave me a look that said 'what the ********, Kitsune.' Yet then he laughed, agreeing.
    "Yeah, a vampire flavored one. That'd be fruity. And no, I don't mean it in a delicious way." He smiled his wolfish grin. Heh. Wolfish grin. I retorted.
    "In the gay way, huh? Well," I closed my eyes and stepped forward like a british guard, spinning on my heel back to him, "if it was gay, it would be amazing. Most gay things are. Take that gay emo guy we saw at the mall. He was amazing, and he called me amazing. Plus, he loved the fact I was emo."
    "He was bi, hello. Besides, he kept eyeing you. In a weird way. Like you were the most glorious thing he'd ever seen. I didn't like that." He grimaced, and I thought of how he treated me like a younger sister.
    I spun out my phone, "I have his number. His name is Seth, you know."
    "Let's just get back on the subject of popsicles." He began walking along the apartment roof again. It was now night, and we were both at risk. "I'm still hungry, anyway." He fidgeted with his jacket, uncomftorable because of his hunger.
    I smiled, speaking loud enough for him to hear."I'm gonna be Adolf Hitler now," he stared at me in confusion, "exept I won't target the jews. I'll go for the popsicles." He laughed, staring at me in a weird way. He was still hungry, his stomach let it be known again.
    "Kyle, you stupid jew," he mimiced Cartman off of South Park. He had told me that used to be his favorite show. I just shook my head, I had actually known a kid named Kyle, and he was jewish.
    "Yeah, but Kyle will be safe. I'll just go massacre the freezer sections until no popsicle is left standing." I was thinking of it, me ripping through Wal-Mart, ripping popsicles to shreds. Okami put his input in with a smirk, "Yeah. That'll be the day."