Darkie scanned the area as he and 2 others sprinted through the forests of Washington. They were headed south, to possibly try to escape out of the country. He knew he wouldn't be able to but hopefully he could get Heather and Christine out. One of them, Heather, was a natural meta, but something had happened to her so the goverment wanted her to be caught. Natural metas were fine as long as they kept their powers secret. Darkie was on the run by himself but as he travel across the U.S. He had met Heather and Christine, they both looked like normal humans and if Christine didn't have a number on her wrist you would think she was a normal human. He on the other hand, couldn't blend in with the humans. His inky eyes and semi-abnormal height. He turned his head and looked back at the two girls, "We've lost him, so we should rest." He said, as he slowed down to a walking pace. Christine saw Darkie stop running, but she kept going, making three circles in the air around the small group of runaways she belonged to before finally landing. "Good idea, Darkie!" she agreed immediately, sounding excited despite everything that had happened to her. "You're just full of good ideas. I think I'd be lost without you." She grinned. "Or dead." Her grin grew a little smaller. Heather put her hands on her knees, kind of leaning on them for support. "Can't he, like, smell us or something?" She walked over to a tree and sat down among the roots. She felt at home in forests, and this one was no exception. "Wolves have excellent noses." Devin watched as Christine landed, "I used to be a friend of Wolfe's, so I know what he's like." He kept his expression blank and kept his posture stiff, not wanting to show that he was hurt by Wolfe turning on him. He allowed his gaze to shift to Heather. Darkie studied her for a moment, the poor girl seemed so tired. She most likely didn't have a stamina like his or Christine. He walked towards her and sat down. "I never said how long we would be here, but you need to rest." He paused, "I might carry you." Heather pursed a lips. "I can get a bird to be a sentry, if you'd like. We can all catch up on some sleep." Christine made a face. For a split second she'd thought Heather was talking about her. Darkie looked at her, "Yeah I guess you could do that." He said, shifting, and standing up. Heather nodded. She scanned the trees, then closed her eyes. When she was younger, she'd perfected bird language. She could naturally understand it, but she learned to speak it, to. Birds liked it better if you spoke their language. Heather let out a loud bird call, then froze. She heard a couple responses. She called again. This time, a flutter of wings. A brightly colored cardinal swooped down from the trees, landing just in front of her. Heather chirped a couple of times, informing him that they needed a sentry to watch their backs for a couple of hours. He chirped back, telling her that he wasn't busy at the moment and could keep an eye out. Heather chirped her thanks, then turned to Darkie. "He'll help us." Christine nodded, relieved. She'd gladly trust a bird with her life. Darkie looked at the bird, suspicious of it at the moment. It was a bird, and he couldn't talk to it. His eyes narrowed, somewhat hostile, "Fine, get some rest now that we have a sentry." A bird surely wouldn't be able to escape a wolf, nor would it know that Wolfe was a wolf. He then memorized the terrain, "I'll lead Wolfe elsewhere so you two are safe," Their protection was his concern at the moment. Besides he didn't need to sleep as often as they did, something that had to do with his stamina. He took in the scents of the forest, the breeze was on their side so he could faintly smell Wolfe's. Christine didn't want Darkie to go. What if he got hurt? If she asked him about it, he'd probably tell her not to worry or that he could take care of himself just fine, so she didn't protest. She just waved him off with her hand. "Have fun!" Darkie sounded concerned. Heather understood that, and gave the bird a couple more instructions. He flew off. She got comfortable in the roots. "Don't get hurt." He studied their faces, he knew Christine didn't want him to leave, out of fear of him getting hurt. He nodded as they spoke, "I won't get hurt." He sprinted into the dark of the woods following Wolfe's scent. From the smell Wolfe was in a human state, which would make it somewhat harder to see him.
Christine sat down right where she was, a defeated look on her face. She already knew she would never be able to sleep, but she had to at least try, or her day tomorrow would be miserable. She flopped down, her wings splayed out in awkward places, one drooping over her face and the other thrown out to the side. This usually happened when she slept, so it wasn't a problem. The ground was comfortable enough, so her comfort wasn't a problem. It was Darkie. It was true; he could handle himself, but there she lay worrying anyway, probably for no reason. He will be fine, she told herself every few seconds. She moaned. Darkie kept on running, until he stood face-to-face with Wolfe. The guy was slightly taller than him but not intimidating towards him. "Hey dog!" He challenged. Wolfe saw Darkie approach him and call him dog, his emerald eyes narrowed, hunching, before leaping out and turning into a wolf. A growl rumbled in his throat, and so the chase was on it's way. Darkie's black magic enabled him to teleport short distances, at most maybe a mile or so, but he wouldn't be able to teleport for a while. He turned and ran through the forest, leading Wolfe east. He could lead him a couple of miles east and teleport back a mile, leaving no scent trail, and retrace his steps. So that's what his plan was, and it would let the girls rest for a while. The black haired child sprinted to the east, going up north a little bit. It would be a few hours, but the other trackers wouldn't be able to find them. Nope, Darkie had led Christine and Heather to the darkest part of the woods that no one usually entered, except for a lost hiker or something. Heather tensed in her sleep, as if she were having a nightmare. A couple of yellow roses popped up in the grass a few feet away. Darkie led Wolfe away and teleported back as close as he could and ran for about a half hour. When he came back he looked Christine, "You're not asleep?..." He whispered. He glanced at Heather, noticing her tensing. Christine shook her head slowly. "Nope, but thanks for doing all that anyway. I think Heather needed it." She patted the ground around her, nervous or something. Darkie sat across from her, "Yeah Heather needs the rest. You do too." He said, he could act like a parent. She seemed nervous and he noticed it, "What's on your mind?" Christine looked at the ground, embarrassed. "You." "I told you I wouldn't get hurt, and I'm not." He said, crossing his arms. Darkie sighed, and looked at Christine, "But every time I say I won't, I haven't been hurt, so you don't need to worry. Just try not to, Okay?" Christine pressed her lips together in a pained expression. "That's the problem, Darkie," she said, shaking him, "I did try! I really did, but nothing was different. I think there's something wrong with me." She sighed and whacked one of her wings out of her face. "Other than these giant wings, I mean." Darkie stifled a laugh as Christine shook her. "Fine, I'll try to limit when I leave as much as I can if you will sleep." He said quietly. He frowned as she said there was something wrong with her, "No, you have nothing wrong with you." Christine blinked a couple times. "You think so?" she asked, smiling. "Thanks, Darkie. I feel much better now." This was a lie, but she really thought they'd either wake up Heather or stay up talking until morning . . . which Christine had done often. She hugged Darkie for good measure. Darkie nodded, "Yeah, I do think so." He said quietly. His dark hair falling over his forehead, he brushed it back. When she said she felt better, Darkie recognized the lie. "You're lying." He said quietly. When Christine hugged him, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. It was a long hug. Like, really long woah. When Christine reluctantly ended it a while later, she murmured. "Fine, if I didn't feel better before, I actually do now." This time she was telling the truth. Darkie nodded, "Good, now get some sleep, you need it." He said quietly. Christine nodded and slowly laid herself down again. "I'll try, Darkie," she promised, a small half smile forming on her lips. Heather woke up, temporarily forgetting where she was. She sat up against the tree, looking around, and it all came back to her. Saving Christine, running for her life, the bird sentry . . . Darkie was blankly staring up at the sky, however, he heard Heather sit up. He looked at her, cleared his throat, "Morning," They would need to eat soon, but what could they eat. . . Heather rubbed her eyes, getting the sleep out. "Did you stay awake all night?" A smile grew on his face, for some reason that question amused him. "Yes I did." "That's not good for you." Heather said. She got to her feet, leaning on the tree. "Where are we going now?" (I ran out of space)
