"The Chase" by Marijke Mahieu

Tree trunks flashed by, each one flowing into the next by the mere speed of the figure running between them. The twigs they had dropped weeks ago now snapped easily underfoot as a young boy rushed through the old forest, his feet desperately trying to find a way amidst the many heavy oaks.

His bright green eyes squinted to slits as he tried to focus on his surroundings, making sure he wouldn’t slip on the leaves or stumble over the many gnarled roots that stuck out at verious odd-looking angles. It looked as if the world had been turned upside down. The once lush canopy had now sunk down towards the forest floor, adjusted by the season to look like a thick blanket of foliage, hiding the treatcherous root parts.

Leaves sprang up under his hurrying feet, falling back down in a whirpool of browns, greens and reds. The boy didn’t stop to admire the rich autumn colours or to worry about the obvious tracks his passing was leaving. He didn’t care about the rustling of the leaves or the cracking noises of the twigs that got crushed under his boots.

There was only a single thing on his mind: run!

The same gust of wind that ruffled the boy’s light hair passed over him, played through the dry leaves for a moment and then stroked through the thick fur of the animal close behind. The canine creature snapped angrily at some of the leaves that were carried by the wind, showing two rows of gleaming white teeth, sharp as daggers. The snarl stayed on its muzzle while it increased its pace and focussed on the target in front.

The boy looked over his shoulder quickly. The wolf was still behind him. He tried to run even faster and said a quick, silent prayer to his goddess, asking to grant him the speed of the eagle so he could outrun the creature that followed him.

His breath came out in anxious little puffs, leaving a faint trail of white steam in the cold air, as he hurried on, trying to shake off the wolf. His stinging lungs were telling him he wouldn’t be able keep this up much longer, but his legs took no notice. They kept on moving as fast as they could.

The boy’s bow had obviously been slung onto his back in a hurry. It was swinging dangerously from the nervous running, almost as wildly as the dead rabbit that hung from the boy’s other shoulder. Without slowing down or looking behind him, the boy tried to grab both the bow and his supper more closely, not wanting to have to leave either of the two behind.

And then it happened.

One of his feet, delving deep into the dense forest carpet while hurrying on, got stuck under a conceiled arched tree root and the boy fell face down into the soft bed of brightly coloured leaves. As the boy turned around and attempted to crawl to his feet, his eyes widened at the animal that was now almost upon him.

The wolf leapt...

...and jumped over the boy with a grin on its face. “I told you you can’t win from me! Why do you keep challenging me?” it spoke to the sulking kid “Come on! Hand over my prize.”

The young boy sighed and tossed the rabbit towards the wolf. “One day, I’ll beat you at running, Paws. Just like dad! You just wait and see!” He grinned as he scratched his furry companion behind the ears.