Moonrise

A teenage girl runs away from the problems she's been getting at home and befriends a lonely, baby wolf

Scarlet pulled her headphones over her ears and listened to her favorite song. She hummed the tune softly. "Scarlet? Are you there? It's time for school." Someone was running up the stairs. It was Mum. Scarlet stuffed her things into her brother's satchel, and jumped out of the window, clutching hard onto the bag.

She landed in Mum's prized rosebush, with the prickly thorns scratching her all over. Scarlet wriggled out of the bush, grabbed the satchel and ran down the street. Halfway there, she took out her water bottle to take a drink of water. After a few minutes of lighter jogging, she had run into the thick forest.

There was a reason for her running away, and it wasn't just because she had a test… and she didn't study. Scarlet had recently found to have some cases of depression, most likely linked to her favorite brothers' death, and now she was always teased at school.

Carefully washing off some bruises, and wrapping them with some nice, thick tissues, Scarlet pulled out her sleeping bag and set up a little campfire.

It had gotten dark by now. The woods grew eerie and cold, and Scarlet shivered, even though she was wrapped in a big blanket. Suddenly, something small and silvery bounded up to her. Why, it was a baby wolf! "You poor thing," Scarlet cooed, cuddling the little furry creature, "where's your mama?" The little wolf licked Scarlet and yapped twice. Scarlet hugged the wolf, and together, they fell asleep under the moonlight.

After a few more days of trekking through the thick forest, it was clear Scarlet was lost. Scarlet tried to keep happy and calm, just so the little wolf, whom she named Moon, wouldn't worry. They had food that Scarlet had packed, and Moon was an excellent hunter. But Scarlet began to miss her family, and the few friends that she had. Mum, Isabella, Lilly. Her brother and dad were both in heaven, but she still missed them.

Together, the little silvery Moon and Scarlet walked, hour after hour, day after day. After walking for seven hours straight, Scarlet plopped on a rock and started to cry, big tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh, Moon! I oh so regret running away from my home!" Moon, the best companion as always, snuggled against her reassuringly.

After a few more hours of walking, Moon suddenly jumped up and started chasing after something. It looked like a.. dead rabbit? Something was luring Moon away! "Moon!" Scarlet shrieked, tripping over her own shoelaces, "Moon! Come back!" Obligingly, Moon, turned around and pranced back, as elegant as a ballerina. "Oh, Moon," Scarlet laughed, hugging her friend. It was too late when she heard the gruff voices, and someone punched her from behind. She tripped, fell, and cut herself badly on the rough forest floor. Suddenly, everything was black.

Scarlet didn't know why she woke up in a dingy little hut at the edge of the forest, or why five little ugly, tiny men were sitting around her carrying knives, bows, arrows, and swords. "Why hello there, my little pretty!" the biggest out of the small men said when he noticed Scarlet awaking. He turned around to his friends, smiling cruelly, "isn't she a pretty little thing?" Scarlet glared at them.

"Watch who you call little!" she countered, not bothering to ask why she was sitting in a cage. "Who are you idiots anyways?" Scarlet heard the little men muttering and getting angry.

"You are in the Shack," one of the ugliest men said proudly.

"I can see that," Scarlet grumbled, "it's so filthy in here." More muttering. "Hey, where's Moon?" she gasped. Suddenly, she was very, very angry. "WHERE IS MY FRIEND?" she yelled, "TELL ME WHERE MY FRIEND IS OR I'LL STEP ON YOUR HEADS ONE BY ONE!" The little men burst out laughing.

"First off, your friend is out there," one man said, pointing outside to a place I couldn't see. "Second of all, how are you gonna step on our heads all tied up, huh?" I smiled, obviously these were people who had never heard of school. I had a plan.

"I'm so thirsty," I whined, "and hungry. And dirty. Fetch me a bath… my nails just got painted, they're going to get chipped in here… You're all so smelly, you have to take baths too… no not in the same bathtub as mine, ew, that's gross!" The little men were close to pulling off their ears.

"STOP!" one of them yelled, "Please! We'll do anything, just stop whining!"

"Then do what I said! Get out of my sight, and fetch me a bath! Clean up this junky shack of yours! Be more hygienic!" I wailed, still in my whining voice. Then, while they were bustling about, I pulled out a small knife that I had brought (just in case I needed it), and cut the ropes. While no one was looking, I stood up silently, and hopped out the window.

Moon was hanging from a tree, moaning softly. There was a rope to her neck, like it was choking her to death. Quickly, Scarlet cut the rope off, catching little Moon in her arms before she hit the ground. Moon was bloody, everywhere. There were cut marks, and her once silvery fur was stained red. Moon's eyes were half closed, and blood was coming out of her mouth. "Moon!" Scarlet whispered, "Wake up. For me, please." One of Moon's eyes opened all the way. Scarlet started to cry. "Moon…" Scarlet wailed, "for me. For you."

Scarlet decided with a little bit of rest, Moon should be able to get better. She ran back into the woods, and never again did she see one of the little men. Scarlet set up camp on the edge of the woods, but she made sure that she had walked a long, long time before stopping. She didn't want to run and hurt Moon, so the journey took up a whole day. Finally, Scarlet set up a little tent made out of tree branches she had found, and extra clothes that she had brought.

"I won't lose you too, Moon," Scarlet whispered to her friend one night. Moon was rolling around on her furry mat that Scarlet made just for her. Moon was already getting better, but still walked with a big limp and kept moaning. "I've already lost my entire life. Mum, Dad, my brother Alex… Moon, let me tell you a story."

"My brother was called Alex. I'm 13, and he was 16. Sometimes he was the best person in the universe, but other times he was just annoying. My brother was always so nice to me. He understood the way I think, and he likes how I answer back and defend myself. He taught me all the survival skills I know, and he was the one who tutored me for school.

Then one day he started coughing a lot, and he had trouble breathing. He was having heart problems, but the doctor said he was fine. He died peacefully in his sleep, but I don't think it was fair at all. Alex was smart, nice, fun, and everything you want in a brother. Then he just.. was gone. One day, he was fine, and the next day suddenly his heart stops working. It's bloody not fair! I-I really miss him. A lot. That's why I ran away, you know."

I turned to face Moon. She had already fallen asleep, but I was still wide awake. I felt so much lighter, like all the weight I'd been carrying was gone. I realized that saying how I felt… really helped. Even when the friend you were talking to was more interested in snoring. Scarlet giggled, and fell asleep, dreaming of Alex.

The next day when Scarlet woke up, Moon wasn't moving. She was lying there, still and silent. She wasn't breathing either. "Moon!" Scarlet wailed, "Moon, oh no, Moon!" Scarlet cried, howling and yelling and bawling at the same time. "Not you, not you… please, no…" Scarlet sobbed, all hunched up and puffy-eyed. "You were the one thing I lived for, that made me keep on going… oh, this isn't bloody fair…" Scarlet moaned, waterfalls of tears pouring down her face.

Filled with agony and anguish, Scarlet grabbed the knife that she had brought, ran outside and closed her eyes.

Author's Note

Yes I know, I don't explain where the little men came from, and why Moon turned out all bloody and moaning. This is the story where you make guesses based on everything else. And yes, it's an open ending. You decide whether Scarlet commits suicide or whether she decides not to. I started this with a friend of mine, and completely rewrote it.