The Escape

I pull myself and stand on the window, leaning a bit over the side of it and look down briefly. It is just rocks. I look back up and gulp down again. I survived getting attacked by wolves, I can do this. I bend my knees and ready myself to jump and count to myself to jump.

1, 2, 3!

I lunge forward reaching my arms and grab just the tip of the branch and it starts making bending a bit but I think I am good. I start pulling myself up only for me to hear cracking and snapping. I look up and see the branch beginning to snap I quickly swing myself over to the tree base and

I grab it with both arms and legs tightly.

"Okay, okay...I am out. Now I need to get down from the tree." I say to myself in an attempt to boost my confidence

I start trying to slide myself down but my arms feel too irritated since I have no sleeves and I get a few scratches. Wish I had thicker scales. As I reach the bottom of the tree and look up to the window I realize it was not 3 stories, it was 5...I suck at estimating.

I look back at the ground level I am at, and begin running around the building toward where the front entrance. As I walk out in front of the building. I take one look at it and say goodbye in my head. I begin running over to the sidewalk and down the street and run to where busy it is. As I look around, I realize I have no map or understanding of the layout of the city. But I have seen movies where the child finds their way home even when they are lost, so I will too!

I start walking and walk by other people who only briefly look at me. I look at the sky and breath in the disgusting air. I dislike cities now...

*Meanwhile, elsewhere hours later*

Ariel is sitting at her office desk in her apartment and is working on something related to her job. She begins tapping while her foot's heel raises and falls back down as she thinks. She takes her left hand and picks up a cup of coffee, since it is 8:39 am.

*Sighs*

"Why is this so bloody hard" she whispers to herself

I have done this before and yet this is taking me longer to do. I should've finished this yesterday but instead, it has taken me till now...She puts her right hand on her laptop screen and pulls it shut.

"Uuuuuugh...." she groans in annoyance

As she leans back in her chair and sees the hung-up image of Codaka, Arla, Alissa, and herself. She begins to look at it for a few seconds and her eyes widen. She looks at the clock and takes both her hands and rubs her face.

"Ugh...Screw it" she says to herself getting up from her chair and walking out of the office. She begins prepping her hair and makeup and readies herself to leave her apartment.

*20 minutes later*

She gets her shoes on and walks out the door and locks it securely and makes her way out of the apartment.

*Meanwhile at the same time*

My feet are starting to hurt...By this time it has been maybe hours. The sun is rising at this point, and I feel cold a bit. I walk over to a bench and sit down next to a male human who is wearing a suit and holding a briefcase. I assume he is waiting for a bus. I am just here to rest my small feet.

*5 minutes later*

As I am sitting a blue bus drives up next to the sidewalk and the man in the suit stands up and walks over to the entrance.

*Fwsheeeze*

The bus door opens with an odd whistle to them, and the man walks in and takes a left on the bus. I sit there looking at the driver who is a dark-skinned woman with black hair. Wearing a blue uniform and a ponytail.

"Are you coming on kid?"

"Uhm, no thank you," I say swinging my legs back and forth and my tail just flicking occasionally.

"Hmm, fine then," she says pulling a lever and the door begins to close

*Fwsheeeze*

The bus begins to drive away and I am now alone again. I stand up and feel my feet ache a bit in soreness. I might've been walking for too long...Too late to turn back, I don't even remember the orphanage is. I take a left and walk down the sidewalk and I notice the sky is relatively grey. Cloudy actually. Hope it doesn't rain. I have nothing but the clothes Ariel gave me days ago.

*Meanwhile elsewhere minutes later*

Ariel is in her car driving with both hands on the wheel and her right hand squeezing more tightly on the wheel than needed. Causing her hand to sweat.

"Shit...I am too stressed out. I just need to calm down." she says to herself releasing her sweaty right hand off the steering wheel.

*tic*

Her eyes flick into focus mode and she notices a small spec of water on her windshield

*tic *tic* *tic*

Then another, and another, and more droplets of water begin to rain down on the window. She flicks the windshield wipers on as the rain begins to build up. Becoming fairly aggressive within a few seconds. Like she just drove right into a rainstorm.

*Sigh*

"Not ideal, but not a problem" she whispers to herself

*Meanwhile elsewhere an hour later*

*CRASH*

As thunder booms in the sky and the sky turn misty and gray, Codaka is holding both of his arms tightly as his tail drags in the pools of water on the sidewalk. People rushing, holding umbrellas, or too busy to notice him go by without a thought of him.

*Sniffle*

I take ym right arm and rub my snout as I can't tell if it is getting runny from the rain running down my nose, or if it is cold enough that my nose is starting to build up something. My shirt, pants, underwear, socks, and overall everything are soaked in rain. I want to be home and warm in bed. Why did I leave the orphanage? No, it is too late now, can't think about

"why" but instead to keep going.

I take a left into a relatively dry alleyway that has drained, and a few thrown over trash cans and dumpsters. I move over to them and look inside a tipped-over trashcan, and inspect it. As I look inside it is relatively dry, I then begin crawling inside of it for shelter. I start shivering in the cold and how wet I am and begin to sniffle. I hope I can find Ariel soon.

*Meanwhile elsewhere 1 hour later*

Ariel's car drives up into the orphanage parking lot and she begins taking some deep breaths.

"Okay, calm down...Geez, I hope he doesn't hate me for leaving him as well..."

Ariel gets out of the car and pulls her black raincoat over her head, locking the door behind her and walking to the orphanage's door. As she gets there and pulls the door open she pulls her hood back and asks the front desk.

"Hello?" she asks briefly waving over to the Arabian man sitting at the front.

"Hello ma'am, how may I assist you?" he asks moving around the front desk and reaching out his hand.

"Yes, uhm, as you would expect for someone coming to an orphanage I am here too....to...." she begins to slow down and think for a few seconds.

The man stands waiting for her to finish her sentence. He tilts his head slightly to the right and makes a face making sure the woman is alright and something wrong didn't happen

"Ma'am?" he asks reaching his hand out a bit to nudge her left shoulder

"H-huh? Oh, sorry. I lost my trade of thought for a moment." she says rubbing both her eyes.

"It is alright. Everyone always is nervous about adoption for the first time." It is a major life-changing decision. Might be equal if not bigger than having a biological child since you are choosing your child." he says while walking over to the door.

She stops for a moment and thinks again on her decision. Is what she is about to do a good thing for herself? Or does she just feel a temporary emptiness inside of herself? Or was she now in need of someone now? She has to think quickly as she is here now.

"I-I.....I believe I am ready" Ariel says composing herself. She straightens her back and walks over to the door being held open by the worker.

As she walks down the hall it is blue with while floors, with painted kid hand prints at different height levels and colors all on one wall. She eye's them and looks to the left side of the same hallway which has images of children with adults instead.

"Question, sir. What are the photo's of the children and adults on the left there for?" Ariel asks continuing to glance at them every few seconds. "There must be hundreds of these photo's."

"Those photo's are images of children who have been adopted." We of course ask permission if we may take a photo of them for the website to promote adoption, as well as showing the accomplishments of our establishment. So yes, there are hundreds of photo's, each with a store. Before you ask, on the right of the hallway with equally hundreds of children handprints are for children to leave a physical mark of there presence. Various shapes and sizes from different genders. When you look in closer detail you can tell the difference in a human girls hand, to a Wolven boy's hand. Also because they leave fur sometimes."

"Wow"

*Few minutes later*

Ariel has arrived to a door which has a blurred door. Which is most likely the head Orphanage manager.

*knock knock knock*

The orphanage worker knocks on the door and begins to speak to someone inside.