01

Harlan Blye ran. It was his only option now. The Guard on his tail, his momma didn’t want him and he hadn’t seen his father since he’d been three. He ran faster than he believed his legs could, far and deep into the forest where the trees would give him cover. The sweat blinded him and he wiped it away absently, focused solely on his escape. He needed to run farther, he could never stop running, if he did then-
 

"SHIT!"
 

Harlan fell hard. He never saw the log but it had sent him flying into the mud. His shoulder banged a rock and his right arm went suddenly numb. “Damn. Damn, damn, damn.” He thought. Now, laying still he could think. Think about his arm, his mother, his sister. “No. Push her far from your mind.”  Harlan commanded himself.
 

He calmed himself the best he could. The sun was nearly setting now and he’d been running since early morning. He’d zigzagged and waded into a river to throw them off. No matter how frightened he was, no matter how much he wanted to keep running, his body told his it was time to rest.
 

Harlan tried to sit up and his legs gave out under him, complete rubber. The exhaustion was only hitting him now, coming down unto his shoulders like a thousand pounds of brick and concrete. He’d never get up with rubber legs, a numb right arm and barely enough energy to lift a feather. Instead he mustered all the energy he had to flip himself onto his back.
 

He was mud covered, exhausted and on the run but even Harlan succumbed to sleep.
 

Only nightmares awaited him. Horrible nightmares so real and so vivid it was as if Harlan was living them again. His sister, she greeted him into his new world of terror and betrayal, laughing as if possessed.

Harlan knew it was a dream, he hoped and prayed and wished that it was only a dream; that he’d wake up and be back in his old life. No, he realized. His old life was gone, irretrievable even to God or Devil.
Harlan awoke screaming. For the first time in his life, he had a reason to scream.
 

“Mornin’ sleepy.” He heard. It was a sweet voice, soft and warm like a blanket warmed by a fireplace.
Harlan propelled himself in a crabwalk away from the voice, grateful to find his arm and legs in working order. His adrenaline was already pumping. He prepared himself mentally to run or even fight if it was necessary.
 

“You’re a quick one.” That voice again, calming him. “I like that. Come over here, I made breakfast.”
Something in that voice compelled Harlan to obey. He stood up, still unsure of his legs and could smell the familiar odor of fish permeating the air.
 

“Breakfast?” He murmured. His voice cracked a little and he rubbed the fog of restless sleep from his eyes. He didn’t really believe but a girl, fit and tan skinned sat in front of a camp fire. Her black tail was wagging back and forth slowly and her pierced ears twitched at the gnats that assaulted them. Her face was round and her smile charming. She was tall and naked other than a small loincloth tied at her waist. In all his 20 years of living aran had never see a Doggirl like her.
 

 “That’s what I said. I built a small fire, caught a couple fish in that river you waded in and fried them up.” She smiled more and flipped the fish to the other side.
 

“How did you know I went into the river?” Harlan was nervous now.
 

 “I can smell it on you. You may not smell human anymore but now you still smell like fish shit. It’d be hard not to find you with the scent and the screaming.”
 

“I was screaming?”
 

“All night. Like this…” The girl took a deep breath and let out a bloodcurdling screech.
 

Harlan winced at the noise and coved his ears. He looked at her and watched the scream die slowly and the girl smiled again. He took his hands off his ears. “Thanks for that but I know what a scream sounds like.” Suddenly, it dawned on him. He’d been screaming all night then that meant they were probably one their way to drag him back.
 

The girl tilted her head to one side. “You’re running right?”
 

Harlan was nervous again and pretty sure this girl was psychic. “How do you know that?”
 

“Your eyes, the smell of fear and sweat you just developed, the screaming you did and the tracks leading here were left at a runner’s pace. It’s obvious really. But you don’t have to worry. I can’t smell any other humans around for miles. I think you lost ‘em.”  That beautiful smile again, she never took it off. Curls just barely formed at the edges of her full lips. “So will you finally come over here and sit with me?”
 

Harlan wasn’t sure about it but that fish smelled too good to resist. He took a seat in the soft grass next to the girl.
 

“That’s it!” She giggled and tapped Harlan’s shoulder, nearly knocking him over. “Here, you get the big one.” She handed Harlan a rather lengthy fish impaled on a stick. It was a little burnt but edible and Harlan ate greedily, his hunger only now surfacing.
 

“Damn boy. That ain’t now way to eat in front of a lady,” Her smiled disappeared. Total silence fell over Harlan and he slowly lowered the fish away from his mouth.
 

A moment passed and then she beamed that smile again. “Helluva good thing there isn’t a lady around for miles.” She tapped his shoulder again, giving a big laugh and Harlan went back to eating messily.
 

“So what’s your name, cutie?” The girl asked. She was busily poking at the embers from the fire, sending up and small flickers.

“Harlan Blye. You?” Small flakes of food dropped out of his mouth as he spoke.
 

“Name’s Juniper. You can call me June or Queen McSexyBitch, whichever you prefer.” She turned her head to look at Harlan with those deep blue eyes and Harlan foud it impossible to tell if she was kidding or completely serious. Either way he found it amusing, cracking a smlie for the first time in days.
 

“June is fine by me.” Harlan finished what was left of the fish and tossed the remains aside.
 

“You ate that fish well. Suppose that makes me a good cook.”  June said, flipping her hair. She was apparently impressed with herself.
 

“You sure are.” Harlan licked his fingers
 

“I’m good at other things too.” She ducked her head, almost shyly.
 

“Yea? Like what?”
 

“Let me show you.” June turned and began to crawl to Harlan slowly, on all fours. The joking shy girl she had been was gone; her intentions clear in her bedroom eyes. She closed in bringing her lips and body closer and closer to Harlan’s.