Running, running, running.

It was all Edie had done for the better part of the day. Run and run and run until her chest felt as though it might burst and her lungs threatened to give out on her. But even though her legs ached and her muscles pleaded for her to stop, it wasn't that that made her break. No, that alone resided deep in her heart. The knowledge of what she'd seen... no, no, no. No. She would not think about that now. The instant she allowed herself to think of it she knew she wouldn't be able to keep going. She would fall apart and lay on the ground and give up. And what good would that do?

The deep forests on the outskirts of Sacrosanct were where she finally allowed her legs to give way to a walk, though that lasted only a few steps before she doubled over. Her lungs burned as she fought both for oxygen and against the stomach acid that threatened to overtake her. It had been two long years since she'd stepped last into these forests. She had thought on the last weeks of travel that she'd feel overjoyed stepping back into these forests. She'd thought that she'd feel the familiar tug of her pack to lead her home. But she felt... nothing. No pull. No joy. Nothing but that empty pang in her chest.

She had to keep going. And so she pressed herself forward again, stopping every few minutes when she thought she heard the rustle of the trees behind her. Was she being followed? Were they still after her? Were they following her? No. No, it was just the trees. The wind. Animals. Her mind raced in hysterics and paranoia as she continued forward. She tried, desperately tried, to keep her walk steady, but before she could stop herself she was running again.

She kept her pace steady as she ran, only slowing down once she saw the familiar houses of the neighborhood she'd once called home. She forced herself again to slow as she made her way down the street. It was only when she approached the steps of Frost's home did she stop completely, suddenly too worn to go any farther. She was alone on the street, or at least, as alone as she could be save the growing being in her stomach. She wrapped her arms around her body, letting out a choked noise as she thought about the tiny human growing inside of her. Just this morning she'd been overjoyed about the baby. Just this morning, she and Kato had discussed the way they would raise their child as they laid under the stars. But now... Now Kato was... and she was...

Tears sprang from her eyes as the thoughts crept up on her. They had been journeying home when the Hunters had come across them. They'd tracked them for hours before they had advanced and caught them. And Kato... Kato had pushed her forward and told her they'd meet up again soon. Even then, as he'd gripped her in the woods and promised they'd be together in a matter of hours, she'd known. She'd known what he was sacrificing for her. For both her and their child. He'd pushed her forward with no regard for himself and she'd ran and ran and ran.

And now she was here, where they'd wanted to end up. Back at the pack home that Edie had missed so dearly. Where she had prepared to return to with her husband and child. Where she wanted to raise her family with the knowledge that they were safe in the sanctuary that was the city. But those dreams had been shattered in a matter of hours and now all she could do was fall apart on the steps of Frost's home. Even sitting outside her pack home, she'd never felt as alone as she did now. She was broken. Hurt. Hopeless. And all she could bring herself to do was sit and wait for the man who was not coming.