Songs to listen to while reading:
Wolves by Selena Gomez and Marshmello
Walking the Wire by Imagine Dragons

Even though it was mid-morning, it was still terribly cold. I shook uncontrollably from the iciness that seeped through my bones. With each step forward, my combat boots flicked clumps of snow onto my clothes, which, before long, soon became a sopping mess. A long path of shuffled footprints trailed behind me in the snow as I trekked deeper and deeper into the forest.

The sun was up, but I could barely see it. There was no light in this place. It was just damp, cold, and dark. Every time I heard the snapping of a twig or a rusting of leaves, I would yank my knife out of my belt and look around wildly. I was being paranoid and I knew it, but I would much rather be safe then sorry.

Finally, after a few hours, I decided to check on my whereabouts. With a little difficulty, I scaled a nearby elm tree and sat on the top of one of the highest branches. It was completely leafless and covered with ice, but the vantage point it provided was better than anything else I could've ask for.

While I sat there, marvelling at the amazing, snow-covered creation sprawled below me, I dug into the brown paper bag Eunice had given me earlier. I was delighted to see the gingerbread biscuits and rolls of bread that she'd packed inside. Ravaged with hunger, I dug in, thankful that I could at least fill the void in my stomach.

After fifteen minutes, I had a pretty good idea of where to go, I decided it was high time to leave the safety of the tree and continue on my way. If I kept going in a north-easterly direction, which would, at times, take me off the path that wound it's way through the thick woods, I would eventually arrive at the base of Eagle Crest Peak. From there, I would climb ... up. Hopefully somehow, somewhere, maybe on the other side of the range, there'd be the answers I was looking for.

I trudged on, stopping every few hours to fill up on much-needed essentials such as food and water. I tried to cover my tracks as best as I could, but it wasn't easy, particularly as my prints showed so easily in the snow.

I knew all of Precipitous was looking for me, plus the hordes of invaders and spies that the Author would, no doubt, soon send out. If only I could clear this valley before the Author opened our book once more! I would feel a lot safer up in the mountains. There wouldn't be a lot of places for invaders to hide up there, but here? Every which way I turned there was a hundred different spots where one could be hidden. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all.

It must've been in the early hours of the afternoon that I first saw him. Knife gripped tightly in my hand, scarf fastened securely around my neck, I was walking, as fast and as soundlessly as I could push myself to go. Suddenly, I heard a crackling of dead leaves behind me and instantly came to a stand-still. I whirled around, knife at the ready, but I couldn't see a thing.

A few twigs started snapping, then more leaves were rustled around. The plod-plod of walking feet hitting the snow reached my ears and in that instant, I knew I wasn't alone. Something or someone was out there ... and whatever it was was coming straight for me!

I bit my lip so hard it split and started to bleed. My knuckles turned white. My whole body had grown rigid and tense. My heart began to beat harder and harder.

"C'mon, c'mon," I whispered, trying to hide the quiver in my voice. I wanted to be domineering, to look like I was the one who should be feared, however, I knew that that wasn't the case ... at all. Whatever was out there was probably laughing at how tiny, scared and fragile I looked.

A low growl rippled through the air. I snapped my head around in the direction of the noise and my eyes widened in horror. A lone wolf stood atop a snowy bank lining the edge of the road. His fur was matted and contained particles of dried blood and dirt. His ears were perked forward with interest. His sharp, rotting teeth faintly showed beneath his partially opened mouth. His beady yellow eyes watched me warily as he slowly descended down onto the road in front of me.

My hand helplessly shook as I held the knife out in front of me. "Stay ... away ... from ... me," I warned, my voice trembling with fear. "Stay away!"

The wolf continued to walk forward, however, not at all bothered by the knife glinting in my hand.

I tried to swallow down my panic. Should I run? No. That would be stupid. He would chase me down and tackle me from behind. Should I stay? No. The wolf wasn't stopping. He would tear me apart. I would have no chance against him.

What should I do? What should I do? C'mon, brain, think! Think!

Suddenly, the wolf stopped. He was now only a mere metre away. Cautiously, he stretched forward his nose and began sniffing at the strap of my backpack! It took every ounce of energy I had not to flinch and draw back.

Wait a minute ... he doesn't want to attack ME! He wants my food! I realised.

Slowly, as not to startle the creature into a rage, I slipped my backpack off of my shoulders and set it on the ground. Laying my knife down on the ground nearby, I never took my eyes off of the wolf as I unzipped it and reached inside for the paper packet of food I'd been given. Withdrawing it, I felt around for some strips of dried meat and once found, I chucked them out onto the snowy path in front of me.

The wolf bent down to examine the food before quickly snatching it up in his mouth and chewing it into nothingness. He gazed back up towards me and I shook my head. I hardly had any food as it was. I couldn't give him any more.

As if he understood my predicament, the wolf unexpectedly turned and darted away.

I stared after his retreating figure in shock. That was very ... unusual.

I tried to shrug off the incident but I was scared, scared the wolf would be back soon ... with more of his friends. I had to lose him and fast!

I sidetracked, backtracked and more in an effort to shake my scent and get the wolf off of my trail. But deep down, I knew, that I wasn't gonna lose him anytime soon. He probably knew every inch, nook and cranny of this vast place. I, on the other hand, had NO idea where I was going or where I'd end up.

During the rest of that afternoon, I kept catching glimpses of the lone wolf. Just a tail disappearing around a tree, a flash of grey fur or a wet dark nose protruding from a bush. I was thoroughly alarmed by this time. It didn't matter what I did, the wolf stuck to me like a leech. I couldn't get rid of him. Was he waiting until I was weak and vulnerable? Was he trying to lead me into a trap or an ambush? Was he simply hanging around so I would give him more food? I had no idea. Nor did I want to know. I just wanted the wolf to go.

As evening drew on and long shadows fell across the ground, I was forced to stop and find a place to set up camp. I didn't feel at all comfortable just lying on the ground, so I picked a good sturdy tree and made my bed on one of the branches halfway up the trunk. As night fell, I made a small fire at the base of the tree and warmed myself. Next, I melted some snow to put into my water bottle for the next day. Then I heated up some canned soup and devoured it with great gusto.

Next, I dug around in my bag for the plastic sleeve containing the codes. Pulling my hood up even tighter around my head, I withdrew the papers with shivering hands and studied them carefully, like I had done so many times before. Surely there was something I was missing.

"If you've come this far, you must beware,
There are enemies everywhere.
But you are brave and you are strong,
I know you can carry on.
However, no one can you trust,
And no one must you tell.
The horizon is closer than ever before,
The eagle's crest is near.
Travel there and you will see,
The next part of the puzzle is the key," I murmured to myself.

The key? Would I find the next clue up on Eagle's Crest? Or a literal key? What if wasn't either though? What if this 'key' was SOMEONE I had to talk too, who knew the way out? What if it was a special item I was to find that could free us? Whatever it was, whoever it might be, I had to find it. But I had no idea where on earth I would even START looking. It would obviously not be right out there in the open for everyone to see ... but then, if it was too subtle, I might be dumb enough to go straight past it! If only I had more time ...

I sighed and stuffed the codes back into the plastic sleeve. Grumbling and moaning about my circumstances was not going to change a thing. I just had to accept what was going on and move on with it.

A rustling of leaves in the distance made me sit up straight and scan my surroundings intently. The dancing flames of the fire reflected off of the nearby bushes and trees. Even though I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, I knew that every move I made was being watched. I could just feel it and it sent tingles of fear up my spine.

When it was completely dark, in fact, so dark I could barely see my hand in front of my face, I reduced the fire to a pile of hot coals and clambered up the tree to my specified branch. Settling myself on it, I wrapped a coil of rope around my body to prevent me from falling during the night. Then I snuggled myself deeper into my jacket and wrapped an extra woolly blanket around myself.

As I closed my eyes, I felt a wet, feathery substance land on my face and neck. I lifted my hand and wiped at it, realising it was snow. It was starting to snow!

I groaned and laid my head back against the tree-trunk. Perfect.

It was really hard to get to sleep after that. I only dozed off and on during the long, nighttime hours that stretched ah ead of me. Morning couldn't come soon enough.

Gif: Hayley watches the wolf.

A/N: I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of my readers!!! Thx for reading my story, it means the world. I feel so excited about how many reads this book has gotten, 700+? It's soo close to 1k, I'm squealing with delight!!! Tysm for that!!!! Thank you for ur continual support, I really appreciate it. So do any of u's like how the mystery is developing? What did u think of Hayley's encounter with the wolf? Tbh I'd have probably screamed myself hoarse and ran off. 😂😂 oooo, we have an official ship name for Daniel & Hayley by @Serenity_Zodiac : Dayley!!!! Thanks for that, girl!!! Whatcha all think?? Do anyone even ship these 2?? Hope u enjoyed & pls don't forgot to comment & vote if u did! Love ya's all & hope u enjoy the rest of your week!!! 😁❤️❤️

Word Count: 2,040