Page 41 of Under A New Moon

Darla nodded her head, leaning against the wall. She wiped her eyes a few times. "I'm fine, but we do need a plan. This running is going to kill us, literally."

Galen knew that, and he knew they didn't have that many options right now. He also knew that he needed to warn the high elders and his father about the upcoming warfare. They needed to stop it because otherwise, they were going to have more than just a few deaths on their hands.

"Are you ok?" Darla asked, taking a step closer to him. She grabbed his hand, cupping it gently. "I know this is a lot. It wasn't your plan."

It wasn’t, but he had to keep moving forward. So, he tried to think of ways to get them both home.

"We need to take a bus that will drive us to Crescent City. It’s the fastest and most under the radar way we got. We should head to the station. It should only be a few blocks from here."

Darla looked at him, a little surprised, "Bus?"

He nodded, having them take a left on the next corner. Darla tried to keep up, watching as people slid past them quickly. It must be rush hour because she was pressing against people like crazy.

"We can catch a bus to Mt. Whitney. It might be a long ride, but it would be the smartest decision for us to take."

Darla pondered the thought for a moment as the bus station was coming into view. "Why a bus, though? Wouldn't it be fine if we took a plane ride to Crescent City? It would take half the time, and isn't that kind of what we are working against? The clock?"

As true as that fact may have been, Galen wasn't ready to risk it. Yes, the trip would take longer by bus, but he wasn't confident he could keep both of them safe in Crescent City, let alone on an airplane.

"I can't promise it's safe. Besides, I know that the bus won't be as busy. We can glide in without people noticing us."

Darla nodded. She couldn't deny their safety was the top priority after everything.

They walked into the bus station, and the area was busy but less crowded than the street. Galen had Darla sit while he went to grab the tickets. He paid in cash and bought some seats in the back. It would be empty enough to slip in without being noticed yet, quiet enough where they could catch some sleep.

Darla looked exhausted, and they could use some shut-eye during the ride. Galen was running on fumes and needed a good sleep. Even a few hours for a nap would be great.

He walked back to Darla, showing her the tickets, "We board in twenty minutes."

She smiled, faintly and he could tell she was starting to dwindle on energy.

"Want to grab something quickly before we get on?"

Darla nodded, needing something. They headed to a small gift shop on the edge of the station, and both grabbed some sandwiches. They took a seat at a bench and relaxed for a moment while eating.

"So..." Darla spoke up, biting on her lower lip softly, "What is the plan when we get to our destination?"

"Hopefully to find my father, Armand. It might not be an easy task. The pack is wild, and they are hard to get in contact with, and considering I have been avoiding them for years only makes it that much harder. They don't have close contact with humans either."

Galen took a bite of his sandwich, his mind traveling to his father. He remembered how he stood with confidence and how his eyes always looked authoritative. He was someone he had looked up to for years, that was until he hadn't.

Darla reached over, patting his hand gently. "You ok? You look a little pale."

Galen swallowed. His family dynamic wasn't the best. His mother died when he was young, and his father took over everything. Galen grew up fast, and he watched the shift in his father. After losing his mother, his father became a man of few words. He knew his father loved him. He could tell the way he looked at him, but they had fought over many things growing up.

They argued over the simplest things, and sometimes Galen wondered if that was just how they had to communicate. Was yelling the way they told each other they cared?

Galen was nervous about everything, considering how he had left but what bothered him most was he had no idea what he was walking into.

He had been gone for a long time, and as Sol said, he had missed a lot. Just how much had he missed? Had his father's softness disappeared over the years and had anger grown in his heart? Would his father forgive him for everything? Darla said family does but this wasn't the same. This was years of being gone.

It was moments like this Galen missed his mother. She would have known what to do. She would have been able to calm the waters all those years ago, and he wouldn't have left.

"What are you thinking about?" Darla spoke up, finished with her sandwich.

Galen sighed, "My mother. I just thought she would have known what to do."

Darla's fingers tightened around his. The horn for the bus rang, announcing it was time to get on. Galen took the last of his sandwich and pushed himself up. He wasn't happy about going home in this manner, but he had no choice. Darla held onto his arm, and he pushed himself forward.

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