Anthony rubs at his eyes as he leads his siblings through the dense forest. He's so tired, but he can't bring himself to stop moving.
Where are they going? He honestly has no idea. All he knows is that they have to get as far as possible from that… place.He doesn't want to know what would happen if they were caught.
As long as we can get help, we should be fine. He thought to himself.
But then he realized he had no idea who he should ask for help from. Should he ask the first person he sees, or find the nearest police station?
He was lost in thought when someone tugged on his sleeve. He stopped and turned around. Maybelle, one of his younger sisters, started speaking.
"A-Anthony… Are we gonna stop soon? I'm tired…" she said, looking away.
Anthony looked around, eyebrows furrowing in thought. There were plenty of hiding spots here, and they had been walking for a while… He noticed how tired his siblings were and decided that it would be okay to stop for a bit.
"Okay, we'll stop for now. Let's find somewhere hidden…" he said.
After looking around the area, he found a good spot with plenty of foliage to hide them. Moving as quietly as possible, they sat under the shade of a large tree. Anthony leaned against the tree and looked over his younger siblings.
All of them looked relatively fine, besides looking a little tired and being covered in ash. He yawned, rubbing his eyes.
While he insisted his siblings get some sleep the day before, he hadn't gotten any. He was too afraid of getting caught. And now he fought to stay awake until they were in a safer area.
He felt a hand nudge him a little. Rosalie, one of his younger sisters, was looking at him. She didn't look too happy. He sat up to fully face her.
"Did something happen?" He asked her, feeling worry well up inside of him.
"You should sleep… I know you didn't sleep at all when we did…" She replied.
He paused. How should he answer this? But before he could say anything else, Rosalie spoke again.
"I can wake you up if anything happens. So, can you go to sleep?"
Looking at her sad expression, Anthony sighed before giving in. He could refuse her with that expression.
"Okay, I'll go to sleep. You have to wake me up if you hear anything, okay?" He instructed her. "And make sure everyone stays close."
Rosalie nodded.
After getting as comfortable as he could get, Anthony closed his eyes.
… He thought it would be easier to sleep after not sleeping for a day, but that was not the case. He feels too scared to sleep.
He let out a soft sigh. He won't be sleeping today. If he does, it wouldn't be for long.
Might as well try for a little longer… He decided, shifting a little.
Just as he feels like he might actually fall asleep, the feeling of someone watching made him open his eyes.
He sat up, looking around. All his siblings were here, and Rosalie was diligently keeping watch.
So… who was watching me? Maybe I'm just being paranoid… he thought to himself.
"Anthony? You're already up?" Rosalie asked when she saw him.
"Oh, yeah, I'm up. We should get going."
Rosalie nodded, "Okay."
He called out to the other three, "Oliver, May, June, come on. We're going."
The three nodded and stood up.
They barely walked five steps before an unfamiliar voice rang out.
Anthony froze.
"Where are you five going?"
He quickly stood in front of his siblings, attempting to shield them from whoever was there.
A blonde man walked into view, hands in the air. His expression was filled with concern.
This did nothing to soothe Anthony's fear. He was ready to fend them off if they were here to take them back.
Unconsciously, Anthony's hands heated up, flames threatening to come out.
The man must have noticed this and quickly tried to diffuse the situation.
"Hey, hey! Calm down, please? I'm not going to do anything to you. See, I'm just like you." The man said, his wings opening slightly.
Anthony's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't noticed that this man wasn't a… human.
Upon realizing that this man isn't here to capture them, he relaxed ever so slightly.
I still have to be cautious, he decided.
He stared at the man as he continued speaking.
"My name is Alexei, but you guys can call me Alex. What are your names?"
Anthony silently stared back. He refused to give this man, Alex, their names.
Alex softly sighed before continuing.
"That's okay if you don't want to tell me. But… do you guys have anywhere to go?"
Anthony hesitantly shook his head no.
Alex grimaced.
"Ah… that's not good…" he mumbled under his breath.
"I'll be back soon, okay?" he said louder this time.
Anthony tentatively nodded, staying in place. For some reason, he felt like they wouldn't get too far if he were to take his siblings and run.
Alex came back into view.
"If you kids don't have anywhere to stay… how about you come with my friends and me?" Alex said with a warm smile.
Anthony barely had to think when he answered.
"Why should we?"