Isabel's paws thundered behind me, her cold blue eyes fixed on my tail as she gave chase. I could hear her breathing growing heavier – she might have had elite training, but I had years of experience running through woods like these.
"Running away?" she taunted between breaths. "I should have known you'd be a coward."
I didn't waste energy responding. Instead, I focused on the scents around me. There – beneath the smell of pine and earth was something else. Something I'd noticed earlier but hadn't had time to investigate.
"Aria, what are you planning?" Davina asked curiously.
"Watch," I replied, making a sharp turn around a massive oak tree.
Isabel followed, but her larger frame meant she had to take the turn wider. I used that split second to increase the gap between us, darting through a narrow space between two fallen logs.
"You can't run forever," Isabel called out. "The rabbit scents are back the other way!"
