The Life of a Rogue

1. A Fern in the Forest

I took off the gas mask and closed the lid on the large barrel. I frowned as the remains in its now liquid formation darkened the bottom half of the tub. Locking down the lid, I pressed on a sign saying 'corrosive' before rolling it out.

I pulled it up onto the open back of my range rover. I pulled over a plastic cover and covered up the tub. I took one last look at the swirling mess that was the Beta of Blood Wanderers. Even after doing this so many times, I can't stomach the remains.

To be honest, I wasn't sure whether I was angry at myself about that. With such a mission at hand there is no time for weakness. I had killed relentlessly and not being able to clean up the mess was, in my opinion, weak. After what I have been through I should be able to do it. After how many times I have murdered their pack members, I should be able to do it.

The other part of me felt relieved. Relieved that I had at least a small part of me left. A small bit of humanity left inside me that can't dump bodies without feeling disgusted.

I walked back to my cabin. Hidden in the deep forest was where I lived. Miles away from the packs and in the midst of the mountains, was where I lived. There were no civilians within a fifty-mile radius. Perfect.

I had first come across it when I was thirteen. I had survived in purely wolf form and traveled almost across the country. I didn't realize after a year that I had been heading their direction. My Wolf spurred me on. To seize revenge and I listened. She had kept me alive by her instincts, why would I not listen to her?

Entering one of the only two rooms, I made myself at home. The first room served as the kitchen, bedroom, living room and dining room. The second was the bathroom. Everything was fairly simple, from the cheap sofa to the old gas cooker. Everything was a mix-match and there was no true theme.

I took a seat on my floral-pattern sofa, that belonged in a home for pensioners, and settled down with the springs pressing into my butt. I found the cheap remote and switched to one of the few channels. Layng on my back, I stared at the wooden ceiling and let the sound of others soothe me into a nap.

The next day I decided that I would have to dump the remains. I hated driving for long times and the chemical dump down south.

I yawned as I brushed my teeth. I tried my best to tame my wild red hair into a ponytail. It was originally a dull ginger but I died it red so that it looked brighter and more intimidating. Washing my pale freckled face and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes took longer than I thought. I rushed with the minimal makeup I put on and by eight o'clock, I was out the door and in the car.

The range rover roared and I drove out of the snowy Rocky Mountains. I turned on the radio to dull my thoughts, pushing back the thought of having the liquid form of the Beta from the Blood Wanderer in the back of my car.

After stopping at two garages and forcing myself to listen to two hours of radio crap, I stopped suddenly on the road. I perked up in my seat and turned off the engine.

I was sure I heard it. I opened the window and inhaled. Other than the usual animals and earthy ground, I found nothing odd.

"Help me!"

There it was! I opened the door and stepped out on the rural road. I crouched and sniffed. I smelt it then, the faint scent of another wolf, fairly young and female. I ran in human form over the woods in the direction I heard the sound.

As I ran, I took off my shirt and stripped off. By the time I knew I was close, I shifted into my creamy Wolf. We thundered through the forests and I immediately knew who I was dealing with.

A Blood Wanderer.

I could feel anger take over and I sprinted faster through the forest. I could hear the girl whimper and I burst through the trees.