Fire And Ice

Chapter 37 - WolfNet

Hailey's P. O. V

It didn't take us too long to reach the territory. Tim, Ari and I could tell when it was right before us, but Kaesha almost strolled right into it. Tim quickly grabbed her forearm to hold her back.

Ari turned to address us one last time, "We're here. We have to be appear as non threatening as possible. Timothy, don't use your gift unless it's to escape a dire situation. Kaesha, you can channel me if you need help with the illusions. Try not to perform other spells except it's an emergency. Hailey, your wolf will be on the larger side without Kaesha's spell so do your best to appear docile and friendly but if you feel danger, be as vicious as possible. Remember to use the fake names and Timothy's in charge. Anything to ask or suggest?"

We shook our heads.

"Alright, nomads." She turned back to face the territory before us then nodded to Tim.

"Nomad wolves, roll out!" He commanded cheekily, stepping ahead.

We walked the five steps into the territory and waited for our reception. It took a few minutes before five figures leapt out to respond, three of them in wolf form. The two in human form held silver daggers, poised to attack while the wolves were volatile, teeth bared and hind legs bent.

"What do you want, Rogues? We've got nothing for you." One of the guys hissed, his grip on the dagger flexing.

Timothy raised his hands in surrender and we followed in suit.

"We're no Rogues. Simply a group of Lone Wolves that need to connect to the WolfNet."

"Do you know how many times packs have been attacked with that excuse?!" The other guy sneered. His brown eyes narrowed beneath his black bangs.

Two of the wolves, one grey and the other bronze, growled lowly, stepping closer.

"I swear, that's the only damn thing we're here for. Take a whiff for yourself, we ain't no Rogues."

They paused, sniffing the air around us.

"You can march us with silver daggers to our backs and nipping at our heels if it'll make you feel better. We don't want trouble."

One wolf, coloured silvery grey, relaxed ever so slightly. She nodded to the ones in human form, then turned and led the way. We followed, and, begrudgingly, the others let us pass, rapidly assuming their places closely behind each of us.

The walk took at least ten minutes. In that time, none of us dared to utter a word. I glanced at the others.

Closest to me, Kaesha appeared to be going over the spell in her head, her eyes darting from left to right as though she were reading it right before her. Beside her, Tim seemed lost in thought, his mouth moving in silent words before he'd shake his head and start over. And, on the far end, Ari appeared to be acutely aware of our surroundings, drinking every detail of the environment in.

They all appeared to be contributing to the plan. Kaesha was readying her spells, Tim, thinking of what to say once we arrived, and Ari, assessing our situation and possibly planning escape routes.

But what was I doing?

Determined, I considered our chaperones. Behind Ari, was the grey wolf, the smallest of them. He followed her at a farther distance than the others did us. Probably thinking her the least threatening of us. Behind Kaesha was the black haired guy, his dagger pressing lightly against her flowy blouse. Tim's guard was much burlier, the tip of his own dagger so close to Tim's back that I was sure he had half a mind to ram it into him at so much as a sneeze.