Bonding With The Enemy (BxB)✔

Chapter 5 - Into The Woods

Darren peeked around the corner into the dining room to make sure the two women were properly distracted. He spotted Sophie at the table chattering on and on about a book she read, with Alysha interjecting every so often about how some movie adaptation was better.

Satisfied that they wouldn't notice him, he slid against the wall towards the front door. There, he slowly turned the knob and slunk outside.

He didn't want to interrupt them when his aunt appeared to finally be wound down after running around all day. If he found anything, he'd let her know once he returned. 

Making his way to the back yard, he began removing his clothes so they wouldn't be ruined during his transformation. Midway through he noticed the hunters ghost hovering nearby. "Do you mind?" He hissed. "Turn around at least?"

The spirit stared at him a moment longer before his figure did a complete one eighty, and then switched arms so that he was still pointing in the same direction.

Once Darren was down to all but the collar, he shifted as quickly as he could. Unfortunately it wasn't anywhere near the next full moon, so it took a few minutes. Basically the further away from the full moon it was, the harder it was to shift.

Soon an average looking grey wolf stood beside his neatly folded clothes. Since he was barely two hundred pounds, his wolf self didn't look much bigger than a normal wolf, so he usually got away with passing as a regular wild animal. The collar he was currently wearing made him seem domesticated though, so he shook himself so his neck fur would fluff out and cover it. Then he trotted in the direction that the ghost was pointing. 

Darren knew that doing this at night was risky, but the more he tried to ignore the hunter, the closer the spirit hovered near his face until the guy was practically touching his forehead, which resulted in an ever present wave of cold washing over Darren. He'd never be able to sleep like that, so he decided it was best to get this over with. Unfortunately this ghost appeared to be mute, so he was unable to simply ask what the guy wanted. 

Quickly he trotted though the neighborhood, aiming for the tree line. The ghost would disappear whenever he passed it, and then reappear a little ways ahead of him, leading him closer to the edge of town. 

Finally making it to the first tree, Darren paused to examine the spirit more closely. His face was weatherworn, probably sunburned, though his spirit was devoid of color now. He had long, stringy grey hair and a rough beard. Overall, he looked like somebody's grandpa. 

Sniffing the air to make sure no one was near, he dove into the foliage. The sky was immediately blotted out by the tree's above, leaving him at the mercy of his other senses. The smell of pine needles, dirt, moss, squirrels and deer filled his nose. It was very rustic, something he was no longer accustomed to, but it did make him slightly nostalgic.

Not long into his journey, a twig snapped somewhere in the distance and he froze instantly, ears perked in alert. They swiveled, trying to detect exactly where it had come from, but all was silent again minus a single owl hooting in the distance.

He held his breath and listened intently, unconvinced that it had been his imagination. Slowly he lowered his body to the ground, trying to stay out of sight. The wind blew, and with it came the scent of another wolf.

He'd been found.

Apparently the collar didn't entirely hide his presence. They must have heard him shuffling around in the bushes. The question now was what to do? The ghost was still hovering overhead and pointing into the woods. Should he ignore the specter and turn himself in so he wouldn't face too harsh of a punishment? But what if they decided to attack him since he was a rogue? The Alphas had already proven that they weren't interested in listening to anything he had to say, so he doubted he'd have a chance to explain himself. In the end, Darren decided he had to figure out what this ghost was trying to show him, because maybe, just maybe they'd listen if it was something important.