Wolf Bound

Chapter 40: The Beast in Disguise

I tapped the bottom of my chin, thinking. "We know that they can hide and show themselves at will. They can linger in their true forms for certain amounts of time. I'm not sure how long though. That goes back to the host thing I mentioned yesterday."

"You must be careful, Genesis. If you see that any of these shadows are lurking near, I want you to leave immediately. Is that understood?"

"It is," I said, no hesitation. "So, this is where you jumped out of the trees."

"Correct."

"You still don't remember where from, right?"

"Correct as well."

"So, if we begin to retrace your steps, we need to start heading this way. But before I do that, is there a way I can mask my scent?" I dug in my bag to retrieve my cloak. After, I tied it around my waist; that way it'd be on hand if I needed it urgently.

"Wow, you've come prepared."

"I know I'm not the brightest crayon in the bunch. But you didn't think I'd show up unprepared, did you? If I'm walking into a death trap, I want to at least make them work for it."

"Hmm, try rubbing pine needles, dirt, and whatever other natural materials you see on both your skin and your clothing. It'll help to mask your scent with a natural odor. Not completely. But hopefully enough to hide you for a little while."

I nodded and followed his instructions. Only did I stop when I was covered from head to toe.

"Ugh, yuck." I felt all sticky and icky now.

"Comes with the territory sometimes." Amaury's laugh was soft.

I groaned then headed for the trees. Ten minutes must have passed before I noticed I was approaching the area of the Erebus attack. The same patchy ground and naked trees made it all the more noticeable. With the exception of the melted snow on the ground. I whispered, "This is how far Vincent and I made it. Seems like we can never get past this point."

Amaury hummed, most likely on high alert. "Hear or smell anything off?"

"No, not yet. Anything familiar to you?"

"A . . . a bit," he hesitated. "I think I remember running through here in your direction." I nodded and listened carefully for the sound of any possible threats. The Erebus wolf crept up on me the last time. But I'd learned a little more about my senses since then—how to put them to use, how to control them, and so on. I liked to think Vincent, Dimitri, and Dylan's teaching came in handy for these kinds of situations. Sheesh, as many times as Vincent told me I'd need them.

"What was that?" Amaury's voice sounded just as stiff as my spine. Most likely due to the loud crunch that'd just echoed around us. I glanced down, noticing the frozen pile of leaves under my boot—now broken into itty-bitty bits.

"Just some leaves," I said, my smile sheepish. Amaury sighed. I could only imagine how triggering this might've been for him. Between not being able to remember what happened and now visiting this place again since it happened, he was bound to be anxious.

The deeper I ventured, the slower the breeze—as if we were suspended in time. I cocked my head back, viewing the top of the trees down to their roots. Thick pieces of bark peeled towards the bottom; taking the shape of claw marks, as though someone had used these trees as their own personal scratching posts. The thought gave me shivers.

"Holy shit," I said, gaping at the scratches, "do you think Erebus wolves did that?"

"I-I don't know. . . But let's hope whoever or whatever it was, didn't care to stick around."