The Crow and The Wolf

Chapter 13

13.

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Thunder rumbled through the sky outside echoing in the walls of the cafeteria, this monstrous sound was followed by a flash of lightning that highlighted the room for only a second. The wind howled louder than ever before one would imagine as if warning them of the possible dangers in the future.

The temperature had dropped slightly for the past two days and the environment around her was all about getting ready for the new season coming into the pack.

Valeria dreaded the winter, it meant that the final moments of being a senior were left to the few days she had now before having to join the societal ranks of the packs.

Of course, being sentinel and hunter meant that she would rarely be home and she worried about who would take care of her mother when she wasn't there. Nicco and herself had discussed the perils of the awaiting future, the only masterful plan they could come up with is asking Mr Edgar to often check up on her mother when either she or Nicco could not.

But her mother wasn't the only problem bugging Valeria, the other was her best friend. Although Nicco would like to think he was smart about hiding it from her and everyone around him, he was wrong. Nicco is not as strong as the future alpha and his wolf and mind can only handle so much of the rejection. One of the ways one wolf could be identified as a sentinel is their high sensitivity in detecting health problems, kinda like a dog sensing cancer but Valeria didn't like the analogy of that because she considered them far more evolved than mangy mutts.

She could scent Nicco's wolf, his despair and depression that was causing his deteriorating health. It smelt like the beginning stages of eggs rotting. She knew the alpha to be also smelt it, how day by day the stench seemed to grow and she was angered by how this seemed to not affect him. If Nicco continued down this path, she feared he would lose his wolf or worse they would both succumb to the red.

She would consulate her mother on the matter but seeing that her mother is also a dying bond she often hesitated at the thought. She thought of discussing it with Mr Edgar but she knew the minute he found out that Nicco and Zachery were destined souls, he would sing at the top of his lungs until the whole pack heard about it.

Not to say Mr Edgar couldn't keep secrets, he was old and old people tend to forget that some things are meant to be a secret.....

She sighed as she watched him from across the table playing with his food, dragging the macaroni from one side of the plate to the other.

They had both apologized for their exchanged words from two days ago but more so Valeria apologised while Nicco seemed to pretend as if it never happen. Either way, she was happy that the incident was behind them. But she also hoped that even though what she had said was harsh, he must know it was true and from the heart.

That Zachery was acting as anything but an Alpha and little by little, he was losing all sense of respect for her.

As if hearing her thoughts, Nicco sighed before excusing himself from the table and walking out of the cafeteria to goddess knows where. She contemplated going after him but didn't not in the mood for the same discussion and same lecture they'd been having ever since they discovered that Nicco was to be Alpha through bonding. She grew tired of discussing Zachery and his unworthiness.

And when winter hits and the Winter Harvest begins she hopes that all will be well for those around her.

Growing tired of the chatter in the room and not wanting to seem like an idiot sitting alone, she too left the cafeteria but instead opted for the forest behind the school than the musty library and its brown carpet.

She wanted some fresh air, time to reflect and think about what life meant being a sentinel and hunter in the Claw pack.

She found a small patch of soft grass and lay down in it, looking up at the thundering sky. The thought of it raining on her didn't quite bother but instead, she welcomed it.

She focused on the earthy smell of the grass, the wet air and the way the vegetation waited for the rain. The way they danced and sang along to a mindless tune was as if a small ritual in being thankful for the water about to fall. She heard the chirping of the birds, the small squirrel harvesting his goods for the winter. The sound of the hopping rabbit that went about his life or the hoofs of the deer only a few yards from her eating in a small open meadow minding his own business.

She tried again at that moment to reach for her wolf. She closed her eyes and entered the pack's dominion.

The Etome.

She could see the cave, her wolf's cave ahead but she could also feel the invisible barrier stopping her from going further. She stood there watching her wolf clean herself. Her auburn coat was seemingly soft and warm as she continued to brush it.

Valeria placed her hand on the barrier and she could feel it pulse. She smiled when her wolf turned her attention to her and they seemed to stare at each other for a while. She watched as her wolf scanned her body from top to bottom as if checking for any injuries and disfigures and Valeria was happy that her wolf still cared. She did the same to her wolf and finding nothing wrong she opted for looking into her wolf's eyes again. They were warm, silent, and hiding but they also told her to give her time. And she was reluctant but she never argued with nature, that was the one thing she learned from her father.

'Never argue with nature, it knows more than you can ever imagine,' she remembers him saying. Even after all this time, that's the only thing that stuck with her.

She closed her eyes, and left the Etome and returned to the real world but her mind returned alert and guarded. She stood slowly from the ground but remained crouched due to instinct, her eyes glowed with a hue of yellow and she looked out into the forest. She breathed in everything, taking all the wet, humid, prey, vegetation and pack stench before her eyes and nose agreed on one thing.

There in the dark, the small part of the forest that was shadowed with vegetation, and yellow orbs stared right at her, they had a tinge of red in them and anxiety filled her up. The stench of rotten meat filled the air and she scrunched her nose in disgust as she let out a low snarl.

Thunder boomed above them and she immediately took it as a sign to make it back to the cafeteria. That was all she had in mind, to make it back to the cafeteria. As if hearing her plan, the wolf growled at her and it echoed through the forest. She drew a breath, gathering all her strength before taking off.

She could hear the paws of more than one wolf as she had thought and that fueled her to run faster. The building came into view and she was relieved when seeing his figure standing there as if already waiting for her.

His eyes met hers and his voice filled her mind, 'What is it?

Rogue

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