Silver Skin

22

The Forsaken Pack
~
Accalia
~

Tristan's banging had grown incessant and tiresome, but he had a nice ring to it. Thumping his hands against the steering in tune with the music, aligning every bang to the drop or uprise of the song.

Tala wasn't pleased and poked her head between the two seats for a third time. "Will you stop that?"  

Accalia saw Tristan glare at the Beta in the rearview mirror and in a swift circle of the finger, he turned the music all the way up.

Erisa jolted first with a shriek, alarming everyone around her. The tension didn't leave as she straightened up against her seat and reached out for her shoulder, where a white plaster was glued over the front and back of the skin.

Before Tristan had the chance to redeem himself, Cadence reached over and grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him against the headrest.

"Put two hands on that damn steering wheel or I'm going to smash your face into it," Cadence hissed bluntly and released him, turning the music back down before nestling back in her seat beside the Beta.

"You guys are always uptight," Tristan groaned and locked his hands on the wheel, driving around a bend.

The others glowered, stumped by his audacity.

Tristan had always been like this, though. This was no news to Accalia and Cadence. He had always been reckless, quick to shoot and found humour in the most unfunny of times. He tended to bother his family members, knowing exactly what made them tick. That was why he never took it seriously when the girls hounded him, he took it on the chin and bit back just as fiercely.

Tristan Larren was a trickster and he was just waiting for someone not to bite the bait.

Most people did, which provoked him more.

"Are we there yet?" Cadence groaned, resting her elbow on the door with a strung-out expression.

"We are, actually," Rexton piped up, his window rolled down with his head slanted against the edge, half of his head poking out.

A fast breeze flowed through his tousled light brown hair and his eyes were closed, but he still managed to see what was ahead.

Accalia couldn't sit still as they drove up to the tree of gates that surrounded the inner part of the pack.

It gave a different perceptive on the day upon them. It was marked in a smoke grey, the sun hazy to see with dense rays of fog. The flat territory had bare trees that stood lifeless and tall, fortressing around as a barrier.

Rexton turned the window up when the eroding smell of decay and rot enveloped all of their senses.

Tristan continued to drive through the graveyard that claimed the outskirts of the trees until he parked closest to a thick tree trunk that gave them protection.

"How long have the bodies been here, Rexton?" Cadence asked.

Rexton looked over at her and his nose crinkled. "A few weeks. The smell is quite potent with the weather changes and animals leaving scraps."

"And it's just us?" Accalia added in question, not at all prepared to come across Canus mutts.

"The smell of Canus pack members is overwhelming, their scent is everywhere and unclean — but the smell aged. I don't think they've been here for quite some time. I can't hear anyone either. We'll have to go in and see."

Accalia trusted Rexton's judgement.

"Cole's stench?" Accalia questioned, the reminder of why they were here in this death and desolate graveyard.