Through The Realms_Finding their Pack

Tracking 101

Nala's POV

I was heading toward the crowd of people who were arguing because the hunters had won. I felt pretty satisfied with myself after beating up Phoebe, Georgie, and Trina. Ziggy was being fairly obnoxious, but I only paid him half my mind. As we approached the crowed I noticed something smelled, I don't know, just off. That's the only way I could describe it. Everyone who wasn't completely incapacitated was there, everything was fine. But there was just this itch, like something horrible might happen I just hadn't figured out what.

I heard Thalia and Percy fighting in the background, but I tuned it out. I needed to focus, I learned long ago to trust my instincts and not my senses. Your instincts are sound and tend to know things long before your senses, because your senses are weak and can easily be fooled. I searched out everyone who I knew to have entered the forest, if not achieving visual confirmation I would find their sent. I am a cat after all.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The pregnant, older, Athena girl was missing! What was her name...Annabeth! Percy's wife. My eyes widened as I realized that she was most likely taken and now two precious lives were in danger. I turned my attention to Percy and Thalia, still fighting like children. I need their help to find the Annabeth lady. Oh boy. I get to stand in the middle of an argument between two, highly temperamental, children of the big three. This is my lucky day! Note the sarcasm.

I take a step toward them and shout, "YOU TWO ARE BEHAVING LIKE CHILDREN SOMETHING..." but I get cut off.

They both turn towards me and yell, "SHUT UP!" Next thing I know I am getting struck by lightning, which was manageable if not for the giant wall of water descending upon me. My body gets consumed with pain upon unprepared contact with the water, and I allow darkness to take me.

As I slowly come around, I realize that I am being carried. The telltale swaying is hard to miss. The person who is carrying me is...running? O.K. Nala! Think. What's the last thing you remember? I try to focus on that thought, my body fighting my minds control. I catch a whiff of the metallic smell of lightning and the smell of deep woods as someone lays me down on a bed. I know of only one person who smells that way, Thalia. Why... Oh gods the fight! Annabeth!  I devote all my focus on controlling my body. I can tell that Ziggy is right next to me, the distinct smell of disinfectant, medicine, sunshine, and bird is hard to miss.

As I am lying there trying to wake up I pick up bits and pieces of the conversation.

"How long until she is up and swinging again?" Thalia asked. Thank Artemis that she asks the same questions I would be asking!

I hear Ziggy sigh before responding. "I don't know. I've never seen someone who reacts to water this way, it's hard to tell."

The door to the cabin we were in swung open and in came the salty smell of the sea and none other than the son of Poseidon himself. Poseidon was actually a really great guy once you get around the whole "water" ordeal. I have withheld judgement on his son though, for now. I felt Percy approach my bed. My entire body screamed at me to get as far away as possible from him. What can I say; fire and water don't mix, and cats and water don't mix. It's the story of life.

Somehow Ziggy felt my unease, that or he was holding a grudge against the guy for nearly drowning me. "Get back." He said, wrapping his arm around me protectively.

"Fine, geesh you need to chill out man! She is the one who got in the way of the fight. Everyone here knows that you never interrupt a fight between two children of the big three, in fact everyone knows to run the opposite direction!" Percy responded, "Besides I came to find out what's going on in here. You guys are acting weird."