The Scarlet Hunter

Chapter 43-1

It felt good to be using her archery equipment again. She'd rather be doing drills with Damon, but practice with Peter and Blaze will suffice. Blaze was getting familiar with Isla's methods and would be the second to Peter should she be allowed to defend the territory again.

She still couldn't understand the comfortable feeling she had with Damon and Galan since she left Damon's a few days ago. Her wolf had found peace with their wolves over the short time she was there, but nothing happened that would justify Kara's warmth towards them.

The smell of the familiar woods surrounded her, and the sun warmed her skin as she targeted a hay bale and thought about the two warriors. The wind changed, and while she was using her senses to accommodate the shift in the breeze, she picked up on something. Evil was creeping over the territory like unwanted fog closing in. She mindlinked Jax and dropped her aim. "Something is happening at our borders. I don't know what, but it's big."

"Acknowledged." Was her response from Jax.

She turned to Peter and Blaze as another wave of malice hit her. "Something is going on near us. Shift." Isla commanded. The warriors conformed right away, destroying their clothes. She closed her eyes and reached out with her feelers when she heard a girl scream.

Isla again stilled and concentrated, feeling out towards the scream. Frightened. Girl. Rogue. Chased. She fears for her life.

"A rogue girl is being attacked. I'm heading north of the training area with Peter and Blaze." Isla linked both Jax and Alec.

"Do not go after her, Isla!" Alec's voice boomed back.

"If you want, you can come meet me, but I'm not about to let a little girl die out there," Isla responded.

"We have multiple penetrations around the territory, Isla. This is a coordinated attack." Jax came through.

It made sense that a pup caught up in a strike would be frightened. As an adult, Isla has been overwhelmed when surrounded by warriors in her own pack. As a pup who has never been in a pack, she would, of course, be scared.

"Acknowledged," Isla responded as she ran towards the treeline. She would have normally jumped on Damon instead of running in human form, but neither Peter nor Blaze had drilled with her, and it's too risky going into a fight unpracticed.

In their wolf form, Blaze and Peter had tapped into their heightened senses and were able to lead her to the rogue child. Isla saw her, running with tear-stained cheeks and a hoarse voice. This child was being tortured while she was being chased.

"This feels like a trap, but she's innocent," Isla spoke out loud to the two wolves while the girl darted behind a tree trunk and panted to catch her breath. "This is going to get ugly." Blaze nodded, and Peter sneezed in acknowledgment, keeping their eyes on the little girl.

Isla scanned the horizon, nothing. She called to the little girl who jumped when she saw her. Frozen in confusion, the girl stared.

"Sweetheart, are you being chased?" Isla asked. The girl nodded and sniffled, looking around. She was exhausted and probably didn't have it in her to run much further, let alone climb a tree where Isla could keep her safe. Isla was in a solid defensive position and called out to the child, "Why don't you come here with me, sweetheart, and I'll look after you, OK?" Isla held her arms out and squatted down, giving the pup a warm smile.

The little girl came running up and wrapped her arms around Isla's midsection embracing the safety being offered to her. Isla reached out her feelers with small arms clinging to her and felt enough wolves that her stomach dropped. The intruders had stayed out of reach of her until she was burdened with protecting an innocent.