Run Like a Rogue (Under Construction)

Chapter Thirteen: For the Love of Friend

Alana’s Pov

“Are we there yet?”

“No.”

“Okay, but on a scale from 1 to the rogues can hear everything I’m saying, how close are we?”

“One.”

“Well, that’s good, I guess. So…umm…how’s life?”

Lily lifted an eyebrow at me, but didn’t say anything. She was my personal guide which was nice of her and all, but geez couldn’t she say SOMETHING! I swear I was going to die of boredom. Alright Alana, think of something else. Think of…think of…clouds. Look at those big puffy clouds, how white they are and…umm…puffy.  They look just like cotton candy. Mmm, cotton candy.

“I’m hungry.”

“We’re almost there. Can you smell it?”

“What?”

“The smoke from their campfires.”

I lifted my nose and sniffed. I was immediately on edge. It was time to shift. We had been traveling as humans for a while, because we didn’t want the rogues to sense us before we were ready. I glanced at Lily. She looked uneasy, which made me uneasy. We shifted. Lily was a tiny, brown wolf with a white stomach. She pawed the ground anxiously. We had decided that we would approach the rogues, instead of waiting for them to find us.

            I lifted my head and walked confidently. Lily followed my lead. When we reached the outer edge of the camp two guards started sniffing us. It was obvious that they had been rogues for a while. They were twitchy, itching for a fight. Small barks and growls came from their muzzles and their eyes darted around constantly. I don’t know what they were sniffing for, but after a few minutes they whined and let us pass.

The campsite was a random mix of wolves in both forms. Those in their human forms acted more like wolves than they should. Women paced in front of their children, growling as we passed and biting at us with human teeth. Children spun in useless circles like they were chasing their tails. One wolf was eating, digging viciously into a deer’s stomach. Right next to it a child in human form shook his head with a deer leg in his mouth. Some were in their wolf forms, fighting each other as if aiming to kill. Everyone growled, but none challenged us as we walked through the camp.

There was only one tent in the camp, right in the middle. It wasn’t hard to figure out where the leader would be. I remembered the leader clearly. I could never forget the wolf who smiled right before biting into my father’s neck. It was a large, gray wolf and unlike many other rogues, he wasn’t crazy. He was in complete control of his actions. That’s what made him a monster.

I took a deep breath as I stood outside the tent. No matter how strong I wanted to be, I was sure seeing this man would make me feel as helpless as I was the day he killed my parents. You are strong, made of stone. You have no heart. You can’t be hurt. I had been chanting it since I entered the camp. It wasn’t working. I didn’t believe it. But weak as I was, I still went into the tent.

Raphiel’s Pov

God! This got harder everyday.

“Just kill it!”

“But sir…I don’t know if that’s really the right punishment for…”

“Oh really,” I said, my voice calm, “And what is the punishment for questioning your Alpha? I said kill it. If you let one get away with stealing, soon they’ll all be doing it.”

“Sir, how would you like…”

“Kill it! I said kill it! Now!”

“Yes sir. How would you like it to be done?”

“With your hands, of course.”

“Sir, I don’t know if...”

“You don’t know anything. Kill it with your hands. It’s sort of wonderfully tragic, isn’t it? One wolf steals from another and dies at his brother’s hands.”

“Yes sir, wonderfully tragic.”

The wolf standing in front of me, Kevin, might have been my second-in-command, but he was too soft. Today’s events were just more proof of that. His brother had taken food from another wolf and now had to die. Kevin had been pleading with me for hours. Honestly, his desperation was amusing so I had let it carry on for too long. Now, I was bored.

Kevin finally left. I sighed. He would have to die too. He had a little too much spirit. It was a shame, really.

Suddenly, some teenager burst into my tent.

“Visitors,” he said with his eyes alight, “Entering the camp”.

“Good. Leave now.” He ran out of the tent. I smiled and leaned back to wait.

Soon enough, two small wolves came into my tent. I could smell their fear. I stood and smiled warmly at them.

“Don’t be afraid, Alana. It’s just me. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

She froze and her eyes widened enormously. I understood her confusion. I had changed in the months since she left.

“Shift, Alana,” I commanded, suddenly impatient with her silence. Being a gentleman, I turned to give her privacy.

“I’m done,” she spoke softly. I jerked around and walked up to her grabbing her face. She pulled back. I frowned.

“Don’t touch her,” the other one said quietly. I laughed.

“Are you going to stop me Lily?” Lily lowered her head.

“Rafe, what’s happened to you?”

I turned to Alana. “I’m an Alpha, Alana. I own these mutts.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What happened to the old leader?”

I dragged my hand through my hair angrily. Why the hell was she asking that?

 “I killed him,” I replied dismissively. She flinched away from me.

“I came back for you,” she said.

“I knew you would.”

“No, you don’t understand. I came back to save my Rafe, my friend. I came to take you away from here. But you’ve changed. You’re worse than the man who killed our old pack. You’re crazy!”

“Don’t say that,” I said, deathly quiet.

“It’s true, isn’t it? You’ve gone mad.”

I wrapped my hand around her frail neck and squeezed lightly.

“I haven’t. That’s a lie! Who told you that? I kill them. It’s treason to say things like that. Who told you?” I squeezed Alana’s neck harder and shook her a little. Lily screamed. Lily was always screaming. I kicked her in the ribs until she stopped.

“Damn it, Alana! I did this for you.” I shook her again. “Don’t you want it?” She didn’t answer. She was limp in my hands, her eyes closed. I lifted her gently and placed her on my bed.

“I’m sorry, Alana. We’ll talk when you’ve had some rest.”

I kissed her forehead and smiled. She was finally back!

A/N: This chapter bugs me. I kind of based Raphael off of every Criminal Minds episode I've ever watched. I wanted him to be "criminally insane". But I hated writing a character like that. Sigh. I like writing the upbeat chapters, so this part of the story probably won't last long. Well, I'm going to go watch a really funny movie. That will make me feel better. Bye