Rouge's Trail

III

November's POV

"Took you long enough."

"I had some issues with the Jade Forest pack," my bag flew at Sofia who caught it with skill. I turned to her twin," Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Good. We need to stick together."

"She's right. If we have any chance of following the Rouge's Trail then we'll need each other."

"Fine, then where oh where is Ajax?"

"Looking for a place to stay the night," Isabella picked up a pile of clothes and waved it at me," He left his clothes here."

Though Isabella and Sofia are twins, they look very different. Both are blond with lovely dark eyes but Sofia has much lighter skin than her tanned sister and Isabella is smaller than the prior girl. Their wolves are identical, however. Both are white wolves with grey splotches in their fur. Sofia is shyer than Isabella who is outgoing and assertive. Isabella is more proactive than Sofia who is calm and thoughtful. 

Ajax appeared out of the shadows and stood in the bushes until Isabella coyly slipped him his clothes, not forgetting to take a daring look down in the process.

We all know they're sleeping together. I don't know why he felt the need to swat her with his shirt.

"Come on," I shouted at the two fakers," We need to be out of here by sundown."

"Alright, alright. Chill, would you?"

"I will not. I had to escape custody in the Jade Forest pack when passing through. The last thing we need right now is them catching up to us."

"Then maybe we should just leave you here," he muttered while pulling the shirt over his head.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"It had better have been nothing, Ajax, because if you even try to leave me behind I promise to sell you out to Alpha Michael myself."

"You double crossing little-"

A pebble flew through the air and smacked Ajax right in the back of his head. He let out a low, pissed off growl before turning and picking up his sack. Each of them had a bag holding their few worldly possessions that would ensure survival in case any of us lost the trail. 

Except me. My real bag was somewhere on the floor of the Jade Forest. I'll never see it again.

The pebble thrower- aka Sophia- picked up hers and threw it over her shoulder before walking off in the front. Isabella followed with Ajax just barely behind her and I took up the rear, making sure that there wasn't even a hint of our having ever been there. 

The life of a rouge.

__

We moved fast, after I made it clear that I was not to be left behind they decided to move faster. They all secured their bags to themselves and we turned, the only connection to our wolves we possess. 

The north star was bright in the sky but we went away from it to follow the Rouge's Trail. The Rouge's Trail is an ancient path followed by werewolves who were abandoned by their packs for one reason or another, we ware forbidden from having any connection with our wolves so it's the hardest path in the world.

You must go through the harshest environments to find a place better than any other where we are free to be who we are instead of being the evil, horrid animals that pack wolves expect us to be.

And I when I talk to you, you will finally talk back.

I knew there would be no reply, especially since we were running through the mud in the middle of a rainstorm at at least 8 miles an hour. Ajax's grey wolf ran just behind Sofia and Isabella's white and tan wolves. I kept myself up front when in animal form with my silver and white self. It was hard to tell what color we were though, again with the mud.

Trees flew by, but it was obvious that we would only be able to go about another mile before hitting a human town. That's a good thing. That's a bad thing.

When a group of rouge werewolves go into a human town most the mortals don't notice and continue on with their mundane activities. We might even be able to rest in a hotel for a night if we can get Isabella to the library or something so she can use her little thing and get someone's credit card information before they close. We can get going again in the morning or take a bus to the next town or even jump on a train and rest our tired limbs for a while.

However...

When a group of werewolves go into a human town every wolf notices, any supernatural creature in the radius of 50 feet goes on high alert that there is trouble in their territory.

That makes the first option seem more and more like a vanity and less and less like a fantasy.

Sofia let out a few yips as she dashed forward to the lights in the distance, followed closely behind by Isabella and Ajax. I took a longing glimpse back at the safety of the rain filled forest before maintaining my proper place at the back of the "pack".

Our paws started to hit black top so we stopped and turned back. All of us were soaked and we had no choice but to put on our clothes from before. The rest of them had something else to wear but I had the choice of the clothing I had left in the girl's house or the clothes she lent me.

The sweater and jeans stood out from Sofia's ripped jeans and tank top that she out grew about 3 years ago and Isabella's denim skirt and what was once a white shirt and Ajax's black shirt with a huge hole in the hem and boxer shorts. They all wore worn sneakers but I was barefoot.

The twins eyed my clothing suspiciously and Ajax crossed his arms.

"Don't ask," I dug my toe into the mud beneath me," We'll have to stop somewhere later on tonight."

"Then we have to hurry to get to the library," Isabella pointed at the setting sun," If we miss this window we might not be able to get to a hotel. They won't take you in with out shoes."

We nodded at each other and set off to follow the road the mile and a half to the town. The town was small but there was a clock by the bank and a thrift shop that gave all of it's proceeds to the church and a library open until 9. It was 8:14.

"The machine takes about half an hour to do it's work so they should have no problem," Sofia said as she looked at a pair of black boots with envy. We rarely get to do this.

"Maybe you should look, too," I smiled at the little old woman who ran the shop. She couldn't hear us at the ripe age of 90," Find something for all of them. They'll have to go to the bank and get cash from the card she finds."

She smirked at the idea. Shopping seemed like something Sofia would have loved to do if she was a normal wolf. It's a shame she isn't.

"I think I'll try this on then," she called to me as she pulled a red dress off a hangar.

"That's not something you need!"

"You never know. Things can be surprising. Try on that black one!"