What Lurks in Her Eyes

Chapter Eighteen: Left to Die

We would become no different from that of a regular wolf. Wild, feral, no trace of humanity left behind.

My wolf and I cold not bear that fate. We must return for not only the well being of our own selves, but for our mate and our family.

The only problem was, I didn't know which direction would just lead to more rugged, mountainous territory or a settlement of some sort. Surely, they would leave me in a place that's as far from society as one can get.

Wolves damned rogue never return, and there's a reason for that.

Let the sun be your compass. I tell myself.

I look to the sky, and it was perhaps four o' clock in the evening. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. I have now established a sense of direction. I told myself.

I could feel myself wanting to snap and lash out at the pent up frustration and anger, but I needed to stay calm. Losing control would only throw my mind out of focus, and focusing was what I desperately needed if I was having to think of a way out of here.

I decided to head east, maybe, if I could catch the scent of any sign of human or werewolf life, I could find my way out of here.

Until then, I needed to hunt and survive in the forest. I needed to learn to survive as a wild animal for now, as being human for too long in a land like this will only make me a target for other predators such as bears and other wild wolves.

I've learned that mountain lions don't pose much of a threat to humans, unless they're old or sick and too weak to hunt larger prey such as deer. Mountain lions tend to be elusive and hate to be seen by human eyes.

Bears, however, tend to be more aggressive and assertive, showing others who's boss. If one stumbles across across a mother bear and her cubs, she's a force to be reckoned with.

A pack of wild wolves always lures me in, probably because I am part wolf myself. They're not very excepting to werewolves, because even though we look like them and act like them in our wolf forms, our scent is different.

Our scent makes them wary and unsure of our presence, and for that, their reactions are often unpredictable.

I can only hope that I don't stumble across any rogues that have gone feral. Rogues are often quite the problem and as of now, I'm not much in the mood to get blood on my fur and use up my energy.

I follow my nose to water and begin to follow the river. Surely, there will be settlements - whether that be human or werewolf - that reside alongside the water, the life giving source of the world.

The river is loud as it crashes upon the rocks. My claws scratch against the rocks and I leave my paw prints behind me. The earth smells clean and fresh and my nose becomes dry and cold from sniffing the frigid air around me.

Mountains lie behind me and the once peaceful giants become smaller and smaller as I keep going.

Little did I know that I was going on the wrong direction.

* * *

It's been two weeks living in the wild.

And it is far from fun when you merge yourself into the world of the predator.

The wild wolves flattened their ears against their heads and their lips curled into a snarl at my presence. I growled back in irritation, attempting to guard the mangled elk carcass I had managed to kill.

I had settled myself against the underbelly of the elk where I ripped and tore at its innards, eating the muscled flesh. Blood tangled itself with my fur and dripped from my chin.

In the wild, it's kill and eat quickly. The scent of blood is quick to attract other predators as well as scavengers such as eagles, vultures, coyotes, and various other animals. Every animal is quite the bother, and I often find myself choking on my own meals while I'm scarfing it down.

And now, a pack of wolves have discovered my kill. They watch my from the distance, barking and growling and pacing. They're weary to chase me off - I smell of a creature they aren't familiar with, and for that, they are skittish.

I'm bigger and stronger than them, but I know it won't be long until the alpha male and alpha female starts to gain courage.

I can see their eagerness in their eyes.

They have to eat, too.

As they near closer, I rise to my full height. My ears flatten and my fur sticks up in an attempt to make myself look bigger. A loud growl thunders in my chest, but their defiant stance never falters.

The pack surrounds the alphas, ready to attack. Vultures as well as a great bald eagle take the time to swoop in when they see all the predators are distracted. My patience is slipping and, when I look back, I see the vultures eagerly gobbling down the remains of the elk.

Mere skin and bones is no longer worth fighting for. I think to myself. With a sigh, I vanish from the scene. The sound of popping bones sound in my ears as the wolves pounce on what's little left of the prey and tear it to shreds.

I want to go home.

But I am lost, lost with all the odds against me. My heart hurts for my mate and I just want to be with my family again. Looking up at the stars, I wonder if they're looking at them thinking about me, too.

What about Anya? I know she's still alive, as I can still feel our bond. It's weak, though, because we never completed the bond, but it's still there. But is she injured? Suffering? Crying? I couldn't bear the thought.

But, reality was that she's a slave in the hands of immoral beings.

More than likely she was plunged back into abuse.

Shaking my head, I do my best to clear my thoughts. I will find a way out of here, even though I can feel my sanity slipping.

* * *

My body felt stiff as I struggled to shift back into my human form. It was getting harder and harder to shift, and my thoughts often blurred and my speech was slurring. I tried to talk to myself to keep my sanity intact and attempt to prolong my humanity.

When I had finally shifted back into my human form, I layed on my back, panting, as beads of sweat trailed down my temples. So much effort and energy was going into shifting and I knew it wouldn't be long until I'm no longer able to shift at all.

I sit up and stretch my muscles. It's cold out, but I try to shift into my human form at least once weekly, so for now, the cold must be tolerated.

But today, I would be out of luck.

By the time I smelled the pack, it was too late.

A dozen werewolves surrounded at me once in their wolf forms, and I stood there as naked as the day I was born. 

How could things possibly get any worse?  I grumble to myself.