I am Rogue [Book 1]

Chapter 12

               As I moved, I ended up using my bow as both a ranged and blunt weapon, bashing wolves in the head with the hard metal while letting an arrow fly, my eyes searching for my pack alpha. In the thick of it, I couldn’t even sniff him out, the musk of wolves, the iron coppery smell of blood and the chocking scent of fire and ash clogging up my ability to pick out a specific scent. To be honest, it was amazing wolves knew who the enemy was and wasn’t at this damn point, that or I was not all there, which could turn deadly for me if I wasn’t careful.

               Just as I thought that, a large auburn furred wolf came crashing into me, causing me to fall under its weight, my bow dropping to the ground as I tried to brace myself best I could without causing a possible wrist break at the same time. Groaning, I struggled to push the mutt off me as it wriggled, having been thrown by another wolf rather than pouncing on me in attempts to end me. This close, I could breathe in its scent and knew it was not one of my allies, the smell foreign and almost burning to my sinuses.

               “Get off!” Thrusting my arms against the fucking wolf, I watched as it rolled a moment before getting to its feet, turning its eyes onto me in new interest, teeth bared. Rolling my shoulders, I gazed at my challenger. “You wanna go mutt?”

               At my insult the wolf snapped his teeth at me, causing my inner animal to bring a snarl to my lips. I didn’t care what this fucking wolf thought, he was a mutt, a mutt who no doubt knew the score and fought for his piece of the prize. Moving a hand in front of me after unclipping my quiver of arrows, letting them fall on the ground, I dared him to come at me. Stupid move really, he was shifted and would no doubt be stronger, but I just didn’t seem to care about the little shit right now. Like the battle around me there was one raging inside my own skin and had been brewing for a few days now.

               Stalking down into a fighting position, I waited as the wolf eyed me, pacing back and forth ignoring what was going on to our left and to our right. I could tell he wasn’t sure at the moment, surprised by my lack of an attempt to shift. I wasn’t stupid enough to do that though, knowing it may take me a few minutes to transform and didn’t dare give him the opportunity he was seeking by attacking me while I couldn’t defend myself.  Obviously he had been hoping I was, because when he finally got the memo that I’d be staying in my human form, he snorted, crouched and sprang at me.

               Bracing my feet, I threw my arms forward to catch the mutt, ready to bring him down into a chokehold, however he never reached me. Instead I watched in sheer surprise as not Nyx but Mange took the hit for me, rolling with the auburn wolf until they were snarling and snapping at one another in fury. Part of me was a little relieved at this, but the bloodlust that had awoken in my veins lashed against my control until it broke, a cry leaving my lips as the change took me against my will. Soon those cries of pain turned into howls as I rose onto my hunches, aware of my new form and the wonderful calling scent of blood and battle.

               Raising my muzzle to the sky, I let out a chilling howl of joy, catching many a wolf by surprise before some backed away while others seemed to positively radiate with mirth. Shaking the kinks out of my neck and shoulders, I turned my sights on a wolf who held no link to me and began my attack upon him, my claws raking against the back of his head to catch his attention before I sunk my teeth into his exposed throat as he turned to look at me. As hot metallic blood gushed into my mouth and over my tongue, I felt my logical side give way to my inner beast, the animal fully reigning her head as she dropped the dead wolf and let out a victory howl. Unlike last time she was released, she did not search for someone to play with, but someone to disembowel. Her feral nature was taking over, riding my body into the fray of death and chaos.

               To prove our cruelty, my muzzle let out a nasty snarl and my teeth sank into the stomach of the wolf I had already killed, ripping flesh away repeatedly until intestine spilt hot on the ground, the smell filling the air beyond that of just blood. When the wolf would slowly take on its human form again, the sight of what was left would give nightmares to most, and my animal side glorified in that fear.

               As I sized up my next opponent, my mind turned only to the kill, I let out a growl of challenge and slammed into the larger male without thought or worry. A dead wolf was at his feet and I knew on instinct if had been a friend, a family member, and that meant he was my new prey and he would feel my retribution. Like an avenging angel, only of the furred variety, I launched myself at him sending both of us tumbling, teeth snapping and growls rolling off each of us.

               I felt teeth and claws slice through my fur, my muzzle had been raked and the male wolf had bit into my right foreleg. With a howl of anger and pain, I lashed back at him, my paw catching him in the shoulder and causing him to stumble away from me into another pair of fighting wolves. As he tried to dodge their own teeth and claws, their focus on killing one another, I stalked forward quickly, rearing back on my back legs and sending myself forward through the air. As I landed on his back, my claws dug in as deep as they could go and I bit down on the back of his neck, teeth penetrating the thick layer of gruff that was there. He let out a howl which seemed to catch many wolves’ attentions while he tried to buck me off him. Still I bit harder, his blood pushing me onward, demanding me finish this.

               As soon as the wolf under me began to slow in his movements, his blood filling my muzzle and spilling over the edges of my jowls, I began to come back to myself out of my bloodlust. Another instinct was beginning to consume me, push me release the wolf under me and roll of him as he sagged to the ground. I knew, looking at him from his right now, that he was not dead, not yet, but somehow I knew I had to finish him face to face. Circling around to where he could look up into my eyes, I let out a snarl and lunged, my teeth sinking once again into his throat, only this time they crushed his windpipe before I ripped his throat out. As his body dropped, howls took up around me, mournful sounds that suddenly had me worried, my eyes searching wildly for Nyx and my attention taken from possible threats up until I felt the sharp pain of something cracking into the back of my skull and a feral growl released from whoever stood over my body which was now going limp, my vision clouding over with spots until I fell into the all-consuming darkness.

[Authors Note: I am not the best at battle scenes, so if you have any advice, please leave a comment below]