- Caleb -
- So, what did you do yesterday? – Luke asks me as soon as the bell rang, lunchtime.
- What? – I ask startled.
I wasn't paying attention. I am too worried about the scout sightings. They have seized since last week. There have been three; Nymeria and I found the first, the second was reported by a wolf on patrol, and the last one, elites found it. Alaric was concerned about these sightings, so he ordered some elites to patrol the surroundings. Scouts can be very slippery and hard to spot. They are trained to be, but to think that even elites couldn't catch them troubles me. Very few rouge packs can stand their ground against us. Therefore most tend to stay away from us, but if scouts are lurking around; scouts which we cannot find, this only means they are strong packs. Perhaps the Crawford pack... or it could be the Dontells. They are two of the strongest packs in the east. Whoever they are, they have Nymeria, Alaric, and the council on edge.
Now, sightings have seized. That is never a good sign. It can mean two things; either they gathered enough information to attack... or something made them step back. Whichever it is, means trouble. Everyone is on high alert, preparing for any attack.
- Maya refused to tell me. – Luke carried on, turning to look at his sister. Oh, right, he was speaking to me. I'll worry about scouts later. – So, I'm asking you. – he finished speaking.
- Not much, just went for something to eat. – I explain, avoiding any unnecessary information. Maya has her reasons to not share, I'm going to respect them.
- That's it? – he asks in disbelief. I dismiss the question by just packing my stuff.
- See, I told you it was nothing. – Maya scolds him.
- Why didn't you tell me, I would've joined. – he complains.
- Because we wanted to speak. You know, couples thing. – she replies, probably annoying Luke further.
- Whatever. – he decides it's not worth it. – Just don't expect me to cover for you next time. – he warned Maya.
- Oh, come on... don't be grumpy. Tell you what, I'll cook you dinner. – she offers.
- Deal. – Luke accepts without a second thought.
You might be surprised to know that Maya is an excellent cook. She hates cooking and usually avoids it, but when she does it's astoundingly good. I'll never forget when she cooked us a sheep for Nymeria's 15th birthday. Words can't describe how delicious that lamp was. That's probably the first and only time I've eaten something she cooked. One would think that by having such talent, they would do it often, but not Maya.
We head to the cafeteria as usual. Today, they serve pizza, which got to say, is not my favorite. I like it just fine, but I'd take a piece of stake any day. The twins were delighted as always with whatever they served. They just want to sit down and start digging in. We are heading towards our usual spot when...
- Hey Maya, Cal! – Nadia calls.
She has a smile beaming right at us, sitting right next to Nathan and his pack on a table a few feet away. She waved at us, signaling us to join them. Nathan's pack is shocked and irritated. Maya and I looked at each other doubtful.
- So, you ate huh... - Luke mocks in a whisper.
- Shut up. – I say harshly.
- Come here, guys. – Nadia offers again.
We are skeptical about whether to go or not. We did have fun yesterday, but it's completely different from sitting down and eating with a group of domestics. At last, we decided to go and say hi. As we approached the table many domestics shifted uncomfortably in their places. They are sweating cold.
- Hi guys, how are you? Come, sit down. – Nadia offers nicely, causing domestics to stiffen even more.
- It's okay, we'll just go sit down elsewhere. – Maya declines politely.
- What are you talking about, there's plenty of space, right baby? – she turns to Nathan.
Poor guy, he just got himself in a difficult situation. Regardless of the answer, someone is going to get upset. Nathan is speechless, not knowing what to say. Might as well, make it easy and leave.
- Thanks Nadia, but we're kind of busy. – I say politely.
- It's lunchtime, take a break. –
- You know something, she's right. – Luke intervenes and moves to an empty spot on the table. – Come on guys. – he can be such a child.
He's just doing this to get back at us. Maya and I sighed in resignation and sat down. I made sure Luke isn't near any domestics. Maya has proven able to handle herself, Luke on the other hand not so much. Nathan and Nadia were sitting next to us.
- Let me introduce you guys. – Nadia begins. – This is Kaya. – she gestures to the girl sitting on her right.
- Hi... - she limits herself, although she doesn't smell that upset.
- There's Mason. – I remember him from last week at the library, the nice one.
- Hey, guys. – he says with his usual kind tone.
- Well.... you already know Jake... - she says softly. He's sitting in between Mason and some other guy right next to me.
- And lastly, there's Paul. –
- Hi. – he says shortly.
Luke is sitting next to Nathan, there shouldn't be any problem there. That Paul guy just reeks of anger. He's definitively upset we're here. There are so many werewolves, why does Nathan only hang out with so few? Most players on the football team are werewolves, but for some reason, they're sitting at different tables. These must be high-ranking wolves.
I mean, Nathan is just making sure Jake stays in line. Mason is second in command, no doubt about it. They share all classes and are always together. So, that just leaves Kaya and Paul; one of them must be third in command. As for the last title, I have no idea. Interesting...they separate important wolves from the rest of the pack. Why? What point is there to it? Everyone knows already who they are, there's no need to point it out further.
- Well, I already know Caleb and Maya, but not you. Hi, my name is Nadia. – she greets Luke.
- Hey, I'm Luke, Maya's brother. – he introduces himself politely. He better be or I'll kill him myself if he starts another fight.
- Thanks for covering for Maya yesterday. I'm sorry you couldn't join... maybe next time we can all hang out... - she says.
- Oh, don't worry. They already explained everything. – he said nonchalantly, we are caught.
Now I know how Nathan's pack feel, Nadia not knowing about the werewolf world can be so frustrating. I get that he likes her, but if they break up because of it... that's that. If you ask me, he'll be gaining more than he's losing. Not to be mean to Nadia, she's super sweet and nice, but human mates are very complicated. Bonds are different, there is always a greater risk of them dying, they might not be able to become wolves, and, most importantly, the bond is never 100% complete. Which is why it's better to mate with another wolf.
- Cool. Have you guys heard? – she asks excitedly.
- What? – Maya wonders. She likes to gossip.
- Some families just moved, and their kids are entering here to study. – she said joyfully. New kids, huh? I wonder who they are.
- Really? Where are they? – Luke asks.
- They just transferred. I guess they'll come to class tomorrow. – Mason joins the conversation.
- Do you know who they are? – Maya asks wanting to get more information.
- Nope, just that they moved from a big city far away. Why would someone move here of all places? – Nadia says.
- Job transfer? – Nathan suggests.
- Like they would pay better here. – Kaya contradicts.
- Maybe they got kicked out and are looking for a new start. – Jake says.
- Still, they could've gone anywhere closer. – Nadia adds.
They could be werewolves, maybe a group of wolves looking for a new pack. Alpha Nathan doesn't seem to notify the pack about his decisions. That would explain why Nathan doesn't know much about them. I wonder how they reacted when they told them we'd be attending school.
- Actually, it's cheaper. – a feminine voice says from behind.
We all turned to see her, and to my surprise, they are four of them; two girls and two guys all of a similar age. The one to speak appears to be a redheaded girl with dark eyebrows and the most cunning blue eyes I've ever seen. She's a human, they all are. Next to her is a guy with dirty blond hair and green eyes. He's tall and well-built. The last two look younger, a year or two. The other girl has brown reddish hair and chocolate eyes. She's the smallest of the four. Lastly, a guy with similar traits to the tiny girl.
- Dad's work offered a transfer, and this place is economic and nice. – she explained. – We overheard you. Hi, my name is Dakota Fowler, this is Carter, Violet, and my stepbrother Mathew. – she introduced.
- Nice to meet you. – Nathan greets and proceeds with introductions.
My eyes widened at their last name. Fowler? Where have I heard that name before, it sounds so familiar. Fowler...fowler... hmm. Right, how could I forget? They are hunters! I turned exalted to look at Maya, she nodded lightly with an anguished face. Luke gave me the same face, we looked at each other confused. I tried not to tense up so that domestics wouldn't sense it.
Fowlers are one of the oldest hunter families in the country. They usually are far west. We've had a small encounter with them a couple of years ago, after raiding a small village. We took heavy losses that day, as did they. We were forced to flee, most of our fighters were poisoned and we couldn't risk it. What are they doing here? Did alpha Nathan tell them to come? No, Nate and the rest would know. Hunters are not something to take lightly. Even if domestics have a better relationship with them, they aren't allies.
- Hey, do you mind if we sit down? – she says sweetly but was already sitting right next to me, making all of us scootch to make space. - What are you doing? – she asks with a nice tone, but it sounds so fake.
- We're eating. – Paul said, clearly annoyed by the number of strangers.
- Is it good, can I have a bite? – once again she didn't wait for an answer when she was already taking a bite from my pizza. – Humm. – she moans. – It's good. – she says flirtatiously.
- So, what do you guys do here for fun? – Mathew asked, his tone a bit higher than I expected it to be, but still quite husky.
- Well, it depends. What do you like doing? – Nadia says. – There's plenty to do around: bowling, football, movies, archery... -
- Oh, I love archery. I've practiced it since a kid, and I'm a perfect shot. – Dakota stares at me with a murderous, mischievous look.
If she's trying to annoy me, she'll need to do much better than that. I've dealt with far worst hunters than her, she is just a pup.
- Great! Maybe you can join the team, we need it. – Nadia offers nicely.
- Are there any physical sports? – Mathew asks, joining the conversation.
- Well, there's football if you're interested. -Nathan says. – But there's also boxing, wrestling, and lacrosse. – he adds.
- Lacrosse sounds nice, but I don't know. I think I'll try swimming. – he says and glances at Luke.
They know exactly who we are. They're trying to intimidate us by showing how strong and good with a bow they are. Pathetic. Still, it better not underestimate them. Alaric said nothing about hunters, which means they just got here. That's why scouts retrieved, they sensed hunters coming. It all makes sense now.
- What about you two? – Mason asks the younger siblings, especially the girl.
- Oh, we don't play sports. - Carter lied, his heartbeat rising. - We'll join some study group or something. –
- Thing is, we don't know our way around. Could you maybe show us the school? – Dakota changes the subject. She's looking at me with this troublesome face, this girl is bad news.
– I'm new too; not the best tour guide... - I reject. She looked at me with challenging eyes.
- Pity... what about you handsome? – she asks Luke.
- Not interested. – he stated coldly.
- I suppose blondie is out too. – she says. I feel Maya tense her fist under the table. So, I tried easing it off by laying my hand on top of hers.
– I'm on the school's student committee. I can show you around. – Nadia offers.
- Great! – Dakota faked a smile. – Tomorrow's fine? –
- Sure! –
- Maybe you can join us. – she flirts, resting her hand on my thigh.
- I wouldn't do that... - I instantly pulled the hand away. I swear I heard Maya growl under her breath. I doubt anyone else noticed, though.
- Oh, why is that? – she says in a challenging voice.
- Because he's my boyfriend. – Maya says upset.
- Really? It doesn't look. – she says mockingly. Before Maya could respond the bell rang. - Saved by the bell. – she says and seductively bites her bottom lip. – Nice meeting you, we'll see you around guys. – Dakota says standing up.
They all said goodbye and left, as did we. That Dakota girl is pure trouble. The next class is with Mr. Harrison, one of the few werewolf teachers in school. Good, because I don't need some human telling me what to do right now. We hurry up to class, taking our normal spots up front, near the window. Nathan and Mason were a few placed behind. The only good thing about this class is that everyone knows about werewolves. There's only one human here, and I think he's dating a wolf girl, so there's no problem.
- Hello class. – Mr. Harrison enters the room. He seemed to be a little agitated. – Umm guys, before class starts, I have an announcement to give. – The room quiets down. – So... as you know we'll be having a couple more students tomorrow. –
- Yeah, the redhead is hot. – a random jackass commented, causing laughs to emerge. The room was once again in disorder.
- Guys! Please, quiet down. – it took some seconds to get the room silent. – Well, I don't think you'll like them very much. They are hunters. – he pauses dramatically. With just that, the whole room was reeking of worry and fear.
- What? -
- Hunters! -
- What are they doing here? –
- Are we in danger? –
Several questions erupted in the room. Domestics are starting to panic. Everyone is rambling on about nonsense. They are even more useless than I thought, never even seen a hunter before. Just how much have they been protected from? Can they even fight?
- Calm down, it's probably nothing to worry about. – Mr. Harrison said patiently and softly. The class started whispering and disagreeing.
- Mr. Harrison. – Mason's voice increases, yet he is still calm.
- Mason, yes? –
- Did you know hunters were coming? – he asks. Everyone shut up to hear the answer. The teacher sighed deeply.
- No, I didn't. –
- Then they showed up unannounced. – the young wolf clarifies.
- Yes... -
- That's not a good sign. They always announce whenever they are coming. – Nathan states. So, hunters tell domestics when they are coming... that's odd.
- Yes, but I don't think it's something to worry about too much... – he tries easing everyone.
- Why? – Kaya demands.
- Because they're here for us. – Luke answers, taking everyone by surprise. – Isn't it? –
- Yeah... most likely. – he responds.
- Then let's give them to the hunters. – someone suggests. – They'll leave us alone. – almost the whole classroom agreed immediately. They stand and walk toward us like the decision was already made.
- Whoa, whoa, sit down! – Mr. Harrison orders with a commanding voice. – No one is giving anyone up. -
- They are here for the rogues, why should we care what happens to them? – a girl exalted.
- Because we made a treaty with them, and we cannot violate it. So shut up and listen! – Mr. Harrison scolds. – I do not know why they showed up unannounced. What I do know is that right now there's a meeting taking place about it. We cannot do anything out of what we were told. I know you guys are afraid and confused, but we cannot rush decisions. –
Mr. Harrison turned to us.
- I know this is a matter of safety for you... so if you choose to leave school early, the teachers and I will understand. – he says somewhat warmly and concerned.
Maya and Luke look at me distressed, waiting for me to decide. We are in domestic territory surrounded by hunters. We don't know how many they are, what they're looking for, or if domestics are on their side. Think fast! If we stay and domestics ally with hunters, we are dead. We need to leave while we can, even if hunters are expecting us at the crossline. It's the only option, I can't risk it. Maya and Luke are strong, if we get poisoned Maya could heal us later if it doesn't reach the heart. Yes, we need to go and regroup.
- Let's go. – I say. We waste no time; we were about to exit the room.
- Caleb. – Nathan says, making me and the twins stop. Everyone is watching him, some confused, others angry. Many have mixed feelings about what was going on. – Be careful. - he says and I nod.
We ran outside the school as fast as we could. We need to get home as fast as possible before the domestics reach an agreement with the hunters. We are running through the street. The crossline is up ahead, almost a kilometer away and the crossline extends five kilometers, we need to hurry. That's when I heard it, there are people up ahead. Hunters.
- Wait! – I instruct. – Can you hear that? – they nod.
- They could have already planted traps. – Luke comments. He's right, we don't know how much time they've been here.
- What should we do? – Maya asks, her voice a little agitated. Think Caleb, think!
– Cal? –
There are at least eight of them that I can perceive now. Even if we managed to get through the hunters, there's no telling about the traps. Five kilometers is plenty of space to catch us. We are outnumbered and, as much as I hate to admit it, they are skillful at hunting.
– Caleb! – Maya shouts, bringing me back to reality.
- The river. – I say. – We'll swim. They can't lay traps in the river and we can hold our breath if we sense them. –
- Okay. – Luke says and Maya nods.
- Quick, let's go. –
The river isn't that far ahead. They haven't seen us, so we can make it. Let's just hope it stays that way because if they shoot at us while on the water, it can end badly for us. We ran as fast as we can. I stayed a little behind to make sure no one is following. Luke should be upfront; he has a great sense of smell and can catch a scent sooner. In less than 5 minutes we're already at the river.
- Leave your stuff behind but hide it. We can't have them know we left. – I order.
We hide our backpacks inside a bush and jumped into the water. The water is cold, sending shivers down my back. The river is broad and deep enough to submerge without being spotted. We start swimming as quickly and quietly as we could. Attentive to perceive any sound, smell, or movement.
The deeper we get into the forest the more noises start appearing. The water is also getting more agitated, creating even more noise, and making it harder to hear. We continue swimming breaststroke, never submerging our heads. I can feel my heart pound fast like it's trying to get out of my chest. Hearing the twin's heartbeat isn't helping, they are just as worried as me. I need to calm down and concentrate. Now is not the time to lose it. I need to be strong for Maya and Luke. I fight my urge to howl for backup because we'll give our location away.
- Luke, can you sense something? – I whisper.
- No, it's hard to smell something other than the water. –
- Maya? –
- I don't see anyone. – she says. – What about you? – she asks.
- No, can't hear them. –
Fuck! Every second that passes we're risking getting caught. It takes much longer to swim than run. I feel like a deer being stalked by a tiger. At any second the hunters can show up. We're not even halfway there. It's taking too much time. The meeting must be over. If the hunters didn't want to kill us before, they might now. It's better to take this head-start while we still have it.
- It's enough, to the shore. We need to make a run for it. – I say.
- Okay. – Maya says. We swim to land and stop to make sure everything was clear. It appears to be.
- We'll run from now, make sure to stay close to the river. If we get cornered, swim across. – I say and they nod.
We start running. It is more difficult with wet clothes, but we are still going very fast. not caring how much noise we make. Hunters can't catch up to us on foot. In less than a minute we managed to cover more ground than 10 minutes of swimming. As we approached the town, relief started washing over me. I doubt hunters would get this close. We quickened the pace just in case. When we arrive, a bunch of wolves is waiting for us along with my father, he looks relieved.
- I'm glad you're back. – he says. – Come on, you're late. The meeting already started. – he says, walking by my side towards Nymeria's house.
- I know... – I respond. – Maya, and Luke, get change quickly. Inform the pack about how many hunters we sensed, including the ones in school, but remain calm. We still don't know where we stand. – I order. They accepted and dismissed themselves. My father and I continued towards the house.
- What happened up till now? – I ask my dad.
- Patrol spotted hunters near the south. An emergency meeting was convoked 15 minutes ago. – he explained.
- Any incidents? –
- No. –
- We started preparing... –
- Just in case. –
- Good. – I say. We arrive at the house and I'm about to enter when my father calls me.
- Hey, son...– he says. I turn. – You're good at this. – he compliments, making me smile.
-Thanks. – I sigh deeply before opening the door.
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Picture of Allan at the top, Caleb's father