Chapter 34
-Farley-
After a while, the smell of vinegar started to become bearable. The smell of aconite still burnt my nose and made me feel weak, but I was coming to my senses again. I peeled my eyes open to be greeted with a wall. Something was different from the last time I woke up. I felt like I had been moved, closer to the forest. The scent of pine filled my nose, making my body jolt with awareness.
I craned my head to see that there was nobody there. The lantern was still on the floor, offering little to no light. My wrists and legs were still bound together, but now I could focus on that.
It was difficult to raise my legs enough so that I could untie my ankles, but if worse comes to worse, I'd rather have my legs then my fists. The knots weren't tight, but they were complicated. I had to backtrack a few times as I had only made the knots even tighter.
I got one foot out of the knot and decided to just tuck the rest of the rope inside my shoe, wrapping it around my ankle. It would save me enough time to focus on my wrists.
They were much tighter and more complicated than my ankles, as though they were tied by two different people. I had to use my teeth a few times, but that didn't bother me. Something which did bother me was the fact that I felt like I was wasting time. There was urgency and fear in my actions, but surely there's a better way to get out of this.
Clanging came from my right, causing me to speed up even more. My fingers trembled and I found it tricky to keep a hold on the rope. I scrambled over to the lantern and hit it, breaking the glass and blowing out the flame which was inside.
I took a piece of the broken glass and held it to my wrist, sawing through the thick rope. The sound of the sawing, sounding like a very annoying zip on a coat, bounced through my head.
I realised that I was stupid for blowing out the candle when I tried to figure out my surroundings. I couldn't see very far in front of me.
I sighed and shifted into my wolf. Suddenly, the world became brighter, like I was opening my eyes for the first time. I was in a tunnel, there was an opening in front of me and two openings on either side. Daphne must have come from the one in front of me, at least it felt like that's where she came from earlier.
So, I went to the right. I didn't want to accidentally run into her or anybody else who was a potential enemy.
My body still ached, and my face was burning, but I ignored it and focused on the ground beneath my paws. The dripping had come from a leaky pipe a few feet away from where I was previously lying. In fact, it was impossible to walk a few feet without being dripped on.
The scent of the forest grew stronger, motivating me to keep going. I could follow it easily, easier than it should be. I was in a tunnel in the forest, an easy conclusion to come to, but the forest had either moved, or I had. None of that made sense, I wasn't in a different place.
I shook my head and ran past rats and some other small furry animals which were angry that I was invading. Some parts of the tunnel were blocked by heavy black bars. There were grates above me, signalling that it was still daylight outside.
Voices came from my left.
I skidded to a stop and backed up. "Not wanting to turn back huh? Understandable." Cedar's voice rang out. "We knew that you'd come for him. Granted, we thought it would take you longer."
I peeked around the corner. Two wolves were behind bars, one I recognised as Iris. The other was the most stunning wolf I had ever seen. His fur blended in with the shadows, the sparkles in his eyes the only indication that he wasn't a trick of the light. That had to be Pax.
The black wolf was facing the bars with his back to the wall. He looked confused, his ears twitched and his head was lowered. Iris was standing in front of him, snarling at Cedar.
Cedar had his back to me, his long hair tied up into a bun. He wore jeans and a flannel, nothing unusual. I assume that he had his arms crossed over his chest and I could envision a smirk on his face.
"Soon, the rest of your pack will be caught too. Then we'll have all the evidence we need," Cedar gloated.
That was all I needed to hear. I darted across the opening, continuing my search for the other pack members. Pax and Iris were safe for now.
The smell of the forest became distant as I ran away from Pax. I only just noticed the smell of sandalwood in the air. I could find them again, even if they moved.
My paws clicked against the floor of the tunnel; I didn't attempt to sneak up on anyone. Growls reached my ears, and I went faster.
I approached a checkerboard of light, under which were several wolves, Caspian and Clementine were recognisable. I couldn't find Rowan.
I shook my head and dived on one of the wolves I didn't recognise. They growled in response and tried to shake me off, my jaw was soon imbedded into their side, and I bit down. Clementine, who the wolf was on top of, had speckles of red coating her grey fur. This wolf wasn't going to get off easily.
Clementine went to join Caspian, pushing the wolf off him. Another wolf narrowly caught the fur on my neck as they pounced, scratching my side with their claws.
I turned around to face them, they were a little taller than me, but It didn't intimidate me. The wolf on the floor didn't budge, they were definitely still alive. The two of them were male, a seemingly useless observation, but a thought provoking one. There weren't many members of Kian's pack, if Kian wasn't here, then who was the other wolf?
This new wolf's fur was lighter than the one on the floor. They snarled at me and lunged. I dodged and circled them. I mentally cursed for not having much combat training in my wolf form. I used the logic of basketball and didn't let them pass me like I was protecting the hoop.
The wolf rolled their neck and lunged directly towards me after a while of circling. I was ready and barrelled straight into them, knocking them backwards. The wolf was pushed out of my grasp and Caspian landed on top of them.
Clementine stood above another wolf, her head held high. I huffed a laugh and shook my head.
"Shame," A voice came from my right. "I thought that they would put up a bigger fight." Kian casually walked towards us, cigarette in one hand and leash in the other. At the end of the leash was a russet wolf with their head down.
Growls and snarls came from the three of us as we recognised Rowan to be the one on the leash.
"Now this is no good," Kian said and eyed all of us. "Though wolves are superior, they are not in terms of speaking." His piercing gaze stayed on me. "Farley, shift."
I didn't want to. For one, there weren't any clothes in sight. Another reason was if I shifted; I wouldn't have any weapons. My teeth and claws were not used often, but they had been a useful comfort the past few minutes.
I looked to Caspian and Clementine, who did nothing but look at me wearily. Rowan was the deal-breaker. He looked up at me with scared eyes. I hadn't' seen that expression from him before.
I sighed and returned to my human form, staying on my knees and crouching over to hide as much as myself as possible. "Kian," I greeted through gritted teeth.
"Ah, you listen." He walked towards me., dragging Rowan behind still. "I'm pleasantly surprised. You're not as dumb as you look."
I scowled at him. "I'm not sure, you let me go the first time. You didn't even notice another wolf was in your territory." I knew that I should bite my tongue, and I was.
Kian tilted his head, dropped the cigarette end onto the floor and stood on it. "We have the advantage; you should listen to me."
I raised my eyebrows. "Do you?" I questioned. It's not a very effective way to buy time, but it's the only thing I could come up with. "So, your wolves are on the floor, mostly unconscious. The youngest member of our pack on a leash like a dog, you're still in your human form and very much alone. I feel like we're somewhat even here."
Rowan whined, causing me to mentally flinch. I didn't mean for it to sound as mean as it did. I'd have to make it up to him when we get out of here.
"Are you willing to believe I'm actually alone?" Kian retaliated. Footsteps came from behind. Finn raised his arms, a grin on his face as he walked down the tunnel. "That's the advantage of a place like this; no matter what way you turn, you'll always find new surprises."
I turned back to Kian with a scowl. "The numbers don't add up," I stated. I nodded to the wolves on the floor and asked, "what about them?"
Kian huffed and looked down at them with disappointment. "Yes, they were a gamble. Hired wolves who I didn't have much faith in."
I felt sorry for the two wolves; offering services wasn't unheard of, but a little old fashioned. They were probably just trying to get some money. I couldn't feel too bad, as they still attacked us.
Caspian and Clementine moved to my side. It made me feel less vulnerable, but they also made the danger feel much more real.
"You're still missing a few," I pointed out. "What happened? Trouble in paradise?"
Kian clenched his fists. "Not being a part of a fight is reasonable," he growled. "We have your entire pack here; we don't need more people."
"Yeah," Finn agreed with Kian. "We have all the help we need." He had a strange glint in his eyes, a tone thick with something I couldn't describe. "Isn't that right, Daphne?"
A familiar, and a very unwelcoming, figure came from behind Kian. She had her arms crossed as she leant against the tunnel wall. "Right," she agreed with a stern expression. "We have all the help we need."
Kian turned around with his mouth open wide. His shoulders were tense and he stuttered, "you weren't meant to be here."
I exchanged glances with Clementine and Caspian, their growling and snarls had stopped. Rowan looked up at Kian before pulling on the leash, he couldn't break free, but he could get further then he had done before.
"Well, yes. That was the plan," Finn spoke.
Kian spun around again, his eyes darting around the tunnel. "Plan? What plan? There is only one plan and I made it."
"So narrow-minded," Daphne said as she advanced on him. "There can be more than one plan, nor do they have to be made by you."
Kian sputtered and he blinked as though he was getting paid to do it. "You're running the plan," he exclaimed. "What's the purpose of this?"
Daphne chuckled and shook her head. "The purpose of this is the same reason why you've been treating everyone so poorly the past few years."
Kian looked even more confused. "What?"
Pax had told us a little about this. He said that Kian had been terrible to him for years. Though he had only just started to act cold and distant to the others over the past few years.
"We know what you were planning," Finn stated. "You and Alora."
I felt like this wasn't our fight anymore, but I was too afraid to move. It would be far too obvious if we were to try and get out of the citation.
I shifted back to my wolf form for a sense of comfort. I backed up with Caspian and Clementine, so that Kian was in the middle of Daphne and Finn, we were out of the firing line, for now.
"What? What was I planning?" Kian asked with a smile and a laugh. He slapped his hands on the sides of his leg and held them out, as though embracing a possible answer. "What was I planning?"
"You were following Travis Sparsfeild's footsteps," Daphne said. Her head was lifted high as she stared him down. "Going the opposite direction, but still fitting his footprints perfectly."
Kian scoffed and shook his head.
Travis Sparsfeild was the one who caused trouble for Ralph and Aiden a few years ago. He wanted to take over all the packs in the area, by becoming more integrated and powerful in human society.
"Don't deny it Kian. You and I both know that's why we were training." Finn's voice took on a hurt and desperate tone. "You told me."
"And you supported me," Kian responded with a loud voice. "You said that it was a great plan which wouldn't fail. You didn't see any problems with it-"
"-Because I wanted you to like me," Finn interrupted. He pointed at himself and then to Kian, stomping towards him. "You wanted to expand, you wanted to be a leader of a bigger pack, you wanted to join with Alora's pack to get bigger. I wanted you to be happy, and I wanted you to like me."
I felt like I was intruding on something very domestic. It was like watching a married couple fighting.
"Then, you proposed," Finn said with a broken voice. His hand turned into a fist, and he turned away from Kian for a moment.
I was shocked, I didn't know that Kian had proposed to anyone, nothing had been mentioned in the werewolf society. From the shifting to my right, I supposed that Caspian was having the shock of his life. It's difficult to interpret a wolf's expression, even if you're a wolf yourself. My companion's eyes were wide, and they became eerily still.
"You agreed with me," Kian all but shouted. "You said it was a good idea, you supported me through it."
Finn sighed in frustration and gripped at his hair. "Because you wanted it. Don't you understand?" It was difficult to believe that this was the same Finn I had met a few months ago. "I wanted you to be happy, and if that meant marrying someone else then, I was willing to put my feelings aside."
"But that wasn't a good thing," Daphne continued. Her voice was still strong. She didn't seem to care much for Finn's breakdown. "You were already demolishing packs. It wasn't a coincidence that Alder and I ran into you."
Caspian moved from my side, sliding into the shadows and creeping along the tunnels. I backed up, Clementine following, and continued to watch from the shadows.
"We were without a family because of you. So, we came up with a plan; Finn and I." She gave Finn a stern stare, urging him silently to man up. "I'm sure that you can agree, seeing my pack ripped to shreds on behalf of Alora was more than enough reason for us to lash out."
"You-you," Kian stuttered, raising a shaky hand.
"Yes, we were the ones to kill her," Finn said. "Now, we're gonna kill you."
Hello lovelies! I hope that you're doing well
That took a change didn't it?
The question of the chapter is, who is your favourite fictional motherly figure? -in honour of mother's day, which was yesterday in the UK-
Mine is either Amy from good luck Charlie or Teresa from Wizards of Waverly Place- yeah, I cant' really think of many more to be honest, and I'm sure I'm missing a ton. But those are the ones who come to mind!