"We should have reached the aspen forest by now," Boe mused. "There's only a few hours left until sundown. We were clear of the main forest by this time yesterday."
"You didn't ponder the fact that perhaps this forest is bigger than the other one?" Brooke huffed back at him.
"Well, I'm just trying to suggest that maybe we're going in the wrong direction."
"Shelly said west. So we'll go west."
"Maybe Shelly was wrong."
"And you're right?"
"Never said that. I was simply implying that we check our bearings before we waste a day running away from our destination."
"You said it yourself, the sun is setting. We're surely heading west because the Sun has been blinding me for the last HOUR!"
"HEY! I'm just saying we should've been through-"
I gave Soren a meaningful glance before we shouted in unison, "Stop arguing!"
Thank Lady Luna they listened. Though my two pack mates' mouths were shut, their lethal expressions spoke louder than their words. But the silence was endearing. It was a start.
"Let's take a break. I'll climb a tree to see if I can locate the end of the pine forest." I calmly stated.
The formerly arguing pair remained quiet; they didn't trust themselves with simple banter. Soren was grateful for the break in their constant bickering. I was too.
Not wanting to leave Soren with the ticking time bombs, I closed my eyes to part my soul from my body. I felt a minute tug of annoyance from her; she didn't appreciate the hate emitted from my friends due to their arguing.
Briefly, she was visible for everyone to see; she was like an ethereal clone, a carbon copy of me. Then, shimmering into a wraith-like form, she whisked up a trunk, weaving around it, and glowing like a ball of iridescent light.
"I see the aspen forest, but its north of here. The river is not too far from it." I heard the report from her mentally.
We were heading in the wrong direction. After passing on the message to my friends, they were incredulous. Even Boe, who had suggested the notion of us going in the wrong direction, was speechless.
"Someone must've made a mistake when the directions were given." Soren concluded. But his voice was laced with uncertainty.
We left it at that.
~~*~~
The rushing torrent of the waters propelled our legs forward. We'd smelt the seaweed and the tang of fish long before we could hear the sound. Night cloaked the land as our paws charged through the foliage.
Four days until the full moon; all of us felt it as soon as our pristine deity's face lit the darkness. I had lost track of time in the Glass Room; I couldn't believe that it was almost a whole moon since my capture.
We had shifted and ran well into the night. Our sharpened senses helped us evade our pursuers. After a long dusk-to-dawn period of travel, our eyes started to droop. Lady Luna threatened to disappear into the horizon.
As we crossed river, our paws skimmed the rocks beneath the water's surface. Upon crossing, we instantly divided to find a place to camp upstream.
I pinpointed an old badger burrow; it was hollow and large enough for everyone. No one bothered to shift back into their human forms as we crammed into the space. Turning in a dog-like sleeping ritual, I curled up into a sable ball of fur.
~~*~~
Sunlight blasted in my face. Squinting against the rays, I pushed myself up to stand, but a stark realization hit me as I took in my furry physique.
Quickly, I scrambled out of the den.
Once free, I shifted back. I slowed my breathing with a few deep breaths.
That had been a close call. Like any supernatural, werewolves had to keep a mental note of their shifts. If they shifted too much, or stayed in their animal forms for extended periods of time, they might find themselves unable to change back.
"Calm down Mae, you were only asleep for three hours," Boe convinced. He was polishing his blades with a cloth. "I would've woken you up if I thought you needed to shift back."
His back was to me, so I knew we couldn't see my smile. Boe's hair was wet, hinting that he took a dip in the river. The shirt he had changed into showcased his muscular wolf build.
Stretching and eliminating the kinks in my back, I shrugged my bag off my shoulders. Our magica infused bodies helped us retain our clothing during and after a shift. Even our bags stayed on our backs, invisible only until we shifted back.
I verified that some clean clothes were out of my bag. Setting them on the rocks near the shore, I took of my shoes, jacket, and socks. I kept the rest of my clothing on, hoping to wash them as well.
The cool water, partially warmed by the Southern Sun, was a welcome feeling. I bobbed deeper into the river, until the water was up to my chest.
Then, I began the meticulous ritual of hygiene. I went from my hair, downwards.
I hummed out of happiness. Today marked our third of escaping the compound. Today was our last day of being fugitives. And tomorrow, we would be free.
I finished my cleaning with that giddy revelation in my mind. Turning to Boe, I asked, "Where are Brooke and Soren?"
"They've gone to scout ahead. The directions given to us were wrong. There's a cluster of run-down cottages downstream. Upstream, there isn't anything for miles."
"What!?"
"My thoughts exactly. Combine this with the river being north, it just doesn't add up."
I left Boe in silence. Quietly, I went behind some trees to change and dry off. When I returned, I laid down my old clothes on some sun-kissed rocks. Fire in one palm, wind in another, I began to blow-dry my hair. Through my locks, I saw Boe smiling at me.
Soren and Brooke hadn't returned yet. Boe told me not to worry, they had promised to be back before midday. Judging from the Sun's position, they still had an hour or so. To kill time, I took out the journal.
January 23rd
Well, it's official. My scouts report from the North. Mae will be at one of the boarding schools. But we have no idea which one.
Today, Lord Bartus of the Western demi-daemons attacked rebel territory. The raid occurred threateningly close to our main compound. It terrifies me how deep they got into our land, without us knowing about it. One of my top Commanders was killed.
I've appointed a new one in his place, Commander Lupus. He's been in the Northern Wolf Palace, being a wolf himself. I'm hoping that he's got some insight on the young princess.
Our causalities included three children. One cannot even fathom why the Imperials pride themselves in the murdering of innocents. Maybe they will realize the error in their ways when they receive the same brutality. I believe an invasion on the Western Boarding School is in order.
My jaw dropped to the floor. Tempting as it was to show Boe, I was afraid of the kind of grief I would awaken in him. The only thing I could do...was turn the page.
January 24th
It is done. WSBS' pack is crippled. I got to see the new Commander perform during this assault; he's perfect for this position. If my numbers serve correctly, ten young lives were taken during the attack.
Rumours say that one of the lives lost was WSBS' Alpha. This claim had better not be true, because I specifically ordered that each of the teenage leaders be spared. Oh well, what can I do about now?
But the former Beta in the pack is female. When she rises to power, she will become the first female Alpha of WSBS' pack. I'm keeping my mind open with this one; the files say that she's hybrid, a werewolf-Benedanti. Benedanti means that she's bred for the role of a leader.
Her future Beta is hybrid as well, necromancer-werewolf. If they do well, I might find it worth my time to ripple the balance in their pack once more. I don't have werewolves in the Glass Room, yet.
I wanted to rip out that page, and cast it to the fire. There was more to a man than meets the eye.
With so much knowledge in my grasp, I was snagged like a fish. Skimming more entries, I paused at a recent date, the day before I came to WSBS.
February 7th
I can't stop thinking of the werewolf princess. She's probably registered by now; she could be blending in with the other students, right under our noses. But I must move forward.
Today, we moved up Soren and Neo to the Glass Room. Both were extracted from the Eastern School.
The boy's cognitive abilities are astonishing; they've surpassed the highest rebels' IQ scores. However, their intellectual abilities seem to highly influence their physical strength.
Neo knows only the theory of holding and fighting with a blade; his tactics on the sparring mat are clinical and textbook. Soren, while possessing werewolf capabilities is much of the same. He clearly lacks experience.
Either way, they are a prime example of the types of Imperials created in the Eastern School. Bred for their intellect alone.
Frowning, I closed the journal. It turned back into a word puzzle book.
Soren had just arrived with Brooke. It hadn't seemed important to me to learn of my Imperial captive's origins. Now, I felt like I needed to know.
"I think we found it!" Soren exclaimed as he rushed up to us.
"We could hear the road near some of the houses!" Brooke added with equal excitement.
"Well, let's go! What're we waiting for?" I responded.
Boe quickly gathered his things, and I did the same. Everyone checked around the camp to ensure that we left nothing to suggest our travels here.
We were so close to the goal; we couldn't risk anyone catching hint of our whereabouts. Soon, we were all sprinting along the shore, downstream.
"Watch out!" I warned, waving my companions to the cover of the trees.
They ducked into the woods. A few moments later, the purposeful whir of a helicopter thundered above. It flew low, almost touching the trees.
Peering over through the shrubbery, I noticed the rebel emblem emblazoned on the helicopter's doors.
We pressed deeper into our hiding spot, praying that it wouldn't see us. Thankfully, it passed overhead, heading east.
"Oh-no. It's going east, that's where the others are," Soren looked crestfallen.
"Presumably, that's where they are. Maybe they changed course like us." Boe tried to cheer up his fellow sorcerer.
~~*~~
When we reached the abandoned cottages, the group split up to find the willow. The smell of gasoline and tires alerted us of our proximity to the road. We could barely reign in our enthusiasm. I ducked into former backyards, passed run-down boats, and found every type of tree except a willow.
Then I heard a scream. The ring of steel spurred me into action. Casting an invisibility spell, I tore back to my friends.
Suddenly, I crashed into something.
Grunts of pain followed as I gripped my daggers. I spun to plunge my knife into my attackers.
But I stopped as soon as I recognised them. Soren and Boe were on the ground, still recovering from the three-way collusion.
I stole a tiny moment of pleasure as I realized we'd all reacted the same way to the sound. Brooke's blonde head came running.
Her face was flushed. "I got it!"
"Who screamed?" Soren was up in an instant, followed by Boe.
"Screamed?"
"You didn't hear it?" I grilled her.
"No, I just ran back here as soon as I found the willow."
The three of us who had heard the scream were dumbfounded. But we couldn't waste time when we had a solid lead. Brooke spun, dashing away.
We were left with the choice of following her to freedom, or staying to figure out the source of the noise. To be honest, it wasn't really a choice.
We ran after her. Utter joy overcame me when a vacant cottage came into view. The tallest willow I had ever seen protruded from behind it. But the gravel road, just adjacent, manifested liberation like a Holy Grail.
At the willow, everyone paused reverently, mumbling thanks to Lady Luna for guiding our paths.
"We made it. We actually made it. I can't believe we did it," I was almost crying out of pure delight. I closed my eyes to cherish the feeling of freedom.
When I opened them, I saw a blur of dark. Instinctively, I brought two daggers out. My companions unsheathed weapons of their own.
Then, I located a man. He sat just outside the cottage's back door in a wicker chair, rocking contently. He'd been silently observing our happiness from the shadows.
"I can't believe you did it either. You've made it! Right into our waiting jaws."
Within seconds, we were surrounded.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
(A/N: OH! Snap. You thought they were out of the woods!
Thanks for reading and for all this continued support! I love my readers and I'm so grateful for everything they've done for me.
P.S Do you remember Mae's necklace?
That's it! See you guys next time!)
~Megan :)