I navigated my way around the streets of the Serpentine town, traveling as fast as possible in my wolf form. I stuck to the shadows, my black fur helping me blend in. I wasn't taking any chances after the stunt the thief had pulled.
Glancing from left to right, I darted past the busy crowds and into the outer edge of the town. This part of town was where the poor lived, and it was evident from the conditions of the homes.
Feeling a stab of pity, I wondered how much money I had on me right now. I shifted and felt around for my pouch -- which should've been in my satchel -- but it was gone.
Huh?
I swear I had it earlier --
Oh wait. I spent the last of my money tipping the elderly couple back there. Then...I guess I'm broke now.
Not that I'd need the money in the coming days.
Sighing, I shook my head and shifted back into my second form, trying to find my way out of the endless maze of roads. A familiar shadow flickered at the corner of my vision and I smirked.
No matter how hard you try to hide, I can still see you. And I know your scent.
You're not getting away from me this time.
Finally reaching the edge of town, I headed in the opposite direction of the swamp. According to the map I'd been given, the Raven's Claw was about half a day's travel away from here.
Well, the couple had said that it was farther than that, but that had been in Serpentine walking terms. I was a Lupine. I'd make it in time.
There was a small, worn trail that branched off of the main road, a sign at the crossroads. The one pointing left to the trail said 'The Raven's Claw,' with various warnings on and around the plank. The sign pointing right to the other road said 'Arven's Forest.'
I turned left.
The sun was already high in the sky, meaning I'd probably get to the forest after dark.
Not good.
Though I was charging headfirst into danger, I'd prefer to scout out the actual lay of the land first. Oh and maybe come up with a plan along the way. Yeah, that too.
I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
My journey had gone largely undisturbed, nothing in particular happening in the hours it took to reach the Raven's Claw. It was dusk, the sun rapidly setting and disappearing behind the trees. The days would be shorter now, the nights longer. The seasons were changing, and soon it would be autumn.
A wave of guilt crashed over me when the thought suddenly flew to my mind.
How were the Lupine doing? Was everything okay?
I'd hadn't stopped to ponder that in such a long time since the day of the attack. I hoped Jerry and Brooke and Carter and everyone was doing fine. And I'd just left like that...
I shook the thoughts from my head. No. The best way you can help them is by defeating the Predators. Somehow. Then things could go back to normal and...Who was I kidding? I'm not normal. Things could never be 'normal' again.
Let's just get this over with.
At first glance, the forest seemed pretty ordinary. Even welcoming.
There was an abundance of animals that I could hear stirring in the forest. Birds exchanged songs through the trees while deer pranced out of view as I approached. I could hear a small river or stream flowing somewhere nearby. All seemed well.
And then the howls started.
Instantly the forest silenced, critters skittering in the dark for a place to hide.
Another wolf answered with a hollow cry, the unearthly sounding melody dancing through the trees. Then another and another wolf repeated the call, each sounding closer than the other.
Then I realized what was happening.
They were gathering together, the howls acting as a shout that said 'here I am.'
I had yet to actually set foot in the forest, but now something seemed ominous about it. Something I couldn't quite put my finger to. It was like the forest was sending out a message: stay away.
If you hadn't noticed yet, I was pretty bad at following instructions. Or at least the ones that were supposed to keep me alive.
I was debating whether or not to go into the woods when the howls changed.
I'm not sure how to explain it, but I somehow knew the 'feeling' that the howls gave off had shifted.
Before, they sounded kind of familiar, welcome to the other pack members. But now they felt angered, suspicious. Like a warning to each other. That someone was here.
Had they sensed me here? I hadn't even gone into the woods yet, but they'd either seen me or caught my scent. Likely the latter.
If they were aware of my presence, then this mission just got a hundred times harder.
There was no way I was going to sleep in these woods now that they had sensed me. Sleeping now would be a death wish. I just had to stay awake and figure out how to defeat the wolves.
I noticed that my follower was gone. Had they thought that I was crazy and fled? Possibly. It'd make my life easier if so.
Although considering my luck, that person was probably still hanging around.
Shifting out of my wolf form, I decided to climb a tree to get the lay of the land first. I couldn't read the map in this darkness, even with my wolf senses.
Aided by the fact that I was in my semi-form, I picked a sturdy maple and reached for the lowest branch, pulling myself up. Finding a foothold, I soon found myself high up in the air. When the branches started to creak under my weight, I wisely decided to stop.
Any higher and the branch might break. Any lower and I wouldn't be able to see anything.
Curiously, the howls had stopped, save for one now and then. The pack must've found one another. Who knew what they were doing now.
Tuning into my senses, I squinted as the forest came into sharper focus.
The curious thing was, though I scanned the area for wolves, I saw none. I could detect their scent on the wind, but aside from that, nothing popped out to me.
Oh, that's right.
The wind would've carried my scent to them long ago now. I'd basically given my position away by climbing up this tree.
Stupid! This is the kind of mistake that gets you killed!
Ugh, I should've gone with one of the others. They wouldn't have made such a careless mistake. Then again, this was supposed to help me train. I couldn't rely on someone else for this.
Taking a deeper breath in, I raised my face to the light of the moon, resisting the urge to howl and join in with the wolves. The presence of the pack was so powerful that I wanted to seek them out and submit myself to the alpha.
Which of course I couldn't do.
I already belonged to a pack.
A very mismatched pack consisting of a raven, a fox, and a lioness.
The wolfish instincts in me battled with my human side as I debated what to do. Gritting my teeth, I hissed through my canines. My hand gripped the tree trunk so hard that the bark started to splinter. Through sheer force of will, I forced myself to retract the sharpened claws I'd drawn out and release the trunk. There were claw marks gouged where my hand had been.
This was the dominance game. It was a game I knew like the back of my hand. I'd subconsciously played this game many times even before I joined the Lupine.
Confidence and power were key to winning, and I would not lose this game.
But it was too late.
I'd taken too long.
The wolves had found me.
And I was surrounded.
(Side Note: Oh and by the way, Melody is not a werewolf. She's a wolf shape-shifter. There's a difference. :3 )