A Bond That Can't Avoid

Chapter 4

For several hours my eyes were closed as I leaned my head against the cold wall, my mind grew as I dreamed about what could happen when Vernost Pack came. Would they destroy the hundred-and-fifty year old pack, or would they only come for their pack and leave? I was so confused, so many questions unanswered.

I was brought out of my thoughts when a piercing howl, full of authority and power glided through the chilled October night. Fear lodged it's way in my bloodstream, I didn't know what to expect and that scared me, the unknown.

"There's the signal, come we need to be ready." Anfisia stands up nodding towards me. "Are you ready?"

"...yeah, as ready as I'd ever be." I look down at my feet shyly, "Thank you Anifsia, for-for everything."

The smile on her face drops, as a worried look replaces it.

"How do you know my name?" Her voice stern and sharp.

"I heard you talking to Vlad earlier."

"You know Russian?" Vlad asks conspicuously.

"No." I laugh. "But I am educated well enough to know when a name is being said, foreign or not." They all look at me as if they don't believe a signal word I say. "Really, I don't know any Russian, all I know is random Spanish words, and that was from Dora."

"Dora?"

"Yeah, The Explorer."

"When was her expedition?" They don't know Dora, how could they not know Dora?

"My entire childhood."

"Then she must be pretty insignificant in US history, for me not to have heard of her."

"Your insignificant compared to Dora." I mumbled under my breath.

"I haven't heard of Dora, she must have been insignificant!"

"I haven't heard of you, so you must be insignificant!" Don't tell me that my favorite childhood TV show is insignificant to US history, she made Spanish popular in children.

"Cton!" Stop! Vlad shouts. "Obviously this Dora is important to her so let it go, she said thank you, if you don't remember." I nod my head recalling how we got into this argument in the first place.

"Alright, well thank you..." Anfisia starts.

"Carina, but people call me Cay, call me anything but Cari, that name is strictly off-bounds."

Anfisia giggles quietly, but quickly covers it up with a soft cough, "Well thank you Carina, for everything."

"No problemo." I smirk.

"Is that Spanish?" She questions.

"...um, I would like to think so, but guessing from all the weird looks Spanish speaking people give me I would have to say no, I don't think that's how it's said." I click my heels together from my awkward babbling. "But that's not relevant, what is, is our escape."

"Yes, they should be on there way soon."

"So what do we do?" I ask impatiently.

"We wait."

"But you said that already."

"Yes, but now we wait for a shorter period of time." I huffed in protest.

"Will you kill the pack wolves?"

She looks in my eyes and finds them filled with worry, "Carina, my pack and I only harm those who try to harm us, you may not think that, but my pack is very fair in the way we approach life. Life is a gift for us, honored by the Goddess, we don't take lives for granted."

"Yeah, you're right I wouldn't think that way."

After saying it I felt bad, even though she said I wouldn't think her pack is fair, I don't think she actually thought I would agree, verbally at least. I'm not really sure why I thought that way either, I'm not one to make gossip turn into facts and I just stereotyped hundreds of people off one unsubstantiated rumor.

I dig my left heel into the damp concrete flooring, my teeth bite down onto my bottom lip nervously. I twist my fingers together, wishing the world would spontaneously open up and swallow me, but of course with my luck it didn't work at that way.

"Sorry." My voice is quiet and soft. I'm not one for apologies, when I say it I mean it and I was sorry for this.

"What's been said has been said, you can't take it back." Anfisia says sharply.

"I know...I'm not sorry for saying it, but I'm sorry for why I said it."

I look up to meet her blue eyes that hold nothing but wonder. Her hazel hair frames her dirty face in small wavy locks and her light pink lips drop creating a small opening, she starts to move them as if she was going to ask me a question.

Suddenly, a loud grunt is heard from down the hall and the scuffing of feet and paws hitting the concrete floor. Everyone moves towards the bars, careful not to touch the burning silver, but close enough to see down the gloomy hall. Two people and five wolves come barreling down the cold hall, I jump in surprise when Vlad yells to get ready to leave, my heart is beating so hard I think everyone could hear it.

The two men come with pliers, breaking open the Russians cell with three easy clips at the silver. They all tumble out of the cell with joy, the wolves start running back the way they came. Anfisia falls into the arms of a sandy blonde haired man, he kisses her pale cheeks, nose, forehead and finally leaving a longing kiss on her pale, pink lips.

One of the men bark an order in Russian and all the wolves start running, leaving me here.

"Wait!" Anfisia yells, pointing at me. "She comes with."

The two men come back with the pliers, I then hear the satisfying sound of three crunches, as the silver bars break underneath the great strength of two warriors.

"Thank you." I gasp gratefully.

"Yeah, let's move out." One of the men with caramel blonde hair yells, pointing towards the five awaiting wolves at the end of the hall.

I nod my head, running in that direction.

"The quickest and safest way out is to go left towards the bend in the river on the north side of the boundary line. The only problem is the forest gets denser when you near the line." We take a sharp right in the hall, sliding on the warm blood cascaded on the floor, my stomach churns as I look into the face of our assistant training instructor, Lionel. I push the thought out of my mind and run faster, pumping my arms harder. "So I would suggest climbing the trees, because it's a faster route."

The blonde man from before turns and smiles at Anfisia, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"This is why you brought her?"

She shares the same smirk as him before saying, "I'm always ahead of the game, Luka."

"That you are love, that you are." He grabs her and they run hand in hand as the Russians and I sprint off into the crisp night air, danger lurks around every corner. One could feel the power radiating off them, the coldness their eyes hold and the grit in their punches. We quickly assent into the woods, no one has seen us yet and I'd like to keep it that way.

Anfisia holds up her right hand, she slowly rotates her body towards the rest of us. The warmth of her breath, comes out in soft white puffs around her hand. She looks towards the group on her left, they consist of two females, both significantly tall and tan; one lean and agile with black hair and sturdy and firm with light brown curls, and one very tall man with dark skin. She points towards them, sticking up her two first fingers and swinging her arm around towards the boundary line.

They depart instantaneously, vaulting into the trees with ease and agility. They quickly start leaping from tree to tree, and all you could see was their dark shadows in the moonlight. Anfisia glances to the group of five on her right, my left, she repeats the same hand signal and the spring into action following the first group, but leading farther west as the first group went northeast. Finally she looks at the last group, mine, she silently creeps closer with Luka at her side.

"Okay we are not splitting apart, but leading in a triangle, we come in waves, now Carina you will need to just stick close and follow in our lead, you don't know our style and we are not debriefing it to you either. Once you leave us you will be considered rogue, and ultimately the enemy. If we run into trouble you leave it to us and stay out of the way, Okay?"

"I can fight for myself Anfisia."

"But when it comes to one of your pack mates, you will hesitate, I saw the look you had when we passed your deceased comrade in the hall."

"But I can fight. I can help."

"Just stay out of the way Carina." Vlad grumbles beside me, he moves toward Anfisia.

"My berem nizinu, da?" We take the low ground, yes? Vlad asks.

"Da." She replies. "You couldn't take the rough trees anyway, maybe they'd leave a little blemish on your skin grizzly." She gently rubs his shoulder with adoration. "Come we need to leave soon."

She runs north, Luka by her side again we follow suit, quickly we are all shifted. Paws slam the ground with sequence, playing the song so beautifully none could forget.