P R O L O G U E

2360 Words
Blair A chill ran down the length of my spine as I became aware of a scream that echoed through the air. I felt my jaw clench as I stared into the dancing flames before me, doing my best to resist the urges that I was now starting to feel.  I no longer felt the warmth of the fire that had been keeping me warm for most of the night. It felt as if my bones were turning cold, almost as icy as the air outside. It didn't take a genius to know that the scream had come from one of the surrounding packs.  Another scream pierced through the air, this one sounding closer than the one before. An angry howl followed suit and I found myself moving towards the curtain of vines that served as my protection from the climate as well as the people within the said climate. Once I parted the vines in order to take a look outside, the cold air wrapped itself around my exposed skin, causing me to take an instinctive step back. It took a second before I moved forward again, but forward happened to be out and in the open. I took a deep breath once I was out in the open—a habit that I had picked up from my father. Instinct was telling me to turn around and go to sleep. I had no business getting involved with matters that weren't my own, especially Pack matters.  Another scream caused all forest life to still in anticipation of what was to come. Even the crickets became silent—something that never happened. I closed my eyes, trying to listen for any other noises that were less prominent that the screaming, but I came up with nothing. I knew that it was because I was too far away. Did the Pack even know that they were under attack?  My feet seemed to move on their own accord as I passed by the trees that I had familiarized by now. Remembering one of the many lessons my father had taught me, I started climbing a tree, knowing that the thick foliage above would mask my presence. I would be stupid if I walked into an attack without observing the situation first. I lost count of how many branches I crossed and I could see from the position of the moon that I had been out here for quite some time. But I could hear more now. Growling. The distinct sobs of a child. I was about to step onto another branch when my eyes focused on movement in the distance.  My eyes had adjusted well to the darkness of the night and I could see that the movement was indeed too big to be a forest animal. I decided that it would be better if I stayed where I was, since I wasn't planning to have whoever or whatever it was, see me moving around in the treetops. My eyes focused on a blob of brown and I felt my head tilt slightly. The scent of the wolf was familiar because it was a scent that matched my own. Rogue. The other blobs of fur that surrounded the said wolf had a repulsive stench seeping from their pores.  I remember my mother telling me that pack wolves smelt the same repulsive stench on us that we smelt on them. It was a way of differentiating between us and them.  My eyes focused on the rogue once more and I took a deep breathing, feeling the way it seemed to push out my shoulders. Standing before the rogue, half hidden by his form, was a child. By the doll dangling from its arms, I felt it was safe to assume that it was a girl.  The hostility towards the rogue was suddenly explained and I did my best to ignore the bitter taste in my mouth as I watched the rogue trek backwards through the forest. The rogue was stupid if he thought he was going to get out of this alive. He was surrounded in every angle. And if he knew he was going to die... Then he was going to kill the child.  A kidnapper.  Who would have thought that a rogue would be smart enough to think of something like that, but stupid enough to actually do it? It was like having a death wish. Rogues barely made it off of pack lands with their lives and this one was trying to take a child with him too? It was insanity.  The pack wolves were starting to get jumpy. I didn't miss the way they seemed to take a step or two towards the rogue before stopping themselves and moving back into formation.  I pushed my hand into my pocket as I sent a silent prayer to the moon goddess. My shoulders dropped as my fingers wrapped around the cold metal of the knife in my pocket.  What was I going to do? But more importantly, why did I want to do anything? I had no business involving myself in this situation. They would pass by underneath me without even knowing it. So why was I having these sudden urges to play hero?  Because of the child. The words seemed to echo through my mind from a far away place and I found myself moving towards the edge of the tree branch. I became aware of the child's sobbing. Crying that she wanted her father.  My breathing had been reduced to almost nothing-my breaths coming in silent and lengthily. I knew that it would aid me in the long run since I didn't want to be discovered before the time was right.  The wolf was almost directly beneath me when I allowed myself to fall from the tree branch. My ears filled with the sound of whooshing wind and a sudden sense of numbness settled within my chest. What if this didn't work?  The child let out a cry as my body collided with that of the rogue. I felt the rigid muscles beneath me and I grabbed a fistful of his fur as I yanked myself upwards and held the knife to his throat, making sure that he could feel the weapon against his throat.  My chest heaved wildly as I tried calming my nerves as well as my breathing. The rest of the forest seemed to still in anticipation of what was to come. Even the child had gone silent, clearly aware of the tension in the air.  The rogue tilted his head, clearly trying to get a look at me without letting go of the child. I had no doubt in my mind that she would have bruising where his teeth were pressing against her skin. Just a slight amount of pressure would be enough to pierce her skin.  A howl echoed through the air. It caused the hair on my arms to rise and a split second later a scream reverberated through the air. Without thinking twice, I turned the knife and plunged it into the rogues throat. His body trembled beneath me before falling to the ground, causing me to fall off of him.  A stinging pain erupted in my chest as I coughed, the dirt around us making it hard to breath. My eyes focused on the child. It was indeed a girl. With long blonde locks that looked like spun silver. Despite the blood seeping from her shoulder, she was no longer crying. Nor was she running towards the pack wolves.  She stood there, her eyes wide and focused on me. The doll had been discarded and was now laying on the ground. I was slowly becoming aware of the sour stench of blood seeping into the air. I pushed myself off of the ground, wincing slightly as my chest stung in silent pain.  A chorus of growls filled the air and it came as no surprise when I looked up to find the pack wolves circling me. I might have saved the child but I was still a rogue. And rogues were unwelcome where packs are concerned. One of the wolves took a step towards me and the child stepped in front of him, clearly wanting to stop him from coming near me.       "She helped me. Why are you being mean?" My eyes focused on the child for a split second more, taking in the tear tracks on her cheeks and my heart have an involuntary lurch. To think that the rogue was going to kill her...  Realizing that all the wolves were distracted by the child's show of bravado, I turned around and started running. I started praying, knowing that I was going to need all the luck I could get if I wanted to outrun the wolves. The males would be able to catch up to me in record time. But I prayed that they wouldn't.  I skid to a half in front of the River and muttered an angry profanity. I had gone in the wrong direction. I had been stupid to get involved. So, so stupid. I turned and started running up the river bank, pushing myself to go faster despite the burning in my calves.  I vaulted over a fallen tree—a familiar fallen tree—and knew that I was going in the right direction. But I didn't bother pushing my body into a run once my feet were on the ground again.  I turned around and felt my shoulders slouch as I took in the vast expanse of darkness behind me. The vast expanse of darkness that was now filled with noises of the forest and all its inhabitants.  They didn't follow me.  Matthew      "What are you telling me? That you just didn't bother to track her because she saved Ana?"  I forced my voice to remain monotone, knowing that I needed to keep my tempter in check. Ana was still standing beside me and was watching the scene unfold with undeniable interest. Her arm was hanging limply in the sling that she was now wearing and the tear stains that had been on her cheeks were now gone.  I was thankful that Ivy was already in bed and probably well on her way to sleep. I knew that having them both awake and together after what had just happened would be a recipe for disaster. Relief also settled within me. They were both safe.  At first we had believed that it was only Ivy who had been taken but after spending 10 minutes on a chase I had been proved a fool. The man had an accomplice—something that no one would have expected. There could only be so many people who were foolish enough to attempt something like this—and two was all they needed.  I was closing in on the rogue who had taken Ivy hostage when I received news of Ana. My brain had shut down for a second before I told my men to go after them. I had lost count of how many prayers I had sent to the moon goddess to ensure that both of them remained safe.       "Alpha, we believed that it was expected of us to let her go. Ana was injured and therefore we believed that it was best if we brought her home and had her wounds attended to."       "So, you're telling me that it took seven of you to transport one child back to the pack?"       "It took six of us, Alpha. I ordered Lucas to ensure that he picked up her scent and to track it as far as he could."       "And where did it take him?"       "We're still awaiting his return, Sir." I let out a growl of frustration. For all we knew, she could have killed Lucas by now. If she had managed to kill a rogue without any of them picking up on her scent before the initial attack, then who knew what else she was capable of. My thoughts halted as I felt a tug on my shorts and I instinctively looked down.  Ana was looking up at me with her eyebrows pulled into a frown. It was obvious that she didn't quite understand what was going on but I knew that she wouldn't admit it.       "Daddy... Don't be mad at them. The lady was nice. She saved me from the bad man." Her head bobbed up and down as she spoke and an unfamiliar ache settled within my chest. She was right. If it hadn't been for the woman then who knows what would have happened.       "I know that, Ana. But you see, that's why we need to find the lady. I need to say thank you to her for saving my princess."  I bent down to kiss her forehead—my way of saying goodbye, since I could hear my mother's footsteps coming towards the door. I had no doubt in my mind that she wanted to put Ana to bed. It was getting awfully late and she had school tomorrow.       "Now go be a good princess and go with granny so that she can tuck you in."  The front door opened right as I finished my sentence and and after a mumbled goodnight she turned and went with my mother. I let out a sigh before turning back to the warriors. They were looking down at the ground in obvious discomfort.       "I'm disappointed in all of you. And not even because you let the rogue get away. I'm disappointed that she knew how to handle that situation while you did not."  I noticed the way their shoulders all tensed, a clear sign that they weren't taking this insult lightly. Good. They needed to be fueled to find the rogue.       "I expect you all ready to go hunting tomorrow. If Lucas isn't back by then, then we'll start the search for him and the rogue from scratch. She will be found. Understood?"  A chorus of 'Yes, Alpha's sounded through the air and I turned around without, effectively bringing the meeting to an end.
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