Renegade

10

Jared watched in mild surprise as the girl in front of him slumped, unconsciously on the ground. His wolf whined out loud and tried to nudge the girl awake, wanting to know if she was OK. Why was this girl in the middle of the woods? Why was she chained to the guy who smelled very much like a Lycan?

Don't worry too much, she just fainted. Let's get the chain off her, Jared instructed his wolf, and it carefully breaks the shackle in pieces. The wolf growls at the sight of the girl's bruised and very red wrist.

It would have come as a surprise if Jared was not in his wolf form. The attack is swift and precise with them only missing the huge claws swiping at them by a hair. He quickly took a defensive stance and watched as the man, who was on the ground, was now standing like a huge, hairy, upright wolf, fangs bared and eyes flashing murder.

Let's be careful, OK? We don't want a repeat of what happened a while back, Jared mused to his wolf as it scoffed at him as if it was the most ridiculous notion he had ever heard. There was no time to try and plan a strategy since the intruder is now viciously slashing at them, ready to kill.

Jared and his wolf dodge the attack by taking a giant leap back, away from the enemy. They land on the ground, alert at the next swipe, but something stops the Lycan. As if on cue, both of them looked down on the ground in the direction of the woman, lying unconscious.

He instinctively knew that once the Lycan gets the girl, he could disappear as fast as any of their kind can. It is apparent that he should save the woman from being abducted. His wolf growls, agreeing that it wants to take the girl back into Redwater unharmed. It's ridiculous how his wolf suddenly seemed enamored with the woman. Usually, he was not so chummy with any stranger.

Jared saw the flash of the movement and managed to maneuver towards the direction of where she was lying, completely evading the series of slashes from the long-reaching claws of his enemy. He lands carefully on the ground, guarding the body under his massive torso. It was about time he managed an attack, because keeping up the defense would not get him anywhere.

Growling loudly, his wolf slowly lowers its torso, poising for an attack. It was not the first time they had encountered a Lycan or an upright wolf, but they were not supposed to be prowling the northern kingdom by their lonesome. This Lycan was not as formidable in power as the two older Alphas he met in the woods, but it was not a good idea to be careless as well.

We have to grab the girl and make a run for it! He tells his wolf, but it just growled louder, bristling with anger. It wanted a fight and no matter how much he might deny it, Jared was itching as well. It had been some time since he had stretched his strength and power.

Let's try not to kill the beast, okay? We might need answers.

In a feat of great strength and ultimate speed, they launch themselves towards the Lycan, jaws open, ready to bite into its neck. Upright shifters would have a greater advantage, since they can literally grab their prey with their claws. But, this Lycan was no match for Jared's swiftness as the wolf latches on to the opponent's arm.

He tasted blood just as his foe let out a howl of pain. Gripping even tighter, he gnaws while pulling at the arm, liking the sound of muscles and tendons starting to rip. The Lycan swipes at him with its other hand, but Jared quickly flings him sideways, which sends him flying across the path and crashing into a couple of trees.

Steady, bud. We can't go lunging after it. Who knows if it's with friends? Our priority is to get the girl back to Redwater. The wolf huffs, clearly annoyed. Yes, of course we're not going to lose!

Jared turned to look back to make sure his back and sides were clear of any ambush. He backs slowly to get nearer the person they were trying to protect. The c***k of trees and snapping of branches alerts him as he turns back towards the direction of where the Lycan was thrown. It emerged from the trees, gripping its bloody arm, which was clearly limp, almost severed but already healing.

Both creatures growl at each other, but before any of them can get into another bout of fighting, a series of howls echoes loudly. They turned towards the direction of the cabin, which was already a good deal of distance away with dark smoke billowing from the area.

The Lycan looks back at Jared, then at the girl still lying on the ground. It looked like it was torn between trying to fight to get the prize or fleeing before getting surrounded and caught by the wolves of Redwater. This made Jared realize that the creature was truly on its own. Was it supposed to be a covert operation to kidnap the girl?

The series of howls were getting closer and the Lycan let out one last snarl before running at full speed away from the scene. Jared waited for a couple more seconds, just to make sure that the Lycan was not circling back to try and get the woman. Once it is clear that the creature had no plans of returning, Jared wills himself to transform into his human form.

It had been tough training when he was growing up with his mother and father to make the material of his clothes morph into nothingness when he's in wolf form and manifest back to his body once he returns as a human, but it was one of the things Jared could probably thank his father for.

In human form, he crouches to check the girl for any fatal wounds. Aside from her bruised wrists, she seemed to just have fainted out of exhaustion and shock. Jared is torn between staying and waiting for the sentinels to leave with the girl for her protection. He had to admit it made him a bit curious as to why she was being abducted by a foreign Lycan.

But, being discovered and deemed as some kind of witness or worse, a hero, is just not in his plans at the moment. He did not want ties to Redwater other than his mother. He lifts the woman's body over his shoulder to bring her to the closest possible area where the sentinels can quickly find her.

Deciding at the last minute, Jared pulls out the small bottle he always tucks in the secret pocket of his jacket. It comes in handy in moments like these.

The sentinels would probably be too busy trying to put out the fire to consider looking any further down the path, at least, for the moment. Jared had counted on the thick smoke to mask his scent, but just for good measure, he used his speed to backtrack as far as he could and opened the small vial specially crafted by a friend of his.

He waited to have the faintest hint of wind before tipping a drop of the liquid into midair. The bead hovers for a split second before dispersing into a million little pieces. It will be effective enough to mask any of his scent that might be left behind.

Careful not to wake the girl, he placed her gently back on the ground, just as the last of the mist-like substance started to settle on her body. With one last quick check around, Jared stared down at the girl's face before swiftly running away towards the opposite direction. It took him a moment to realize that he had been smiling at the memory of her face all the way back to Redwater town.