Renegade

8

"We have to go now!"

Winter just managed to close her eyes a few minutes ago, finally accepting the fact that she can't do anything but sleep. She figures she gets strength by sleeping before trying to figure out another way to escape. But now, the man is unlocking her shackles and roughly pulling her up.

"What is going on?"

He does not say anything else but instead, he puts the shackle on her wrist while tugging the opposite end from the ground. He was planning on using the chain as a leash to make sure she did not run off once they were outside.

Winter tugs his arms back, refusing to go quietly, but the guy is super strong, he will not budge even an inch. Without anything else to do, she watches him clear the stuff on the ground, creating a small mound in the center of the shack. The smell of gasoline suddenly assails her nose as her captor begins drenching the pile with gasoline from a small container.

"Please sir, just let me go home," Winter whispers as she watches the guy's face. It is obvious that he was trying not to panic. However, the way he was moving, fumbling for the lighter from his pocket, she knew that something had rattled the man.

She is about to ask him again when a distant howling sound pierced through the silent forest. Winter knew that if there is one wolf out there, the rest of the pack would be around the perimeter as well. Shouldn't they be staying indoors instead of venturing out?

"Let's go," the man says gruffly while pulling at the chain. This makes Winter wince out loud, stumbling forward to keep up with the guy's pace.

"Isn't it safer to stay here? I think I just heard a wolf howl," she stammers, trying her best to waylay her captor's intent. "There have been a couple of wolf attacks on humans in this area, it's not really practical to go stomping out at this hour."

"We will manage," the man replied, flipping the lighter lid open. "Besides, there are more dangerous things than just mere wolves in this area, princess. But don't worry, I will not let anything get to you."

Before Winter can say anything in protest, he tosses the lighter onto the pile of cloth and the entire thing catches fire. She cries out once more as her captor yanks on the chain, pulling her out the door and into the cold night.

She stumbles forward, almost falling flat on her face, but thankfully she regains her balance. There is a loud c***k, and she looks over her shoulders just I time to see the cabin starting to get engulfed in flames. Another howl pierces the air and, for some strange reason, the guy in front of her suddenly stops walking before he crouches, his eyes momentarily flashing dark electric blue.

He stays in that position as if anticipating an attack. The guy seems to be listening as well and Winter suddenly feels funny because it seems like the guy's ears were twitching. After a few seconds, he straightens up and yanks on her chain to make her walk forward once more.

Winter trudges behind as slowly as she can, trying to get the heads and tails to where they were at the moment. It was going to be useless if she escaped and then did not know which direction to run to and get home. She must keep her bearings and wits about her if she wants to return home to her family.

The smell of burning wood is quickly picked up by Jared's wolf. The cabin is on fire and whoever was asking for help could be trapped in the burning building. He urged his wolf to run faster because, despite being able to change into something smaller and swifter, his wolf did not want to let go of the lead at the moment. It did not want to be pushed aside as his human transforms into something else.

Finally, the burning cabin came to view and, from the looks of things, Jared knew that there is no way anybody trapped in that small shack could be saved. He continued forward, sniffing the air carefully, but the smoke diluted the scent they picked up a while back. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the sentinels found their way to the cabin and, frankly, Jared did not want anybody to witness his heroic attempt.

They might get the wrong impression and think we're staying for good, bud! He said to his wolf, but it did not give any reaction. Instead, its nose pointed towards the trail in front of the cabin. He runs towards it and sniffs the ground, letting out another low growl. The scent is back, and it's pretty easy to follow now.

It was obvious that the person responsible for the fire was not from Redwater or related to any of the pack in the area. The scent is stronger now and, despite the attempts of the intruder to mask its scent, Jared's status as an heir of a royal makes his abilities far superior to most shifters.

What is that other scent? He muses as he follows the trail in a hurry. He is certain that there was another person involved and that he had smelled that particular scent before. The ground is now almost all white with snow, but the footprints were not obscured just yet. Jared suddenly picks up a sound just a few meters from where he was.

Up ahead, Winter is refusing to be dragged on without a fight. She dug her heels on the ground, trying to make the man slow down. She was frantically looking around for a way to detach herself from the chain, but it was useless. Finally, an idea formed in her head. It was a long shot, but she can try her best.

Spying a pine tree near her path, she grips whatever length of chain she could and pulls with all her might. She makes a run towards the tree, circling the trunk with the chain, making her captor stop abruptly. The tension from pulling made Winter shout in pain as it dug into her skin and wrist bone. The danger of breaking her wrist is so great at the moment, but she held her ground, gripping firmly on the chain.

The man let out an expletive and stomped over to where she had circled, loosening the chain around the tree, but Winter quickly made another circle around the trunk, tightening the links. This time the man growled loudly, and she could hear bones snapping.

"You are not making this easy for yourself," he growled out loud, his eyes flashing with anger towards her.

"If you think I'm going to get kidnapped by you so easily, you've got another thing coming!" she cries out while pressing herself closer to the tree. By now, her wrists and hands were numb, but she was not letting go.

"I don't care if I have to break your bones to get you to come with me," he roars, towering over her. It was apparent that the man is agitated and angry. He also seemed a little bit taller. "Come here!"

Winter tried to dodge, but he was able to grab her arm, easily pulling her towards his towering figure. She shrieked out loud as he gripped her by the waist, carrying her with him as he unwound the chain from the trunk.

"Let me go!" She struggles against his grip when, all of a sudden, she finds herself toppling and falling on the ground. It was clear that the guy had let go of her, but why?

She groans out loud and rolls on her stomach to look up and see what has happened. Winter notices her captor sprawled just a few feet from where she had landed. He looked knocked out, so it was the perfect time to make a run for it. She tries to stand, but then she realizes that she is still shackled.

Winter is about to pull the chain towards her when a loud growl and snapping sound stopped her from moving. She could feel her entire body shaking with fear as her eyes finally landed on one of the biggest animals she had ever seen.