23. Wolf
WOLF
Viv we have been wandering aimlessly for the last three days searching for this Crimson Feather pack. Don’t you think it would be best if we shifted so you could talk to someone?
No.
Fine, but don’t bitch at me if we never make it out of these woods.
Venturing deeper into the mountains I found a cave for the night and curled up to keep warm, as the winter weather was only getting colder the higher up into the mountains we went.
I could smell the snow that would begin falling any moment, blanketing the world around us in perfect whiteness.
Depending on how much snow fell, it would make traveling even harder than it already had been.
Once Faulk was dead and Viv shifted, giving me full control, I’d followed the highway signs to get us into Colorado.
Then I decided it would be best to get off the main traffic area to find this hidden pack.
This led us venturing into the mountains with no clear direction but to trust my natural instincts.
Babe, you know it’s not good for you to lock yourself away like this. Sometimes it feels like you’re giving up. Did you forget we’re a team?
If we are a team then you need to understand that I just can’t lead. With everything I’ve gone through, I just can’t be in my own head right now. It’s easier to be in yours. You think of things in such a simple non-emotional manner and that’s what I need right now.
Because I wasn’t overly emotional, I could see the validity to her argument.
Long before Viv even knew that I was lurking beneath the surface, I’d been watching over her.
She didn’t always know I was the reason she got the sense that something was wrong or that innate sense to “trust your gut” was from me.
Through Viv’s eyes I watched the world and how to interact with it, so like I told her when we first met I was the twin she never knew she had.
It was now my turn to step up and take care of us through this next hurdle, and I wasn’t going to let her down.
Tucking my nose under my fluffy tail, I tried to get some sleep.
The grief of losing a pup might not affect me in the same way that it did the human side of Viv but it was still draining.
The protective nature of a wolf was legendary across the planet and to lose both my pups in different ways pounded against that part of my essence.
I ran through the scenario again with Faulk in the cabin how we took our pound of flesh from him exacting revenge for what he’d done to us.
The more rational part of me knew that without him I’d never have existed but that didn’t forgive everything else that happened.
He deserved to die. I was only sad that it couldn’t have lasted longer, but we didn’t have much to work with.
Okami would have had some deliciously fun ideas for that if he had been with us...
Nope, no, I can’t think about that.
When I focused on the things that were making Viv sad they started bleeding out to me, and I wasn’t able to keep aloof and impartial to what was going on.
When I got up in the morning, depending on how deep the snow was, I decided that heading to a more populated area was going to be the best choice.
I needed more information if I was going to locate this secret pack.
No matter how well hidden they wanted to be there would be scent markings declaring the land as theirs keeping natural wolves along, with werewolves out of their space.
What I needed was something to track down.
Right now, if I wandered into some random pack land, I wouldn’t know if they are the Crimson Feather pack or not.
Instead, I could just be leading us right back into Jason’s clutches and that was not going to happen on my watch.
As my eyes blinked open, I shot to my feet with a yelp of surprise as another wolf sat at the opening of the cave watching me.
He blinked at me slowly, as if trying to make sure not to startle me more than he had already.
Nothing about his body language told me he was there to hurt me, but I wasn’t going to trust that so easily.
My hackles rose and a low warning growl rumbled in my throat as his scent reached me.
This let me know that he was indeed another werewolf, and an alpha at that.
He wasn’t as strong as I was, but I didn’t want to broadcast that at the moment since I wasn’t at my best with Viv locking herself away.
His ears perked up at the sound of my growl causing him to stand and back a little further out of the cave.
I kicked myself for letting my guard down, with the snow storm blowing through I figured it would be the safest bet to hide out.
No animal in their right mind would be out in that kind of weather.
A werewolf was a whole other story, the human aspect to the scenario made them unpredictable.
Could we have been closer to their pack then I realized?
The snow could very well have covered their scent markings if they hadn’t gotten a chance to reestablish them.
When I didn’t relax, he decided to shift back to human. Now standing in the cave with me was a naked older Hispanic man with short salt and pepper hair, kind brown eyes, with a short scruffy beard.
“Hello there, I’m Luis,” he shared as he squatted down so he wasn’t towering over me.
As much as I didn’t want an eyeful of twig and berries free falling, I appreciated the effort to put me at ease. In response to his actions, I sat down and pricked up my ears at him, so he knew he had my full attention.
“Want to tell me how you got so lost? This isn’t a place that many people stumble upon by accident ninita. Something tells me you might have been looking for us... do you seek refuge?” Luis asked his face full of worry.
I let out a yip of agreement and stood wagging my tail. Everything I could scent off this man told me his concern was genuine and he wasn’t looking to do me any harm.
“I have to say I’ve never seen a wolf in your coloring before, it is very beautiful and unique,” He mused as he looked over me with a critical eye.
“Come, I will bring you somewhere safe that you can rest and get out of the cold. Maybe then you will feel comfortable enough to shift back so we might be able to talk properly.”
Ya hear that, someone wants to talk to you.
No.
Okay, this whole one syllable thing you have going on right now is not going to work for me. I get that you want to check out, but if you want to get Hope back we need to ask for help. I have many talents but talking is not one of them.
I just need time.
Yeah, time we don’t have, sister. If this is the Crimson Feather pack then we need to get their help, and quickly before Jason and Vadik start looking for us, because you know they will. The longer we stay somewhere the more at risk we put them.
No response was given on that statement, and I was left with a cold shoulder as she retreated further, unwilling to talk. I let out a huff of frustration before I shook out my fur and trotted after Luis, who was back in his wolf body.
No no, I got this no worries, I’ll handle this whole thing on my own while you have a mental breakdown. I muttered to myself as I struggled through the snow that was now chest deep.
I saw the path that Luis made as he made his way to the cave, but he was now leading me in the opposite direction, higher into the mountain.
I trusted my instincts that following him was the right choice, and that I wasn’t leading us into a trap.
That’s until he led me into a ravine with sheer stone walls on either side, forcing us to head in one direction with no escape.
Keeping my senses alert, I couldn’t scent any other wolves lying in wait and the only sounds I heard were those you’d expect in the forest. At the end of the ravine there was a tunnel large enough for us to crawl through on our bellies.
If we’d been human, it would have been almost impossible to do unless you were a child, but we managed a few feet before it opened up into a much wider space.
The cavern was massive and there was only one large fire in the middle, shedding light in the space, casting shadows off the hanging stalactites.
A few men and women were sitting around the fire buck naked, which led me to believe they are hiding out here from the weather.
Nothing about this space gave me the feeling this is where they lived, but more of a safe house if you will.
“Look what I found when I went back to follow that scent trail we caught last night,” Luis called out as he walked up to the fire. “She won’t shift, so I don’t know much.”
“Father, how many times have we told you not to bring back a stray until we know they’re safe. Jason is known for coming up with the cruelest of tricks to get what he wants, or did that ambush last week mean nothing to you?.” a woman growled at him, shooting to her feet.
Her long brown hair swirled around her, amber eyes blazing in the firelight, as if she was the goddess Athena come to life.
This woman was no doubt someone of power in this group even though she was a beta, but the way they all responded to her, flinching at her words told me her standing in the group.
“Neveah, you are my daughter, but I will not allow you to speak to me in that manner. I have given you leniency since one of your mates were killed, but do not forget I am still Alpha of the Crimson Feathers packs,” Luis snapped back, his power flowing out from him.
Neveah growled, making as if to challenge her father, when another man grabbed her around the waist and held her against him.
He then started to whisper something in her ear that caused all the fight to flow out of her and she sagged into him.
Picking her up, he cradled her in his arms and took her off to the side of the cave, her soft sobs echoing off the walls.