NACRIPPER

Chapter One

I was being attacked. I heard the footsteps of about nine people. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my skin, waiting for them to finally attack.

The first attack came from my left. He raised his hand as if to punch me. I caught his fist mid-air and scrunched it until I heard a bone c***k, then I released it. From my right, a wolf flew at me, aimed for my neck. I caught it and threw it to a tree.

They started coming at me faster. The third wolf appeared, closely accompanied by four more wolves. They started tracking me slowly. I was sure they were planning on how to take me down, but little did they know that I wasn't your average wolf.

The boy who's left hand I had crushed, crawled back to meet the wolf I threw into a tree. A two female girls of between 16 to 18 came out from behind a tree to help the boy and the wolf who looked like I cracked its spine.

All the while, I kept my eyes on the five wolves that were tracking me. They circled me then as if on command they all attacked at once. One lunged for my neck and with that one, I slammed the rest of them back. Then I threw the wolf at a second wolf that was trying to stand.

The three left to attack me looked angry as ever. They all started clawing at the exact same time. They scratched my hands so much it became a bloodied mess. I kicked the wolf closest to my feet. I heard a c***k when my feet connected, and I watched him fly back.

Two pests left.

I cracked my neck and my bloodied fingers and waited for the wolves to attack. One was black and the other was grey. The grey ran forward and jumped but never landed. I caught its hind leg and bent it until its tail tucked in surrender.

The black wolf used my temporary distraction to jump and claw at my face, leaving a huge gash. I had been trying to be nice with the wolves and not kill them but this one crossed the line. I picked it up by it neck and started working on breaking it, thereby ending the life of the wolf.

Before I broke it, a loud voice yelled out.

"STOP!"

I watched a young woman step out and walk towards me. She bent a little with a little wince every time she tried to subtly stand straight. She had to be the white wolf I threw to the tree. Judging by the way the wolf in my arms wasn't trying to attack me and stayed still, I was guessing she was the leader.

"Drop him."

I looked at her with raised eyebrows. Do I look like a fool? They tried to kill me. Not like they could if they tried but they still tried to.

"And why would I listen to you." I asked.

"Cause you're in our territory."

I noticed a keyword in her sentence right away.

"Our. Vague. No name. Just our." I said muttering out loud with skepticism in my tone. "Meaning this isn't a pack." I continued, "Which means you're rogues. You don't own territory. Now you have to actually convince me why I shouldn't snap his neck in half."

I resumed what I was doing before, about to snap his neck when she spoke.

"Stop, please. That's my only brother. What do you want?"

I looked at her. She seemed desperate enough. I dropped the wolf who ran behind a tree and shifted before going to stand with the two girls I didn't get to throw.

"I need a place to stay."

They looked at each other and I continued.

"I hope that with that welcome, I'm free to stay. And if I'm not..." I drawled with an edge to my tone then continued,"...we'll just have to see how you'll get me to leave." I ended with a smirk.

They looked at each other and fear flashed through the eyes of the two young girls. Their leader stepped towards me, with distaste written plainly on her features.

"You smell like someone that belongs to a pack. So why are you here, if not to kill us all?"

I lightly chuckled. If I was to kill them all, I would have done that without mercy.

"Does it matter? I didn't kill you because I was in defense, you and your group of merry men attacked first. "

"It matters because, trust is the main thing that keeps our so called 'group of merry men' together. So if you want to have a b***h fit, go back to the pack you came from. Though I can already imagine why they exiled you."

"b***h fit? Darling, I'm not a b***h, at least not now. And I left my pack. I wasn't exiled. Now, about trust. I won't kill you in your sleep. Deal?"

She looked at me, from head to toe, then as if saying 'what the heck' in her head, she shrugged.

"I'm Scarlett. My brother who you almost killed is Ryder. Those are my sisters, Tessa and Thea. Danny. Rielle. Caleb. Josh and Isaac."

As she introduced each person, they gestured to me. I could easily tell that Danny was the boy who I destroyed his left hand. But since he was a werewolf, he would heal faster, therefore in a couple of days his hand will be fine.

I waved my hand in mock salute and at that moment the sister I recognized as Thea stared at my hand in shock.

"It's healed. " she whispered to her sister, Tessa. "Her hand was b****y and destroyed when Rielle, Ryder and Josh clawed at it, but it’s completely healed now."

Her sister nodded, looking at me. "Even the gash on her cheeks left by Ryder is gone. Poof. Vanished. Good as new."

I chuckled at Tessa's choice of words and I guess that was the moment they noticed I could hear their whispers due to their reddened faces

Scarlett looked at me then at her sisters, then back at me. "You can hear what they're saying? "

"Yeah, you can't? "

She shook her head while the others looked at me with shock.

"They were talking through their twin mind link and you heard them. What exactly are you?"

I shrugged, picking up my backpack from the floor and dusting the sand off it before slinging it over my left shoulder.

"Let’s get going.", I said to Scarlett. Looking up at the quickly darkening sky, I continued, "Pack patrol passes here in about 10 minutes from now so its best we leave before they attack, thinking you're here to attack."

"We're here to attack. But not today." Scarlett said gesturing to Tessa, who in turn picked up the bag.

Caleb, at least the guy I had identified as Caleb, walked ahead, scouting for where they would settle for the night. Behind them was Ryder who was with Tessa and Thea. Then Rielle and Josh, who I could clearly tell were mates.

Scarlett walked with me, wary as if I would kill her any minute. It was amusing walking with a bodyguard.

“Why are you rogues?”

Scarlett hesitated and stopped at the question I asked her, then she continued walking.

“You don’t need to know. You’re lodging with us for just a night.”

I nodded. We got to a settlement and I watched as they set up their campsite for the night. They offered dinner which I declined. I leaned against the tree as I watched them have conversation and joke with each other. They might be rogues but they had found family in each other.

It was sickening and calming. I needed to break something. I walked into the forest and started to punch a sturdy tree. The tree fell before I could land my twentieth swing. A bit calm, I turned only to see Scarlett behind me.

“I’ll ask again, what are you?”

“I’m a wolf.”

“No, you aren’t. A wolf can’t break a tree from punching it. And now your hands that were b****y are completely fine.”

“I’m a Nacripper.”

“I’ve not heard of that kind of wolf. Why are making this up?”

“I didn’t expect you to. Nacrippers are ancient wolves.”

I walked ahead of her, grabbed my bag where I dropped it, and faced her.

“I’m leaving.”

She didn’t object. I didn’t expect her to. She walked back into their settlement. A few steps later, Thea yelled for me to stop.

“You didn’t say your name.”

“Fallon.”

My temporary craving was over. I didn’t need to hit something, I wanted to kill someone. I needed blood on my hands. I looked at Thea who was still staring at me. No, I promised Scarlett I wasn’t going to kill any of them.

Two hours of walking did nothing to reduce my craving. If anything, the desire to kill was heightened. I hadn’t come across any human. I sat to rest my legs for a bit when my ears picked up on a sound. Seems I had accidentally crossed a border.

Finally, some action.

“Who is there?”

I listened beyond the voice. There were ten distinct footsteps. Enough to satiate my craving.

“A stranger. But, it’s okay. If any of you touch me, all of you die.”

My warning went unnoticed as a bullet grazed my skin.

“This is where you all beg for mercy.” I said as I let my inner sadist out to play

*********

Three months, later.

I walked beside the border as I listened to the mind link of the guards at the other side.

‘She was last seen coming close to our pack.’ A man said as the guard and I listened.

‘Why all this fuss over a human girl?’ another voice

‘Who says she’s human?’ the first voice

‘No one has ever seen her shift.’ The second

‘With her reflexes, does she need to?’ the first

‘What does she look like?’ a third voice entered

‘I heard pitch black hair, a bit slender and pale.’ The first

‘Y’all should keep quiet and be alert. If the rumors are true, this could be our last day.’ A fourth voice

‘We are 20 men; she is but one girl.’ The second.

I chose that moment to step over the pack border.

“Hey boys, you know the rules. You don’t shoot. I don’t kill. Your pick.”