Chapter 2: The Hunt Begins
787 Words
Abigail’s POV
The wind carried the scent of prey, damp earth, rotting leaves, and the faint musk of a hunter lurking too close.
I crouched in the underbrush, my fingers tightening around the hilt of my dagger. Moonlight streamed through the thick canopy above, illuminating the clearing where our target stood, a bounty hunter foolish enough to stray too deep into rogue territory.
Ivy crouched beside me, her bow already drawn, eyes sharp as she waited for my signal.
“How much is the bounty on me this time?” I murmured, watching the armored hunter scan the trees.
“Three hundred gold coins,” she whispered back, her tone laced with amusement. “Seems like Victor's getting desperate.”
Desperate.
The word coiled in my chest like a slow-burning fire. For five years, I had remained in the shadows, a ghost haunting the fringes of Victor Bloodfang’s empire. I had raided his supply lines, freed imprisoned wolves, and ensured that whispers of my name still lingered where he least expected.
He wanted me dead, but he was too much of a coward to face me himself.
Not yet.
The bounty hunter shifted, unsheathing a curved sword. His nostrils flared. “Come out,” he called into the darkness. “I know you’re here.”
I smirked. Oh, do you?
I lunged.
Before he could react, I was behind him, my dagger pressed against his throat. He let out a startled grunt, muscles tensing beneath his leather armor.
“W-Wait ”
I twisted the blade just enough to draw blood. “Who sent you?”
“I ” His eyes darted around wildly, searching for a way out. “I don’t know! I was just paid to track”
Lies.
I pressed the dagger deeper, feeling his pulse hammer against the blade. “Try again.”
He swallowed hard. “T-The Blackfang Pack. Victor’s men. They’ve put up new wanted posters in every major pack. Word is, he’s tired of waiting for your corpse.”
I exchanged a glance with Ivy. So he was finally losing patience.
I leaned in, my voice a whisper against his ear. “Tell them the next time they send someone, I won’t be this merciful.”
And with that, I slammed the hilt of my dagger against his temple. His body slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Ivy let out a slow exhale. “You could’ve killed him.”
“I could’ve,” I agreed, wiping my blade clean. “But I want Victor to know I’m coming.”
The Phantom of Whitefang
By dawn, we were back at camp.
Nestled deep within the Northern Forest, the rogue hideout was hidden from prying eyes only those who knew its scent and paths could navigate it. Tents and wooden cabins dotted the area, with rogue wolves training in an open clearing.
I strode past them, nodding at familiar faces: Orion, the strategist, who sat by the fire sharpening his sword; Zane, the warrior, sparring with another rogue; and Elara, the seer, who watched me with knowing eyes.
The air around her shimmered, as if reality bent beneath her presence. “You’re restless.”
I paused. “You had a vision?”
Elara’s lips curled slightly. “Not a vision. A feeling. The winds are shifting, Abigail. The storm you’ve been waiting for it’s here.”
A chill ran down my spine. The storm.
For years, I had worked in the shadows. But something told me that my time in exile was coming to an end.
I had waited long enough.
I clenched my fists. “Then it’s time.”
Orion looked up from his sword. “For what?”
“For war.”
The Gathering of Wolves
Two nights later, I stood on the ridge overlooking the rogue encampment. Below me, dozens of wolves outcasts, exiles, survivors gathered, their eyes glinting in the firelight.
I stepped forward, my voice carrying over the crowd.
“We have been hunted.”
A murmur rippled through them.
“We have been cast out, forced to live in the shadows, treated like nothing more than prey.”
Low growls echoed among the wolves.
“But no more.” My gaze swept over them, fierce and unyielding. “Victor Bloodfang sits on a stolen throne, ruling with fear and blood. He believes we are weak. But he has forgotten one this: wolves are strongest when they hunt together.”
A chorus of snarls and howls rose into the air.
I lifted my chin. “I am Abigail Whitefang, the rightful Alpha. And I swear to you we will take back what was stolen.”
The night trembled with the force of their answering roar.
War had begun.
- Writer
