Urquia

Chapter 36: The BlackClaw pack part 3

*Andrea POV*

With my hands down, I sensed the area where I was: the trees, the animals. I knew three wolves were about 350 yards from my position.

I prepare four paintballs between my fingers and crawl out of the hidden den. My enhanced eyes turned pitch black, my pupils dilating until my silver irises were nothing but thin, predatory rings. My eyes clicked into place, and suddenly the dark forest looked like a high-def black and white movie. Every leaf stood out sharp enough to cut. I saw them clearly. I put a ball in the slingshot and pull it real slow, not making a sound. My heart was so steady and slow, like in slow motion. You couldn't hear it even with enhanced wolf hearing. I squatted a bit so the high grass and bushes would hide me.

I spotted the wolf on the left. He was sniffing the ground like the others. He turned to the right, probably mind-linking his friends. It was past noon already, so the sun was still high. I shot his shoulder, close to his neck, and he made a squeal. I put another ball before the other two noticed me and, as soon as one got closer to the first wolf, I shot him on his left side.

Another whimper with a growl. I smiled as the third one turned to me and I shot him on his chest, earning a growl and then a howl.

I ran, got into the den, and I pushed the soil to the entrance, making it way smaller. I heard footsteps. They were a few feet away.

-"s**t, we've lost her," Voice number 1 said.

-"That s**t hurt... (sniff, sniff) ...and smells awful." Voice 2 said.

-"She's good. I can't believe she got that close to us without us sensing her." Voice 3 said.

I smiled. My white teeth and shiny pupils were the only things you could see in the dark. I heard a commotion far away, a few screams and curses, and my smile went wider.

-"s**t!!" Voice 1 shouted. -"Another f*****g trap!!"

-"Who is this chick?" Voice 2 said, laughing as their footsteps faded. I put my hand on the ground. No wolves. I should go east because I haven't been there, but I know they'll be waiting for me. I could go west, but that's the direction they had tried to make me run to, so I go south, leaving a few false clues and traps along the way.

I go up the trees every now and then. I get into another main street. It was on the east side of the mansion. The people were returning to their homes from work, I guess, so there were more werewolves. I was able to spot a few warriors because they were so alert; they were looking around like crazy, sniffing the air, and asking people out.

I jumped to a rooftop and, with my blowpipe, I shot six of them, going from one roof to another. Curses and grunts from pain and laughter from the rest were heard as the seventh tried to howl just before he was shut up by a paintball on his neck, making him scream in pain instead. I know it must have hurt. Sorry, dude.

-'Hahaha, nope. Not sorry,' Patricia thought.

I jump on a tree and go from one tree to another, then cut east a few yards, then I stop.

I hear them run in human and wolf form south and, when I'm sure they are far away, I continue my way northeast so I can tag and set traps on that side.

I continue to tag the towers even when they had spotted me. I make sure I tag all the towers in that quadrant, while hearing the traps set off. I hear the screaming and grunting and squealing and cussing.

Sometimes I even see them set the traps on their own for me and I record them. It's been years since I had this much fun.

As I rest, hidden in a tree, I remember my time in Uganda. My parents were after some mean gorilla hunters. They'd left me and Cris with a secluded Moyo tribe. They were no more than 20 people, I guess, but they were peaceful people. They lived in the forest away from the main town. They taught us how to hunt and not get hunted. They taught me how to identify the different animal fingerprints and how to get close to them without making a sound or leaving clues behind.

They'd call me Namukasa, which means goddess, and called Cris Askari, which means warrior, and they taught us a lot. My heart warms as I remember my mentor, Adroa, scolding me and whipping my ass for getting caught by one of the traps they'd set for the wild pigs. Thinking about Uganda, I could almost smell that thick, wet dirt again. My ass still stings a bit just thinking about Adroa’s switch, but hey, the old man knew how to make a point. Cris was laughing out loud as I was upside down hanging from a tree. She was quick to kick the large pole that was meant to knock the pig out so it wouldn't hit me. She reminded me of that for years, bribing me so I'd do everything she wanted—which I would totally do even without her making fun of me.

I sigh and, after emptying my water bottle, I get ready to jump, but first I look at my phone and text Dami

-"¿You good, baby? ¿Have you eaten?"

-"Yeah, mom! Luna Susanna and Lilian are so cool!! I saw real wolves, ma! Alpha Marty told her you already have 98 warriors and he is mad. A happy mad. He is joining them south. Good luck!!"

-"Thanks for the tip. You're my hero. XOXO"

I think about writing Nathan, but I call him instead.

-"Hey, princess. You called to surrender?" he says with a playful tone.

-"You wish," I whisper so low so the wolves underneath couldn't hear me.

-"Turn your camera on, Alpha, but don't speak," I whispered, and he obliged.

I focus the camera on the men below me and put the phone in a crook on the tree. There are five. Leo and Nathan are watching closely. I see three of them step on a trap.

I prepare my slingshot, I smile to the camera, and I pull a rope that made a heavy, heavy rock fall from the highest branch of the tree behind them, making them turn around looking behind them while a rope gets tightened around their legs. The balloons popped with a loud smack, and the air immediately stank like rotten eggs and chemicals. That smell is a b***h to get out of fur. They scream their lungs out as they crash into each other and fall while the other two try to help them. I shot a few paint balloons that were on top of their heads, painting them all except Ramirez, who was fast enough to dodge it.

I put a paintball on the slingshot and shot a couple of times, but he is real quick and I don't get him. I take the phone, secure it on my front where it has been recording since the beginning, and I giggled as I see Ramirez climbing up the tree. I had a rope holding me which was wrapped around my thighs. I prepare my slingshot and when he climbs the same branch as me and says panting:

-"I got you," with a devilish smirk.

-"You wish, Delta," I say as I jump backwards and let the rope around me get tight as I was falling. He watched in horror as I plummeted, unaware that my rope was connected to the trap at his feet; I was using him as a counterweight to break my fall.

He lost his balance with a curse and fell backwards as the rope tightened at his ankles, pulling him upward and leaving him hanging and twirling. I land soundlessly on my feet. I look up and shoot him with my slingshot and chuckled when he said:

-"Ouch! You hit me on my butt!"

-"¿Are you okay?" I shout.

-"It's not fair!! Get me down!! I'm scared of heights!"

-"That's 103, Alpha," I say smirking as I shot the camera off. I took a screenshot of their dumbstruck faces. I hold my phone with my left shoulder and I shoot at the free man on the back who was still trying to set the other three free. One cursed and turned, his wolf taking control.

-"He's gonna fall really bad if you don't catch this on time," I say, dropping the rope and walking backwards with a smirk.

His pissed face morphed into a terrified one as he runs to take the rope while Ramirez is screaming his lungs again.

He caught it just in time, leaving Ramirez dangling nine feet off the ground. I shot him again on the butt and he cursed and growled.

And that was my cue to run.

-"You are so wicked!" I heard Leo say and I giggled.

-"I'm so going to get you," Nathan said with his husky voice, sending a shiver down my spine.

-"Not if I get you first," I say before hanging up.

It was past eight, so it was dark. I had already tagged all the towers and taken about 221 warriors down. I set lots of traps and a yawn escaped my lips. I was on top of a rooftop; it was quiet on the rooftop, so I munched on my chia bar while scrolling through my phone. I sat there for a second, feeling that heavy buzz in my legs. My muscles felt tight and ready, like a loaded gun.

Dad: -"¿How many have you got so far?"

I respond: -"221... I think. Almost done. It's getting tougher but you taught me well. I have tapes!"

Cris: -"At home, all good. They made a chair. Dami is having dinner. Tamara is awesome. WE are adopting her."

Me: -"Cool. Alpha still mad?"

Cris: -"They are both after you. Need backup?"

Me: -"Nah... stay with Dami. I’ve got a jar of dirt!"

Cris: -"If he catches you, you're so gonna get laid tonight, you know... doggy style, haha XP"

Me: -“Well, you sure look lovely tonight. Especially for a dead chick.”

I close my eyes and let my bat hearing guide me. There are a few people—four... nope, five. They've acted like normal wolves, walking casual, talking while sitting at a front porch, but I could hear them. I could feel their nerves, their hearts racing. I was on the southeast street.

I throw a few stones as far as I could and as soon as a few of them went to check it out, I shoot the two wolves sitting on the porch. They grunt and curse like they've lost a big bet. I go to the three remaining and I throw a paint balloon high on their heads and with the slingshot I pop it on the three. They were too close to each other, so it was quite easy. When one of them was about to howl, I shot him on the neck and he choked while the others laughed at him.

I jumped down like a cat and sprinted toward South Street, where I heard a trap snap shut followed by the screams of at least two people. Seven warriors go running to them. I wait squatting as they go to the men and I climb the nearest tree behind them. With my owl night vision, I spot Liza. I stay hidden so I could see and listen.

-"Dude, how could you possibly not see that trap? It's like a Looney Tunes trap. ¿¿Are you even a wolf??"

-"Sorry, Gamma. We've been running all day, without stop, and we're just tired," a young warrior with paint all over his head and shoulders says with his gaze on the ground.

-"It doesn't matter. If she can still catch us, we need to do the same. Or at least make it hard for her. She is only one person. What if we'd been attacked by 20 like her, huh? We'd be dead by now. And not only us—the pack, too. They depend on us. Wolves, Omegas, pups... all of them. They'd be dead because we are tired. That's bullshit. The Alpha expects the best. We are not being the best!!"

They all have their shoulders slumped and were all looking at the ground like sad puppies. I facepalm myself because they're ruining my fun, so I pop a paint balloon only on her, drenching her entirely. She gasps, turns, and looks everywhere, but I'm well hidden and she doesn't see me. I can't stop the chuckle in my throat because her painted face was pure art, and she shouts frustrated:

-"There! Get her! Right now!" She points at me.

-"Sorry, bebe! Don't hate me!" I shout at her before jumping a few trees and jumping to the ground, where I lead the six remaining to another trap towards the west. It snaps easy, taking down two wolves. I hear howls from my back and a few more howls from my front as I go west.

I prepare my slingshot with extra balls and, as I pivot, I shoot at two wolves while they still lunge at me. I jump up a tree and as the remaining wolf growls and tries to snap at me, I pull my slingshot at him. His eyes widen and he backs up. The others shifted into very naked humans, grunting in pain.

-"Too easy. I'll give you another shot," I say before climbing higher. I spot the two wolves coming my way from the west and the wolf down the tree howls at them. I have to be quick. I shoot them as fast as I can and at the little snitch wolf down my tree.

I jump from one tree to another until I'm at the southwest street. It's deserted. I climb down, squat, and touch the ground next to a tree. I can sense eight wolves. They are hidden between the houses and cars. I smirk. I climb a tree and land on a roof. I smear my blowpipe with paint from a balloon using my hands. I jump at the end of the street, where the forest begins. I walk down the middle of the street.

-"Come out, come out, wherever you are..." I say and giggle. I hear low growls, snarls, and snapping sounds. I giggled louder.

-"Oh, come on... don't be mad at me. I'm just playing. Can't we all be friends?" I see only four wolves surrounding me.

A howl.

-"I guess not yet." I smile at the wolf in front of me before hitting him with the pipe on his head like Rafiki did in The Lion King and shout:

-"TAG!"

Another wolf bounces at me, but I dodge him, kneeling and painting his belly in the process. I jump behind another wolf and paint his back before he even registers what I did. The last one comes from my left and I somersault on one hand to his side and I get him too.

I ran between two houses and zigzag up the walls until I'm at the roof. I ran to my bag and grab it before a woman jumps naked in front of me. I hit her legs with my pipe and she falls, and with my painted palm I smear her face really quick. My hand was all slimy and cold from the paint as I rubbed it into her face. It felt gross, but watching her squirm made it worth it.

-"amhsSTOdhmmsPp," she says, trying to catch my hands.

I jump to a tree behind a house but think again. I climb higher, I put my bag on me, take my slingshot and shoot at the three wolves attempting to climb my tree.

-"f**k," one grunts.

-"How many paintballs does that bloody woman have on her??" another curses.

The last one just fell off the tree.