The Hunter's Werewolf

(14) The Hunt

Have you ever been hunting before, like really hunting, like getting up early in the morning or even going hunting at dusk? Or remember that childhood game where you played cat and mouse? Well, it is something that is like, but it is more fun, and you will be in your wolf form. As a child, I loved playing that game with a mix of tags with my pack. We used to play for hours in human form and our wolf form, especially in summer, because we had nothing else to do but play all day until we fell asleep at the dinner tables while eating dinner.

If you have not been hunting before, you are missing out, especially when you get the "feel of getting up at the c***k of dawn and having your stomach feel like fireworks going off due to being so excited". I love that feeling in my stomach, especially having a few too many coffee cups and knowing I get to get down and duty while hunting. Every year there is a hunt with different themes. This year's theme is called "The Wolf Hunt of the Night". We have diverse types of the game for all ages, from children to adults, with different rules such as no biting, no fighting, no cheating, and many other rules to keep the game safe and fun. The hunting game is one of the many celebrations that lead to the harvest feast. It is always placed on a weekend.

I woke up to a scream from the kitchen from my mid-afternoon nap from studying and trying to finish my projects. I immediately ran downstairs, almost tripping myself while flying down the stairs fast. Once I ran into the kitchen, I saw Hazel on top of Hunter with a knife to his cheek and screaming.

"I don't care what other rabbit you use, but you are not using my rabbit as bait for the hunt." She screamed so loudly that my eyes began to hurt.

"What on earth is going on here?" "Can you please get off Hunter and give me that knife?" I asked her nicely and calmly.

I asked nicely, and he said we were going to use my bunny as a chew toy for the hunting game," Hazel said while getting off Hunter and giving me the sharp knife, which I have no idea how she got a hold of me.

How the hell did you get a knife? "You know you aren't supposed to have one," Kaylie said, looking confused.

Well, I found it on the table. Mommy left it there before she left the kitchen with Auntie, "Hazel said while looking away.

"The next time you shouldn't be touching anything dangerous, what if you hurt someone or even yourself?" I told her while putting the knife out of reach.

Okay then, so is everyone ready for the hunt? I heard it is a paintball or laser tag for the older kids, but it is just a tag for the younger ones, "Kaylie said while fixing herself some breakfast.

"What if it's a family scavenger hunt but with family teams?" Hunter said and scooped Hazel in his arms and began to give her raspberries on her tummy.

"That would be so much fun, especially around the pack grounds and around town," I said while grinning and knowing Hazel would never hurt Hunter, especially when he is her best friend.

"What about a hunt? I overheard Mom and Auntie talking about it being a scavenger hunt with a large team. We are like the royal family here. I nominate Hazel to be the team captain, and she can even tell me what to do. " "Colton walked in with Troy."

"I honestly can't wait, especially when this game leads to shifting in wolf form for the last part and it's at nighttime," Troy said while grabbing Kaylie's candy bar from her.

"Does anyone know when it starts?" Hazel asked while she was sneaking to grab the candy bar out of Troy's hand.

I told them, "I am not sure, but I know mom and aunt said it's sometime soon."

Over the years, the hunt is random, being in various places like in the woods or even in town, but it is always planned before the big harvest celebration, which is always a town tradition. My mom told me that this year is going to be a little different, especially when it comes to the safety of those of us running around in the woods at night. It can be extremely dangerous, especially with the hunters and rogues running around trying to hurt or even kill one of us. In recent years, the whole town and pack council have been on high alert due to a rogue who tried to kidnap Hazel at a harvest festival a few years ago. We never figured out why and how, but we think it might happen again because she is close to becoming a full-blooded werewolf due to her first big shift.

The hunt is one of my favorite times of the year where all the werewolves in the pack come together to celebrate our heritage and the beginning of the harvest moon, which is a special moon that only comes once a year on Halloween. The moon is always a nice bright color of red and orange, like blood. Anyone who wants to play can play, but you will have to be safe and follow the rules or you will get hurt or even killed. There is a reason we must play safe and follow the rules. One year, we almost lost one of our own to a rogue who trespassed onto our land and tried to kill a young girl while she was looking for a toy in the woods. Ever since then, we have had extra warriors on standby around the pack's territory and even around town. My brother and Troy oversee the security with the help of dad and uncle Ian.

It was finally nighttime; the air was crisp and chilly, and the night sky was illuminated by thousands of gleaming stars. The whole town was decorated with many different fall things, from pumpkins to banners of different booths such as food, drinks, and even games. The leaves were falling from the trees and swirling around in circles on the ground all around sidewalks and across the grass of the town center square. The sounds of people laughing and chatting around me bring a smile to my face, knowing everyone is enjoying themselves. I walked over to get some hot chocolate from the drinks stand and heard someone coming up behind me and saying...

What a beautiful night for cupcakes. "Are you participating in the hunt?" Alecx asked, grinning and holding his hot apple cider.

"Yeah, I am, but I need a partner for the teenagers around since Kaylie left me for some cute boy over there with the treats," I said while looking down at my drink and hoping he would say something that would make me smile.

"Well, I don't have a partner and you don't either, so how about we both be partners and win the game?" He said and smiled with a wink.

The Hunt is a game before Harvest Fest, which is a game where you play a scavenger hunt and find different clues for a big prize. The winning team will be the harvest king and queen. There are rules for the game to keep us safe from hunters and even rouges that hide in the deep woods of the territory pack and town lines. In recent years, there have been a few attacks and even an attempted k********g of my sister, "I told him while trying not to show any fear."

"Oh, nice, and that sounds kind of terrifying, especially when you get snatched like this," he said, and quickly grabbed me from behind and chuckled while holding me close to him while I let out a terrified scream.

"Oh my god, don't do that." You nearly scared me half to death, "I said, trying to catch my breath.

"My bad cupcake, do you need some CPR?" "I do have some good lungs," he said and chuckled.

"Perhaps I don't know. Are you saying I need some mouth to-mouth? " I asked him with a giggle.

"Maybe." "Oh yes, they are starting to hunt," he said.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to another year of the hunt. This year, the council thought it would be fun to play hide and seek all over the town, but in teams. One person from a team will be the wolf, and the other will be the hunter. There will be some rules for the game to keep everyone safe and have fun. The rules are simple: if you get tagged by your partner, then you will have to come back to the square and you are out of the game. You must stay on the territory grounds, and you cannot leave the grounds at any time during the game, no matter what. You can hide anywhere you like, such as in the town or even in the woods, but please be careful where you hide. The winning team will be this year's harvest king and queen. Are you ready? " My mom told the crowd of people.

"YES!" everyone in the crowd yelled.

"Alright, remember to stay safe and have fun." My mom told the crowd of players, "Ready... Set... Go!"

"So, who is the wolf and who is the hunter?" he asked, while being confused.

I will be the wolf, and you can be the hunter. I am good at this game, and I learned a lot from Kaylie. She was last year's queen. So, do you get the game and know the rules? " I told him.

"I guess so, you might as well go run and hide before I just tag you right here by tackling you to the ground and giving you CPR with some kisses," he said while wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Nah, you can never tag me and close your eyes so I can go hide," I whisper in his left ear.

"Okay fine, I will find you and I hope you know I am good at tracking," he said while his eyes were closed.

As soon as he closed his eyes, I ran right into the woods, and I knew the perfect place to hide. While running on foot, I quickly shifted into my wolf form and ran so fast that there was a lightning bolt following me like a superhero flash run. While running, I heard many teams getting tagged and many people cheering, laughing, or even screaming while either running or getting tagged by their partners. I ran to my favorite place in the entire world and hoped he would not find me. About an hour later, I was hiding in my clubhouse near the pack house when, all of a sudden, I heard footsteps and some leaves with branches moving. I got so scared, thinking it was a real hunter or even a rouge that sneaked past the warriors and was going to hurt me or even worse, kill me. I started to have a panic attack because I had heard rumors about the previous attacks on the pack territory by hunters and rogues. The sound was getting closer and closer. My heart started to race so badly that my heart would jump out of my chest. I am glad my dad put a few guns in the clubhouse for protection and even for safety for something like this. I quickly pulled the g*n out of the secret compartment and put some bullets in the g*n chamber before the clubhouse door opened. Suddenly, the door was pulled open, and I saw someone in the doorway. I quickly put my finger on the trigger and switched the safety switch off, and I aimed my g*n at the person at the door.

"Whoa, what's with the g*n and are you seriously going to shoot me?" "Alex," he said, while holding his hands up in the air.

I thought you were a hunter or a rogue. Sometimes they come this close to the territory line, and I am sorry I scared you. I had to be safe and on high alert, "I told him while pointing the g*n away from

I am sorry I scared you, and I told you I am good at tracking. I am glad my dad took me hunting as a child; I learned a lot from him. "Well, the good news is we can run and should get back to the town square and claim our victory," he said while smiling.

Yeah, you are right before my twin sends a search party out and sends out the warrior's guards. "They can be scary, you know, especially when it comes to the safety of the alpha and beta families," I told him while putting the g*n back in the hidden spot on the floor.

"So... what is the harvest fest?" "Apparently, everyone is talking about it, and I just want to know before I get myself into something that isn't fun," he said while we began to climb down the wooden ladder.

"Well, it's a long-standing tradition where we celebrate our history and pack." It's kind of important, especially when you are part of the first families, "I told him while we walked back to the town square.

About half an hour later, we finally reached the town square, where everyone was cheering for us. I looked around, looking confused because I did not know if I had lost or won the hunt. While walking through the crowd and to the stage, everyone was telling me things like "congratulations, you did it, you won" and other things that I could not hear. Once we walked up to the stage, my mom was standing there with a big smile on her face with the crowns and sashes. For a minute, I thought she was pulling a big prank on me by winning the game. I swear I have never been this scared before while walking because, knowing my brother, he likes to scare the living s**t out of me by popping out of nowhere, grabbing me and yelling "boo". Once I reached the stage, my mom grabbed me and pulled me closer to her, and said:

"Congratulations to my daughter Charlie for winning the hunting game." I am enormously proud of you, and I am so excited for you to be the harvest queen this year. This year we are lucky to have received no indents from the hunters and rogues coming onto our territory. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and now we should celebrate with some food and drinks, but first I need to crown the new king and queen. "Alecx and Charlie, will you please step forward and I will give you your stash and crown." My mom told the crowd with a mic.

"Thank you, mom." "I promise I'll make you proud, and I love you," I said as she placed my crown on my head and slung it over my shoulder.

"Cognate Alecx, I knew you would win. I just had the feeling, "she said while crowning him and giving him his stash.

"Thank you, mam, it was a lot of fun, especially being new to the town and the hunting game," he said and smiled.

"Okay, mom, you should probably go find Hazel before she eats all the cookies," I told her with a small push away.

My mom said, "Oh sorry, we'll talk to you later and have fun with the kids," and walked away.

"So... queen, would you like to be my date for the harvest fest even though I am the harvest fest king?" He asked and grabbed my hand.

"Hmm. I would have to check with my boyfriend to see if it's all right with him. You know, you can make other guys jealous, "I told him and laughed.

"Oh, wait, you have a boyfriend." "I didn't mean to ask you out or make you feel like you did something wrong," he said, pulling his hand away, feeling a bit sad.

I said with a wink, "I was joking." I don't have a boyfriend, and I would love to be your date to the harvest feast. "

"Oh, thank you." You scared me for a minute, and well, I think we should go get a bite of something to eat with some drinks," he said.

Yeah, I'll tell you. Are you ready to go? " I yelled as I ran to the food and drink area.

Alecx and I spent the rest of the night talking, flirting, and, of course, hanging out with other people who played the game. We spent all night together until it was finally time for bedtime. He took me home and kissed me before I got the chance to say, "Thank you for playing the game and spending some time with me." His kiss made the hair on the back of my neck stand up with a small electric spark that went through my whole body. As soon as he left, I ran into my bedroom, jumped on my bed, and closed my eyes by replaying what just happened.