Minor rogue skirmish
1021 Words
The forest didn’t feel right.
Elara noticed it the moment they crossed the treeline. The air was too still, the usual low hum of life muted. Even the birds had gone quiet. Leaves crunched under her boots, loud enough to make her jaw tighten. She slowed without being told, adjusting her pace until each step landed softer.
Kael didn’t comment. He fell back half a step, letting her take point.
She kept her head up, eyes moving constantly, not focusing on one place for too long. Sunlight filtered through the branches in uneven patches, blinding in some places, dim in others. Perfect cover for something waiting. Her red hair was tied back tight, out of the way. Sweat had already begun to gather at the nape of her neck.
A sound came from behind so she stopped out of instinct
The rogue burst from the brush with a snarl that split the quiet, all teeth and wild eyes. It moved faster than she’d expected, claws tearing up dirt as it lunged.
Elara twisted aside and struck without thinking.
Her fist connected with bone. The impact jolted up her arm,heating cleanly. The rogue stumbled but didn’t fall. It swung back immediately, too reckless, too hungry. She ducked, rolled, came up with dirt on her palms and her heart slamming hard against her ribs.
She didn’t need to look for kael.His presence was there, solid and unmoving.
The rogue circled, shoulders low, teeth snapping.She knew it was undisciplined.
Elara stepped forward instead of back.
The wolf hesitated.
She pressed the advantage, striking again, sharper this time. The rogue yelped, more surprised than hurt. It lashed out blindly, claws slicing the air where her throat had been a second earlier. She pivoted, letting momentum work for her, and slammed her elbow into its side.
Pain flared across her arm. She welcomed it.
The rogue faltered, balance breaking. For a brief moment, their eyes locked. She saw the calculation there, the split-second decision between fight and flight.
It chose flight.
Branches cracked as it bolted, crashing through the undergrowth and vanishing into the trees. The forest swallowed the sound quickly, leaving only silence behind.
Elara stood there, breathing hard.
Her chest rose and fell fast. Sweat slid down her spine. Her arms burned, muscles trembling slightly now that the danger had passed. She flexed her fingers once, grounding herself.
Behind her, Kael moved.
“You didn’t hesitate,” he said.
She wiped her hands against her trousers. “Neither did it.”
A pause.“That’s why you survived.
She glanced at him then. His black hair was tousled, dark eyes unreadable as ever. He looked calm, almost bored, like he hadn’t just watched a rogue nearly tear into her. But she saw the tension beneath it, coiled and controlled.
“You could’ve stepped in,” she said.“I could have.”“But you didn’t.
“No.”
They started walking again, slower this time. The forest still felt tense, like it was listening. Elara stayed alert, senses stretched thin, every sound registering sharply. The rogue might be gone, but its presence lingered in the air.
“You let it get close,” Kael said after a while.
She didn’t bristle. She considered it. “I wanted to see how it moved.”
“And?”
“It overcommitted,” she said. “Relied on speed. No discipline.”
Kael nodded once. “Good.”
That single word settled something in her chest.
They moved deeper into the forest, following a narrow path worn down by patrols. The sun climbed higher, light shifting as the canopy thinned. Her muscles still burned, but it felt earned, honest.
“You didn’t panic,” Kael said.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Most do.”
“Most don’t train alone,” she replied.
He didn’t argue.
The pack grounds came into view eventually, the forest opening into familiar territory. Wolves moved about the clearing, some training, others repairing gear. A few heads turned as they emerged. Elara felt the looks land on her, curious, measuring.
She didn’t slow.
Kael stepped slightly ahead of her now, subtle but deliberate. A silent message. She noticed wolves straighten, conversations cutting off mid-sentence.
Good.
As they crossed the clearing, Caryl approached, brow furrowed. “We heard something,” he said, eyes flicking to Elara. “A disturbance.”
“It was a rogue,” Kael said. .”
Caryl’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary. “You alright?”
Elara met his look steadily. “I am.”
He nodded and moved on, already calling instructions to a nearby patrol.
They reached the edge of the training grounds. Elara paused there, rolling her shoulders once, letting the last of the tension drain from her body. The whispers had started again. She could feel them like static at the edges of her hearing.
Kael didn’t leave.
“You’ll train tomorrow,” he said. That surprised her. “You’re assuming I’ll show up.”His gaze flicked to her briefly. “You will.”
She almost smiled. Almost.
“What if I don’t want you watching?” she asked.
“Then don’t look at me.”
She huffed a quiet breath through her nose. Fair.
Kael turned to leave, then stopped. “You handled yourself well today.”
She watched him walk away without answering.
The ache in her arms lingered as she made her way back toward her quarters. Wolves parted instinctively as she passed. Some looked thoughtful now. Others wary.
Let them.
Later, alone, she sat on the edge of her bed and replayed the fight in her mind. The sound of snapping branches. The weight of impact. The moment the rogue chose to run.
She hadn’t frozen.
That mattered.
Outside, the pack settled into its usual rhythm, but something had shifted. She could feel it, subtle and deep. Whatever Kael thought he’d done by rejecting her, whatever the pack believed about her weakness, today had cracked that illusion.
She lay back and stared at the ceiling, muscles still humming.
Tomorrow, she would train again.
- Writer
