Chapter 9
1017 Words
Larson
I couldn’t believe it. The track had just petered out-like the wolves had vanished into thin air. Even my father’s trail had disappeared after lingering around a bush, and I had to smile as I realised why his scent was so strong there, and the expressions his captors must have had on their faces as he urinated defiantly … I laughed to myself wryly and kept moving. I had followed them for around 5 hours, into the pine forest on our pack lands, but staying closer to the edge. At one point I felt like I heard someone shout in anger, but I couldn’t get there quick enough to catch a glimpse, more scent - in fact, I didn't get any more intel at all on their whereabouts. I was beyond frustrated this time. How did their scents disappear? A wolf’s sense of smell is the most dominant part of our skill set, and we could usually tell different family groups, as well as those who were mated and unmated, even those who were from different packs had a different smell. Rogues smelt like dirt or mould, not because they were dirty but they were on the outer of the wolf kingdom-often by choice but not necessarily. Scent was rarely lost, and in fact it was a matter of pride with most wolves that they didn't lose a scent once they started tracking. We are pack animals, after all. I scouted around the space where I lost the scent, stumped as to where they went. I stormed past the same stump for the third time, with anger rising inside me at my inability to find even a small trace, and desperation to find my father when I had been so close to seeing him again. Moving a new way to start back to the pack, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. There was a scrap of purple fabric torn on a spiky bush nearby, and I quickly grabbed it and held it to my nose. That scent wasn’t covered, and it was the smell of a witch. It was impossible to mistake. My eyes grew wide. A witch had been here-and I remembered the rogue leader mentioning someone- Dahliaan? Maybe this Dahliaan was a witch? That explained why the wolves were hard to track - witches could use magic to cover scent. She mustn't have realised her own robes tore, or she wouldn't have been so careless as to leave her scent here, either. I scrubbed my hand through my hair in frustration. If witches were involved, this could be a lot harder to solve than we first thought, and that thought made my blood run cold. Witches, while I had met my fair share, were rarely to be trusted and often double-crossed those they had dealings with. They were known to sometimes even curse their business partners for fun. Getting mixed up with a bad witch was something I sincerely hoped I would never have to do again - but I resolved to get in contact with Glorie, my powerful witch friend, as soon as I could. We were sure to need her help by the end of this saga, I was sure. She could probably shed some light on the situation as it stood, anyway. Meanwhile, as the next Alpha I had a responsibility to my pack, and also to find out more about the blue-eyed wolf girl. I can’t deny my pulse quickened when I thought of her, and made me excited to see her again, even in the midst of my frustration and despair about my father and the pack members. Even though I was excited about meeting her, too; I knew I would have to at least put her off for awhile in order to find the Taken, both long-ago and recent - and now, these most recent kidn*pped. It was unlikely the wolves from 8 years ago were even alive; but these recent ones were just fresh, so I hoped we had a minor chance of rescuing them. I began my trek back to Sable River, leaning into the strengthening cool breeze. Winter had begun to recede, but it was still cool, and at times even icy, biting winds still pulled at my clothes and nipped my ears. I let my mind drift to the training regime I had been keeping in the last few years. A few run-ins with undesirables had shown me the value of being faster and stronger than my opponents, but the value of being able to outwit them was even higher. Every morning and night I trained, no exceptions. I would need to make sure I kept it up as I returned to the pack, and find out what the current training expectations were there, too. While my father ran his pack well, with humility and openness, everyone had known, at least when I left, that Alpha Bronce was not tolerant of laziness, and valued hard work and the absolute top training for his warriors. Even women in our pack were trained once they went through their first Turning, which meant the blonde girl would be about to start this process. I wondered whether she would have a natural edge to her skills, or if she would be a passable warrior at all. I realised that I knew literally nothing about her, other than she was a blonde wolf who had just turned. Blonde - a rare wolf colour, which meant she probably had some hidden power or gene underneath, which she may not be aware of. I also wondered who her parents were. I didn’t remember her being part of the children in the pack when I was there. Maybe her parents had arrived and sought admittance to our pack - this happened not regularly, but enough that it was a remarkable event. I would find it all out in time, but meanwhile I had to get back to the pack and find out how I could help my brother lead - if he was even up to the task.
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