The search
Kael
“Alpha, over here.” I lifted my snout off the ground and turned to see what Matthew was referring to. He was sniffing near a tree. Then, with his head, he pointed toward the river bank. He kept sniffing the air, as he approached the place. I trotted over to where he was, trying to perceive what he detected. An alien smell filled my nasal cavities. Humans. Not just one, but two. A man and a woman, no, not a woman yet, but a girl. But also Brid.
The smells seem to be not that old. But it was beginning to dilute. Fortunately, this track was waiting for us.
When I got to where he was, Brid's scent intensified. Sickness and doom impregnated this place. It smelled of death. A horrible pain in my stomach made me vomit. Simon will wish he hadn't been born after I deal with him because of this atrocity. My mate has to be fine. She has to be fine.
Matthew howled, drawing my attention. He raised his snout in the air, sniffing. I was very aware of what he was going to do. After a few seconds, he began to trot south, downriver. I followed closely.
Christopher was right on my heels. The hope of finding Brid grew by the second, but the situation she would find herself in terrified me.
We continued along the river until Matthew stopped abruptly. I did the same, and Christopher did too. Matthew was turning sideways. Then he looked across the river. He transformed into a human and walked over to where I was. I did the same.
“Alpha, they crossed the River. Apparently, they did it by swimming. I don't know how they managed to cross with Brid in that state, but I'm certain that's the direction we should go.”
I looked around and saw that the terrain next to the river was the most logical way to go, and especially with Brid unconscious. Putting my attention on Matthew, I nodded, “Lead the way.”
Matthew turned in his wolf as I did the same. I followed him to the bank of the river, and we got into it. The water was cold, and not too deep. The three of us in Wolf form swam to the other side, and after a few minutes, we reached the shore.
The three of us shake our fur and head into the forest without wasting any time. Matthew picked up the trail again and trotted at a slow pace. I was sure he didn't want to lose it. There were many smells that could confuse us, and because the trail was several days old. It was going to take us some work to locate the exact point. But I have confidence in my wolves. After all, they are the best.
Noticing the many roots coming out of the underground, I thought that the place wasn't friendly, or easy. We had to be careful not to get stuck. Such an accident could break one of our legs. We don't need any more inconvenience.
During our trip, we lost the trail many times, until it got dark. We hadn't hunted since we left, and we needed to do it now. Even though I would rather not waste time, we needed to rest, and eat.
Wind left, letting the other wolves know what they were free to hunt. They did, not waiting for a second invitation. Wind was hungry and so many hours of tracking whetted our appetite.
The smell of hare spread through the air. Wind's attention was completely on that. He began to salivate and followed the scent to a small hole near a tree. Wind tucked in his snout but got nothing. In this way, he began to scratch the ground, making the hole bigger.
The juicy animal leapt out of the hole in one fell swoop. Hitting Wind on the muzzle. This confused him a bit, but when he realized what had happened, he followed closely. The hare was very agile and fast. It seemed that we would not have a chance to catch it. But Wind was an experienced Wolf and this hare would not escape us. We begin to lead it towards the plain, where no bush tree will stand in our way. The hare ran free, stretching its hind legs for speed.
In the next stride, the hare flew into the air, and that was when Wind launched himself with a mighty leap toward his prey, catching it mid-air. The poor creature could do nothing to stop its death. My Wolf's powerful jaws clamped shut with a definite CRACK, ending the hare's life in seconds. I landed on all fours and trotted out of the open space. I searched for a hidden place where I could devour my prey and rest. It didn't take us long to finish it. I left the carcass in that same place because I had to join my pack. The night was just beginning.
Christopher's howl was heard first, and then Matthew's, letting me know when they were ready. Wind howled, letting them know his location. Five minutes later, and we were all on our way to a makeshift den. These forests offered a lot of shelter for all kinds of animals. It didn't take us long to find a suitable place to sleep. The three of us entered at dawn and lay down on the ground. Minutes later, my wolves were asleep. Yet, Wind was not. He rested his snout on his paws, but couldn't sleep. He was worried about Brid and Leaf. I could feel his guilt and failure to protect his mate, both of them.
He was not the only one. My mind was plagued with the images that the witch showed me, and the mistreatment that she suffered at the hands of the members of my pack. I can't imagine what made Simon do what he did. I've never faced this in all of my years as AN Alpha.
After several minutes of wondering why I finally fell asleep.
