A Pack of Misfits

Chapter 28

I grabbed Sunset's hand, squeezing tightly as I leaned on her shoulder. Eli grabbed my other hand as we watched Jacob leave to hunt.

"I-I'll try not to be gone for too long." He said, his voice wavering as his eyes watered.

I could tell that he was on the verge of breaking down.

I nodded before going to hug him. I enveloped him in a tight hug, feeling his arms hesitantly wrap around my body.

I whispered in his ear, "Take your time, but please, come back safe."

He stared at me sadly and replied softly, "I'll try."

I squeezed him a few more time before letting go. I ran back to Sunset's side, Jacob waving goodbye at Eli.

Eli retuned the wave, smiling as he shouted, "You better come back with a looooooooot of food! And be careful, there thill a bunch of bad guyth!"

Jacob smiled at Eli, his eyes slightly lighting up as he nodded.

He puffed up his chest, putting on his signature smirk before shouting, "Of course! After all, I am the Great Jacob, greatest hunter in all of rogue territory!"

Eli let out a giggle, jumping up as he clapped his hands.

To my side, I could see Sunset awkwardly waving goodbye to Jacob. She slightly caved in on herself, her back arched slightly as she used her other arm to hold her waving arm.

I tilted my head at the sight, a bright light blue fading into my mind before quickly disappearing.

Surprise.

This is the first time I've seen her so shy. Granted, we've only seen her around the hunters where we would constantly have to be on guard, but still. She's usually pretty snarky towards everyone, that's how she lost her tongue after all. Now that I think about it, that's probably why she's so shy suddenly. She doesn't know Jacob like I do, so she's probably scared? No, definitely not. I think, on edge would be better a word.

My wolf nodded.

A loud rumbling sound interrupted my thoughts, causing me to jump. I shook my head around like crazy, searching for the source of the sound. Next to me, I could hear Sunset letting out a mechanical giggle. I glared at her, my ears lowing as my face flushed.

That's the second time we got scared by our own stomach.

I let out a cough, clearing my throat as I felt my face heat up.

I guess we're all pretty hungry. She signed, her mask lighting up to make a tongue sticking out at me.

I let out a huff before smiling slightly. "Yeah, I guess we are."

A small hand grabbed my shirt, causing me to stare down at the pup.

Eli pointed at Sunset before saying, "What did the do with her hand?"

"Oh! She did something called sign language. It's something that people who can't hear or talk use to talk to others." I explained, picking him up.

He widened his eyes. "Can you teach me?! I wanna learn!"

"Sure."

~~~~

Eli laid his head on my lap, snoring lightly. Sunset sat in front of me, twiddling a blade of grass between her fingers.

It's been a few hours and Jacob still hasn't returned. But it was understandable considering we were miles away from a hunting ground. And I did tell him to take his time.

I looked down at Eli as I gently ran my fingers through his hair.

I looked up at Sunset, clearing my throat to get her attention.

Okay, you've been waiting a while to ask this question. You can do it.

My wolf tilted her head confused before widening her eyes. She started jumping up and down before mentally ramming into me, urging me to ask faster.

Okay okay! No need to get riled up!

She glared at me.

I took a deep breath before whispering, "D-Did you happen to see him when you escaped?"

Sunset looked towards the sky, bringing a hand up to tap on her chin. She squinted her eyes before turning to look at me and nod.

My ears immediately perked up and my tail started wagging slightly. A bright light yellow flashed into my mind, along with green.

Hope and happiness.

There's a chance he's still alive! Oh please, please be alive.

My wolf started doing somersaults, prancing around my mind.

I guess Sunset could guess what I was thinking as she shook her head sadly.

He escaped in a different direction from me. I haven't seen him since and I don't know if the hunters got to him or not... I'm sorry.

My ears lowered and my wolf immediately stopped whatever she was doing, hanging her head low.

"Oh... it's okay, it's not like you could've done anything anyways. But there's still a chance he's out there! He's a tough cookie, I have no doubt that he survived!" I nearly jumped up, before forcing myself down when I remembered that Eli was still on my lap.

Even if I couldn't see her mouth, I could tell that she  smiled from the way she tilted her head.

Yeah.

"Y'know, I was hoping to find my way home. B-But since mom's gone, I-I guess I can't really do that anymore. H-How 'bout we go look for him? After everything settles down and we have a safe place to stay at, of course."

My wolf nodded her head vigorously, jumping up and down as she practically begged me to look for him.

Sunset's eyes lit up as she immediately started nodding her head.

We should tell Jacob first–She stopped before taking a whiff of the air and turning around. And look, he's here.