Wolves (English)

Chapter 31

'Well, well, you stayed away for a while!' my brother's voice sounds from a few meters away. So we are back where we started. 'Was it that cozy?'

Yes, it was indeed, Finn. You should know.

I have no idea why, but somehow I don't like the tone of his voice. There is a hint of jealousy in it, it seems. And also something that looks suspiciously like anger and hatred.

But it could also be that I'm imagining it. It must be because of that bad experience I just had. Now that I've been able to see the influence of the yellow eyes again, I seem to have become more suspicious. Not only against Evil itself, but also against this pack. That is not how it should be. Finn and Dyre care about me and they love me dearly. Why should I treat them with a suspicious attitude?

It just doesn't make sense, Ester. You have been brainwashed. Now you can see for yourself the damage those cursed eyes can do if you get carried away by them.

I decide to banish all negative thoughts and answer Finn's call with a joke. 'Of course! We had a big party over there. You should have been there, dude. It was fun!'

'Ha ha, indeed,' Danny agrees. 'And when the party was over, we ran into a bunch of lost squirrels. They were so drunk that they no longer knew what was up and down. So we helped them climb a tree so that they can sleep it off at home.'

Fortunately, Finn sees the humour in it. He starts laughing out loud. 'I'd really like to see that, guys. I love alcohol and loud music.'

The other Shadows also laugh happily. All except Erik. To be honest, I didn't expect anything less from him. The Leader always remains serious, no matter what.

After a while, everyone stops laughing and acting crazy. It's still dark around me. I can't see anything, but I still feel Erik walking towards me.

'Alright, Ester,' he says in his calm voice. 'You hopped all the way through the trail without tripping or touching anything?'

I nod enthusiastically at him. At least, I hope to him. 'Yes. It was quite difficult, but I had a very good guide.'

'I thought so,' Erik replies. 'On that note, Danny was one of the best persons to go with you.'

I am beginning to doubt those words. Would he notice something? Does he know that Danny and I had to defend ourselves against the negative power of Evil?

'Danny,' Erik turns to the tinted boy, 'is what Ester says right? Did she not touch anything? Has she not tripped?'

'No, she has been through it all,' Danny confirms. 'And we have been away for a while, that's right. But that wasn't because of a fall. Suddenly a wolf stood in front of us, in the middle of the path. I didn't know if he was good or bad, so I decided to rush him a bit. Then he fled, toward Jens's pack. Probably a Warrior scouting there."

Danny! How can you say that? We didn't meet a wolf at all, you know that yourself. Erik is going to check this with that Jens anyway, I'm sure of that. This will undoubtedly lead to a fight! Maybe you should have said that something fell out of your pocket. In the water. There are plenty of springs and lakes nearby. Anything better than this story!

If I had been able to, if I hadn't had that stupid blindfold on, I would have given him a withering look. I used to think he was so nice that he would never do anything that would threaten the position of other Human-Wolves. But appearances are apparently deceptive, I see. Secretly it feels like a big punch in my stomach, despite the positive energy that still continues to flow unimpeded.

I feel incredibly relieved when I hear Erik's reaction to the story, 'Well, we're not going to worry about that for a while. Jens's Warriors are pretty easy to scare, so we don't have to worry about anything. Good thing you kept an eye out, Danny. Also in the interest of Ester's safety. No one should know who she is.'