Why The Rivers Run Red

Racing The Dark

Clementine woke to the darkness of the room. She looked out the window to see the purple sky in the distance. It was early morning and Clem had woken earlier than usual.

She decided to get some more sleep but found that she couldn't fall back asleep. Any position she tried felt uncomfortable. She sighed, got up from the bed, and walked to the door. She opened the door and looked back to make sure AJ was still asleep before closing it behind her. She walked down the hallway to the main doors.

She made her way outside and stood at the top of the steps. The wind blew her hair slightly in the morning chill. She inhaled the cold air and watched her breath billow out in a white puff. It was cold but that wasn't a problem for a werewolf. She switched into her wolf form and her thick fur immediately warmed her. That's when Clem caught the scent of something in the wind. She inhaled deeply and took in the scent of deer.

Clem had never taken down a deer before, just rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals. But how hard could it be? She walked towards the gate and nosed it open, the gate shutting behind her. A quick morning hunt shouldn't be too bad.

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Violet yawned as she exited the dorms and stepped outside. She shuddered at the cold air hitting her. But she knew that she had a job to do and did her best to ignore the chilly atmosphere. It was her turn to keep watch and she was eager to get to her post. If these child-snatching assholes were going to show up she wanted to be ready.

Violet walked across the courtyard to the lookout tower. She gripped the wooden rungs of the ladder and hoisted herself up onto the platform. She looked out at the forest, everything seemed quiet and peaceful. But a rustle from the bushes caught her attention.

Violet gasped. Was it the raiders?

She prepared an arrow on her bow and pulled back, ready to let it fly. She waited for them to show themselves, but she was shocked to see a large brown wolf emerge from the bush. "Clem?" Violet said to herself. She watched for a minute, confused as to why the young werewolf was outside the school by herself. But a moment later her questions were answered. "Holy shit!"

Violet raced down the ladder and opened up the gate. The squeak from the gate caught the attention of the wolf and she turned around to be met with the sight of the blonde. "Here, let me help you with that."

Clem had dragged an eight-point buck all the way to the school gates. But taking down such a massive creature and dragging it all this way had worn her out.

Violet gripped the antlers in her hands and Clem grabbed the deer by the scruff of its neck. And together they dragged the deer into the courtyard. Violet shut the gate then turned to Clem. "Holy shit Clem! I can't believe you took down a whole deer by yourself!"

Clem shifted into her human form. "It wasn't easy. But I figured the school could use the meat."

"They're not gonna believe this," Violet said amazed. But her smile faded to a look of concern. "You should have told me you were going. I would have come with you. You shouldn't be out there by yourself with the raiders on the loose."

Clem started to feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry. I just thought I could help out a little bit. Plus everyone else was asleep. I didn't want to wake you."

"It's all good," Violet reassured her. "Plus I'm sure you hunt best on your own. I can't believe you took down a deer. None of us have ever brought back a fucking deer."

"Holy shit."

Clem and Violet looked to see Omar at the top of the steps. "How did you do it?"

"Clem took it down," Violet explained.