The Unkowns

Cedric

-Chapter 3-

Questions raced through my mind, but I held them in. I did not wish to be seen as weak by The Unknown.

We walked in silence for hours, me trailing behind purposely so I could watch his every move. When we reached the edge of the mountain, The Unknown stopped.

"I have something I must tell you," he barked.

I nodded my head and waited expectantly.

"My people are different. We are not quite human," he told me hesitantly, searching my eyes for a reaction.

I kept my face guarded, giving a slight nod as if I knew what he was talking about.

"We are shifters, as in we possess the ability to shift into wolves," The Unknown relayed.

I raised my eyebrow in suspicion.

"Why are you telling me this?" I sneered, distrusting.

"You shall see. When I arrive from behind that tree, climb onto my back." The Unknown raced behind a tall spruce and I could hear clothes shuffling.

All of a sudden an enormous midnight wolf burst from behind the tree. I screamed in fright, my hand automatically reaching for my bow. The wolf growled and lunged at me, knocking my bow from my hand. I scrambled backwards, holding my hands up in surrender.

We stared at each other for a while, him crouched in a defensive position and me curled into a ball of terror. Slowly, he began to relax his muscles, creeping forward inch by inch until he was close enough to touch.

His hot breath fanning my face made me shiver, but I refused to back down. I was too strong to let an animal get the best of me.

I studied his pitch black eyes, searching for signs of danger. There were none.

I recalled him asking to climb onto his back, so I shakily unfurled and returned to a standing position. Reaching out and gripping his surprisingly soft fur, I hauled myself onto his broad back.

Suddenly, his muscles tensed and he sprang forward. I let out a squeak of surprise, trembling.

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Riding on a wolf's back was not exactly a pleasant experience, as I soon found out. While horses have a smooth canter that one might easily pick up on, wolves have a jerky stride that cause riders to bounce up and down rather uncomfortably. Holding on to his soft fur was a challenge, and I nearly fell off many times.

We had stopped to rest after hours upon hours of passing endless trees. The Unknown shifted back into his human form and we built a small fire for warmth. I learned his name was Cedric, and his purpose for taking me from my village was to bring me to the annual ceremony so that I might find my mate.

While Cedric droned on about the mating ceremony, I pretended to listen and secretly thought about how I was going to find my sister.

"Have you ever met a girl named Sasha?" I asked suddenly, interrupting Cedric.

"N-no. Of course not," he stuttered, and right then I knew that something had happened to her.

I stood up, balling my hands into fists.

"Where is she? If something happened to her I swear I will kill you all!" I screamed, rage coursing through me.

"I do not know! Even if I did, I would never tell you, human," he sneered.

My mind filled with rage to the point where all rational thought flew right out the window. I launched myself at him, clawing at his face with my nails.

Cedric easily pulled me off of him, holding me at arm's length while I continued to struggle.

"Feisty little one, aren't you? It will take a very powerful wolf to be your mate," he chuckled.

I spat in his face. He knew where my sister was, and he could not even tell her flesh and blood her whereabouts. Then he belittled me, the strongest person in the entire village!

Cedric's chuckles ceased.

"Alright. If that is how you would like to play, then let us begin."

Cedric threw me over his shoulder (despite my screams of protest) and took off his pants, transforming his bottom half into the legs of a wolf. He ran, faster than lightning, through the forest.

I could feel the air grow thinner as we approached the top of the mountain. All the blood rushed into my head and the world began to spin around.

Cedric asked me a question, but I was only able to mumble something incoherently before darkness consumed me.