Shadow of the Wolf

Chapter Five

As she entered the shack, she noticed that all the gear had been packed up neatly except for her own items. It was as if no one had ever slept in the shelter. Amazed at the efficiency of the men, she looked around, her eyes unerringly finding him. Dartian. What was it about this man that intrigued her so? He was definitely the leader of the group. His presence alone commanded obedience and loyalty. He had a hard edge to his gestures, like a god of old watching over the mortals of their world. And power, curse the gods, power seemed to stick to him like a second skin. Yet for all his stature she sensed only goodness and honor in him. Yet, something else nagged at her senses; some underlying conflict just below the surface of his calm demeanor continued to plague her thoughts. What was he hiding?

“We must head out, if we wish to keep a good pace.” The words jolted Saleene from her thoughts.

“I know. Give me a second to grab my belongings and we can go. If you wish to go on ahead I’ll be fine on my own.” Part of her just wanted them to go without her, though she knew they never would.  “It’s fine, honest.”

“It’s fine, we can wait. I just would prefer to keep ahead of the daylight. I am hoping to cover a good distance today.” He was hiding something. Could he have spotted something she had not? It was possible.

“Fine, one moment.” Turning back to her spot, she began to fill her satchel with her items. There wasn’t much. She had been taught early to pack light. Rolling up her bedding, she stuffed everything quickly back away. Glancing about the room she saw nothing left that would hint at who had stayed here, nothing but the burnt remains of a fire. Good, she thought. At least they had made sure nothing would point to them. Not after what she dealt with yesterday. The evil had minions everywhere and she wasn’t about to give them help in finding which way they went.

Standing back up she turned to glance around the shack once more. Spotless, from what she could tell. Heading toward the door, she accidentally bumped into Dartian as she exited. He never moved, just stood there and waited. For what she had no clue.

“After you,” he whispered.

She didn’t wait. Pushing through the door she was out into the fresh air before he could follow. She needed distance. He was too close, they all were. In the last few weeks she had spent all the time alone, had become used to the silence, and now she had three men following her. Protecting her from their point of view. She needed them to stop. Once outside she turned to face them.

“Lead the way; do you have a specific direction you were headed to?” He was teasing her, or questioning her, she wasn’t sure. “I was headed toward the north. No real reason, so if you have a better idea then out with it.” She was getting annoyed. Rather than try to hide it she turned back around. “Which way were you going?”

“North is fine. Let’s try that direction and see what comes about.” 

As they continued through the forest, Saleene tried to remain alert. Scanning the areas ahead, she tried to make certain anything that felt out of place they knew about ahead of time. It was a trick she learned as a child, one that had saved her countless times, but something she would never forget. Underneath the canopy of trees she felt at home, always had. Her mother never understood it, but had allowed her the freedom to explore. It was the one thing that had made her feel truly free. 

Thinking back, Saleene could remember the closeness she felt to the creatures that roamed the land, the special bond she had with them. One day in particular stood out in her mind.

It was late evening and she had been maybe thirteen summers old when she heard the call of an injured animal. She had picked up her leather satchel and had run into the forest without hesitation. She needed to find the animal, to find a way to ease its pain. As she rounded a group of trees, she saw in her mind, the vision of a small wolf. His fur was black as midnight, his eyes deep pools of blue topaz. From what she could ‘see’ his small foot had gotten caught in a hunter’s trap.