Shadows Surround Us

Chapter 5

I ran as quickly as my feet would carry me. I hadn't caught a glimpse of the black wolf again but I didn't really expect to. Shifters are incredibly fast from everything I've been taught. You could never outrun them which is why you stand and fight.

There was yelling and orders coming over the radio rang out around me and deafened the sound of the crunch of the earth underneath my boots and my ragged breathing. I got so close to the wolf. He didn't just outright attack me as I had been trained but now there were more and they might not be so nice this time, especially if the rest of the hunters were putting up a fight. And I'm sure they were.

I broke through a thick wall of the treeline to come to a stop at the edge of the small clearing. A quick sweep of what laid in front of me showed that there was indeed a fight going on. I spotted my brothers and father on the far side. They had their guns drawn aiming for a group of three wolves dodging in and out of the tree line. The snarls from the wolves, the yelling from the hunters, and the ringing of guns filled the air.

Anyone else might have thought this was a fantastical scene to come across. A group of hunters fighting off a group of abnormally large "wolves" would be hard to process to any of the normal humans that lived just beyond the expanse of this forest. The smell of gunpowder and the metallic hint of blood was prevalent in the air as my mind tried to comprehend everything going on around me. I willed myself to move. To remember my training. But I didn't move. I barely breathed.

"Watch out!" I heard the shout come from my left and I swung my gun around in the direction, ready for what was to come but it wasn't an immediate threat to me. Cyrus swung the butt of his rifle and struck the muzzle of the black wolf. I lurched forward toward them, feeling compelled to help. Cyrus or the black wolf, I don't know.

"Cy," I yelled, distracting him the slightest to get barrelled into by the black wolf. The wolf lunged on top of Cyrus, snarling and bearing his teeth. He held his rifle up, keeping the wolf at bay if only slightly.

I stopped and pointed my gun at them. My hand shook as I brought it to the trigger. "Stop," I yelled, taking my aim. I saw the wolf's eyes flit to me briefly.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot him," I heard Cyrus yell, out of breath from the energy he was exerting from staying out of the wolf's jaws.

I took a deep breath. Don't make me do this, I thought, closing one of my eyes to get better aim. I shouldn't have been thinking like this. This is what I have trained for. My whole life had led up to this moment and now, I was choking. "Please," I whisper to myself. Even though it was under my breath, it was as if the wolf had heard it.

The black wolf pushed off Cyrus and sprinted into the woods where some of the others had escaped too. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The clearing was empty of wolves and only hunters remained. Some were injured, evident from the visible blood and limping. They were all gathering near the center of the clearing.

With my gun at my side, I jogged the rest of the way to Cyrus and extended my hand to help him up. "Close call," I said trying to deter from the fact that I didn't shoot the wolf. He pushed my hand away as he got up. That hurt slightly coming from someone I considered my friend but understandable with all that happened.

"Why didn't you shoot him? You had him and froze," he said, dusting himself off and turning an irritated eye at me.

Before I could answer, I heard my father's voice closer than I thought, "You did what?" I turned to see him fuming and the rest of the hunters standing behind him.

Shit.

XXXXXXXX

"Have I not trained you better? Have I not done enough?" my dad yelled as he paced behind the desk in his office. I stood at attention, like a good soldier, and just took it. My brothers sat in the room as well. Marcus leaning against the wall behind me and Damien sitting on a chair bandaging up a deep scratch along his right bicep.

Once we had returned to the base camp with our wounded, my dad had dismissed everyone to go to their homes. I could feel the glances in my direction from the other men. Some held contempt. Others pity. I wanted neither.

My dad had every right to be mad. He had raised me in this lifestyle. To hate these shifters. To kill one if given the chance. Hesitate and someone could die. Cyrus could be dead on the forest floor today and it would have been my fault. The sun was setting through the window of the office. It felt like I had been here getting a lecture from my dad for hours. It might as well have been.

"What makes you think that I can send you out there on patrols now? Most if not all of our men heard that you failed in your duty to protect one of your own. How are they to trust you? How am I to trust you?" he continued, turning to look at me, his fists balled as he placed them on the desk. I had seen him this mad before. Disappointed in others but never me.

I couldn't even deny what he was saying. I know that I have made a grave error. I did this and I would take the consequences. "I understand that I will need to regain the trust of my comrades. I have failed you and for that, I am sorry," I said, keeping my voice calm and controlled.

My dad sighed and dropped his head slightly before pushing himself back up to his full height. "You are banned from patrol for two weeks. In that time, you are to continue your training with your brothers and take shifts watching the main gate. I will reevaluate your status then," he said before brushing past me and pulling the door open swiftly to exit the office.

I let my eyes drift close briefly and took a deep breath. Movement from Damein's direction had me turning my head to him, opening my eyes to see him standing from his chair. He came to a stop next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Give him time and just follow his orders. This will pass," he said. I gave him a curt nod before he too walked out of the room. Turning to face the exit, Marcus stood in his spot against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"Anything to add?" I asked sarcastically. With a slight smirk, he shook his head and took his leave. I sighed as I took one last look around the office. What was I doing? This type of thing would not be able to happen again. If it did, I would be taken off of the patrol duties completely. Everything I had trained for would have been a waste and I would be assigned some other role in the camp. I shuddered at the thought. No, that wasn't going to happen. What happened with the black wolf would never happen again. I couldn't allow it.

With that resolve, I shut the light off in the office and made my way to my room for the night. Willing myself not to think of the black wolf with amber eyes.