Hunt

Chapter 18: Dream Walker

I awaken in a frenzy, drenched in a cold sweat. I could still feel the wolf's breath on my face, I could still smell it. As I begin to realize that I was in my room a sob rises up through my chest, my body convulsing as my panic rips clean through me, tears streaming down my face as my sobs turn slowly to a silent hysterical laughter. That nightmare felt all too real, it was too lucid to be just a dream, it felt like I was experiencing an outcome that could've been reality. A separate timeline where Natasha and I had been found and summarily torn apart in those woods.

"Paranoid... I have to just be on edge..." I mutter to myself, stifling a yawn with my hand.

As the adrenaline begins to fades I begin to regain my composure. Glancing over at my alarm clock the time still read early morning. I hadn't slept for more than a couple minutes before being jolted back awake. I really didn't feel like trying to sleep any more, but as I lay back on my bed my eyelids begin to droop, threatening to take me under again. Unable to resist the pull, I begin to nod off. Falling once more into a dark unconsciousness.

Once again I find myself dreaming of the forest. This time I'm alone, no Natasha behind me, just myself and the dark trees. Still adorned In my ghilli suit my scared hands tremble as I hold the gun in a death grip. I knew deep down what would be coming next, I was just here. But now I'm alone in this hell. What is this nightmare? Is this lucid? As soon as the thought pops into my head the forest comes alive. The sounds of large creatures shifting through the underbrush just out of sight erupt all around me. A loud growl from behind causes me to spin, raising the shaking gun to my shoulder. Breathing frantically becomes uncomfortably hot against the mask that covered my face as I quickly scan the darkness. Shapes quickly emerge from the inky black, ten wolven forms that quickly spread out and surround me. Forcing me into the center of the small clearing.

Is this another possible outcome? Where's Natasha? Why isn't she here? I think frantically, becoming quickly aware that this is  at least a very cruel lucid nightmare. If nothing more.

"Trespasser." A growl behind me says, "There you are. All alone now..." Hot breath on the back of my neck makes me spin back around. "You and your friend... You come onto our land uninvited. Do you not know the consequences for such a transgression?" The white wolf from before bears down upon me. Having joined me in the center of the ever tightening circle. Circling around me like a shark.

I try to raise my rifle, but my arms refuse to move. My hands rattling against the cold metal held tightly in my grasp, my arms too heavy to move. My breath against the mask on my face threatening to suffocate me. "Y-your land?" I finally manage to stammer. "W-What is this?"

The wolf growls and takes a threatening step forward. "This? This is a warning. The Silverlock pack shall not be taking this act of aggression lightly! This dream is of my making, a place where I could give you this warning personally." The wolf bares it's teeth, a similar 'smile' to the one from the first nightmare. "Your blood led me to you. Hunter." She spits the last word. The circle growls in unison.

"Hunter!" the collective growls, low reverberating through my body.

This can't be real. There is no way lycans can reach out through a dream like this. Only certain magics can do something remotely similar! My mind frantically races, looking for an escape from this nightmare... there had to be a way to break free.

Through the panic and terror a rogue thought pulls me back to mental clarity. It's just a dream, it's not real. These beasts can't actually hurt me here. I could make this situation work in my favor. I had an opportunity here to get some intel from this beast. Anything that could help us plan an offensive. She already gave me the pack name, that is a big first step. We could research that.