Shadows Surround Us

Chapter 7

The hot summer days had begun to turn to a crispness in the air. The trees were starting to show the slow changing process with pops of reds and oranges peaking through the green. It had been several weeks since any sighting of the black wolf or any wolf for that matter. The apprehension around letting me out on my own had faded in the days following my two week punishment and now I was free to leave the compound on my own. I could tell my father still wasn't fully in the forgiving and forgetting mood but I didn't dwell on it.

Things had slowly gotten back to normal. Eat, sleep, train, patrol. Day after day. Week after week. There was rumbling amongst the group about moving from this place to work on another but my dad wouldn't hear of it. We had been here so long working on this one pack and leaving now would mean that we wasted our time. That wasn;t going to happen.

"What's rolling around in that brain of yours?" Cyrus said, dropping to the spot next to me on the back steps of my house. Young hunters trained with my brothers teaching them in the backyard while my dad watched. All the teens looked excited, albeit tired, as they trained. Newbies.

"Just trying to prepare for the torture that is new trainees," I replied with sarcastic enthusiasm that Cyrus had long grown accustomed to. He chuckled but then we fell into a comfortable silence.

Cyrus and I had gotten back to our friendships after the...incident. It wasn't exactly the same as it was but that was okay. How could it be? I had not done my job and it could have ended a lot worse. It took awhile to shake off the uncomfortableness when we were around each other. I felt the need to walk on eggshells around him and lay low. I couldn't help but think that every time we were on patrol together that there would be doubt at my ability in the back of his mind. I didn't blame him.

"Well, back at it," I said as I stood up from my perch. I had taken the mid-afternoon shift today for patrol and my internal clock said it was about that time. I saw my dad briefly glance in my direction before turning back to those sparing in front of him. Cyrus gave me a nod before I headed through the house to the front door where my gun and jacket waited for me.

The woods outside the compound greeted me as they normally did. The full sun overhead filtered through the treetops, making everything brighter in the world below the canopy. The woods during the day was a stark difference to the feeling you get roaming them in the dark. I much prefer the solitude of the night but the daytime was fine.

Every so often, a squirrel would skitter across the ground and up a tree, peering at me through glassy eyes. A bird called overhead. A deer in the distance paused to watch my movements ever so cautiously. I'm sure all the creatures had their eyes on me and let the other animals know of my presence. I zipped up my thin jacket as I stepped from one section of the forest to the next. The sound of the trickling, small stream signaled I was getting close to the edge of where we've explored.

Pushing a branch out of the way, the stream came into view. The water was down thanks to the lack of rain over the past week. I walked up to the edge and knelt down. My reflection stared back at me from the moving water. The baby hairs waved in the slight breeze, protesting against where the rest of my hair pulled back into a ponytail. I studied my reflection for a brief second, wondering if I looked like anything like my mother. I never knew her and my father and brothers never talked about her. We didn't even have a picture of her up in the house, presumably lost in the hustle and bustle of our many moves. I had long stopped asking when I was much younger about the woman who gave birth to me. Maybe there would be a time where I'd find out more information but that time won't come for a while if the past has been any indication.

Gently, I placed my hand under the surface of the water, letting my fingers spread against the coolness of the current. Not completely uncomfortable, but that would change in the coming months. Slowly, I scoop up some of the water and take a sip, the cold water giving a refreshing relief.

A rustling across the stream caught my ear. It was too loud to be a squirrel and too clumsy to be a deer. Standing up quickly and swinging my gun up to point in the direction of the sound, I was surprised by what met my gaze. Standing right outside the cover of trees stood a guy. Couldn't have been much older than me. Cargo shorts hung low on his hips and a tank top clung to his upper body. He was fit. Anybody could see that. I tried not to linger too much on it. His hair was a deep brown, disheveled in a " too cool to care" way. His feet were bare. Quite the sight way out here in the middle of nowhere on the cusp of fall.

His eyes were what drew me in. A brilliant amber. Ones filled with caution, confidence, and familiarity. My heart caught in my throat.

The black wolf.