The Other Side of the Lie (EDITING, ON HOLD)

Four-Mist

Mist leapt forward and yanked the stupid prince away from the even more stupid scavenger. She growled in warning at Hawk as well as their aggressors. Mist didn't like that she had gotten herself caught up in the middle of this, not one bit. If she was lucky, the scavengers would let her go. If she wasn't, one might decide they had a sudden urge for a werewolf fur cloak, or a trophy head to mount on their wall. Or, worse yet, that they wanted to join in on paranormal trafficking.

"Temper, temper," the scavenger said with a disgusting smile. Mist snarled and smiled to herself in satisfaction when he flinched.

"Now, beast, why don't we take this troublesome royal off your hands, er, paws?" the scavenger said. Mist thought his attempt at being polite was rather comic. He was laughably bad at it, and would definitely not have bothered if he hadn't been scared of her. That was good. If they were scared of her, Mist had a better chance of getting out of this perfectly intact.

"Mist?" Hawk –no, Mist reminded herself, Prince Hawk– asked. It was a plea and a reassurance at the same time. Mist liked this prince. He was amusingly helpless when it came to survival, but he could probably handle himself with his sword, Mist would give him that.

However, Mist absolutely hated royalty, or anyone with such power. It was those kinds of people that had forced Mist's family to live too close to the forest. It was their fault Mist was a werewolf and why she had nearly been killed by her own mother. But she hated scavengers even more. They sacrificed the lives of others for their own gain. Mist made up her mind.

She began slowly backing away, then turned tail and escaped back into the crevice. She felt Prince Hawk's eyes on her retreating figure, and knew she would find betrayal in them if she turned to look.

Mist burst into the larger cave. The stream still rushed in its center, oblivious to the happenings outside. Seconds after entering, Mist exited the cave, but this time, once she got near enough to the opening, she slowed. Werewolves were more than just extra big wolves that spent some time on two legs, their anatomy was slightly different. For one, their claws were retractable, like a cat's. Mist brought her claws in as much as she could, so that she made no sound as she walked.

Mist paused just inside the entrance. The scavengers had backed Prince Hawk against a large tree, where they were about to bind his hands. His ankles were already tied, with a short length of rope between them so that he could still hobble. His hands were still free, and the scavenger's backs were all to her.

She caught the Prince's eye and his widened. Mist took one more step out of the crevice and placed the thing she carried in her mouth on the forest floor as quietly as she could. A scabbard. It wasn't empty. Mist took one last step forward and let out a deep, low, menacing growl. All four scavengers whirled around.

That was their mistake. Mist leapt and in seconds the first scavenger lay at her feet with his throat ripped out. One tried to escape, but Mist leapt and dragged him to the ground. He too was dead seconds later. Prince Hawk had reached his sword and cut his ankles free. He had the lead scavenger backed against the same tree he'd had his back to moments before. The scavenger had a dagger and was trying –quite unsuccessfully– to fend the royal off. The last scavenger was gone, and Mist spotted her in the tree above Hawk, ready to drop down on him. Mist took a running leap and landed with the scavenger squirming under her paws. The only female in the group, the scavenger was smaller, but likely more lethal than the rest of them. There were daggers strapped to every part of her body. Except, of course, her neck. Mist made sure it didn't matter anymore by relieving the scavenger of her throat. Then she advanced on the last scavenger who was pinned to the tree by the Prince.

"Wait, Mist, stop!" Mist paused, and glared at the Prince, trying to tell him to get out of her way so she could kill the scavenger. "We have to keep him alive, at least long enough to get some answers out of him." Mist paced, still growling, never taking her eyes off the scavenger. "Thank you," the Prince said before turning to the scavenger.

"You son of a—!" The scavenger spat at Prince Hawk. The Prince calmly pressed his blade a little harder against the scavenger's neck. Scarlet droplets beaded.

"You are going to answer all my questions truthfully" —he glanced at Mist and she nodded. She could smell a lie, and was always grateful for that talent— "or I will let my wolf slowly kill you. It will be long, and painful. Am I understood?"

The threat caused fear to blossom in the scavenger's eyes. "Understood," he squeaked.

"What is your name?"

"Vulture," the scavenger wheezed. Mist snorted. She wondered if the scavenger's parents had hated him that badly, or if they couldn't come up with anything else.

"Who sent you?" The Prince was furious, and clearly didn't want to believe that his sister had sent scavengers after him.

"I told you, your sister did!"

Mist snarled and advanced a few steps.

"Don't lie to me," the Prince said with a snarl of his own that any werewolf would be proud of. "Was it my mother? I swear, if it was, I'm going to..." he didn't finish the thought. He didn't have to. Vulture stayed silent. Prince Hawk dropped his sword and pinned the scavenger to the tree by his neck. Vulture struggled, but a low growl from Mist stilled him.

"I–I don't know!" The scavenger's voice was infused with panic, and his words came out in a wheeze as he struggled for air.

Mist stepped back in surprise. It was true. The Prince saw her reaction and asked one last question.

"Who would?"

The scavenger grinned. Mist felt fear shoot through her. "The dead man over there, with his throat ripped out. And him." Vulture pointed up.

A shadow moved in the tree above them.