Hunt

Chapter 48: Cloak and Dagger

'Are you really sure he's the one?'

'We're more alike than even he realizes. He's proven to be a natural leader, I know he'll rise to the challenge.'

'I still don't believe you, but I trust your judgement. So what's our next step? What can I do?'

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"Hey! Kyle!" Heavy hands clasp me by the shoulders, pulling me up and out of the dark.

My eyes flash open, bright sunlight blinding me as I desperately grab for my chest, trying to get rid of a weight that is no longer there. Sitting up quickly the sinking feeling of head rush hits me hard. My world fading out into static as lightheadedness nearly throws me back to the ground.

"Whoa! Easy there, you've been out for a while." A distant voice says, getting closer as my vision becomes clear.

"W-what..." I mumble, my throat burning like I had been swallowing sandpaper. My mouth dry.

"You're back in camp." The now familiar voice of Natasha says, coming into clarity. "Some of the wolves found you unconscious by the stream. They brought you back to camp."

A heavy wave of nausea washes over me, almost causing me to throw up. Flashes of the moments before I passed out filter through my head before falling back into static. Looking around I see the many concerned faces of the rest of the group. All back to human form, some still sporting the colorful stains of the paint. I couldn't see Reyna in the crowd.

"Where is she..?" I asks hoarsely.

"Who?" Natasha asks, furrowing her brow.

I struggle to form her name. My head a mess of burning pain and numbing static. Pushing the static clear if only for a second I find the name. "W-where is Reyna?"

Nyx pushes her way through the crowd. Seemingly drawn by my mention of Reyna's name. She kneels down to my level. "We haven't seen her since you escaped from us. She thought she could smell something and went to investigate, I haven't heard from her since."

"Who found me then?" I ask, my throat still on fire.

Nyx points out to the crowd, singling out someone I couldn't quite see from where I was laying. "Sarah was the one who found you. She came and alerted me. That's when I got the others. We brought you back here. She hasn't said a word since we got you back."

Words catch in my throat as I attempt to stand, a set of hand on my back assisting me. "Easy there Kyle. You hit your head on something hard, we don't know exactly how hurt you are. But there was quite a lot of blood. " Nick's voice rings in my right ear.

"I'm fine." I grumble. Looking to the faces of the others. Calling out: "Sarah? Can I talk to you for a second?"

After a moment of silence someone steps forward. I knew I recognized that brown wolf's voice from somewhere. I was getting better at telling the distinction between their wolf forms and human forms. She was the one who got my question right. So she the other wolf there when I got attacked, the small brown one. She must've been the one to get help.

Motioning for her to approach I drop my voice low, "Follow me please."

Confusion creeps through the rest of the pack as I lead the young girl, who couldn't have been older than Julie, to the edge of the clearing. "You were the one who found me?" I ask.