The Run [amazon edition]

Chapter 18 - Caden

Chapter 18 – Caden

I keep my eyes trained on the forest around us while also keeping Grace and Amelia within my sight. Ragers are bad news. No one knows how their Rogue community started but every pup in an established pack is warned about Ragers and their goals. Ragers are Rogues either born to the community or banished from a pack for a variety of reasons – the main reason usually being treason to their Alpha. Once a Rogue becomes a Rager, they spend their days building their Rogue pack through rape and pillaging. Usually in The Run they are hunting down she-wolves bringing them to their community and using the poor she-wolf as a breeding tool. She may bare the mark of one of the wolves, but the community will each take a turn with her. A male will wait for the captured she-wolf to bare a pup and her body just healed enough before he takes his turn raping her, breeding her until she is pregnant once more. A she-wolf in a Rager community is nothing but a pup making factory until her body is spent and death is the final outcome.
If the three pursuing us are to catch up, their target will first be me as they will want to eliminate any male guarding a she-wolf whether that she-wolf is mated or not. Then they will capture Amelia and Grace and take them to where their fellow wolves hide. If this happens, then any hope of seeing Grace or Amelia again will be gone.
The sound of falling water soon is heard and just in time as Grace, Amelia and I take a leap of fate and jump straight into the lake I am leading them to. Grace is fast, her silver fur looking like a fish as she swims past me and towards the waterfall. I slow and allow Amelia to follow her friend before I too swim around the falling water and climb onto the small ledge just behind the curtain of safety the waterfall provides. Amelia and Grace are waiting for me at the cave entrance with their bags still hanging from their mouths and I motion for the two of them to go further in - which they thankfully do. We pad quietly, making sure not to make too much noise in case the rushing water does not drown out any sound we make until the sounds of the water fades and nothing but silence remains. We need to shift soon to be able to communicate but we have yet to make it to the small cavern that I usually use as my base during The Run. Grace slows her pace, allowing Amelia to take the lead as she comes to walk beside me, her damp fur brushing against mine. Our eyes meet and she nudges my shoulder gently. I get the feeling she is saying thank you. Without thinking, I nuzzle her cheek, careful not to hit my bag against her, happy that she is trusting me in such a short time. Her steps faulter and I inwardly chuckle. It seems I affect this feisty she-wolf.
Our walk comes to an end when the tunnel we have been walking in opens to the small cavern. It seems no one else has been here as the slight dust causes the three of us to sneeze and I instantly regret not telling a trusted wolf to come in and keep the cavern clean. Amelia is the first to set her pack down and shift while Grace pads around the cave, her sapphire eyes taking in the two mattresses, the small love seat and the chest. Hopefully no creatures have gotten in and ruin the blankets I keep in there. Setting my bag down, I shift and rummage through the chest happy to see the four blankets still intact. I take three out, draping one over my shoulder before handing one to Amelia careful to avoid looking at her body. Grace pads over, my hands itching to run through her damp fur, and I drape a blanker over her body. I watch as the blanket moves, the sounds of bones shifting coming from underneath until her head emerges.
"This cave has your scent all over it." She states quietly, standing from the floor and tightening the blanket around her.
"Yeah, its my base here when I help she-wolves." I answer shrugging. Rummaging through the chest once again I grin when I find what I am looking for, taking out three cans of beef ravioli, three spoons, and a can opener. I check the dates, happy to know that the food have yet to expire and give myself an imaginary pat on the back for remembering to place food in here six months ago.
"Anyone up for something other than jerky and dried fruit?" I ask with a smile, showing the cans to the girls. Amelia is the first to cheer, her little body rushing to my side and claiming a can that she promptly opens before returning with her prize to the mattress she had claimed. Grace chuckles, watching the blonde with amusement before turning to me.
"Thank you for sharing your cave with us Caden." Her voice is soft and so is her gaze as she takes the offered can of ravioli that I had just finished opening.
"You're welcome Lady Silver." I whisper back, smiling when her fingers graze against mine. She takes her can of food and a spoon to the love seat, climbing onto the soft cushions and digs into her meal as soon as she is comfortable. Taking my own can, I join Grace on the love seat and the three of us enjoy our meal in silence.
"What do we do now?" Amelia asks, the first to finish her ravioli.
"I say wait it out in Caden's cave for an hour then take a chance through the middle of the forest." Grace chimes in before I can say anything. I nod, taking a bite of my food as I think of a plan.
"There are Fae in the middle and the large lake that no one knows much about." I add, setting my half empty can on the arm of the love seat and walking to the chest once more. I open the hidden compartment on the side, Grace and Amelia watching my movement with curiosity as I bring out a folded sheet of paper and place it between all of us on the floor. Opening the paper, I reveal the map of the forest, it is outdated by about one and a half years but it is better than nothing.
"As far as I am aware, new traps have been added here, here and here." I sigh out, pointing at three areas close to the center of the map where the lake is.
"What about the middle of the lake?" Amelia asks, pointing to the small island.
"As far as we are aware, nothing is inside the island. Its just a dead end cave. Besides, the only way to get into it is either by swimming or using a boat." Amelia nods, accepting my answer while Grace climbs off of the love seat to kneel beside me and the map. She points at the red X on the map, her right brow raised in a silent question.
"Where we are now." I answer.
"Should we worry about how you got this map?" She askes and I shrug.
"Took it off of a Rage a few years ago and just added to it over the years." I say, turning to look at the paper as I do my best to lie. I don't want her to know the truth of how I have this map, it might changer her perspective of me if she were to learn the truth.
"Doesn't surprise me. Those wolves have some form of connection when it comes to illegal items." Grace sighs out, crossing her legs as she sits comfortably on the ground.
"In about an hour we should run in this part of the forest. Of course we will be near the Fae so stealth is required –"
"Just stick with Grace and I. Fae wont bother you." Amelia cuts me off with a smirk, pulling her hair back and revealing the gold earing on her ear. Grace chuckles and copies her movement, revealing the matching earing as the two she-wolves look at each other with a hint of mischief.
"Are those -"
"Tokens, yes. I received one for Amelia and me from the Faerie princess years ago." Grace confirms, a smile on her face.
"If I am not mistaken, she should be here now so if we run into her, we will be fine." She adds as an after thought. I finally understand what the earrings were for and why they mentioned the Fae last night. It seems that just as I get to know these two, they find a way to surprise me.
"Then I guess as long as we avoid the Ragers and make it near the Fae, the middle of the forest will be easy for us."