Shifters - The King of Wolves - Book 1

CHAPTER 4 - THE WALK OF RESILIENCE

Beads of sweat cascaded down my forehead, mingling with the dirt and grime that clung to my skin. The battle of the previous night left its mark on my once yellow dress as it was now soiled with dried blood. I longed for a fresh bath as the scorching sun burned painfully on my skin, slowly turning my complexion into various shades of red.

Carefully, I raised my flask to my lips, allowing just a measured sip to pass through. The water provided a brief relief from the intense heat, yet it remained a mere tease in the face of my unavoidable thirst.

As we moved forward, my gaze shifted to the landscape around us. Barren fields stretched out to my right. The earth cracked and parched under the assault of the relentless sun. The horizon seemed to blur with the heat, producing an illusion of wavering mirages in the distance.

The raging waves of the sea on my left thrashed hard against the rugged cliffside, its violent waves colliding with unwavering force. The salty smell of the ocean was strongly present in the air and I welcomed it with open arms as the humidity eased my parched throat somewhat. 

I was tired. Never before in my life had I felt as drained as I did now. My body protested with every movement and my limbs were aching with every step, yet I had to press on. The Werewolves seemed indifferent to our limited resilience and maintained their pace.

It would be another few hours before the sun would set and we would stop for our first resting place of the day. I've overheard the Werewolves say that they were hoping that we would have reached Landsmeet by then, but based on the sighs and groans of the Werewolf girl who walked by us for the sixteenth time in the last couple of minutes, our pace did not align to their scheduled speed.

My feet were starting to blister, however, the desperate need for water seemed to overshadow the discomfort.

"This journey is dragging on forever. At this rate, it'll take us five days to reach Nebelwald." The Werewolf who passed us now for the seventeenth time sighed defeatedly. Her chestnut hair was tight together in a long braid. This time she was accompanied by Brenna. Both were dressed in tight black uniforms. How they persevered their crisp appearances was astonishing to me. It was as if the burning heat had no effect on them.

"We're travelling with humans, Rhea. You know they move at a slower speed" Brenna responded in a soft tone.

Rhea's tone remained irritated, "I get that, but I didn't think they'd be this slow."

Brenna reached out and took Rhea's hand, their fingers entwining, offering her some comfort. Rhea leaned her head onto Brenna's shoulder, accepting the kind gesture. "I wish we could travel in our wolf forms," she sighed.

Their words turned into distant murmurs as their fast and powerful strides carried them out of my hearing range.

Frustration stirred within me. It wasn't like we chose this. We couldn't change the fact that we were humans, unable to switch on our 'Werewolf turbo speed' as they apparently could. Besides, their ceaseless complaining made them seem oblivious to our shared losses– our destroyed houses, the forced refuge. Some had even lost loved ones. A pang of loneliness and anger mingled in my chest. A bit of sympathetic compassion or understanding would be nice.

I glanced around in an attempt to alter my angry thoughts and took in the sight of the people trudging ahead.

The group was led by the giant Werewolf with the scar. His blond hair stood out prominently from a distance. I couldn't help but be struck again by his appearance, his size and rugged demeanour made him even more imposing than the other Werewolves.

Walking beside him was the Werewolf with the blonde curls, the one that I helped earlier. Her confident stride indicated that she somehow had fully recovered from her prior encounter with the skinners. Her ability to heal so fast was yet another sign that the shifters were much more superior to our kind. The two of them seemed to be engaged in deep conversation.