Draugs

Chapter 2 : Search Party

"Where do you think the rogues went?" Win asked, as the four of them stood outside the warehouse, waiting for a response from P'Chai. As soon as they had found that the rogues had moved, along with the fledgelings, they had immediately messaged their senior, waiting to know what their next move would be. "No idea, but I think we will find out sooner than you think," Dean said. "What do you mean?" Pai asked. "Well, since Yu has caught the scent of his mate, it is likely that this person's feelings will hit him soon as well," Dean said. Phayu was in a daze. "Are you serious right now?" he asked, leaning back against the car. "I am kind of annoyed," he said. "Annoyed why? You should be happy. You are the first among us to have found your mate," Win said. "I never wanted a mate," Phayu said. Win snorted. "Right!" he said sarcastically. "Dude, you never say to a mate. A Draugs is a gift from God. You never refuse it!" Dean said. Pai nodded. "Jing! Stop being this way; all high and mighty. You can deny all you want, but you must be jumping inside!" he said.

Phayu rolled his eyes, and refused to say anything. They all became alert when their phones chimed. "It's P'Chai," Phayu said. "They have the latest location. Doesn't seem too far from here," Win said, looking at his phone. They looked at each other, nodded and left the place. The next place they reached seemed a lot more promising. They were lot of noises coming from inside. Phayu again caught the same scent that had been chasing him since the first warehouse. "He is here," Phayu's voice clearly sounded in the heads of the other three. They silently nodded. They split again, using their powerful senses to move around. "I am scenting something," Dean suddenly piped in. "Me too," Pai said. "Well, looks like it's me three," Win said. "Shia! Are we all finding our mates?" Phayu said, mentally face-palming. "Will that weaken us Dean?" Pai asked. The others waited with bated breath for his response. "Ideally, no! The presence of mates adds to our strength. Before the exchange of blood, it's just a feeling of energy and positivity, but post that, it's more like you are enhanced beyond imagination. Both the partners gain more and more as time goes by," Dean said.

This was becoming harder and harder to ignore. "While Phayu's mate is likely to be a fledgeling, since we smelt fear, what about ours? Rogues? Wouldn't that be a pity though?" Win's voice floated into their heads. "Let's go," Phayu said, ignoring Win. They moved their way quietly and stealthily again. It was all about timing, and precision. They had to be quick, and as brutal as possible. While they were afraid of what they what they would find inside, they also knew they had a duty to perform, and they would perform it to the best of their abilities! "I see them," Dean said. "Yeah, there are two here. I guess they are keeping watch. What do you want us to do?" Pai asked. Phayu was their unspoken leader when it came to missions like these, so the question was clearly directed towards him. "Go up," Phayu said. The four of them floated up, to get a better lay of the land. "I see one here too," Dean said. "Damn, he is sleeping," Win said, laughter clear in his voice. "Win, can you handle those two?" Phayu asked. "I can," Win said. "Dean, take care of those two?" Phayu asked. "Dean nodded. "Pai, you come with me," Phayu said. The moment Win dealt with the two guards at the back door, Phayu and Pai slipped inside. Both of them were the most ruthless out of the four of them, Win coming in a close third, and Dean was usually the calmest, the voice of reason, more scholarly. But he could be an absolute terror when he wanted. Phayu and Pai split inside the room, Win and Dean following silently behind. They again gestured, not wanting to broadcast their thoughts. They moved silently, keeping to the shadows, feet not touching the ground, till they were in the four corners of the room. Once they settled in their positions, at Phayu's gesture, they all lifted their hands up in the air. Power flowed out of them in ropes and the whole room misted with a fog. The power that dissipated all through the room through that fog, would only affect the rogues, and not the fledgelings, or the innocent. It's how their strengths worked. What they had would never hurt an innocent. Their control was admirable and spectacular. Within minutes, the rogues were clutching their throats, their eyes bugging out, unable to breathe, they clawed at the air, trying to escape the heaviness that permeated their senses.