The Borderlands

Chaos

Chaos.

The scene Freya absorbed was complete and utter chaos. Being at the fringe of the action gave her a moment to try and process what she was witnessing. High pitch screams permeated the air and like nails on a chalkboard, sent tingles raging down her spine. Hungry flames licked at the buildings, the slight breeze giving them an extra push to gain new heights. The colors swirling in the blaze were captivating and the inferno of heat radiating towards Freya emphasized just how real the danger was.

'I need to move,' she urged herself as the flames continued to grow. Her feet felt heavy and the shock of the situation gave her a weakness she didn't know she possessed...fear. It wasn't just one house on fire; it was every single building that made up her pack village. There was no possible way something of this magnitude could be an accident, could it? Fear welled up inside of Freya, her heart beat was thrumming against her ribcage and sweat had broken out on her forehead. Communicating her anguish to her wolf allowed her to quickly gain not only comfort but reassurance of her skills, something she desperately needed.

As Freya staggered forward she watched as her pack members scrambled to save the village. Many were trapped inside burning buildings as the angry flames continued to relentlessly decimate not only material objects but also lives. Freya sobbed as she realised that many of her pack mates lives would be extinguished by the fires.

'I need to help,' she told herself as she approached a group of men attempting to douse out the fires. Callum was leading the charge and Freya could see just how well he was suited for his Beta duties. His instructions were clear and concise, leaving no room for error. As if sensing her, Callum's eyes shot up and met hers over all of the chaos. Freya could see the relief on his face and his muscles relaxing as he took in her presence.

"Freya, you need to take the children into the forest." Callum's voice was hoarse from not only his constant shouts but from inhaling the smoke billowing from the fires. Freya knew that he was trying to get her out of the way and any other time she may have argued with him. The pleading look that filled his eyes was enough to convince her to gather up the few children that were huddled together.

Freya tugged on their little hands and used her head to indicate which way they would be going. "Follow me," she implored before scooping up the smallest child into her arms. The edge of the forest was untouched by the destructive flames and she quickly led the children into its safety. There were several large boulders resting on the undergrowth and Freya lowered the child she was carrying carefully onto one. She was torn between staying with the children and helping her pack mates save the village.

Freya could feel her restlessness and compulsion to go back and assist the others. Communicating her agreement, she felt the strength of her wolf surge and fill her with much needed endorphins. Freya turned her eyes quickly back to the three trembling children in front of her. Crouching down so that she was directly looking into their eyes, she took a moment to take in their appearances. Smudges of dirt marred their innocent faces and puffy red eyes combined with the tracks running down their faces confirmed how distraught they were.

"I need to go and help the others." Freya began as she reached out to brush her fingers along each of their cheeks.

"You need to stay here and do not move," She directed before beginning to move away only to be stopped by loud sobs.

"I will come back for you," Freya reassured them fervently. The children recognized the sincerity in the tone of her voice and quietened down. Turning her back to them she quickly made her way back to the forests edge. Guilt was gnawing at her stomach but her wolf was quick to support her decision and this quickly bolstered her confidence.

The breeze had picked up and Freya was quick to pick up the scent of the fire; a combination of scorched wood and melted paint. Taking another quick sniff she picked up the elusive musky scent from earlier. It was hard to distinguish between all of the other scents currently flooding the air but it was still there. It was unlike anything she had ever smelt before.

'It has to be connected,' Freya told herself. There had to be a connection to the mysterious scent and what was happening to her pack. As she moved out of the protective shelter of the forest something moved quickly on her left that her enhanced senses picked up on. Jerking her head to the side Freya narrowed her eyes and peered intently along the tree line. Several moments passed and nothing immediately jumped out at her. Adrenaline had been pumping through her body and the whole convoluted situation made her think she was imagining it.

'There is something there.' Gazing back to her left she was amazed when she picked out shadows flitting through the tree lines. They were careful to remain hidden in the darkness and Freya knew that whatever they were they were intelligent. Taking a big breath in through her nose she let her enhanced smell locate the musky, earthy scent. The scent was still buried but it did lead to where the shadows were lurking.

'We need to inform the Beta,' Freya's decided quickly. She could feel her agitation with the trespassers and the damage they had caused growing. Accessing her pack mind link she called out to Callum.

'Beta,' He took a moment to respond to her communication.

'Are you okay?' Callum's voice demanded in her head. 'Freya?'

'I'm fine, I...' her response was cut off by his, 'Where are you?'

'I am on the south side on the tree line,' Freya told him quickly before adding, 'We are not alone.'

There was a slight delay in Callum's response and Freya knew he was processing what she had told him. He needed to know all of the information that she had, including her encounter with the strange scent earlier in the day.

'There is a thick musky scent that I couldn't identify whilst on a run this morning...It was faint. I am scenting the same now but there are also shadows hovering in the tree line.' Freya quickly conveyed her information.

'Shit,' the expletive burst in Freya's head. She'd never heard Callum use that kind of language before and quickly realised that he must be quite agitated.

'You need to round up as many pack mates as you can find and take shelter in the caves down the valley,' Callum ordered her gruffly. 'We'll take care of the rest,'

Freya knew her priority was not only to find pack mates but to find her parents. She had attempted to communicate with them but had not received a response. Pandemonium had swept through the village and she'd had to block out many of the voices trying to penetrate into her mind. The fires continued to rage out of control and the screams of pain continued to taint the once peaceful air.

She'd barely taken one step before all hell broke loose.