Arizium

Chapter 9

It didn't take long to find the little camp he called home. It was difficult to find to the naked eye, but he had another pair of eyes to help him out.

It's weird looking through an animal's vision, it's like teleporting almost, you're here one time, and then you're miles away the next. If you're not careful, you could go insane from all the different mindsets of beasts. He nearly did, but that was because curiosity got the better of him and he teleported without knowing how to come back. He never wanted to come back when he left his body. Beasts were so much more interesting than humans, it was difficult to force himself back into his own crappy life sometimes.

His wolf wasn't completely stupid, she could tell when he was in her head. All he had to do was motivate her a little and she would lead him right to the camp. That's the great thing about wolves, they always have a great sense of direction, no matter what.

He could make out a small campfire in a clearing when he got closer, along with six little houses. He ran until he was right by the campfire, and then collapsed from exhaustion. I need to get more fit, fast. I can't even run a mile without dying. He thought wearily. He closed his eyes until his breathing slowed and stood up slowly...

...and got smacked in the face with a twig.

"Ow!" He screamed and fell back down, clutching his forehead, realizing that he had forgotten to take down his invisible field.

"Wolf? Is that you?" He heard a very young voice from behind a house.

"Yes it's me, you big oaf, now help me up." He said curtly. A small girl came skipping up to him from her hiding place. Her short ginger hair bounced and her baby blue dress twirled with every step. Little Lynx, it was impossible to ever get mad at her really, she was just so adorable, but if you weren't careful, she could snap your leg in half with a wave of her hand. Even if you wanted to be mad, it just wasn't worth the risk.

She giggled and helped him up "Sorry Wolfie, I thought you were a bad man."

Wolf shook his head and smiled "I'll be fine, it was good of you to act like that, though. Do you know where Phoenix is?"

Lynx clasped her hands behind her back and said "Hmm, I might know where she is. My memory might be better if I had a cute little rabbit to munch on."

Wolf rolled his eyes and produced the fattest rabbit from his pouch, "There you go you little con girl, now give me information."

Her eyes grew big at the sight of the game, "I think she's sleeping." She said, she was drooling a bit and her eyes followed the carcass as it swayed in his hand.

He chuckled and said "Alright, honest pay for honest work" He tossed her the hare and walked over to Phoenix's place, looking through her window he saw that she was on her straw bed with her head in her hands, obviously she had been crying not too long ago.

Wolf sighed softly and pounded his fist against the wood. Phoenix looked up, her bleach blonde hair falling around her shoulders in messy tangles. Her face was tear streaked and red. "Just, give me a minute." She called. He watched her wipe her face and slow down her breathing. She was always trying to look her toughest, she wanted the others to look up to her as a role model, and they did, but they all knew that she was acting, you couldn't keep secrets in a family like theirs.

"Okay, come in." She said once she had gotten her face back to normal color. "What do you need?" She said with a smile that faltered every now and then, she never was the greatest at pretending.

"I found a couple of people knocked out not too far from here. I thought you might want to come check it out." Wolf said casually. He figured she was crying for her sister, so maybe showing her that Raven was still alive would make her feel better.

Phoenix sighed and said, "Fine. Did you bring back anything?"

He patted his pouch "Of course, but that can wait until afterwards." She nodded and got up. Her tunic and trousers were filthy, which was odd. Phoenix was always the first to keep her hygiene in check, always the one that scolded them for not washing up in the river.

She stepped out of the shack and looked at the sky "We'll have to go quickly."

Wolf nodded, she never liked being away at dark, she was defenseless then. Just as Wolf was waving goodbye to Lynx, another girl emerged from the woods on the other side of the camp.

"Where are you going?" Bear asked and threw more firewood into the flame where Lynx was giggling and roasting her hare over the burning inferno.

"We're just to going to check something out. We'll be back soon." Phoenix said and dragged Wolf away towards the road. He shrugged at Bear and allowed his wrist to be tugged unceremoniously into the forest.