Written in the stars

14.

Ayla

I could feel the chill creep into the air as the sun finished dipping below the horizon and dusk settled around us. I sighed. I was tired, but I was relieved, because finally, I was finally getting the hang of a quick and painless transition into my wolf form.

"We should head back," Cassandra said, approaching me. "The light has gone, and Nakoma will have dinner prepared."

"You go on ahead. I won't be far behind you."

She passed me a water bottle and I drank from it. I hadn't even realised how thirsty and hungry I was. The training with Cassandra to learn how to control Asa, rather than be controlled, had been gruelling, but worth it. 

"Don't be long. You are doing very well, but you need to rest and recover." She said, her eyes sparkling as she smiled at me. I could tell she was proud of me. I passed her the drink bottle and she laid her hand gently on my arm.

"Yes," I agreed. "I won't be long behind you."

"Okay, " she chuckled and I could tell she didn't believe me. We were just the same, her and I. I could hear the smile in her voice as she said "I will see you soon." Then she was gone, headed back fo the cabin as I continued to work into the darkness.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, I was completely caught up in my training. But I was hungry now, and I was thirsty again. I was ready to head back to the cabin for dinner. I was still pretty far away, but if I transitioned and ran back, it wouldn't take me long to return to the warm cabin with hot food and laughing voices of people I loved.

A small sound rung out in the night air; the delicate snap of a twig breaking. I stiffened, my eyes widening, my ears pricking. Asa shifted as we faced the sound.

All around us, wolves were stepping out of the forest. More around the creek bed, at least ten in total, all of them closing in, menacingly. There was one man among them. He watched from the shadows. His skin was dark, his body tattooed.

Asa launched herself at him, closing the distance between us in no time at all. Too late, we noticed the movement in our peripheral. Too late, we reacted, wheeling around to the new threat. Asa whimpered as the ropes fell down over us, searing our skin.

I changed back to human form, on instinct. The burning stopped immediately. I was covered in some form of shimmering silver rope net.

A trap.

They had known we would go for the unprotected target as they closed in on us. Predictably fixated on the threat before us, the others had tricked us, and caught us.

Are you okay? I asked Asa, I could still feel her whimpering from the searing rope. It was heavy- too heavy for me to wriggle out of, although I was trying.

She whined gently in response, her ego likely hurt more than any lasting physical pain.

The cabin. They are close to the cabin. I panicked to Asa, but she was still whimpering. No one had ever been this close to the cabin before. Cassandra had spent her life protecting us. And now, they were in danger with close to ten wolves within the vicinity of our home.

"The necklace," came a voice.

I felt the weight of the rope net falling away, then my body being tugged at, my hair being clasped firmly in a ponytail and held tightly, so I couldn't move. My throat clenched for a moment with a sickening feeling of being lifted helplessly, then something snapped shut around my neck. A heavy fabric was wrapped around my naked body, covering me, keeping me warm.

The tattooed man looked over me, his eyes hard and firm, but behind them, a strange softness mingled with something else... Pity. He pitied me.

He held my arms out and deftly clasped a small silver bracelet around each wrist, a chain joining them like handcuffs in the middle. Asa whimpered gently at the memory of the silver searing her. I looked up and met the mans eyes with a ruthless boldness I did not feel. His eyes were determined, but his brow slightly furrowed. I could tell he didn't like what he was doing. This was an order. He dropped his gaze and turned away sharply.

"Bring her." He barked, turning his back and striding away, in the opposite direction to the cabin.

I felt myself being pulled forward, helplessly, by the silver chains.