The Hunted

Battlegrounds

              Rogues were everywhere. Making money off of finding those who had a scent and convincing them that their wildest dreams awaited. You'd be surprised to know how much it worked. The humans never understood why they felt the need to go with strange people that they thought were normal, but they did anyhow. Wolves looked good in sheep's clothing until you realize the bloodstains. Whether the wolf had a title or not as long as they smiled at someone they could get them to do anything.

Most, if not all, colleges had rogues posted up around them during hunting season. Yale was no exception. The moment Lyra stepped out of the car they smelled her. She smelled different, more powerful. The rogues exchanged looks, they knew a challenge when they smelled one. It was like a dog person walking into an unkept cat person's house, but the smell wasn't repulsive. The smell was stronger than any rogue had smelled, those who had been around for 100-250 years could tell this.

Lyra and Sasha talked for a while before they hugged and said their goodbyes. She was greeted by a campus ambassador for a tour of the building, her dorm room keys, and a map of the building.

Lyra immediately spotted the eyes that so discreetly tried to keep from getting caught. She watched as one became five, five then ten, then twenty, she figured there had to be at least sixty eyes on her. She hoped that it was just 'cause of a new face on campus, but they followed, spoke amongst one another like they were conjuring up a plan. 

Something was wrong and she could feel it.

She stayed close to others, talked more than she wanted to, and made more friends than she needed to, her social battery had already been drained when she met the campus ambassador for the mandatory things a student needed to go over. Frankly, she was exhausted by the pumpkin spice-drinking girls who think their personality needs to revolve around liking fall a little too much. Students started to steer clear of the negative energy that she was trying not to give off.

She worried about telling people that there was a heard of people slowly closing in on her before a man she recognized earlier talk to the people she had noticed bump into her from behind.

"Ope, sorry," the man smiled down at her " It can get so crowded when everyone is in their headspace."

"Don't worry about it."

"Listen, I'm new here and am trying to make new friends. The ones I have right now don't go here, would you wanna grab a coffee at some point?"

Lyra looked at the man in front of her. There was something off-putting about the way he tried to seem friendly. As if he was acting the age he looked.

"No, thanks. My friends' list has reached capacity." She said while walking away. The man continued from behind following her.

"Well, maybe you wanna go to a place away from this haze then. A peaceful place where you don't have to worry about people bumping into you."

Lyra huffed. "I will be at peace once you get the hell away from me. Why are you trying to sell me shit anyway?"

"I don't want you to have a stressful first day at school."

"Since when have first days at school been not stressful?! Listen, I don't want to hear another god-damn word from you. If you do try and speak to me again, I'll fucking blow this no-touchy whistle and call for a campus ambassador. Understood?!" The man was shocked to see she had no effect on his smile or didn't even stop to hear him out.

"Ass." She mumbled as she quickly sauntered away.

~~~*-*~~~

    Some rogues asked neighboring packs for warriors who could aid in getting the unmated out of Yale—not that they'd have problems with them, but that they'd have problems with Lyra. Women and men of all kinds have tried speaking with her to get her away from her school, from coffee to concert tickets for a variety of artists and bands. There was a more charming warrior who had many offers in courtship but had turned them all down due to wanting an actual mate. It was the first time someone turned him down in any regard.

It wasn't until Lyra slammed her dorm room shut that they stopped bugging her. The higher-ranked warriors and rogues huddled together and discussed the next move. Realizing that they wouldn't be able to get the girl willingly, they planned more aggressive methods. Rogues suggested more violent techniques to get Lyra involved with the hunt. Holding the woman she was seen with hogtied as they beat her until she wished she were dead. The pack men argued strongly, saying that violence wasn't going to make the things that happened in the hunt any easier if there was fresh trauma for a simple human. The rogues argued that a simple human would have this much pull for anyone supernatural.

So the fighting continued among the wolves that discussed the plan and the wolves that stalked Lyra grew tense. She was smart, as soon as she realized that they were listening to her planning on what to do about the situation, she became quiet. Scribbling could be heard from the other side of the door and an occasional crumpling of paper. They knew that she was planning, for what though, that's what they wished they could find out.

In one dorm room, there was a living room with four doors that lined the walls. Three for a bedroom and one for the bathroom. Each bedroom had two girls staying in there and all of them were freaking out. Lyra had made seven different ways this could go out written down, planned, and studied. She was slowly losing her mind at the thought of losing this battle that her roommates, bless their souls, couldn't keep up with.

She gritted her teeth and slapped down another piece of paper for the eighth way that suddenly came to her mind. Focused as ever, all she thought was to bring it on bitches.