Raven Hood

Chapter two

I quickly test my bow and arrows. Perfect. I shoot down a deer within a few minutes. It was hard sure but I have my own special technique.

I see the deer. I throw a pebble in that direction sending the deer out into the open. I take my aim and fire.

Same with ducks. Throw a stone, the ducks fly up, shoot em down. Easy.

By about two I've shot down a deer, about five ducks and two rabbits I saw wandering by. They aren't my normal meal choice, but food is food.

I head back to my tree and crawl inside. I start cooking some rabbit on my stove. I made an average rabbit stew. It wasn't that good. It was bland and flavourless. Generally about as good as it gets out here. I sprinkle some salt and pepper from the store on top. It didn't help much.

I swallow it in big mouthfuls. I reached out to grab my drink but something wasn't right. I could sense someone outside. I shut up immediately. Someone or something was coming, was near. Close. Standing. Waiting. Watching.

I shiver silently. My blood runs cold. I clamber up the inside of the tree. I peek out a small hole in the trunk. Oh great! Wolves are back. They were sitting in the clearing. Probably tracked my scent.

Damn! Why didn't I hide it!

I start watching them. They don't seem to be waiting for anything. Or tracking something. In fact, they just seem to be resting. Most were lying in the grass. Some were drinking from the stream. Others were standing guard or playing under the waterfall.

Some were, sleeping? Wow, bad guards. How pathetic can ya get?! Time for some fun! It's probably not a good idea to piss off a werewolf... Werewolf, the word sounds weird on my tongue.

Creeping up to the top of the tree I peer through the leaves at the top. I start making strange animal noises. All wolves wake up and freeze. They cock their ears. Listening hard.

I hold back a laugh. They look so stupid! I make more noises. Then I jump from tree to tree making the noises. The wolves growl. I could sense their impatience. They track me from the ground, but I had already covered my scent. Learnt how to ages ago so that game wouldn't sense me coming.

Worked on them too. Man, they wandered around looking so angry and fierce, yet so confused!

Jackson pov:

I could sense presence but couldn't see, smell or hear anything, or anyone.

Then I heard many animal noises. I sat up from my daydream. So many weird noises. Like some kind of half-monkey, half bear, half cat.

I sneezed briefly because of the grass tickling my snout. We all got up and listened hard. No one could work out where they were coming from. Not even the Alpha. Something started jumping from tree to tree right above our heads. What is that!?

Damn it! What the hell was going on. I growl furiously losing my patience. All wolves look at me. The noises and the tree jumping stop. The alpha looked at me. Guess that growl must have been much louder than I thought.

I snarl at everyone. Except for the alpha, of course, that would be a death wish. I scratch a nearby tree with my claws. 3 inches of pure claw, sharp and deadly. I smelt the human in the tree above. Not a creature, a plain human, it obviously knew what we are.

She smelt like fear. Mixed with the woods, honey and rabbit, ducks and deer. No one else seemed to smell her. My wolf instantly screamed mate! I felt slightly amused by his excitement. Them extremely happy for myself. I'd found my mate!!!

My first thought was finally. I'd been waiting for this day to come. Second, I can't even see her and she's bounding up in a tree like 15 feet high. She could get hurt! I don't want her seeing me as a wolf before she sees my human side.

Why? Why does life have to be so frustrating!?

"Calm down", my brother said to me through the mind link.

"She's my mate" I snarl back at him. Only him.

"Sorry Jackson, I didn't know. Congrats by the way".

"This isn't good! She's up where I can't see her! 15 feet up in the air, jumping from tree to tree"! I complain frantically.

My brother managed to convince the Alpha to take the rest of the pack back, so I could be alone with her. I appreciated the gesture but I wasn't even sure if she'd come down for me.

Once the pack left I lay down and waited in my wolf form. Oh hell. How could I be so stupid? She's never gonna come down if she sees a wolf. I change in a clearing a while back and throw some shorts on.

I walk back. She was gone. God damn it!