The Hunted: Book One In The Hunted Trilogy

Ambushed

Birds chirped outside the window. The noonday sun sat high in the sky and the smell of lilacs filled the room. The events from the night before where still fresh in Sallys mind as she got up and started to get dressed.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked groggily from the bed.

"Nothing," Sally assured him, "just heading over to Nicholes, she is the caramel wolf you road in on."

"You seemed really upset last night," Eric said as he sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Well," Sally said as she buttoned the top of her dress, "you know how werewolves can see the past of any place and/or object right?"

"Yes," Eric replied, "Hunters life 101."

"Well I saw what really happened with Jackaby and the family-" Sally told him all about the cabin and what was there and what happened, "And its very important to werewolf life, no-one can take anything from where it sits."

Eric took a deep breath, "Sampsons looking for something, I don't know what but I over heard him talking about it to Menark."

"Thank you Eric," sally gave Eric a giant hug, "This will help out a lot!"

Sally ran out the door, slamming it behind her, and bolted toward Nicholes home.

* * *

"And he told you all this?" Nichole asked for the thousandth time since Sally knocked on her door.

"Yes," Sally replied again, "And if you ask one more time ill bite you!"

"Sorry," Nichole said, "Its just, what would he want here. He can't actually believe that the book Edith supposedly hide existed!"

"Who knows," Sally yawned, "Sampsons crazy so I don't know what he'll believe!"

"Well," Nichole picked up the tray that she had served tea on up and placed it out of the way, "at least we know what he wants."

"Yeah," Sally layed her hand on her head and looked out the window.

"Every thing OK?" Nichole asked, putting a hand on Sallys shoulder.

"Yeah, just tired!"

"Takes a while to get use to, the shifting every night."

"HA! I'll never get use to it!"

"Trust me, you will."

* * *

"So," Nichole looked out the now dark window, "do you want to head out?"

"Okay," Sally stood, as did Nichole, after talking all afternoon.

The two headed to the door and went into the night towards the village center. The girls were greeted upon their approach. Welcoming words made Sally jump inside as she neared the fountain. Jonah soon stood, with his hand behind his back, on the fountain. Sally looked around again for Menark but she didn't see him, this worried her. Jonah pulled from behind his back a bag of raw cow meat, making Sallys mouth drool.

"I have dinner for you all," Jonah began, "But only after you-"

The rest of his words Sally would never know as at that second a bullet shoot strait threw the bag in Jonahs hand. Sally jumped backward trying to not let the hunters that she had trained with see her.

"EVERYONE," Jonah yelled, "shift NOW!!"

The air filled with the sound of ripping clothes as each person shifted. Sally whinnied as she saw familiar faces glaring at her new found family. Another shot rang out, making Sally jumps and go into attack mode.

'They don't care about you anymore,' Sally reminded herself, 'you are the very thing they hunt. They are no longer your friends, they are your enemy's!'

Sampson Came out of the bushes and spotted the only golden wolf in the pack, he knew it was Sally.

"Sally," his voice was crisp and sharp, "you don't belong here. You belong with the hunters. We can help you!"

"You tried to KILL me!" Sally growled, thinking Sampson wouldn't hear her.

"It's my job," Sampson smirked, "as it was once yours!"

"How?" Sally growled, "Do you hear me!"

"Because I'm different," Sampson whispered only low enough for the pack to hear.

"Ill NEVER join you again!" Sally howled.

"FINE," Sampson took the bate and motioned with to fingers signaling the hunters to attack, Sally knew the sing all to well.

"That's the sign to attack!" Sally yelped to the pack and stood in defense mode. Jonah howled to the houses warning the people inside. Vampires joined the fight as did some older banshees as well as, to Sallys surprise, the centaurs.

"I don't know what to do!" Sally barked to Nichole.

"Just let go!" Nichole howled as she bounded an attack at the hunter who had just tried to shoot her.

Sally hesitated, but only for a second as the next a silver bullet whizzed by her ear. Sally howled angrily and charged in the direction of the shot. She bounded threw the battle field and tackled the hunter who had shot. It was Ace! Sally backed off him and whinnied, she couldn't hurt a friend, could she? Ace rose the pistol, pointing it at Sally. Sally when to hid in a bush so she could be covered and shift just long enough to explain to Ace who Sampson really was. As she shifted Ace lowered his gun.

"Ace," Sally, now covered by a thick bush, said, "Sampson has lied to you!"

"How?" Ace asked, once again raising the pistol, pointing it as Sallys chest.

"The stories," sally backed away from the pistol, fear rushing threw her, "its a lie, Jackaby killed the family. The boy was only ten and the old man never shifted!"

"I...Dont," Ace stammered, pistol shaking in his hands, "I can't!"

Sally knew what was about to happen so she shifted quickly and tried, pointlessly, to run away. The bang of the gun echoed threw the woods as the bullet left the barrel. Sally cried out as pain sheared threw her hind left leg when the bullet tore threw it, shredding mussel like a meat grinder. The pain was excruciating, Sally began to fall to the hard ground when Jonah ran to catch her.

"SALLY!" Nicholes voice sounded miles away as darkness covered Sallys vision.