Wilbur sent up a howl, we ran towards him. He bolted after the fresh trail, Buck joining in from the right. Matthew put on a burst of speed, whizzing past Wilbur. I felt my heart rate sped up as i accelerated after the pack.
The scent of Stone River was everywhere. I kept my snout close to the ground, following the trail left by the rival pack. They smelt of Ozone, like the air after lightning has struck. Like electricity and rain. All this was mingled with the scent of running water. The cold smell of a fast moving river. They reeked of power. And so did I.
Biologically I was one of them. I shared their commanding scent. Just like the Oak Lodge wolves all shared a pack scent. They had the warm smell of sawdust, solid and comforting. The Stone River pack scent held no comfort. It was meant to inspire fear.
Another howl echoed from up ahead. Katie was running just a little ahead of me. I was at the back, unsure what to do. My nerves grew as I realized the scent got fresher by the second. We were going to run into these wolves any time now.
A loud growl sounded from ahead. Matthew was bristling, his fur on end. Our whole pack was this way. As I caught a glimpse of what they saw, I too felt my fur stand on end. Directly in front of us stood two wolves. A male and a female from the Stone River pack; the ones that had been on our northern borders.
They were ready to pounce; front legs bent low and hackles raised. Their canines were prominent and they showed no sign of surrender. Adrenalin shot through my veins. I was terrified. After what had happened last time I’d seen a Stone River wolf, was I really to blame?
The male jumped at Matthew. They snarled and growled, rolling around on the forest floor. The female circled Buck. I saw Matthew bite into the male’s flank. He howled in pain and struck back. He missed. The fight continued. Wilbur cornered the female, sending glances Matthew’s way, waiting to be called into action. The male struck out, grazing Matthew’s shoulder, drawing blood. Matthew bite at the wold’s throat, inflicting a shallow wound. The male was clearly losing.
Time froze in the next instant. My heart stopped. The black wolf soared into the clearing. I froze. Wilbur turned his attention to the Alpha. Matthew caught sight of the shining black wolf. Suddenly the Stone River wolves surrendered. They bowed their heads to my pack mates. I realized what was happening: the alpha was ordering them to stop.
Get back to the cabin! Matthew’s voice exploded in my head. I was still frozen.
Go!
Somehow I sprung into motion, sprinting back to camp. Wilbur circled back, running at my side.
We don’t know what he wants with you Wilbur explained in my head
Until we do, we need to make sure he can’t get to you.
Katie caught up to us. That meant only Matthew and Buck were with the Stone River wolves. They were drastically out numbered. One wolf made a world of difference.
Shift back, Wilbur told me. He doubled back to guard the area in case the wolves moved this way. I shifted and pulled my tank top and shorts on. I couldn’t ever remember changing so fast. Katie had shifted back too, he was pulling her shirt on as she ran out from behind the tree she had shifted behind.
YOU ARE READING
Ensnare
Teen Fiction“What are they looking for?” I asked again. No one answered. Realization dawned on Katie’s face as she looked up to meet my eyes. She said what no one else wanted to. “You." One night, Laura Sorren comes face to face with a wolf. With fur as black...
