Arctic Pack (Living in a Pack book two)

Chapter Eleven: Into The Dark

I stared up at the towering trees above me. They were huge, the biggest trees I'd ever seen and grew thickly together. Nothing but inky blackness lay between the thick trunks.

"We have to go in their?" Theo asked. Staring into the darkness. I nodded. Supposedly the Thunderbird Tribe we were looking for lived deep in these woods, hidden from sight from anyone they did not want to find their home.

"Alright!" Amber shouted and hooked arms with me and Theo. I laughed and hooked arms with Dylas. "Let's go crew!" We headed into the dark trees. I looked back as we entered the trees and watched as the last light from outside was swallowed up and we were left in utter darkness. I blinked a few times letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.

"So uh..." I began glancing around the dark forest. "Where too now?" I looked around at everyone's faces but no one said a word, just glanced at me with looks that told me exactly what I needed to know. "Yeah I didn't think you guys knew either."

"Let's split up and look for clues." Theo announced. "I'll go with Amber and Iris, Dylas you go alone since there's no one here to be Shaggy." Dylas narrowed his eyes at Theo.

"Are you saying I'm Scooby?" He growled.

"Wolves, dogs, close enough." Theo shrugged.

"Alright alright." I interrupted pushing between them. "Theo lay of Dylas for once we are on a mission here. We are not splitting up, everyone knows that never works, we'll look together, we are a team." Theo muttered something under his breath but I didn't quite catch it. "Alright good, I'll climb that tree over there to see if I can see, you guys look around here for like, I don't know a path or some shit." I ordered and headed for a tall dark spruce tree ahead of me.

When I reached the bottom of the trunk I reached up and grabbed the nearest branch, pulling myself upwards onto the branch. I grabbed the next branch and then the next and scaled the tree until I reached the top. I gazed around but all I could see was trees for what went on for what looked like miles.

"Dammit" I whispered under my breath. I turned around to climb back down the tree when something caught my eye. A tiny image of a bird was scratched into the trunk. It's wings were spread wide in mid flap and it looked as though it was staring directly at me. I reached out with one hand and brushed my fingers gently across the carving. Suddenly without warning it's eyes began to close green, then yellow, orange, and finally red. The birds mouth slowly opened and as it did a hole opened up in the tree as well. I reached into the hole and pulled out a small round object. As soon as the object was in my hand the hole instantly closed and the birds mouth snapped shut.

"Iris?" Dylas called from somewhere below.

"Coming!" I called back and scaled back down the tree.

"Did you see anything?" Amber questioned as soon as I got back on the ground. I shook my head.

"No but I found this." I held out the round wooden object. Amber leaned over and examined it.

"It has an arrow on it." she mentioned. I pulled it back and examined it. Sure enough, there it was. It didn't seem to help much.

"You're right, I don't know how that's supposed to help though, it's wood, it's just carved in." I muttered turning it over in my hand.

"Let me see." Amber held out her hand. I passed it to her and she examined it again for a moment before placing it flat on her hand. Amber turned in a circle, never taking her gaze off of the arrow. "Now I see. No matter which was I turn the carving of the arrow moves to point in the same direction. West."

"Okay then, we go West." Theo announced and motioned at Amber with his arms. "After you." Amber nodded and stepped forward into the darkness, holding the compass flat on her palm and walking slowly in case the arrow changed direction.

I gazed around the gloomy trees as I walked. The shadows seemed to come from no where. It was almost as though they were reaching from the shadows like hands to grab me and drag me into the darkness of the trees forever.

"I've never been in such a dark forest." Dylas whispered to me. I nodded.

"Me either, and yet, it does not feel threatening." I replied.

"I bet a forest half a dark but ruled by Scarlet would feel three times as threatening." Dylas whispered back.

"It's not the place, it's the people who live their." I confirmed. We walked again in silence. Something moved in the corner of my eye and I moved to look at it but saw nothing. I shrugged to myself. Weird. I kept walking again only this time I was more alert.  My gaze flicked around the edges of the shadows around us. For a moment i thought I caught a glimpse of a piercing yellow gaze staring down at me from the tree tops but it was gone the second I tried to get a better view.

"I take that back." Dylas whispered again. "I'm starting to feel uneasy."

I felt my feet lift off the ground before I could reply. I cried out in shock looked down to see Dylas shouting from what was already super far below. Terrified I slowly tilted my head upwards. A huge bird carried me in its talons. It had the build of a bald eagle but it's feathers were as black as night. The only hint of colour on its face was the piercing yellow eyes that stared into my soul.

"Do not be afraid little bear cub." A deep crackly voice rang in my head. "More of us will be coming to pick up your friends. We mean you know harm. We have been expecting you." It said again. I remained silent. Too scared to speak. A few moments later three more large birds joined us, carrying the rest of my friends. Each one was just as large and just as black as the one that carried me. The only difference was the eyes. While one had the same yellow eyes, two had equally as piercing blue eyes. It was as though their eyes were the colour of lightening. I glanced at Dylas. He looked at me and grinned and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. Thunderbirds.

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I knooooow I promised Tuesday and here it is basically Thursday, at least in my time zone. I tried to get it Tuesday I really did but then I got sick on the weekend, and Monday I had to study for a test Tuesday, and then I was going to finish it Tuesday but some unexpected stuff went down at home so. Not too major but enough that I couldn't write then either. If this chapters a bit shit it's because I wrote it in like a day I apologize. But yeah from this chapter it should be Tuesday's. At least I hope anyway.

Once again my sincere apologies.

-Polar