Night Flame

Ch. 21 - Familiar Faces - pt. 2

Chapter 21 - Familiar Faces - Part 2

June of the Shadowwolves

We're walking alongside the river right now. We had no trouble reaching it or finding our way to the borders of Blood Hounds territory and I vaguely think that the warriors just made the whole thing up because they were scared to reach the territory. There was no fog. No weird noises. No weird force that led us astray from our course. No mysterious, floating woman. Nothing.

So what other explanation is there, other than them making up this strange - and rather creepy - story?

We are still in human-form, no one bothered to shift after our short break, instead opting for using vocal communication rather than using the mindlink. It might not be as safe and we might not be as 'combat-ready' as we would have been were we in our wolf-forms, but I guess we all became tired of staying wolf for too long.

"We're almost there," I speak when we pass a huge, burnt oak-tree. It was burnt down as courtesy from Steve in hopes to occupy Blood Hounds' warriors for a while to give us a greater head start. I'd like to think it worked.

"I have already informed the other Alphas and they're coming in action right about now," Alpha Timothy speaks.

Knowing we should remain unnoticed so all the focus of Blood Hounds will lie by our comrades, we seek shelter behind some of the bigger trees and refrain from talking as even breathing too loudly can blow our cover at this point. We're that close to Blood Hounds territory. And the humming of the border lines is prominent in my body. My heartbeat accelerates as it dawns on me that I am really entering that awful, old home of mine.

Cain grabs my hand to reassure me and I see Graham glancing over at me in worry from where he's standing on the other side of Alpha Timothy. 'It'll be okay, Rue.' Graham mindlinks me and I see that he carries a small smile on his face when I look over to him again. I offer a small smile in return, but I know it's not half as convincing as the smile he's bearing.

How will the packmembers react to intruders on their land? From the stories Steve, Jonathan and Alana told me, they aren't used to stranger wolves and aren't really social. They've gotten the fear of their Alpha engraved in their minds, their way of thinking and their way of life. My uncle apparently was some sort of dictator and has his packmembers fearing him. Which doesn't immediately mean it's bad, because if one doesn't fear his Alpha he can easily stand up against his leader and challenge him.

But right now it's got the packmembers scared to the point where they don't even dare to blink without permission. He suppresses them and they're scared to act against his every word. Alana's father was one of the brave ones who tried and overthrow my uncle, there were a few standing behind him, but when the time came most of those men betrayed Alana's father and ran with their tail tucked between their legs.

The fathers of my three best friends died in that last fight, the entire pack against maybe six brave wolves.

It was clear from that point that my uncle held all the reigns, he could play his packmembers like they were chess-pieces, he could treat them like toys and replace them when he got bored, hence why when he got bored of his wife he chose Alana as his new one. Choosing Alana had several purposes: she is incredibly gorgeous, she was looked-up to and it was a good way of taking revenge on her - already deceased - father. It showed the packmembers that their wrong-doings would be taken out on their children.

Fear and anger are a very dangerous combination; a good example for this is my uncle. He is blinded by fear and anger - because he thinks Alana and I were taken - and is now dragging his entire pack down with him. Because of this we're at the edge of a war because the other packs feel threatened by his blinded rage and his intentions of attacking everyone until he finds what 'belonged to him'.