Howling at the Moon - [A Werewolf Adventure]

Evil Isn't Always Evil (Auron)

I had closed my eyes but I definitely wasn't sleep. I tossed and turned, though my attempts were futile. It was useless. The guilt of losing Jax to a mortal along with the mistrust that Darion and Tam had in me, especially Tam, was eating me alive and swallowing me whole. I honestly felt like dying. I had felt so bad because it was all my fault. I was the one who ignored the human scent, the one who left Jax in the open while in wolf form, and the one who failed to retreieve him. 

I didn't know what time it was but my back was toward Tamara and Darion when I over heard their conversation. I even held my breath when Darion started crying. If I had any strength in myself before that moment, it just went out the window the instant Darion's voice broke. I thought it was impossible for him to show any sign of weakness. I've grown up with him my entire thirteen years and I've only seem him cry once before this and that was when news about my father spread across the town. Even then, it was only one or two tears streaming down his nonchalant face. 

Thoughts of my mom danced in and out of my mind. I couldn't let her become a casualty of war and let a mistake like this stop us from surviving. If there was anything I learned from my parents and everyone else in town, it was to never dwell on the bad and move on. My mother fought and sacrificed her life so the four of us can live. I plan on following through.

I let Tamara sleep for what seemed to be an hour and a half while I went over the plan in my head. I thought about the flaws that would thwart us. Any small mistakes that would falter our efforts to saveJax. When I thought I had everything sorted out, my senses jumped. All at once, I sensed their presence. I smelled their sweaty fur, tasted their exhaled air, heard the gentle placement of their paws. Hundreds of yards off I saw the trees shift slightly and most of all I felt their dark leader approaching. Once again, blood lust in his eyes. I snapped up in the sitting position and Darionquickly whipped his around. Somehow, Tamara knew something was up and sat erect.

"You two, take the flanking positions. Shift now and get into flanking positions. Go." I spoke with a sense of urgency but they both questioned my orders.

"Um, what?" Tamara said yawning and rubbing one eye with her fingers.

"Is everything OK?" Darion checked. 

"Hell no, everything's not OK. Lore and his group are hunting us. Now get up and move, they're closing in." I looked both of them in the eyes, hoping they saw what I was feeling.

"Slow down a minute and-" I stopped Tam short of her sentence.

"You don't understand. You two need to shift and take up flanking positions, like five minutes ago."

Tamara looked down hesitantly before she made her shift. I sighed as Darion followed suit. 

"Tam, I know you don't trust me one hundred but I need you to at least do what I say right now." She huffed in acknowledgement. "Lore and his monsters are about a hundred and fifty meters heading in our direction. They must have locked on to our scents and are tracking us now." I stopped for a brief moment and inhaled. Tamara was just finishing her shift while Darion started to grow his jet black hair and the white symbol on his chest. Tamara stood up and shook her body, waking up herself up if the pain from the shift hadn't already. Darion flexed and stretched and bones popped and cracked as he ended his shift. 

"The plan is for you to head into the bushes and take the flanking positions like I said before. Yes, that means we're fighting. I'm sorry but running just won't do it this time. They'll just hawk us from behind. I think we have a chance to knock their numbers down tonight."

Both wolves looked at me as if I was mad, insane even. "Yes, I did just say that. It'd be pointless to run and both of you know it." Tam looked over at Darion and he nodded, telling her that everything was okay. "I hope you two, know when to strike, correct?" Once again, they nodded, turned and headed towards the edges of the clearing where they both stepped into the heavy foliage. Then I saw them make their way forward so when Lore and his goons were in the correct position, We would have the upper hand.