The Maiden and the Wolf---- *A Fantasy Romance Story*
*Chapter 15*
Dakota POV
The past two days I and Locke had followed the signs and whispers of Reapers and they had led us to a cold grey forest covered hills, a dirt track cut through the wilderness, snaking its way through the forest to the small village near the mountains.
Five wolves from the large pack, including the pale female who I had decided to name Sefka, had followed us, keeping away because of Locke and that I was back in my human form again but always there, like ghosts, just watching silently, waiting in case I needed them.
Locke and I had discovered that recently it was not only Elena's feeling that controlled my form but also my raw emotions. It seemed whenever I really anger, sad or frightened I would change and wouldn't change back until I had calmed down again.
On the sixth morning since Elena had been taken I was woken the early by screams, shouts and please for help and mercy.
Groggy from sleep I sat up, whining at the pang of stiff pain from my back that had still not completely healed since my encounter with the Reaper on top of the cart.
The fire had died out over night; nothing remained but a pile of curled ashes and cremated pieces of wood.
It was extremely cold; I could see my breath before my eyes as I breathed out slowly. All around the leaves that carpeted the ground were frozen, the bare tree braches were glazed with frost as were the patches of brambles.
Cold fog curled around the tree trunks, the sun had risen but the sky was so flick with grey clouds that it seemed like it was night.
It was like I had gone colour blind, everything was different shades of grey then I saw the flash of the amber eyes of one of the wolves around a tree.
Something was wrong; I didn't need my unharnessed senses to tell me that, I could feel in my very bones.
Silent as a ghost I got up, belting my sword around my hips and shivered despite my new warmer clothes.
My new clothes were all black; Locke had brought me them from the town market we had passed through two days ago, they were already ripped in places and worn from the harsh elements.
Locke grumbled in his sleep and I paused wondering if I should wait him but I quickly decided against it; I sensed deep inside me that I needed to be quiet and Locke was loud even for a human.
My foot steps made no sound on the froze ground as I slipped away from camp, heading towards the rise in the land, I knew on the other side was a large drop and the track leading north towards the mountain village.
It was eerily quiet; there was nothing, no bird song, no rustle of little mammals in the undergrowth just empty silence. The shots and screams I was sure I heard also had fallen silent.
All around me the wolves scouted searching for what ever they too could sense was wrong.
The largest of the wolves a grey male with a distinctive reddish brown muzzle who I had called Lope reached the rise first. I saw his fur stand on end as he flattened himself to the ground. Cliff and Dayok, the two brown-grey brothers, prowled behind me. Alvar, a broad muscled black male, moved to my left side and Sefka to my right her fur brushing against my arm.
Reaching the rise, I crouched against a tree just as the screams and shouts started again. Below Reapers were forcing villagers into carts, their screams and pleas for help sounding like shrieks.
