Rogue Wolf

Chapter Ten - We Piss off an Alpha

The mare's ghostly eye bored into me, like she was trying to see into my soul. It was incredibly unsettling, but I just couldn't look away. There was something oddly...familiar about her. I felt like I knew her, but I was certain I'd never seen her before. The strange thing was, it felt like deep down, in the very bottom of my soul, I knew exactly who she was. Like a faded memory sparked by familiarity, a name came to me.

"Lyna. You're Lyna, aren't you?" I spoke in a quiet voice that didn't really feel like it was mine. I didn't really like that. I rather like the sound of my own voice, thank you very much.

To my surprise, the mare abruptly turned her back on me, swishing her long, glossy tail in apparent irritation. "Hmph. Hardly worth the effort. You sure this is the one you wanted to help? Doesn't look all that important to me." She shot a glare over her shoulder, as if I was the most disgusting thing she'd ever seen.

"Hey! Rude! You were the one staring at me, you creepy one-eyed mule!" In hindsight, it probably was a terrible idea to instigate somebody who had just kicked more butt in ten seconds than I could in ten minutes, but in my defense, I was extremely offended.

Ceraron slowly backed up, hoping I wouldn't notice him. He wasn't exactly keen on sticking around me at the moment. Apparently he didn't want to be nearby if I happened to anger the mare. What loyal friends I have. Well, to be fair, we weren't exactly friends. I flirted with his sister, got both of them involved with murderous wolves, and ended up endangering the entire Pack as a result. Still, he had to have cared since he went and brought the Pack with him to fight. It wasn't the best start to a friendship, but believe me when I say we will indeed become friends. Suspend your disbelief, please.

Slowly, around us, the rest of the wolves were processing what had just occurred. The battle was over, and my heart sank as I realized what that meant. Now that the fighting was finished, it was time to help the wounded and to count the dead. However, what I saw stopped me in my tracks. My eyes widened, and I could see the other wolves exhibiting the same expression of surprise and confusion.

I couldn't recognize a single wolf among the dead. I knew most of Root's pack, and not a single one of the bodies strewn around the battlefield were one of them. It just didn't make any sense. I had seen how vicious the battle was. I saw members of Root's pack taken down by Caedes. So where were their bodies?

Around me, those same questions were being voiced by the pack. A pair of gray wolves were huddled together nearby, speaking to each other in hushed voices.

I got the answer to my question very quickly as a familiar voice began calling out to the gathered wolves.

The newcomer was rounding up the pack, calling out names and making sure everyone was present. I couldn't see him, but I recognized him by the sound of his voice. It was Root.

As you might imagine, I was reluctant to stick around the area when Root was nearby. The Alpha hated me. Granted, I haven't always been very pleasant to him, but in my defense he is stuck up to the point of intolerable. He thinks he's better than everybody, that world should bow down at the very mention of his name. Since I've never been the overly respectful of authority type, we tended to clash on multiple occasions. I never did win any of those fights. You'll see why in a minute.

Like the great fantastic and amazing hero that I was, I cowered behind Ceraron, hoping that Root wouldn't notice me. Like the great fantastic and amazing friend Ceraron was not, he immediately stepped to the side the second Root's gaze passed over him. For a moment, I hoped he might miss me, but it was not to be. The Alpha's piercing gaze locked onto me as I gave him an awkward grin. There was silence as all attention fell on me. Every wolf in the area turned and stared directly at me, waiting for whatever disaster that was surely about to occur. Nobody moved to help me, and slowly, Root's Pack took on his gradually rising aggression.