Looking To Belong (A Runt's Story)

Chapter 32

I trotted down a path. My senses allowed me to know how close others were, but I was more interested in their scent trails. They could cross the area in about 15 minutes if they trotted in one direction, but they weaved around in random directions as they tried to hide their scent while locating the scent trails of others.

The group was sharing one separate group mindlink at the moment, mostly discussing whose trail they had come across as they shared feedback. I sniffed the ground before calling, "Jones, you have too much pine in your scent. Try diluting it with dandelion, oak, and some grass."

His shocked voice came back. "How do you know it is me?"

I sent humor down the link. "You have had some pine sap stuck on your back right paw since we started."

The mindlink rippled with people's amusement or surprise. They had gotten much better as the afternoon passed and their progress was quite noticeable. They were better at both masking their scent as well as determining the identity of the person's scent trail.

I kept up with various tips and corrections for each person's scent. They were nowhere near as good as an average rogue, but they were better than most packs at this point. No one had picked up my trail yet, other than Will, of course. Nothing would ever truly mask my scent from him.

I slunk into a raspberry patch and crouched down as I watched a black wolf trot by without noticing me. She paused to sniff a lily of the valley plant. I mindlinked Ruby in a personal mindlink so others wouldn't hear, "Lily of the valley has quite a strong scent. Personally, I wouldn't use any of it at all." Anyone who broke a stem would figure it out in a big hurry.

She jumped and looked around, trying to spot me since it was obvious that I could see her. I slowly eased my way out of the thorny raspberries. I was halfway out before she spotted me. She blinked in surprise before trotting closer; she slowly leaned down to sniff my fur. I felt frustration lace her emotions, so she must have been unable to pick up anything that stood out.

I sat and gazed up at her. "Try again, but concentrate on the earthier, more subtle scents. You will find that someone who often does this will always have a certain signature in their scent. As everyone noticed, Peter likes pine, and Jill tends to favor red clover. It is a scent that they are simply drawn to and it sticks really well to them. I have one too; see if you can pick it up. Those who choose more subtle signature scents have their trails disappear faster since they are so easily overpowered."

She brought her nose within inches of my fur as she sniffed, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Suddenly, they widened as I felt shock roll across her mind. "Fern. It is the same scent that you had this morning, just weaker."

I nodded in confirmation. "Exactly. Now head to the east and see if you can find my trail. I didn't try to hide it, so it is just a matter of locating it before it fades."

She looked at me like she had never seen me before. I felt surprise and respect briefly cross her mind before she re-focused on her hunt. She headed off down the trail I had just used. I was surprised at the tinge of respect I had sensed. I had never thought that I would ever manage to earn the respect of a fighter; let alone such a fierce and aloof one as Ruby.

She was sharp. If she kept practicing, she could become a very good tracker. It amused me to think that Jisk might actually have his trail uncovered if he passed through again. Although, unless he was in a hurry, he would use the forest highway, and it was nearly impossible to track such a trail from the ground.

~

        Eventually, we all gathered back in the meadow to discuss whose trail had been the most noticeable and go over any difficulties they may have encountered. It was almost time for supper, but they were resisting the hints that we should head back. This group was very determined to learn.

Jill looked at me as she said, "How far did you go? I don't think I found your trail."

I replied, "I went between the river and the meadow three times using different routes that were far apart. Anyone going side to side would have crossed them."

She said, "I guess that is just a reflection of experience?"

I nodded. "Yes, you can come back later, but my scent will likely fade in a few more hours. Once you get better, you will notice that it is truly impossible to cover up one's scent. All you are doing is making it harder to find. I can easily pick up another rogue's scent, and they could detect mine if they know what they are doing."

One of the guys spoke, "I assume that it will take at least a few weeks of practice before we get to that level, right?"

I replied, "Yes. Just like learning a new fighting style, it takes time and a lot of practice. That being said, unless you plan on missing out on a steak dinner, we had better head back."

I felt shock roll across the group as they sniffed the air. The mouth-watering smell of barbequed steak was strong enough to easily smell in human form. The one guy was stunned. "How on earth did we miss that smell?"

I chuckled at his reaction. "You were focused on the small details to the point that your mind excluded the other scents to help you concentrate. Just keep that in mind so you don't forget about it in the future."

He shook his head, and everyone headed quickly back to the pack house to ensure that they didn't miss out on their piece of steak.