The Wolves of Cain

The First Hunting Party

Date: 2-20-17

Chapter 22: The First Hunting Party

Midnight rolls around and Lucas' alarm goes off. Lucas put the volume on as low as it could go so that it wouldn't wake up Jerica. Lucas sits for a moment, listening closely, and hears an alarm go off faintly.

Lucas thinks that Jerica put her ear buds in so that he wouldn't hear the alarm. But Lucas hears it. Jerica stays in bed unmoving so that Lucas won't hear her.

Lucas just shakes his head and goes outside, knowing Mason will meet him in the backyard. As soon as Mason arrives, they take off into the woods.

Lucas follows his instinct deep into the woods with Mason following close behind.

They run until Lucas recognizes the spot as where they were last night when Adrian showed up. Mason looks at Lucas, wondering what mes next, but he keeps quiet. It feels like everything around them is holding its breath.

~*~

When Jerica thinks it's been long enough so that Lucas and Mason are gone, she gets up, already fully dressed, and goes outside to wait for Lena.

~*~

Lena gets to Jerica's house right at 12:15 am, just like Jerica told her to, after sneaking out of the house. Lena's worried because Ivie never came home, and she wasn't answering her phone. Lena tells Jerica as they walk around the house to the woods.

Jerica shrugs and says, "Maybe she left early to frolic through the woods."

Lena just sighs, exasperated with Jerica once again. "I'm really worried Jerica. There's something seriously wrong with Ivie, and I want to help her." Jerica rolls her eyes at the sentiment.

"We'll figure it out." Jerica says unconvincingly. Lena isn't sure Jerica cares at all.

Jerica and Lena are walking along a worn out path, hoping they're going the right way. After about 10 minutes of walking silently, Lena decides to ask Jerica a question. "So what's the plan?"

"I don't have one. I just don't like Lucas trying to 'protect' me." Jerica replies haughtily.

"Then what are we going to do?" Lena exclaims in frustration. "We don't have any weapons or anything!"

Apparently they are going the right way, because just then they find Lucas and Mason. Or more accurately, Lucas and Mason find them.

"Lena's right." Lucas says as he seems to come out of nowhere. Lucas doesn't appear to be surprised, so he suspected they'd be out here. But Lena's heart skips a beat at the thought of Lucas getting mad at her.

"You don't have a plan or-" Lucas cuts himself off when he hears someone. At least, that's what it looks like to Lena. Lucas turns his head sharply and his whole body tenses in one fluent movement, ready for an attack.

Lucas plunges straight through some underbrush away from the path. Mason runs after Lucas without hesitation. Jerica makes a face that shows her displeasure, then rushes after her brothers. Lena chases after them.

Lucas only has to run a second before catching up with the person he's following. It's a girl with blond hair, and she whips around to face him with supernatural speed when she senses him coming.

"Who are you?" Lucas questions the girl. Mason, Jerica, and Lena run up to stand around Lucas like they're all part of a pack. Lucas almost smiles because that makes something deep inside him happy, but he holds that back while he stares at the stranger.