Through a Wolf's Eyes

Chapter Two - A series of unfortunate events

Everything made sense now. The retreating rogues, the feeling that something was amiss, the wolves.

I was on a pack's territory. The rogues must have sensed it when I crossed the border last night. No wonder they went running with their tails between their legs. I swallowed a curse and started running. How could I be so stupid, I thought. In all these years as a lone wolf, my number one rule had always been to stay away from pack wolves. Not only did they have the advantage in numbers, packs were also protective of their own and easily angered when their territory was at stake.

I kept running, not bothered anymore by any curious glances the humans were giving me, they were the least of my worries. In no time I reached the forest. As soon as I was out of sight, I shifted. I picked up the satchel between my teeth and dashed off again towards the border, ignoring the aching pain in my shoulder.

I didn't have any time to spare. They most likely already knew I was here. And if they didn't, they would so soon. The only hope I had left, was that my current stench was camouflaging my wolf scent. I remembered how the wolf in the store had cringed his nose. Did he know I was a wolf? Or was he just thinking I stank?

In the back of my mind, my wolf was starting to take over.

They know.

Yeah, I know they know.

But they know! They will kill us.

No they won't. We will get out of here.

Danger.

Stop it, I know were in trouble, but we're almost there. Just a little further.

No, danger! There, in front of us.

I stopped in my tracks. Right in front of me was the ravine of last night, which made the border between danger and safety. But which side was safe? On top of the ravine, three wolves were looking down on me, watching my every move. This day couldn't get any better, could it?

One of the rogues, a pale grey female with dark eyes, started growling. The message was clear. You cross the border, you die. That didn't leave me with many options. I can either be ripped into pieces by rogues, or take my chances with the pack wolves. Neither sounded appealing.

I started cantering next to the border, keeping a safe distance, but not wandering too far either. No matter how much distance I covered, the rogues kept tailing me. Well then, I thought by myself, what next?

We fight, said my wolf.

No, I thought. That would be purely suicidal. There has to be another way. I slowed down to a walk, keeping a close eye on my assailants. Although only three were tracking me right now, the band of rogues counted fourteen in total, which was quite a lot. If they could manage to find a legal territory, they might even become an official pack, not that such a thing would be in any of their interests. They had the numbers and the strength, then why didn't they just cross the border? Sure, for a lone wolf like myself, wandering around pack grounds could be lethal. I would be ripped to pieces if a confrontation were to happen with this territory's inhabitants. But these rogues weren't alone. They could have easily crossed the border, finished me off and be gone again before any of the pack wolves would know what happened, yet they didn't. They didn't even put one paw across the invisible border that separated us.

That could only mean one thing. Either the pack which these grounds belonged to was incredibly strong, or they must have even double the numbers than the rogues had. Or probably both. But this could work out in my favour. A big pack will have a large territory. And a large territory meant that it would take quite some time to go around it.

If I were to cut through the centre of it, I might be able to shake my pursuers off and gain some distance. If I were fast enough, I could make it. The pack wolves wouldn't even have time to react if I just sprinted past them. Hopefully. It would be a risk, but probably my only chance at survival.

I turned to face the rogues one last time. Fight or run, I asked my wolf.

Fight, said my wolf, not being one to back down easily.

Then I'll run, I thought, ignoring the adrenaline pulsing through my veins. This time I would not let my wolf decide.

I took a few steps away from the border. Slowly, at first, but when I was certain I would not be followed, I ran off. Tree after tree I passed, racing through the woods. My shoulder started throbbing again, but I pushed the pain away.

As I got closer to the pack's inner territory, the smell of wolves became stronger. I tried to breathe through my mouth so it would not be too overwhelming for my nose now that my senses had somewhat been restored. With so many scents lingering around, my nose wouldn't be helpful anyway.

Maybe that's why I didn't notice the figure in front of me until we collided. A small whimper left my mouth when once again I landed on my injured shoulder. The wolf I crashed into had barely remained his standing position, even though he was in his human form. I looked up at his face, and could barely suppress a second whimper when I recognised him. It was the red spiky-haired guy from the grocery store. He groaned softly as he stroked through his hair with his fingers, mumbling something about people always crashing into him. Suddenly he froze, probably recognising the familiar smell and looked me straight in the eyes. He let out a low growl, stretching his body to prepare for shifting.

"I knew I smelt some stray sniffing around town", he said. "You filthy dogs should know better."

I didn't reply, keeping my eyes on the wolf in front of me and preparing to dash off if necessary. Somewhere in the back of my mind my wolf was pushing me to keep moving, reminding me of my limited time. Hesitantly, I took a few steps forward, keeping my head and tail low to the ground. I tried to keep an unthreatening composure, but was not completely submissive either.

The red wolf let out a second growl and shifted, turning into a massive brown wolf with ginger patches across his belly. I had always known that my wolf form was smaller than regular shifters, but this size difference was just ridiculous. The red wolf even doubled the rogues' sizes with his heavily muscled frame.

I realised that this would not be a fight I could win, so I bolted forwards in a pathetic attempt to escape. I was out of luck, as the other wolf was faster and sunk his teeth into the scruff of my neck. He threw me to the ground, leaving me no time to even catch my breath when he lunged himself at me. I fought back with all the strength I had left, which was not too much with an injured shoulder and tired limbs, but could not escape. Teeth punctured my skin and claws scraped my fur, leaving me soon bleeding on the forest ground.

This is hopeless, I thought by myself as I once again heaved me up on my paws.

No, it's not.

Go away, I thought.

I can help you. I can help us.

No, I won't let you.

Just let me free, I will save us.

Just like last time?

Yes, exactly.

Then no, I will never let that happen again.

Just give me a change, my wolf said, sending shivers down my spine. We must survive.

But not like this.

Weakling. Just go to sleep, I will take care of this... situation.

No, I thought. Don't do it.

Sweet dreams.

Darkness overtook me. I felt weightless, yet heavy as the familiar slumber kept me captive in my own mind. Fighting it was useless, the only thing left to do was to wait. And so I waited. The first thing I noticed when I woke again, was the lifeless body of the red wolf laying in front of me. Blood coated his brown and ginger fur, painting him even more red than he already was. Even before I noticed the blood on my paws, even before I tasted the iron on my tongue, I knew what I had done.

I killed him.