The Gift

Chapter One

There was a distinctive stench carried through in the light breeze that caressed her fur.

A rotten smell mixed with wet soil. That stench had been toying with her for the past week. She had been out to hunt twice and it annoyed her that she had not been able to pinpoint its location.

"Maila, come on. It's time to head back," Luc shouted.

She growled in protest, giving him a good view of her sharpened teeth.

"Don't you even try, young lady," he warned her.

Maila shifted her weight on her hind legs and, with one swift movement she landed on the mud puddle in front of him, splashing the dirty water all over him.

"That was my only pair of clean clothes," Luc snapped.

Maila ignored his whining and trotted happily to the stream. She rolled around trying to get rid of the stench that seemed to have stuck to her fur.

Luc was such an overprotective brother. Their father died in battle a year ago and Luc carried around the burden of his death. Maila had made it her purpose to bug him as much as she could. He was young and needed to enjoy his carefree years now, you never know what tomorrow brings.

Satisfied that she had removed the smell she shifted back to her human form.

"Relax, Luc. You do realize that you are the younger brother right?" She told him sweetly as she reached out for her clean pair of jeans and white t-shirt.

"I will relax when you realize, sister dearest, that you are now a Queen and should start acting like one," he countered.

"I did not know that you disagree with the way I rule my people?" Maila asked with her eyebrow raised.

"I did not say anything of the sort. Honestly, sometimes you act so childish." Luc said running his hand through his thick blond hair.

"Shush. Listen." She said and crouched to the ground.

"Not falling for..."

"Be quiet and listen. Something is wrong."

He stood still and focused his ears. "Maila there's nothing," he whispered to her.

"Exactly. No sounds, nature does not stand still. Something's up." She moved to his side. "Change to your wolf we need the speed. We have to return to the pack to warn them," she ordered.

The siblings started running through the forest that surrounded their Kingdom. Maila could feel the sweat drops forming on her fur. The sudden silence on her left alarmed her and she took a hard right. As she spun on her paws to make the turn, she saw a pair of bright yellow eyes on them. The same stench filled her nostrils.

She froze in her tracks and turned towards the direction she saw the intruder. She growled bearing her teeth. Every single hair of her fur was upright, every single muscle in her body tensed. Cautiously, she placed her right paw in front.

She heard her brother run passed her, she held her attack position to give him a bit more of an advantage, she then turned on her heels and she accelerated.