Heart Of The Storm

-Chapter 9- Univited Guests-

Aella

"Find me! Find me!"

Little Kyon shouts as I finally open my eyes, our game of hide and seek having gone on for about an hour now. We've been playing outside in the woods behind the pack house alone for almost the entire time, after I convinced Apollo that I'd be perfectly fine by myself while he went back to the training grounds. I know the territory like the back of my hand now, considering he's been exploring it with me for the past month after the first time he showed me around.

"Alright, here I come!"

I call out as I start my search for the little cutie, walking softly across the cold ground as I search for signs of his whereabouts. The snow is mostly gone now, but the air is still cold as it blows through the trees. Thankfully I'm wearing another one of Apollo's hoodies to keep warm, the fabric hanging past my hips.

The sound of soft giggling perks my attention to a large tree in front of me. I smile and creep towards it quietly, my powers picking up on the energy created by his tiny heartbeat. It's not technically cheating, since he has a stronger sense of smell and better hearing than me. So we're on equal ground.

I go to run a hand through my hair, only to remember that Apollo's mom put the long part of my hair that now hangs past my shoulders in a French braid this morning. She said she always wanted a daughter, but after three boys she put her foot down and hoped for a daughter in law and a granddaughter. When she realized that I didn't remember how to braid my hair, considering Zercon kept mine in a buzz cut for over ten years, she was more than delighted to teach and show me how.

"I wonder where he is? He such a good hider."

I call out to Kyon as I stop right in front of the tree he's hiding behind, grinning widely at the sound of his muffled laughter. Taking advantage of the fact he thinks I can't find him, I quickly jump around the tree and scoop him up in my arms, which makes him squeal in surprise as I begin an onslaught of tickling.

"I gotcha!"

"Noooo!" He cries out while laughing, and I laugh with him.

After a couple of minutes of teasing, I let him down so he can catch his breath. Just as I'm about to start a new game with him, the sound of a twig snapping makes us both snap to attention. I can suddenly feel the energy of multiple heartbeats, at least a dozen or so.

This isn't good.

"Kyon, what do you smell? Can you pick up a scent?"

He inhales deeply, tilting his little nose up into the air to take in the scents.

"Humans...lots of them. Too many."

My heart drops as the familiar sound of booted feet reaches my sensitive ears, and I stand quickly, pushing Kyon behind me instinctively.

"Kyon, go find your parents and big brothers. Tell them that we have unwelcome guests."

He tugs on my pants leg nervously. With neither of us having a mindlink, we can't really call out for help.

"What about you Ella?"

My eyes catch movement in the distance, and I look down at his dark brown eyes filled with worry. I am not letting them anywhere near him, I'll die first.