The Wolf of the Wilds

The Rat

The pair returned to their lodgings rather more damp than before, but infinitely more content. With the burden of his past somewhat lessened, Adrian held his head higher, his grin regaining some of its cheer. As they retired to their respective rooms, Helena sent him off to bed with a clap on the back, earning herself a kiss on the wrist in return.

The next day passed in a whirlwind of boredom and grey skies.

On the bright side, Felix had been warming up to her again, even going as far to walk beside her and Adrian that morning. He hadn't yet mentioned anything more about Helena's admittance, but she suspected it would come soon. Well, at least she hoped it would. Felix was a glimmer of light in an otherwise dreary world.

Collapsing on the mattress, Helena planted her face into the centre of the pillow, releasing a low groan. With another day of the summit over, she was more than ready to return to the Montis' territory. At first it had been novel to mix with so many wolves, but now she just wanted to go back home to her books.

Rolling onto her back, she sunk into the bed, ignoring the springs that dug into her spine and the subtle aroma of old sweat. Her eyes were struggling to stay open and a yawn caused them to water. Her body was filled with an overwhelming desire to sleep, but she forced herself to stay alert, shuffling over to the edge of the mattress. Hand hanging down, she felt around for the familiar coarse texture of her blade's sheath.

Only, it wasn't there.

Any fatigue that had settled upon her instantly evaporated as she scrambled to look, peering below the bed, hoping, praying that she was wrong. Her chest was tight. Heart hammering. An icy prickling dancing along her skin.

There was nothing but stained floorboards and dust.

Like ocean rocks, waves of panic hit her. The dark water of fear choked her, making it hard to breath.

"Where is it?" She whispered, voice barely audible in the quiet room. On her feet she circled the bed, ripping the mattress from the frame and dropping it to the ground.

Nothing.

"Where is it!?" She spat, wheeling around, eyes passing over the rest of the room.

Where was it? Where was it? It couldn't be gone. It couldn't!

Helena found herself stood in the midst of destruction. Feather down was strewn about the room, furniture was toppled, and the sheets had been reduced to little more than ribbons of off colour rags. Her chest was heaving, rising and falling with each gasping breath. Fingers sore.

It wasn't there.

"Fuck!" She yelled, striking the wall with a balled-up fist. Her knuckles protested from the vicious assault, but Helena neither cared nor regretted it.

The throbbing pain seemed to somewhat lessen the pounding in her ears, the aching of her jaw. Sense returned to her like the sunlight after a long storm. She pushed back her hair, pressing her hand to her face.

"Where is it?" She whispered, aware that the words were choked.

Taking a shaking breath, she dropped her hands to her sides, gazing around the wrecked room with eyes reddened, but narrowed.

What now?

"Who can enter?" She said. Her, Abella and Petrine. Neither wolf had a death wish, so it seemed unlikely that either would attempt to pull a trick on the rogue. The door was intact, and the lock was unscratched. That left the staff.

She lifted her chin and sniffed the air, mulling over the scents like an overly expensive bottle of alcohol. Mould, rats, Montis and an unfamiliar wolf. She paused then, taking a moment to contemplate the last odour. No. It wasn't unfamiliar. Not completely.

Her footfalls were hurried and uneven as she strode towards the staircase. At the bottom she found the tavern full of the usual guests, the Montis wolves crowded around a table not too far away. Petrine was on her feet and everyone appeared wide eyed.

"Helena, what on earth was that noise?" She asked, stepping towards the wolf. Her voice was too sharp for Helena's frayed nerves. With a slight flinch, her lip pulled back into a sneer.

"There has been a rat in our room," she spat, unable to prevent the vitriol that leaked into her speech.

The Montis appeared shocked by the change in her demeanour, but Helena gave them no explanation as a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She was already sprinting as she saw the woman attempt to slip away into the back, but no bar could get between Helena and her prey. Vaulting over the wooden surface barely fazed her, the feral wolf within taking a sick glee in the hunt as Helena pounced on the other wolf.

Both women went crashing onto the ground, but Helena had her pinned, her second blade to the rat like woman's throat. Helena hunched over her, teeth bared, a low growl rumbling in her chest.

"Where is it rat?"

Beneath her, the foul-smelling woman had a face slack with fear, mouth parted, but she turned her head to the side.

"Let me go. I ain't got any idea what you're on about," she whispered.

The act was unconvincing. Helena could smell rosemary on the woman's cuffs, a herb that Helena kept tied in a pouch beside her blade most of the time. She pressed the knife closer.

"Tell me where the blade is, or I will kill you and every member of your band of pitiful thieves," she whispered, drawing closer. "I know you took it. Your putrid stench was a giveaway"."

The woman's chest jerked as true fear clouded her vision. She was nothing more than a low-level criminal, not a threat. Just a massive fucking inconvenience.

"It's gone!" She choked, tears now beginning to shimmer in her eyes, chin wobbling with ease gasp of air. "It's already gone. Already got sold to Gilvani! Please! Please...don't kill me. I don't want to die!"

Helena drew away, disgust painting her expression.

"Rat. If you want me to spare you, I have some conditions."

"Anything!"

How quickly the woman gave in almost revolted Helena. It was no fun when they didn't fight back.

"One. You will give me this Gilvani's address. Two. You will refund my friends the money they spent renting out this hovel. Three. You are going to give me all the profits you made from my possession. The money is not yours to squander."

The woman nodded hurriedly, so much Helena thought she might give herself a concussion if she kept it up. Keeping her blade upon the wolf at all times, they stood, walking back out into the chaos that'd overtaken the tavern.

"What on earth is going on Helena?" Ed said from somewhere within the panicked throng.

"They've been going through our rooms. This thief has stolen and sold off my blade."

Adrian was over there immediately, leaning across the bar.

"The blade is gone?" His eyes were wide and when Helena nodded, he seemed to sway.