Callidus Rising | Complete ✔️ | Book 1

39: Camoflauge

In front of me for the last few hours, Ryker had been whistling different patterns and tones, altering the Dires' path.

He was super focused, and for the past hours we rode with nothing but the sound of Remi and Shiva's labored breathing.

Eventually, we came up on a small clearing in the middle of the woods. The sun was setting, and night was creeping in fast.

"HOLD," he called out, raising his hand. The two wolves stopped immediately, paws driving into the soft fertile earth.

I looked over at James as Ryker pressed a button on the weird grip-thing on the front of the saddle.

The straps securing our legs begin to retract and soon realeased us.

As Ryker slides off, he unclips a thick strap from across the wolf's shoulders, and two bags thud onto the ground just before he lands on his two feet. He pulls a hand through the thick creamy fur on Remi's neck and picks up the bags.

He carries them to the center and set them down.

He looks over at Shiva and gestures to James to come get me. He presses his own release and slides off, his boots sinking into the mossy underfoot.

James makes his way over and helps me off the saddle so that I don't rip my wound open again.

As I slide off, he catches me and sets me upright. He slides an arm under my own and over the far shoulder for support as we walk over to Ryker.

He's dragging out pieces of clear plastic-like folded piles, and metal poles as we arrive. I look at them curiously in the quickly fading light and he looks up at me like he can hear my question.

"It's for our tent," he says,"It's got some very helpful properties."

I look at the material again.

Properties like what? Being seen by something that wants to eat us? Charmed.

James gets down and starts helping him set up the fairly large poles, and I turn to look at the "Dire Wolves". They've laid down next to each other with their noses touching.

Both of them have fairly short snouts, and their tails are only half the length of a classic wolf's. Their paws are huge, their fur is long and glossy, and not the mention the size of their fangs; Remi's are so long they protrude from his mouth.

Dire wolf must be an endearing term for the resurrection of every carnivorous predator from the Eocene epoch to the late 2000's.

Okay, maybe not that many, but they seem like some scientist threw in a hair from any massive predatory animal they could find and stirred it like a witch's brew.

I watch as they playfully growl at each other and tug at each other's ears. I smile as I turn around to go figure out the progress the two guys made on this "tent".

When I get over, they are finishing with the last post. The thing honestly looks like a fish tank. The walls are clear, and it has black lining to make a seal around it.

I watch as Ryker goes in carrying a little square with a circular button on it. James stays outside and stands there like he is waiting.

Just as I an about to approach and ask what he is doing, the tent seems to vanish.

My eyes widen as James smiles and looks over his shoulder at me in the almost darkness.

"Camouflage works," he says.

Oh.

He jogs over and grabs the two remaining saddle bags and takes them inside the tent that Ryker has opened up for James and I.

As I go inside, Ryker whistles a low call, and the two "dire wolves" make their way over to the door of the tent, and lay down there. He tugged the saddles off of them, and sets them just inside before James hands him an insulated blanket.

James makes his way over and hands me one of the poofy blankets as well. Instead of covering up with his blanket like I already began doing, he simply sits down next to me and puts the fairly large blanket in his lap.

Im not passing that up.

I lay my head on his blanket-covered thigh and use him as a pillow.

I hear him give a quiet laugh before I drift off despite the unfamiliar sounds of the wilderness surrounding us.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hola! So, I had a few questions for you guys. James+Alexi? Ship or sink? How about these so-called dire wolves? Do you trust them or fear them? And what do you guys think about Walton? (I ask because it's his picture at the top of the chapter.)
Thank you all for reading!!!
♥️♥️♥️