Element

Element XVI

Waking up the next morning, I quickly checked out of my motel room and began my walk towards the woods. Thankfully the girl from last night was not on duty this morning or else I would have skipped the whole turning in my room key situation in order to avoid her sexual glares and her rather annoying "sultry" voice.

Don't get me wrong, I have been with plenty of girls and even dated a few. The problem was that women can be so pushy these days and I like to be the one pursuing them. Many would call it being cocky but I like to think of it as confidence.

You have to understand, I am an earth elemental wolf, and girls practically throw themselves at me just to say they have been with me. In all honesty, living in a world that required men to respect women made it awkward for me when a girl was willing to forgo all their morals for a night just to be with me. I like women who require respect and I definitely like a girl who respects me back. 

Walking into the forest, I needed to start focusing on what I planned to do next instead of think about girls and relationships. Quickly shifting and gathering my clothes in my mouth, I had to start forming a game plan of what I was going to do and how I was going to handle the other elemental wolf if I happen to find one.

I only know of one pack in California and that was the Burning Sun pack in Victorville. So far on my trip, I didn't have to worry about many packs. Most of the land up North was unclaimed and the ones already established were allies of my father. However, California was littered with packs up and down the coast and I couldn't very well run through their territory without explaining why. It would take me days to make it to southern California where the Burning Sun pack was if I had to stop and ask permission to pass through every territory on the way. 

Knowing that running all the way there just wasn't an option, I picked up my pace and headed south. 

.     .     .     .     .     .

A couple of hours later, I found myself in Sin City. Obviously my desired destination is not Las Vegas but it was the closest I could get before I had to cross into any pack territory. From Vegas, it was straight shot through the Mojave Desert towards Victorville. 

Changing before entering the city, I made my way to the bus station and purchased a ticket for the Grey Hound. Stepping onto the bus, I was greeted by the Air Conditioning that happened to be on full blast. I don't think I could ever get used to the heat of the dessert like the Burning Sun pack could.

For many, the desert would seem like a strange place to establish a pack but when you think about territory protection and war strategy, it made perfect sense. 

You see, the desert itself is a natural protection. Being that the Burning Sun is the only pack in Southern California, the desert itself can kill an enemy with its drastic weather conditions. Scorching heat by day and freezing weather at night would immediately incapacitate someone trying to cross the dry landscape without the proper equipment. Than you have to think about dehydration, sun exposure, and don't forget about the many species of venomous snakes and packs of wild coyote. Add all these things together and rouges would never survive to even see the other side. 

However, if one were to miraculously make it through all that and try to pass into the Burning Sun territory, they wouldn't make it within five miles without being seen. The wide and open landscape of the desert offers no protection to anyone and there would be no place to hide. The Burning Sun pack would see you instantly and with their trained warriors used to these kinds of weather conditions, no one would stand a fighting chance. 

Even though I was a friend of the pack, trying to run across the dessert, even if it was faster, would be a stupid move on my part. Watching the Joshua trees outside my window fly by in a blur, I leaned back in my seat and decided to get comfortable. After all, I was going to be on this bus for the next three hours and who knew what I was to expect when I finally got off.