One of Runts

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: A run in the Forest

        I move away from the large group and take a small detour around some trees. Even though my bags add a few extra inches to my sides, I am still smaller than the rest of the regular pack wolves, meaning that I can slip to places where they can't.

        My ear flicks behind me as I hear the light padding of a wolf. I tilt my head up a bit to catch the scent of the wolf and am surprised when the scent of the evergreens and the air after it rains. The wolf from before.

        I continue trotting around the various trees, keeping an eye out for the pack of wolves beside me.

        We had been running for hours, occasionally slowing down to a trot, though we haven't stopped moving altogether. I look above me to the sky that shows through an open patch of pine needles and snow.

        "The sun is setting," I link to the wolf behind me. I hear his pawsteps falter in surprise before he trots closer to me. I bet he thought I couldn't hear him. I follow an unmarked path, that only my eyes can see, where the two of us can easily trot beside one another.

        I feel the wolf come closer to me and I can feel the power he emits. I tip my head down a bit in respect as he slips beside me in the room I've created.

        I look at him from the corner of my eye and my ears pop up in surprise. It's the white and light gray wolf from earlier, the Alpha's Second on this trip. His fur can easily hide him in the shadows on the snow.

        "We should be settling soon, then," I hear an unfamiliar masculine say in my mind. I can tell that he is using the wolf link instead of the temporary mind-link that the Alpha King created.

        A wolf link is only possible if you want to talk to another wolf without fear of someone overhearing you. I've heard that some wolves can't even do it since it requires an open and calm mind. I am one of the wolves in the pack that can do it. Only about two-hundred out of the five-hundred can.

        I send confirmation down the wolf link and I can feel his slight surprise at that. I suppose he thought that a runt like me couldn't do a wolf bond. Wolf bonds feel different than mind-links as you actually have to be near the wolf to hear them. It's like talking aloud, but can be heard inside your mind.

        We trot beside one another in silence and I take a look at the wolf beside me. He practically towers over me and I bet that his head would come right below my breast if I was in my skin form.

        He stands a little over half a foot above me in my fur form. He could easily crush my slim form if he decided to lay on me. I can see the large muscles beneath his fur as he trots proudly, tail hung high in the air.

        I weave around a few trees, but he has to stay in the area where he is so he doesn't get stuck between trees. I can tell his muscled form is much wider than my slim one. He's probably a foot and a half wide while I'm just over a foot wide, even with the bags, as they are nearing the same width as my broader shoulders.

        The male wolf looks at me as I weave around trees, picking up my pace a bit as I no longer stand behind a large pack of wolves. I can still see the pack, but the closest wolf is around ten to fifteen feet away.

        The male wolf picks up his pace a bit and tries to get closer to me. I continue to take advantage of my small form and weave into areas where he can't reach me.

        I look ahead of me and spot a small field through an open spot of the field. It's far away and will most likely take us around ten minutes to reach it at the pace that the pack is going at, though the wolves in front won't take long to reach it.

        "Do you see the field ahead?" I ask the male wolf as he struggles to reach me. He sends confirmation down the link and I can tell that he's mind-linking someone right now.

        "We'll be stopping there for the night before continuing on early in the morning," the male wolf tells me. "The Alpha King has just reached it and all wolves are allowed to run around the area for a bit after he checks that all wolves are there." I send understanding down the bond, letting a little puppy mischievousness show through.

        I am usually so formal with the wolves around me that I don't take my nature into consideration. Runts and omegas are naturally playful like pups, though I haven't embraced that feeling in a while.

        I see the male wolf take a glance at me as he feels my emotions and watches me pick up speed. "Hey, wolf!" I practically shout at him.

        "Yes?"

        "Do you think you can catch me?" I can feel his confusion as he looks at me again, nearly hitting a tree in front of him. I give him a small wolfish grin before sprinting off.

        My ears twitch back as I hear him start to sprint after me. I feel adrenaline rush through me, making my blood pump through my veins, filling my slightly chilled form with warmth.

        It's the same feeling I get when I am chasing down a rogue for my pack, but it feels different. Freer.

        I dodge around trees, picking up my pace as I hear the wolf get closer. He's faster than I expected, I think to myself. But I'm faster.

        Ahead of me, I see an area where our two paths will meet and I pick up my speed. I look beside me and see him getting closer to me. I can hear some of the wolves in the pack getting closer, along with the ones setting up camp in the field.

        I see a few wolves give us startled looks as I dash past them, a large wolf chasing after me.

        My tail wags a bit as I see a break through the trees that leads to the field. Slowing down as I exit the forest, I feel a large mass hit me. The scent of the Alpha Kings' second hits me as the wolf and I roll around.

        We finally stop with me under him on my side and him with his two large fore paws above my head. He lets out a little growl of victory. "Caught you," he growls at me, humor in his voice.

        I stop struggling beneath him as I look at his chest above me. "Are you sure?" I ask him. I let the question tickle his mind for a few seconds and I can feel his confusion in the wolf link.

        I move my one hind paw and kick his one leg, it slips under him as I roll away and immediately stand up. I look beside me to see his dumbfounded expression as he stands up again. I just walk past him, whipping my tail at his face to rub it in.

        "Better luck next time," I tell him, trotting towards the Alpha King who has a piece of paper in his hands.

Author's Note:

A little change in character, huh?

Please don't judge my comparison chart, I wasn't going to draw two wolves and a human. XD