His Hunter

XXVII | Middle Ground

"Someone's up ahead," Jaeda said, slowing her pace. 

Cole stared at her. "How do you know? Can you smell them?"

Jaeda stopped in her tracks and stared at him. "Are you serious?" Cole didn't say anything. She rolled her eyes. "We have a normal sense of smell, weirdo. What made you think lycanthrope have super-smelling?" 

"Uh..." Lionel was always talking about how much he loved how Cole smelled. Cole had just assumed that sense of smell applied to everything. Guess not. "Then how do you know there's-"

"Because I can see them, weirdo," she interrupted, smiling. 

"Right," Cole said. His shoulders were stiff. If he was being honest with himself, he still wasn't used to living with the Prowlers and this was just another reminder. He had gone out on patrol like this time and time again, and yet he still felt like something was off. Not just with how he fit into the Pack, but something inside of himself. He had no clue what it was. Maybe it had something to do with the message he'd given to Minoah. It was a declaration of love, basically. Soren had wanted to tell her that he was thinking about her and that he wanted more than anything to be with her again. But something didn't sit right. 

Or maybe it was just that Cole had so much to do now. He had to figure out who he was...for real, this time. It was a peculiar feeling. He could be honest now, but there was a vulnerability that came with that. He should have expected it, but he was shedding his past self. In a way, he was disappearing. He didn't know where he would go or who he would become. He just had to be ok with that. 

"Oh, hi!" Jaeda said, bouncing up. All caution went with the wind. Cole peered through the forest. It was night, so seeing anyone or anything was practically impossible even with the beam of his flashlight. Some of the tension in his shoulders melted when he finally realized who they'd found.

"Jaeda," Tom said, nodding. His eyes shifted to Cole and he smiled. "Son." 

"Hey, Tom." 

"Never thought you'd end up on the other side of this patrol," Tom said. He was with three other men, two of which Cole recognized as Hunters and the other Cole assumed was a new recruit. 

"Yeah, well." Cole shrugged. "Neither did I, but here we are." 

Tom nodded. "Well, I hope all's going well. Your dad updated me, by the way. I'm happy for you." 

Cole smiled. "Thanks. Me, too, actually." 

"You haven't run into anything on patrol, have you?" Tom asked. He glanced at Jaeda and Cole detected a strange look between them. It quickly faded. 

"Nope. Nothing yet," Jaeda said, smiling. Yet? Was she planning on finding something?

"Ok, well be on your way, then. Cole, I hope to see you at the house sometime. Your dad suggested we have dinner all together sometime soon," Tom said, patting Cole's shoulder. "You should bring it up to Kaia and have her call him. I think he's a bit worried about being the first to call, even if he won't admit that." 

"Sure. I'll talk to her." 

"Good luck with the rest of your patrol, son," Tom said, gesturing for the other Hunters to follow. For some reason, watching the Hunters go, Cole felt a sinking feeling. But it wasn't the usual vat of dread he slipped into. He felt warmth surround him with the realization that those people were no longer his people. He looked to Jaeda, who was beaming at him with her hands clasped behind her back. She looked like an overjoyed pixie. 

Now, the Prowlers were his people. It was like sinking under a warm blanket. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Cole asked. 

She shook her head and started walking again. "Dunno."