"Great. Now where do we go?" Ahan asked sarcastically, then continued his sentence before Arth could send him that familiar, cold glare.
Which he often got, especially when he was being loud and annoying just to tick him off. What can he say? He loves pushing his brothers buttons, mostly because he thought of him to be too uptight.
The dude barely smiled. "Oh right, I forgot. No one thought this part through. Weʼre just flat out in the middle of nowhere and itʼs almost nightfall."
Arth pinched the bridge of his nose and snarled in warning. "Ahan.."
Ahan, being the most competitive person of the group, walked right up to his brother. Not afraid to challenge him, let alone push more of his buttons.
"What?! Did you think mom and dad would just leave a trail of breadcrumbs for us? Letʼs be realistic, Arth ."
Riddhana stayed silent and stuck near siddarth and Aadhya , who knew it was best not to intervene.
The trio just stood beside the halted stagecoach, watching the two bicker as if it were a scene right out of a movie. Except for the fact that thereʼd probably be blood and gore soon and that was definitely not appealing nor entertaining to watch.
They would stop the two if they could, but they already experienced the outcome of trying. And it wasnʼt a good one.
Arth raised his head, his eyes dark with irritation, "Can you quit for just a second? Iʼm trying to think of where to go. Itʼs better than returning home, this trip wouldʼve been pointless. If you want out, be my guest."
A low growl dragged its way out of his throat and echoed around the silent woods surrounding them. They were lost and as much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right. It was dangerous being out at night, vulnerable to any predators in the area.
Monsters of all sorts just dying to give into their blood lust. But there was no way he was going back, not until he found his parents again. Plus, theyʼd most likely face bigger consequences if they were to return home.
Two words; Punishing grounds.
Before Ahan could snarl back in return, Arth started to glance wildly around, then ordering everyone to be quiet. "Shhh." He whispered and everyone went silent, looking around as well to see what it was.
There was something drawing closer, the faint sound of a heartbeat drummed in his ears, and with every passing second, the sound grew louder and louder.
Fear quickly drenched the cool, evening air. The weird part was that the scent wasnʼt coming from any of them.
The scent instead was an unfamiliar, yet human one. Someone was coming.
Within a moment, hooves hit the ground roughly and the panting of a horse could be heard clearly. Soon enough a brown mare appeared, itʼs body trembling with exhaustion, and blood dripped off its flank, oozing out of a large slash wound. It looked like a giant claw mark.
That wasnʼt a good sign.
But maybe they could help the rider and gain help in return as well.
"Hey!" Ahan shouted out, calling to the stranger, who only raced past them. Both him and Arth shifted almost in sync, growing frustrated by the actions of the figure. They needed all the help they could get, even if they had to force the stranger to oblige.
They decided already that they would catch him through their mindlink. The humongous male wolves raced side by side, giving chase. Their claws sinking into the dirt with each step until their paws were barely touching the ground, soon they became just blurs passing by. Their speed enhanced due to their animalistic instincts.
