The Champion

Carver

I couldn't help the smile that enveloped my face as I watched her retreating form, I felt a prickle of awareness coming from the shadows that lay to the left of the house. I called to my wolf and used her enhanced vision to see but didn't notice anything there.

I felt a slight breeze before the air settled down again,  I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Stepping from the porch, I moved out in the open of the backyard.

I called my wolf forward, partially shifting. My vision became enhanced, my senses heightened, my teeth elongated and my claws dug into the palms of my hands.

I bent my head down low and sniffed the air, trying to be subtle and not alert anyone to my schemes. I found the freshest scent and smirked when I realized it was Carver.

"You okay?" Caleb asked through our link, I could sense him on the move and sent reassurance through our link.

"I'm fine. Carver decided to get a little training in tonight." I murmured as my concentration shifted to the movement around me.

"Call out to me if you need me." He said, the tension easily leaving his tone.

"I will." I whispered and cut the link as I felt Carver approaching. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sounds around me, his footsteps were light,  no hesitation in their placement. His breathing was even, no sense of over use in energy.

I heard him coming from my right, using my wolf speed I blurred from sight, easily missing his attack and coming up behind him. He paused where I was just before I moved and I held my hand up to the back of his head like a gun and whispered, "bang."

"Well son of a bitch," he muttered in defeat before slumping his shoulders.

"It's okay, Amy didn't get me either." I said patting his head like a small child.

"Ya, ya," he muttered pushing my hand away.

I laughed out loud, "So are you going to actually try this time?" I asked as he blurred towards the trees.

"Depends if you can catch me." I could hear the smirk in his tone as the words barely reached my ears.

"Smartass," I smirked before I set off after him. I raced through the trees easily following his scent until it started to get fainter and fainter. I slowed my pace as I realized his scent was old not fresh.

I back tracked, looking for a fresh scent but only finding one that was several days old. I raced back further until the scent was fresh and leaped into the trees, my nose twitched as I caught his scent again.

I closed my eyes and waited, the wind blowing through the trees caused his scent to scatter in all directions.

"I thought you were better than this," his light laughter filled my ears, I couldn't detect where exactly it was coming from, he was using the woods to his advantage and bouncing the sounds around.

Sniffing the air again, I noticed the scent was fainter than before. I backed up on the tree branch getting as close to the end as possible before running at the trunk. I raced up the side before launching myself backwards in a back flip most acrobats would be proud of.

Once I began my decent towards the ground I grabbed the first grip able tree branch available and held on. Dangling by the branch I glanced around and noticed I had launched myself at least six trees away. Pulling myself up onto the next branch, sniffing the air I caught his scent.

He was jumping from branch to branch scattering it, allowing the breeze to spread it even more. Smart move, using my enhanced vision I caught sight of him sitting up high in a tree a few feet from me.