Hunted

Chapter 5-Don't Go

Chapter 5-Azula's POV

It was a while before I felt safe enough to begin to short swim home. When I emerged from the water beneath the cover of the waterfall that hid our cave, my fingertips were wrinkled, my skin cold. I was quick to move inside, which at least offered protection against the slight breeze.

                By this point, I knew that a few hours must have passed since my meeting with Amias. My first thought was to look for Dad, but I didn’t really expect him to be home just yet; the only scents of him in the cave were old, faded ones.

                My teeth were chattering now, goose bumps breaking out all over my naked body. I slumped down onto the floor, leaning back against the wall. Feeling this cold was a new experience for me.

As a wolf, my body temperature was quite high, so I rarely got cold. Even on the odd occasion that it ever snowed, the worst I’d ever felt was a slight breeze.

                When the shivering didn’t lessen after a few minutes, I jumped up from where I sat and called for Mahina to rise. She answered gladly, taking control of my body as I shifted. That familiar tingling erupted over, the cracking sound echoing around the cave. I let out a little growl when the change was complete, shaking out my fur to throw off the last of the clinging droplets.

                “Dad?” I called through the mind link.

                “Azula! Are you okay? They didn’t find you, did they?” His reply was almost instantaneous, his relief palpable.

                “I’m fine Dad, there’s not a scratch on me,” I assured him, ignoring his last question. I sauntered over to the corner of the cave and lay down, resting my head on my paws. I really hated keeping things from Dad...

“How far away are you?” I asked him, trying to keep my mind off the stabbing guilt.

                “Not too far,” he replied. “The bastard sent someone to trail me for the first hour or so, but he soon got bored. Now I just have to loop back around again. I’ll probably come back through one of the fields. See you soon Azula. Love you.”

                “Love you,” I echoed, cutting off the link.

The forest was situated at the top of a hill, with grassy fields all around. It was a strategic position, because it meant that you pretty much saw anyone who came in and out if you had the right defensive system in place. Of course, the nearest pack, Tenebra, were quite lax in that department, preferring to let their admittedly violent reputation do the talking. That’s how Dad and I had been able to secure our little cave here-through their stupidity.

                Oh shit. The nearest pack was Tenebra. That was probably Amias’ pack. I just prayed to the Moon that he would keep his promise. I didn’t want to become some sex toy for the pack to use at their whim. I didn’t want to be beaten into submission. Sure, I knew how defend myself, but against a whole pack, I knew I had no chance.