The Wolf Within (Book 1 of Wolf Within Series)

Another One

** Author's Note: So my wife and I will be on vacation coming up next week! To make up for that, I'm posting Tuesday's chapter today! If you enjoy it, please vote and leave a comment answering this question: Which character is your favorite so far? Who, if any would you wanna be and why?  **

**Dakota's POV**

As the sound of their steps faded in the distance, I looked all round myself for signs of familiarity. Unfortunately, there was nothing around me to gauge my position. I closed my eyes and listened carefully to my surroundings.

WB: It's about to get loud in here again.

The sounds blasted in my ears as I tried in desperation to hear for any movement. The loudness subsided as I caught the pattering of squirrel claws on bark, but a squirrel couldn't help me. Again, the volume grew and fell as I honed in on the chatter of a racoon not too far off.

AB: Great. There is nothing here. We are lost!

HB: We'll be fine. I'm sure we've walked past this area. We were just on a path.

WB: Would you both just shut up and let me do my job?

I shook my head and tried to regain focus while the sound blasted in my ears once more. This time, I heard the something shuffled against the ground in a slow and heavy rhythm. With every shuffle, a rustling of leaves or the breaking of a few twigs followed as the presumed foot stood atop them.

WB: There we go. A person.

HB: Excellent. Let's go!

AB: How do we know they aren't the people Frankie and that Otaktey guy were worried about?

WB: I don't find that all too likely.

CB: Man, it could be someone whose stalking us. I swear, we've seen too much guys...

HB: Shut up CB. This is no time for your conspiracies.

I opened my eyes and peered through the woods surrounding me, in an attempt to see if Lia, Frankie, or Otaktey were close behind me. Once I was satisfied they were certainly still a ways off, I refocused my hearing on the heavy footfalls. As soon as the sound hit my eardrums, I began to jog through the forest in the direction of the heavy footfalls.

I had never been one for running or exercise in general, but that was before this mess happened. Now I felt like I needed to find someone, who wasn't Lia, to just help me make sense of what was really going on. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my lack of running practice didn't impede my apparent talent in agility. While I made my way closer and closer to the sound of those shuffling steps, I jumped over fallen branches and trees with ease. Every landing was as gentle as a doe's, yet my speed was as fast as a wolf's.

HB: Wow, we should run more often.

WB: Yes. We really should. Once I'm able to get out of this human form, I'll take you all for a real run.

AB: This is fast enough! We're going to trip at any moment! MAKE IT STOP!

"You would do well to slow down, pup." An aged voice lectured as I neared a giant oak tree. "You'll run me over if you don't."

I couldn't stop my pace as fast as the voice would have liked, without running straight into a fallen tree. Instead, I jumped atop the felled trunk and watched for any movements around me, determined to find the source of the voice.

"Don't be worried child, I'm right here." The voice stated as an old woman stepped out from behind the large oak trunk. "I've had my fair share of run-ins with the young here, and have learned its best to stand directly behind the largest tree trunk possible. If I don't, I'll get run over."