This battle is yours to win or lose.
The Volva’s final words echo in my thoughts while we exit the cave. I savor the clean air as we re-enter the forest.
“Are we on our own with this now?” Fell asks.
“I don’t know.” I close my eyes. Temples throbbing, I try to wade through the questions filling my brain. I don’t have answers, and we’re racing a clock that could chime at any second.
“Hey.”
I peer up at him.
“Stop thinking and run with us.”
Fell shifts and fixes his mischief-filled eyes on me.
I laugh. I’ve missed the comradery that comes with running in a pack. Kirk follows Cadoc’s lead and brushes up against me.
“Okay. I know when I’m outnumbered.” Transforming, I run past them, embracing the joy that swells up inside me as they give chase.
For a moment, I let the troubles drift to the back of my mind. The she-wolf rushes forward, basking in the freedom she’d been denied over the past four years.
I nip at Kirk’s flank. The black wolf huffs at me in exasperation. We begin an impromptu game of tag.
Is this what it would’ve been like to grow up as one of the pack? I’m not treated differently now. I can match their strength with my own, and I don’t feel at odds with the wolf inside me.
Sprinting full out, I test my new skills. The land blurs by at a dizzying speed, and my leaps are a thing of legend.
Fell barks his approval. I pause looking over my shoulder at the wolf I once thought was my soulmate.
My wolf whines, longing for closeness, and I yield to her desires, refusing to admit my own need for Fell.
His tail wags. Amused, I cherish the light hearted moments. All the bad blood between us is forgotten. I brush up against him, nipping at him.
He returns the playful bites as we wrestle. Rolling together, I rub against him, drowning myself in his scent.
It takes away some of the pain he’s caused, breaking the barrier I’ve put up between us. A slow crack zig-zags down the stone and I for once, don’t bother to repair it.
On all fours, I dare them to chase me as I take off behind Cadoc, marveling at the way I'm able to keep pace. Cadoc skids to a halt. The three others box me in. I tilt my head back and inhale.
The acrid stench of anger and unfamiliar wolves smash into my senses like a battering ram. No one should be this close to our property.
I crane my neck in an attempt to recognize the impending danger. Growls come from all directions. I shift my weight on my paws. Anxiety forms an endless pit in my stomach.
A streak of gray hits Cadoc in the chest. They tumble to the ground, jaws snapping. Wrestling they fight for for dominance.
Blurred fur missiles follow. Powerful jaws nip at my shoulder. I bark in pain.
I kick at the heavier wolf. A moment later, Kirk spears into my attacker knocking him aside. I hit the ground hard.
Whimpering, I regain my balance, facing a yellow-eyed beast. Broad and muscular, the brown wolf reeks of pheromones.
My stomach cramps at the fowl stench of lust. Panting, his tongue hangs out.
He steps forward.
I back up, evading him.
He huffs in a twisted form of laughter and explodes into movement.
I dart to the left. I can’t match him in power, so I have to be faster. Heart pounding, I push myself to the limits, leaping over roots, and circling thick trees.
The paws hitting the ground behind me are relentless. He’s too close. His hot breath ruffles my fur. I increase speed and search the area for an advantage.
Winded, I ignore my burning lungs and shaking legs. He snaps at my flanks. I yelp. He lunges. This time, I dart to the right.
His heavy body lands on me. I crawl, digging my claws into the earth to pull myself free. Vision blurred by tears; I ignore the rending of my flesh. his claws rake my back.
The coppery scent of blood fills the air and the stalking wolf howls as blood lust hits. Back on my legs, I take off once more.
Knocked flat onto my belly, the breath is knocked from my lungs. His clamps down on my neck. Imbedding his sharp teeth deeper into my flesh, he pins me. His hard length against my belly.
No! No! No! I buck against him, but he holds firm. I throw myself side to side to knock him free.
He issues a mental alpha command that paralyzes me. Something clicks within me. A strength unlike anything I’ve felt before ramps up.
Rising I throw him off me, tearing his teeth free along with a chunk of my flesh. Scrambling, I turn.
He stands, shaking his head to clear it. Cadoc bounds into the clearing like a warrior. Bigger than the last time I saw him, he leaps onto my attacker, sinking his teeth into his nape and jerks, shaking him like a rag doll until his neck snaps.
