We sprinted the whole way to the waterfall. By the time we got there, we were both panting hard and our legs were aching from over exertion.
I slumped my furry body down on the ground and lapped at some of the lake water. Valen leaned his head down beside me and did the same. I looked over to him and his eyes were glistening with adrenaline. He had enjoyed our race just as much as I had.
Of course, he'd beaten me by just a couple seconds. He was much more muscular than I was, but there were a couple times where my agility really came in handy.
His bulky body would have a harder time dodging rocks and jumping fallen logs than mine, but in the end his dead sprint proved to be much faster. I licked his snout in pride, and he nuzzled my shoulder. Suddenly, that feeling came over me again.
I turned my head upward toward the cliff, and I could have sworn I saw a dark form quickly shuffle backwards. I growled lowly, signaling to Valen that something was wrong. He looked in the same direction I was and strained his eyes to be able to see.
"What was it?" he asked me through the mind-link.
"I swear something was up there on the cliff watching us." He looked over again.
"I don't see anything Indigo, nor have I picked up a scent. Are you sure?"
I stared at the spot for a little longer, waiting to see if anything in the shadows shifted. When it didn't, I sighed.
"I guess it was nothing. Sorry for worrying you."
"It's not a bad thing to trust your gut. We'll make sure to let the others know, just in case."
I rose from the bankside and shifted back, before getting dressed. Valen followed my lead, and we made our way closer to the waterfall.
At this point, the water was roaring loudly and the spray was soaking me from head to toe. Rocks jutted out of the water leading to the base of the spray, but they were too wet and sharp to venture across. Valen turned to me.
"I'll shift really quick and hop in. I can go under the waterfall and come back up on the other side. If there's an opening big enough for you to come to, I'll mind-link you and you can join me."
"Are you sure?" I asked while glancing at the black water.
"The water moves a lot faster over here. I don't want you to get pulled under." He smirked at me.
"I could do this in my sleep." I rolled my eyes.
"Alright, whatever. But hurry."
He handed me his pack and clothes and jumped in, shifting midair. Icy droplets of water pelted my skin when he hit the surface, making me shiver. He emerged for a moment to look at me, before diving back under the abyss.
It was too dark out to see anything and his black fur certainly didn't help. I waited anxiously for a few moments, balancing my weight back on forth on my feet. I looked back up at the cliff side, still seeing nothing.
Finally, Valen's voice sounded in my head.
"Indigo, you've got to see this."
I hid our packs in the bushes and shifted. I took a deep breath before walking into the frigid water, shivering as it enveloped more and more of my body. Finally, once I was facing the waterfall, I took a deep breath and dove under.
I opened my eyes to see it was much clearer down here than it seemed up top. I could see where the water from the fall was landing in the lake, creating a rolling stream of bubbles and a slight undertow.
I decided to give it some space, just in case it dragged me under as I went by. I swam forward a few more feet, before seeing the muddy bank below me begin to incline. I popped my head out of the water and walked up it, shaking out my fur once I was completely out of the water.
Valen was waiting for me, and he nudged me along when I was done. I surveyed the area around me.
It was a large cave. Much large than I had anticipated. It went on so far, that I couldn't see the back of it. It spread the width of the of the waterfall and it's walls were carved out and rounded over the years from the elements.
Water only reached a little ways onto the bank, and once you got a few feet away you could no longer feel the spray of the fall. I listened closely, but I couldn't hear any other sources of running water.
"What do you think?" I asked Valen. He grinned.
"I think it's perfect. It's secluded, hard to get to, and it has a lot of room. Can you imagine the things we could store at the back of this cave?" I looked around again.
"You think King Ruben would go for it?"
"I'm sure he would. He'd probably have a designer come in here and spruce it up," I rolled my eyes at this, "but otherwise, its a good spot. I'll mind-link the others now to let them know. Where did you put our packs?"
"I left them in some bushes out on the bank. We didn't have anything for me to water proof them with."
"Good point, I'll make sure they leave theirs with ours."
I nodded and continued to make my way toward the back of the cave while Valen waited for the rest of the group. The further away I got, the more on edge I became.
Sienna was alert as well, her ears straining forward to catch every little sound. The hair on my hackles began to raise and I lowered myself to the ground instinctively. Every fiber of my being was telling me that something was wrong here.
I strained my eyes against the darkness, trying to look at the walls surrounding me. I could see dark smudges on them, but couldn't make out what they were. I continued on, putting my snout to the ground and searching. I picked up the faintest scent- sweet, citrusy, and oddly familiar, but very subtle in the dirt. I mind-linked Valen.
"I think someone's been here. There's a scent in the dirt. It's faint, but it's there."
"Get back to us immediately. We'll check it out once we're all in."
I turned and headed back in his direction, but a whisper from the black depths caught my attention. I turned my head back for a brief moment, trying to make out the words.
"Are you coming?" Valen asked me. I shook my head and reunited with him and everyone else.
I quickly explained to them what I had smelled in the back of the cave, and it was decided that this time, Valen and I would lead point with Artemis and Von taking up the back.
They had been able to smuggle our packs in here thanks to Artemis's quick thinking earlier today-she'd packed plastic, sealable bags in hers- so they could light some torches and bring our flashlights. I would stay in wolf form so I could trace the scent, while everyone else shifted back to human. I waited as they prepared. Once they were ready, I led the way.
I sniffed along, sensing nothing until about half way back. The fur on my body began to stand up and the smell was emerging again. I looked over to Valen.
"We're getting close." He nodded and looked back to Von.
"Keep your eyes peeled, and watch the walls," he said aloud.
Von grabbed Artemis's hand in his and held it tight. We crept along, silently, as it seemed everyone could sense the change of atmosphere now.
I heard Aislinn gasp behind me and I turned to face her. She was staring wide eyed at the walls, her face pale. Von moved his torch closer so we could see.
Claw marks ran deep into the stone, stopping at various points and beginning again farther down the way. They had to have been from a wolf.
Judging by the look of things, they were at least a few years old. But how could anyone have known about this place? Pack members weren't supposed to be out this far without express permission from King Ruben.
"Let's keep moving," Von muttered.
I turned around and continued on. It got colder and colder as we neared the end, all of us tense. The scent had been getting more pronounced, though like the claw marks, it smelled older.
Finally, we reached the end of the cave, and saw there was a tunnel at about waist height. Claw marks were all around the entrance. I shifted back into human form and dressed quickly. Valen leaned down to analyze it.
"We could fit through here if we laid on our stomachs," he finally said. I shuddered at the thought.
"But we don't know what's on the other side," Artemis protested.
"Isn't that the point of this kind of a mission? To check it all out?" Valen shot back. Von growled at him in warning. Valen glared.
"Enough, you two," Aislinn said firmly.
"You're both right. We don't know what's behind there, but we need to find out. So, who wants to go first?"
"I will," I volunteered.
"No," Valen ground out. I scoffed.
"And who's going to stop me?"
He growled at me and wrapped his hand protectively around mine.
"I can't let you go in there alone. I just found you, I'm not going to risk losing you so soon," he said lowly. I sighed.
"Then who should go in first?" Aislinn stepped forward.
"I will."
"What? But what if something is back there? You could get hurt..." I trailed off. Determination flared on her features again.
"I'm the smallest of the group. It'll be easiest for me to slip in and get out if I need to do so quickly. I have my knife with me. I can do this." She looked into my eyes, pleading with me.
"Okay, I trust you."
She smiled a weak smile and got down on her hands and knees, before lowering her body flat against the ground and shimmying in.
Her knife was strapped to her belt, but I was holding her flashlight for her until she got through. Once she did, I rolled it in, and she picked it up and flicked it on.
"You can come through now, there's no one one in here," she said in a tight voice.
Artemis stepped up and followed her through, followed by Von, then me, then Valen. When we made it in, we looked in the direction that Aislinn had pointed her flashlight in, and we all stilled.
There on the dirt floor, surrounded by old cobwebs, was a pile of bones.
I stared at it in shock for a moment, before grabbing my flashlight out of my pack and flashing the beam above us.
Webs were strung across the ceiling so thick that you could barely make out the moonlight peaking through an opening above.
They had to be at least three feet thick and they covered the entire expanse of the stone above us. I shivered and Sienna growled in my head.
I had never encountered one of these creatures in person before, but Aunt Maddie had warned me of them all throughout my child hood.
"We need to get out of here," I whispered.
One look at Artemis's face, and I could tell she had realized the same thing. She nodded and grabbed Von's hand.
"Don't touch the webs. And stay quiet," she told everyone.
We backed out slowly, carefully feeling our way against the stone walls until we were far enough away from the entrance to feel comfortable turning our backs on it.
Once we were back by the waterfall, Von finally spoke.
"What was that?" he asked.
Their faces turned toward Artemis and I. I looked at her and she stared back at me with wide eyes. She had heard the stories from Aunt Maddie just as many times as I had.
"That," I began, "was the nest of a Fate Spinner."
Author's Note:
Ew, ew, ew, ew. Webs. Ick. Anyway, what do you think? What could be so bad about a Fate Spinner that Artemis and Indigo are scared speechless? What happens now?
Don't forget to vote and comment!
Xoxo,
CrimsynIris