Chapter 41: Strange Visitor

Lucinda

I was drawing in a tiny grove. Several saplings had grown in a clump, and some type of creeper had grown over them and formed a canopy. An abundance of small, shadow-loving plants grew below it. I had cleared a rock of moss and sat on it. I was just struggling with the fronds of a fern when I heard a commotion outside the grove.

I frowned. I could hear the many footfalls of four-legged beasts that were too heavy to be deer. From what I could hear, there must have been about six— which made sense, because patrol wolves usually worked in groups of three; two teams must have joined together. I listened harder and picked up the pitter-patter of two light feet. I wondered why the patrol wolves would be chasing a human.

The chase came closer and closer to my location. I sat still, listening. The chasee must be light and fast to elude the wolves for this long, I thought.

The barking came closer. I began to worry that they might stumble on me. I would be in for a long lecture from one if the pack adults for being here alone— especially since now there was an intruder. I cringed at the thought.

I sat still and hoped I would be passed undetected.

The barking and howling of the hunt suddenly stopped. I wondered what had happened. Had they treed their quarry? Had the quarry escaped? We were pretty close to the border.

Please don't catch us. Please don't catch us.

I joined Veli's chant.

Suddenly, one if the saplings around me dipped as someone swung themselves in on a branch. I gawked.

Whoever it was didn't see me there. He didn't even glance around, but turned immediately to look back out.

I heard the slow steps of a wolf approaching. The newcomer held his breath, and so did I. Turns out neither of us cared to be caught right now.

I could faintly pick up the sound of the wolf sniffing us out. I crossed my fingers. The newcomer kept staring out while I stared at him.

He was dressed... oddly to say the least. He looked like he was going to a costume party. From his elbows to his hands, he had attached some things that  made him look like he had small blue feathers and down protruding from his skin. His long hair was in strange locks that looked surprisingly similar to quills. He had even teased it so it stood up like the crest of a blue jay.

I couldn't help being slightly amused at his appearance.

He relaxed visibly.

"Are they gone?" I murmured quietly.

His head whipped to me. I was faced with a startling pair of mismatched eyes. One was an undecided mixture of gray and green, while the other was black as ebony. His black shirt was wet with sweat, even in the cool, early night.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled.

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow, what attitude. I could have screwed you over if I had made a noise, you know. They would have come in here and you would be in a pot of very hot water," I said.

He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Cool eyes," I commented, looking back at my sketch.

"Who are you?" he snarled again.

I gave him an irritated look. After a moment, I snapped back, "What does that matter to you? I've never seen you before; I don't think you belong to this pack. Now you come here and question me about why I'm here."

He blinked at me as if trying to read me. I glared.

"You're a very brave girl," he casually mentioned. Veli began to grow restless inside my head.

"What makes you say that?"

He gave me another appraisal. "How about the the fact that you didn't run or scream as soon as you saw me?"

I scoffed. "Why would I be afraid of you? You're only a boy."

He seemed annoyed and also confused by this. Good, I wanted him to be irritated.

"Who are you?" he mumbled.

"I'll tell you if you tell me something too," I said.

"Deal."

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Like what?"

"That," I waved at him, signifying his general appearance.

He looked down at himself. "What?"

"The bird references. The feathers and stuff. Even your hands have claws on them. You look like a clown with that crest. Are you going to some sort of costume party?"

His eyes widened, then the shock was replaced with a small smile. It was dashing enough; however, it paled in contrast to one I knew.

"Yes," he answered. "I was going to a costume party. Then, somehow, something went wrong and I ended up on this pack's land."

I sensed the gaps in this story but kept silent about them. "What's your name?" I asked.

"You're supposed to tell me yours."

I chewed my lip a little and finally told him a lie.

"Fiona," he repeated. "Nice name. Now if you will allow me—" He made a move to step out of the groove.

"Wait!" I said suddenly.

He turned back, standing halfway out.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" I asked, the curiousity killing me.

He eyed me once more from head to toe. Before leaving, he said, "You may call me... Donovan."

Tyler

I followed her scent slowly. Soon, I heard the commotion of an intruder. Links were flying thick through the air. They were chasing. I debated if I should join them. Being an Alpha, I would help them a lot. Then I could look for my Lucy afterwards.

Suddenly, the links changed their tunes.

"Where is it?"

"What do you mean where is it?"

"I can't find its scent."

"How?"

"Here! It passed here!"

"The scent is gone."

"What, so are you saying it can fly now?"

"If it didn't fly, it jumped. But it's not here and its scent ends here. And there are no traces of the chemical."

"Well continue down the valley! It must have found a way to confuse us, but it must be somewhere, and it's not here. Let's go!"

I ground my teeth. My paws dug into the ground. I wondered what "it" was. Obviously, in all that time it would have left them long behind. I didn't bother joining the hunt.

Instead, I looked for my Lucy. And looked.

I followed her scent carefully; it was strong and I knew she had passed here within the past hour. But the scent disappeared suddenly and without explanation. I looked up into the trees— nothing. Zio began to get restless, sniffing around everywhere for a scent. I, meanwhile, was thinking about the disappeared scents. First the "it" and now my Lucy. Maybe...

I ran the list of scent-purging plants that had been drilled into my head because I was the next Alpha. I discarded a few and settled on those that had no smell of their own. I looked around.

And there, a few yards away, was a small circle of saplings that were grown over with one of those plants. It was a creeper: one that I thought had been completely removed from this pack's lands. It was so potent it would swallow any scent within a five yard radius. And it was odorless.

I shook my great wolf head and began to get closer. Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks. I could hear my Lucy's voice; and a male voice.

Someone left the clump from behind. He looked around but did not see my jet black wolf. Zio suddenly wanted to taste its blood, to rip its limbs apart. I wanted to growl and pounce on it, but I had to first find out if Lucy was fine. I watched it sneak away; I could track it later.

My wolf took a step. Suddenly, my Lucy stepped out too. She left the grove, her book tucked securely under one arm. Looking as innocent as ever, she turned and walked away briskly.

Zio growled. I growled. We howled at the moon in pure rage and the pain of betrayal. Zio picked up our paws and raced us home. I dressed in world-class speed. I stormed angrily into the pack house, barking at Lexi over the link to meet me in Dad's office.

How foolproof a plan. How perfect an execution. How wonderfully unfathomable. The drawing, the trials, the fucking distraction excuse— it was all planned. So well planned, even down to the creeper to purge scents. If I hadn't followed her— as, like I seethingly recalled, she had specifically requested— she would have continued to get away with it. No one would have suspected anything. I mean, why should a wolf not like to sketch? I wondered how long this had been going on. Since she was frozen? That's when the sketching was suddenly rejuvenated.

I practically kicked Dad's office door open. A pack wolf who was in there cowered and scurried out having bared her neck.

Lexi arrived a second after me and shut the door.

"Sit," Dad ordered.

I didn't bother looking at him; I grabbed a chair and sat in it.

"Stop growling," Mum added.

I didn't even realize I was growling this whole time.

"Tyler—"

"We have a problem," I snarled viciously. Mum looked taken aback, but for once that didn't take first priority. "Lucinda just had a chat with a shifter."