Ryder ~ Wolf Dominion

Volume 2 Chapter 25

Perhaps I'm unrecognisable in the oil, or I come across as a little gremlin. I'm covered head to toe as I almost drowned while on the ride up in the bucket.

The person hauling me up, sees me leap from the bucket like some corpse and they go running.

I run into the rocks, hiding myself immediately.

My skin is burning, and I needed to get this oil off as quickly as possible.

I stumble around for a bit, feeling disoriented and weak.

But I couldn't go out there near anyone just yet.

I find a small green cavern inside the systems running off the Cracklen, with a water hole – and I clean myself off. I use a sponge like moss in the water, and I'm exhausted by the time I drag myself out, partially clean.

I never heard him come.

As I lie on the rocks, breathing heavy – I see a cloud of silver-white fluff.

I quickly turn around and kneel up, until I see more fur.

I'm staring at Xrat's humongous head, leaning down, sniffing my hair – his fangs hang out of his mouth.

Something I never recognised as unusual until now. His fangs are twice as big as my head itself.

Xrat to me, looks like wolf and dog combined and genetically enhanced to be the perfect war animal.

He looks at me in awe, tilting his head, his blue and yellow eye are showing confusion.

"Go to your pups," I tell him, and he growls a warning.

His pups. They would be used in a war too. Shit.

But Xrat only growls just because he doesn't like being told what to do.

As he lowers down to look at me more closely, he inhales a sharp breath and then turns and leaps away into the rocks.

Departing just like that.

He just came to see the change in me, clearly sensing my untimely death – and miraculous return to life in a tiny little body.

Xrat seemed perplexed then maybe a little repulsed.

I wonder if that's how the rest of them will react. It was time to return to them.

Skye and his family were next.

****

I find spare worker's close in the stations by my work, and I wear what fits. Nothing really does, so I just look like a child wearing these damn huge outfits. But at least I'm not naked.

And then I mostly travel without too much trouble.

Aside from the odd side look from the Shades out and about, I keep my head hidden by a hood on the brown jumper I'm wearing. The grey trousers are rolled up around my ankles, constantly rolling back down but I do my best as I go.

Thankfully Hades' place isn't hard to navigate too in the centre of Cracklen. I hop up the steps and catch my breath before I head to his door, three times my height.

Fuck, everything in every way was so much bigger.

I go right up to his door and pull on it – but it's locked.

It's empty.

They're not in Hades?

I glance down to an ajar door. Ah. They're in Lux's old apartment. As I approach, I hear drinks being passed around and light music.