Warrior, Princess, Werewolf

Sierra

A run in the woods was a great way to clear your head.

A run in the woods as a six-foot-tall werewolf with your best friend was even better.

Warren kept perfect pace with her as they leapt over fallen trees, large rocks, and small streams. The sound of all the nocturnal wildlife surrounded them as they ran, the ground rushing past beneath their paws. Unlike any normal conversation, where two people would sit or walk slowly and talk, Warren and Sierra were barking to each other while flying along at probably forty-five miles an hour.

"Anything new with your little 'patient'?" Warren asked.

"No, not that I can tell." Sierra barked back. "But I got a chance to show her my wolf bite earlier today. I told her my cover story on it, and she didn't seem suspicious." She ducked under a low branch as Warren soared over it. The bigger wolf settled in beside her again, tilting his head towards her.

"Maybe you shouldn't worry so much. Remember when I bit you? I felt so bad about it, worried myself silly, and next thing I knew, you were thanking me for it." He said. Sierra responded with an unsure rrrrrrrff.

"I just don't know how she's going to take this. She's not human, remember? What if it effects her differently?" She fretted. Warren dodged a fox, who yipped displeased insults at him as they bounded off and out of it's sight.

"Alpha Daniels says she'll probably be fine. What I think we should worry about more is the blood-cursed wolf."

Sierra shivered at the memory of the red-eyed wolf. Blood-cursed werewolves were ones who had taken the life of their own kind under a blood moon, resulting in being cursed into their wolf forms forever, never to return to humans or their pack again. The curse gave them red eyes and turned them mad, so Alphas would have to banish them or kill them. Fortunately, they were very rare.

But unfortunately, there was one in Arcadia.

The Alpha had sent several patrols over the week, but nothing had been found so far. Either they were very good at covering their tracks, or, Sierra hoped, they were gone. If there's a blood-cursed werewolf out here somewhere when Aja transforms, that could be really, really bad.

And then Warren skidded to a stop.

She stopped beside him and gave a questioning growl. He didn't answer. He just kept staring out in front of them. The scent hit her nose, and she froze with fear as she recognized it, as well as the ember-red eyes peering out from the shadows.

"Well hellooooooo there." A female voice growled. Warren tensed, ready to fight. The silvery-gray wolf stepped into view, her bones clearly visible under her thin fur. There was a mostly-healed scar over her right eye, like she'd been slashed with a blade. She was grinning with all her sharp, dirty teeth, her lips peeled so far back it looked unnatural.

"You. So there is a blood-cursed werewolf here in Arcadia." Warren snarled, but his signature nervous nature still showed through. The cursed wolf chuckled in her human voice, sneering.

"I know the brown one, but I don't believe I know you." Her human voice was smooth and proper, and contrasted her bony, unhealthy body. Sierra did her best to look unfazed.

"So, we're talking like civilized humans, I see. What do you want?" She responded before Warren could answer.

"I was going to attack you and rip your throat out. But then it occurred to me that we might be able to come to an agreement." The red-eyed wolf said coolly.

"What agreement?" Warren asked.

"This little hero over here, as you might know, recently bit a young girl under the full moon." The gray wolf replied. "A girl that wasn't human. Such a creature could be incredibly dangerous as one of us. So I thought maybe you might agree to put our differences aside and work together to eliminate her."

"Absolutely not!" Sierra snarled, almost by reflex. "You attacked her! I was only trying to save her from you!"

"Well, then!" The cursed wolf barked back.

"You'd better leave, blood-wolf. Otherwise, the Alpha will have you put down." Warren warned.

"Really? Well, I'm not scared of him. Seeing as you don't want to help me kill off the threat, I guess I'll do it myself right after I take my revenge, which was the original plan anyway. Sorry you missed out." The red-eyed wolf growled menacingly. A dozen more pairs of red eyes suddenly appeared in the shadows behind her, and all at once, a pack of mad wolves attacked Sierra and Warren.

Sierra wasn't used to fighting. Especially a large pack like this with only Warren as backup. Warren hated fighting, and he wasn't the best at it, either. The two wolves struggled to break free of the mass of sharp teeth and claws, snapping and snarling. An entire pack of blood-cursed werewolves trying to kill them. If this wasn't any werewolf's worst nightmare, it certainly would be after tonight.

Warren shoved a wolf aside, leaving a brief opening. Sierra followed him as he bolted. They ran as fast as they could through the trees, the cursed pack chasing them. Sierra felt the thundering of their paws through the earth as she willed herself to go faster. The trees whizzed by like blurs in the darkness, the growling of the mad wolves behind her never ceasing.

"I thought you said they were always alone!" She barked to Warren.

"They are! This is a highly unusual development! Oh, what are we gonna tell Alpha Daniels?!" Warren woofed back.

"We won't tell him anything if we're dead! Any ideas?!"

"The pack meeting grounds! They shouldn't follow us there!"

"Shouldn't?! That's the best you can do?!"

The two werewolves hightailed it towards the secret clearing, the scent of a place where wolves frequently stood getting nearer. Sierra's paws ached, her heart was pounding, but fear kept her running. Warren was right beside her, eyes focused ahead.

The trees suddenly dropped away, and open space greeted them. They crashed into the base of the rock ledge, quickly jumping back to their feet and looking back. The blood-cursed pack was at the edge of the trees, growling but not advancing. Sierra sighed and lowered herself slowly to the ground.

"We...almost...died." She panted, dropping the Wolfspeak.

"I...am...aware...of that." Warren panted back, laying down beside her.

"I think we're all in really big trouble." Sierra said shakily.

"Yeah. That'll do it." Warren agreed. "I think we need to talk to the Alpha."