Pack Ties, Blood Lies

Chapter 37 - Delirium

It's finally here!! I hope it was worth the wait   ;)

- Molly

In another lifetime, I would have been thrilled to travel alongside my Pack mates, flank to flank with my furry brethren as we slip through the thick undergrowth.

But right now, all I feel is the cloying weight of my guilt.

The bodies around me move with purpose, a collective understanding of how the Pack must retaliate.

But they don't really know the whole story.

And if they did, would they still be here?

Leaving their homes and risking their lives? Losing the ones they love because of a war that started with me?

I huffed, skipping over a small stream in tandem with my group. A determined furry train barrelling along without pause.

We move incessantly from dawn to dusk. A quick hunt to fill our bellies before nervous sleep until dawn. Rinse and repeat for a week straight already.

Jack and I had been assigned to separate ends of the train. He was bringing up the rear, keeping the weaker pack members to pace and offering protection.

I was up front under the watchful eye of my father. He clearly mistrusted me, something that was evident in his persistent looming presence, but he was careful not to put the feeling into words.

It had been a lonely few days and I missed my mate. We had left things kind of shakily and my wolf was restless in the knowledge that we were separated.

I idly joined in tonight's hunt, barely hungry enough to bother, but stubbornly pretending to my sitters that I was fine.

A few others and I cornered a stag, taking it down with ease. I stepped back and allowed them to tear off their share first, before dragging the last skinny leg away from the crowd to eat in the company of my own thoughts.

I nudged the meat a few times with my paw before deciding I really couldn't face anything after all.

Dusk was quickly wrapping us in its inky embrace and the Pack had set up camp for the night. I listened as shifted children laughed as they played chase in the excitingly unfamiliar environment. The murmur of chatter wove through the air as adults caught up with family and friends.

The long days of constant movement were showing in the mud splattered fur of all of us and I longed to wash.

Making up my mind I abandoned my untouched meal and lifted my nose to scent the cool night air. Happily, I caught the mossy scent of a nearby water source and followed my nose to find it.

The sounds of camp were slowly masked by the roar of a fantastic waterfall. Glinting majestically in the moonlight, it's blackened water crashed roughly against the rockface before frothing silvered clouds into the dark pool at its base.

I wasted no time in taking a running leap from the gravel bank, twisting and transforming mid air to dive gracefully into the pool in human form.

The cold water immediately shocked the grime and angst from me, clearing my mind fully for the first time since I kissed Drake.

I swam beneath the surface for a few meters, savouring each second of sensory deprivation. The only thing apparent in the moment was the cold liquid against my pebbled skin.

I had just surfaced when a dark shape erupted from the bank, slipping beneath the water before I could focus on who or what it was.

A sliver of fear trickled down my spine and I struck out for the shore, swimming confidently at a right angle to the direction of the newcomer.