The Etherealites

10: Rune - Chimera

Haldryn and I walk along the group of wolves. We are gathered in a field beyond the cabin we'd been in, and as we walk through the group, I see a girl wolf sitting beside a guy who stares off into space. I honestly wonder if he's not high or something.

The girl looks up at me, a soft smile on her face. She stands up, bowing. "Hello, Alpha."

"Please, call me Rune," I say.

She nods. "I'm Zariah." I look at her, her dark skin and long, black hair, and amber eyes that glow a bit. She has a smattering of freckles on her face, right under her eyes. She has a crooked smile, but it's one that's intoxicating and contagious, too.

"Haldryn." He shakes her hand and Zariah nods to him.

"So, uh, do you wish to be my Third?" I ask her. Her eyes widen. She claps her hands excitedly.

"Oh, me?! Sure! Well, uh, first, you should see my wolf."

"Okay," I reply, nodding and stepping back. Within a few seconds, a massive black furred wolf stands before us, her piercing amber eyes glowing. She prances in a circle, making soft chirping sounds.

I laugh, as does Haldryn. He smiles at her, and she morphs back into her human shape. "If I may, I think it'd be best if you had a Fourth, too."

"Oh?"

Zariah nods.  "Yep. And I know who should be your Fourth! Follow me!"

She leads us away from the odd wolf boy, and the three of us walk over to a tree, under which is a hazel eyed man. He looks up at us, an easy smile appearing on his tan face. Standing up, the guy bows.

"You'll be much better than Caleb ever was," he says as he stands. "The name's Malik."

"Nice to meet you," I say.  "The name's Rune. This is Haldryn — he's my Second. Zariah, my Third. She's asked about you. Said you could be my Fourth."

His eyes widen. "Oh? I didn't think you'd need a Fourth. But uh, sure, of course, I'm assuming this is a trial basis?"

"Yeah" I say. I look at Zariah, who nods.

"Yeah, I am trial, too."

"So," Haldryn says casually, as he steps past me. His arm brushes mine, and my heart skips a beat. He doesn't seem to have noticed, and as I turn my head away from him, I feel a blush rise to my cheeks. Why? What the fuck's wrong with me?

"We should probably head off," says Zariah.

"Why?" I ask, facing her.

"Because, I can sense something.  I may just be a dyrewolf, but I always follow my instincts. And they're telling me to get out of here." She looks at me. "Can you tell them to disperse? We can meet up with them later on, but for now, we need to get out of here. All of us."

I glance at Haldryn. He's studying the forest around us. But then, he turns to me. "Somethings coming."

"What?" I ask him.  "What's coming?"

"Something bad," he says softly.