Claws

Chapter 1.

The scent of freshly spilled Katagarian blood filled Mystasia's nostrils as her bright green eyes fluttered open to survey the scene around her. It didn't look as if many of the Katagarian Pack had survived the sets of small explosions. Only three two other heartbeats could be heard among the rubble of the torn apart house. Mystasia ground her teeth together as she tried to force herself up onto her knees, her vision swirled around her as she collapsed to the blood coated floor.

"Check for any survivors, if any are alive obtain them immediately. They'll serve their purpose soon enough." ordered a female voice as she entered the main level of the house with three males following after her. Their boots crunched loudly on broken shards of glass as they started to examine the scattered bodies on the floor around them. Mystasia's eyes started to roll back in her head as she fought to remain conscious, her injuries starting to get the better of her.

"There doesn't seem to be many survivors, Tabitha." called out one of the male voices, a deep male voice.

"Keep looking, Elise! Not all of them were wiped out." snapped Tabitha as she kicked away bits of the walls that were on the floor. When a hand tightly fisted in her dark red hair, a sharp hiss left Mystasia's blood spattered lips.

"We got a live one here!" called out the male that tightened his grip on her hair.

"Hold her! We don't need a survivor getting free." ordered Tabitha as she approached the pair in the middle of the room, carelessly stepping over the girl's fallen family. Mystasia's eyes flickered neon purple a few times, making it a giveaway that she wasn't a human pack member.

"Must be a highly ranked mutt if she survived, even the Alpha pair didn't manage a breath." taunted the Hunter as she knelt down a few feet in front of the injured shifter. A growl left the wolf's lips as she lunged towards the older girl, a weak scream leaving her lips when she was roughly pulled back by the male.

"Such a temper, little mutt. You'll definitely serve your purpose." explained Tabitha as she firmly gripped the girl's jaw with her hand.

"Wh-What do you want with m-my family?", managed out Mystasia as she tried to jerk her jaw free of the girl's grip, which only seemed to increase degree by degree.

"You'll find out soon enough." replied Tabitha as she looked deeply into those purple eyes.

"We have two more live ones! Both male! One shifter and one human!" called out the third male voice of the last Hunter.

"Discard of the human, we only need the shifter." ordered the female Hunter firmly. The sound of a snapping neck filled the room seconds later, only fueling Mystasia as she lunged towards Tabitha, her shifted canines snapping inches from her face.

"Oh, sweetie. Don't make me bruise such a beautiful face." cooed Tabitha as she got a bit closer. It only took a split second for Mystasia to spit a mouthful of blood into the Hunter's face. The moment the dark blood hit Tabitha's face, she struck out with a clenched fist, her knuckles splitting the wolf's cheek.

"Tranquilize her and the other shifter, put them each in the van. We brought the chains for a reason, I expect you to use them." ordered the Hunter as she rose from her position on the floor, her hands clenched into fists. Mystasia closed her eyes briefly as her body swayed, struggling to keep herself conscious. Her blood rushed in her ears, intensifying her own pulse as her heart raced, but her ears were also picking up on the Hunter's heartbeat. It was steady and even, as if she had no care with what she was doing to a family, a family that had done nothing to them in the past.

"This will only hurt for a moment, mutt." explained the male voice behind her as a needle pricked the skin on the side of her neck. The tranquilizer burned through her veins as it spread, making it feel as if her skin were on fire from the inside out. Her body tensed as she threw her head back, eyes now blazing their bright purple. As soon as her head was thrown back, her mouth opened and she let out a loud and room shaking howl. If any of the other Packs in the area were close enough they would hear her howl, it would only take seconds for them to recognize the bloodline that she was from.

"Cut her off! What did I tell you?! There are other Packs, their territories overlap this one!" screamed Tabitha as she ran back inside, a metal piece in her hand that looked like a piece of medieval head gear. She tossed the metal headgear towards the guy and he grabbed her shoulders tightly as her body swayed under the influence of the drugs coursing through her veins. He grabbed her head and sharply shut her mouth, her teeth clicking together under the force as he slid the headgear on over her head, securing it tightly around her with leather straps. It'd only take a few slices with my claws to get out of this thing. Once it was secure, he hauled her up onto her feet by her elbows, her legs buckling underneath her as her eyes rolled back into her head. Her howl could still be heard echoing through the trees, their trunks vibrating under the force of it.

"I swear it's like you know nothing of your training." muttered the female Hunter as she walked back outside to the van, helping the other Hunter secure the male shifter in the chain restraints.

"Secure her. We need to get back on schedule and bring these two back to the house." explained Tabitha as she threw the back doors of the van open, helping load the now unconscious shifter into the back. They worked quickly to secure the chains around her ankles, wrists, and upper body, making sure there was little to no chance of getting free on their trip back to the house.