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Baggage {pt.4}

Derek was prowling the preserve in his wolf form, searching for any signs of intruders in his territory. All seemed at peace in his forest- his home. The night breeze was nipping at his wet nose and the grass was cool under the pads of his paws.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as he turned to leave when, the wind carries the traces of wet mutt and Derek's large canine ears pick up predatory growls and snarling coming from the other side of the preserve followed closely by the distinct sound of leaves crunching and twigs snapping under heavy foot fall.

Derek's shadowy figure dashed through the lush green forest as fast as he could toward the directi on  where the growling originated. T he scent of another werewolf, an unknown and ghastly smelling one at that, snuck up into his nose and his wolf body seemed all the more hyper-sensitive. His fur was bristling and he felt his claws dig into the ground enough to kick up bits of rock.

When Derek was nearing the half way point of the preserve, something occurred to him. He couldn't smell  whatever the other wolf was chasing.

Derek persistently continued to chase the wolf, gradually shortening the distance until he could physically see the matted werewolf. It was the average height of a beta and a little on the skinny side, his fur was matted with dirt and blood as well as old scars.

Finally nearing the other werewolf, close enough to attack from behind, Derek smelt it. He smelled the person being chased by the other wolf.

The most enchanting, mouthwatering aroma surrounded his mind and body, shoving itself into every crevice of his thought process. The subtle smell of a sweetened caffeinated drink, mint, and eucalyptus with an under layer of pine needles wafted into his nose but the unbelievably delectable scent was tainted by the pungent, acrid smell of immense fear.

A sharp, stinging sensation wafted up his nose as his vision goes red. In an instant, the almost familiar feeling of his wolf shifting in his subconscious took over and he was racing through the preserve with only his animalistic determination to follow that scent no matter what.

Derek eventually found himself running after the silhouette of a beta werewolf and pushed himself to dig his claws harder into the earth to gain speed. Whoever this werewolf is, he's clearly the one responsible for the vicious growls and snarls resonating through the preserve and Derek can't help but want him dead for simultaneously being the reason for that sour smell of immense fear overruling that incredibly sweet scent.

The wolf manages to catch up to the beta rather quickly before he himself is a snarling mess of pure instinct and rage toward the other were. Before Derek realizes what he's doing, he's sinking his claws into the beta's legs, making him turn into a pile of ashes on the forest ground.

Derek sprinted toward the alluring scent that was still covered by fear.

The scent was getting farther and farther away from the wolf, nearly making him whine. Derek forced himself to go faster in a desperate attempt to get closer to the source of the scent but that was soon rendered useless when it started to rain, drowning out the astonishing smell with the pouring of fresh rainfall.

The wolf kept running aimlessly, trying to track the scent once more but it was to no avail. The rain has completely hidden the scent from the wolf as the downpour only gets stronger by the minute.

Eventually Derek was completely drenched from head to paw; he knows it's only a matter of time before it gets into his double coat if it continues to rain like this.

Reluctantly, Derek ended his attempts in finding the source of the scent and started heading back toward a cave he knows is near this part of the preserve.