The Year of the Horse (Book two of the Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 1 (Edited)

It was a cool day in October, and I was outside fooling around with Jason. The sun was shining and the air was fresh. A year had passed from when I had turned the Almair, and I was ready to learn about the new part that I had to do. However, they hadn't told me anything yet, so I've spent my days just running and play fighting with him. "You can't catch me!" I exclaimed, looking back at a running wolf.

"Do you want to make a bet?" he asked in challenge, lengthening his stride. He groaned and tried to lengthen his stride some more, because I was way ahead of him. "No fair," he complained, making me laugh.

"CHILDREN!" someone yelled at us. They sounded rather annoyed with us, and I didn't know why. "COME HERE!"

I slowed down to a walk, panting. I tucked my tail between my legs, let my head hang low, put my ears a little way back, and went to where I heard the voice. I knew that I was in trouble, so I was signalling 'I'm sorry,' even though I didn't know what I was sorry about. I lifted my head up and saw that it was a she wolf. However, it wasn't someone that I had met before. "Yes, Ma'am?" I asked, still keeping my position.

"I should've known that the Almair was behind this," she hissed.

The female had really dark gray fur with a bit of white on her muzzle. She had one left paw that was white, but that was the only color on her. She was just a small bit shorter than me, but she was older. Her brown eyes were narrowed as she looked at me, dislike burning in them. Her ears were flat against her head, and her teeth were bared, as if she was signaling that she was wanting to have a fight, because she was threatening me.

"Behind what? All we were doing was having a little fun," I said, calmly. I lifted my head and met her gaze, waiting for her to attack me or something. I didn't trust her one bit, and I wasn't going to like her, that I knew. I, also, knew that she would be against me, even if I didn't do anything to her.

"Well, have fun somewhere else but not here," she said, rudely, like she was better than me. "Now, run along and don't come back. Do you understand me?"

My mouth just dropped in surprise and shock. She did not just say that. She did not just order me to go somewhere else, when I had just as much as a right to be here like her. However, I might have a little bit more of a right.

"Are you deaf?! Do I need to repeat myself, or do I need to go get Faolon? I'm sure that he would like to be disturbed with whatever he was doing to care the likes of-" She looked me up and down, a frown on her face, "-you."

Lady, you got some nerves, I thought, frowning.

"Hello? Isanyone home in their?" she asked, making it sound like that I was a little kid, or that I didn't understand her or English.

"Uh... sure. Get Faolon over here or maybe better yet, Lobo would be fine." I frowned, glaring at her. "Another better idea is to get both of them for all I care," I replied, narrowing my eyes at her. I was in a very bad mood, because of the way that she was treating me. I did not like it when people or animals start acting as if they were better than me, when they were not.

"Uh, Martha... we better get going. Let's get away from here," Jason said, looking around, warily, as if he was afraid that something would jump out at him. Even in his wolf form he was nervous like his human form.

I huffed and rolled my eyes, but I knew that he was right. I looked at the she wolf, glaring. "Tell Lobo, when you see him, that I would like to talk to him." With that, I trotted away, knowing that Jason would follow. I didn't want to stay there, because I would attack her if I did.