Elias POV

Dust kicked up under my paws as I darted across the mountain pass. My belly thundered with hunger and mouth water. The white tails of fluffy mountain goats waved in my face. Following these damn goats up the steep cliffs was wearing on my joints. Traveling in my wolf had a speed advantage, but even a wolf has his limits. Each leap from ledge to ledge had the ground crumbling beneath my paws. I am going to melt under this damn sun. The scent of a bleeding goat filled my nose. One of the goats must have hurt itself on the sharp cliffs. Yum. Goat thighs are my favorite! Drool dripped from my mouth as I reached the goat herd. The male goat started to charge toward me. Excitement rushed through me. This is the thrill of the hunt.

Horns were aimed right at me as the fierce little goat made his last stand. I swung around the little white goat at the last second. Chomping into its thigh. Blood gushed into my mouth and dripped down onto my brown fur. I ripped the dark thigh muscle clean off the male goat. The male goat called out in pain as it slammed into the dirt. I feasted on the thigh meat as the herd abandoned the injured male. The stupid goat kept whining! “Can’t you die quietly, you old goat!” I barked although no one could understand me. I tried to finish my bloody thigh, but the goat wouldn’t shut its noisy trap. Fine! I trotted over to the “mehing” fleabag. It struggled as my teeth wrapped around its dying throat. One bite and my dinner fell limp to the ground. No more dinner interruptions. Now, I can eat my fill before I start my search for the river just North of here. I need to hurry because I don’t want to keep my company waiting.

Three hours later…

The smell of the freshwater greeted my snout. My brown, muddy tail wagged as I heard more footsteps pacing around the river. Finally! I will have some company. It has been a month since I left my sister, Kaya, and her family in Pine Row. Scouting the whole area between White Rapids, Pine Row, and the Evergreen Forest, I had been searching for any signs of the dark elf or rumors of our crazy adventure in Old River Woods. The only news that I caught wind of is a noble hiring some questionable mercenaries in a town called Creekmont, which borders Old River Woods. After exchanging messages with Leah via hawk, we agreed to monitor the situation. There was a chance the noble in question was indeed the dark elf, but I had no evidence. Creekmont was a wealthy town full of nobles, wandering around without any leads would be a waste of time. However, I heard some other news from Kaya yesterday and an interesting rumor that I wanted to share with Leah.

Once the river was in sight, I ran straight into it. The cooling water eased my aching joints and cleaned my clumpy brown fur. The water even washed away the blood stained on my muzzle. I swam deep toward the river bed, allowing myself to enjoy the moment of quiet until I felt a tug on my tail. Looking back, I saw a familiar body above the water as the hand on my tail tugged on me again. Pushing my way to the surface, I was greeted by an annoyed emerald gaze.

“Come on, Elias. We don’t have much time. I have ceremony shit to do tonight,” Leah grumbled as she sat down on the shore. She was in her natural beast form was similar to a human shape, but her body was furry with paw-like feet, fluffy black tail and ears, and a wolfy nose. All the black made her emerald eyes shine like stars in the sky.

I shifted back to my beast form. I was sore and clumsy as I walked toward her on the shore. My form was similar to hers except mine was brown fur. My long mane was woven back and knotted in place, and the rest flowed wild down my shoulders. Sitting next to my longtime friend, I could feel the paranoia of being a lone wolf subside. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Alpha Huntress."

"Cheeky old wolf," she muttered. "Cut the formalities. You were my mentor once. You don't need to use my stupid title."

"Whatever you say, Leah," I chuckled. "My wolf instincts are finally relaxing for the first time in a month."

"Is that your way of saying thanks for meeting me?" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Save an old man his pride, would ya? Just take the thank you," I elbowed her.

"Oww. Ease up ol' man," she joked. "So, catch me up. What do you know?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“I talked with Kaya. Have you heard about the frost dragon girl?”

“No… What frost dragon?”

“Myrra wrote to Kaya about a month ago about an odd, female, frost dragon that joined the White Rapids Guild with a fire mage as her companion.” I let my paws slide down to the edge of the river.

“So?”

“The same girl showed up in Pine Row last week with her companion,” I sighed. “They completed their job that was nearby after the first day. It’s been making Kaya nervous.”

“Because?”

“Because they were asking about a simian beast girl.”

“Shit.”

“Now, the frost dragon seems to be cozying up to Katar, who had his heart broken by a certain human girl we know,” I finished.

“Double shit.”

“Yep.”

Leah groaned. “Katar knows better though. He can’t mate outside of our clan or we will have more Rorys. Ugh. I am going to call that little casanova back to the valley for a little more education on our customs.”

“Although I agree, I am worried about the frost dragon getting close to him,” I reminded her. “Why would a frost dragon be interested in a simian beast or Emalynn for that matter?”

“Could be a coincidence,” Leah suggested.

“Maybe…”

“Just observe for now. Our girls are safe.” Leah placed her hand on my back reassuring me. “Anything else to share?”

“You’ll like this one. A passing merchant caught sight of a red wolf saving another merchant with the help of a monkey archer from a wild mountain lion,” I grinned wildly.

Leah looked at me in disbelief. “Rory and Emalynn?”

“Yep.”

“Those girls are bad at hiding,” Leah rubbed her temples. “Really bad.”

“Still, they are helping others like true guild members should. We raised them right.” I couldn’t hide the pride in my words.

“Hopefully, this one will be the same…” Leah muttered under her breath with her hand on her stomach.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “Wait. Wait a freaking minute! You and Axel finally made a pup?”

“Uh…yeah. Why are you flipping out?” She deadpanned.

“You are basically a wolf queen who is pregnant with a pup. Why wouldn’t I flip out?” I stated matter-of-factly. "Since when?"

"Remember when we were at the safe house?" She said, sheepishly.

"Are you serious! Did that crazy battle do something to you?"

"Almost losing all of you definitely affected me, yes," she whispered, solemnly.

I gently rubbed her back. We all nearly lost each other that day. "Yeah, but Rory saved us. Twice, actually."

She gave me a misty smile. "Emalynn showed promise too. I couldn't be more proud."

"Wait! The girls don't know yet." I laughed. “Rory is going to freak out too!”

“Maybe. If she ever gets to know. She’s on the run, Elias. All because she saved our asses with some wild form that has never been seen before,” Leah’s face dropped. “Rory has been through hell her whole life, and now her safety depends on her managing her emotions.” Tears started rolling down her face. “This isn’t fair, Elias. None of this should be happening. When she got older, it was supposed to be safer.”

I wrapped my arm over the woman who was basically my little sister. “Leah, she’s not alone out there. Emalynn is with her. Besides, we both know Rory needs to be out there learning about herself. Rory is one of a kind, and both of her parents were powerhouses in terms of strength, magic, and abilities. Her father, Ronyn Bishop, was the famous ‘last strike’ swordsman. He used a lightning sword that could split a castle in half at full power. Her mother, Astrid Sillber Firestone, was once the strongest wolf in our valley who went on to be a great healer in her human form. Rory is not weak. Her roots are strong. Hell, Emalynn is as feisty as they come. Her skills as an archer ate better than any in the guild. Emalynn will make sure that they are not just continuously running. Our girls will come home and watch their cousin grow up. We just need to eliminate the dark elf while Rory figures out her growing abilities. God will guide us. Have faith."

"I want to, Elias. Axel says the same thing. My parents aren't thrilled about Rory's situation either," Leah sighed.

The image of the current Rory rolled through my mind. "Honestly, they wouldn't recognize her if they saw her."

"Tell me about the girls," Leah's eyes had a slight, sad sparkle to them.

"For starters, both the girls are redheads now," I smiled as I told all about the girls' disguises. Leah started to relax and chuckle at my stories of the girls in Pine Row. She gave me a disgusted look when I mentioned Katar’s affection for Rory. She was acting like a mother more than before. This pup was already changing Leah as all new parents change. Hopefully, I can end this dark elf drama before Leah loses her patience. God bless Axel for enduring Leah’s wrath over the next few months.

"The sun is getting low. I need to get back for my ceremony crap," she groaned. She stood tall next to me, wiping stray tears. "Go kill the jackass elf and bring the girls home."

"You got it, Alpha Huntress," I grinned as she cussed me out. I stuck my tongue out at her right before shifting and running back into the darkness of the forest.