Raika rolled away from the giant immanis mouth, just barely. She rolled right into a tree adding a radiating pressure pain to the venom in her blood. Her vision remained cloudy, so she chose to rely on her ears and nose to guide her through the battle. Raika had one shot to beat the Immanis snake by interrupting its senses, so it would give up. She studied her surroundings sniffing for anything she could use against the snake.

Before Raika could catch a solid scent, the snake came back around for her. Raika impulsively began kicking dirt into the air. The dusty soil from the forest floor went flying about until it landed in the snake's black eyes, causing the snake to falter and bite the tree Raika had rolled into. Raika ran, smelling the air for gingermint that often grew in the forest. Gingermint invades a person's nose and causes a burning sensation that will last for at least an hour.

The snake's eyes were now closed from being irritated by the dirt. Raika zig-zagged in the opening with the snake hot on her tail. She could feel her body ache, and her legs wanted to drop under her. Aura watched Raika bounce from tree to tree almost dancing with the very angry immanis snake. A mindlink informed Raika that the wolf hunters were approaching with the cart, which meant Raika needed to run this snake off, fast.

Raika gave up on finding the gingermint. She moved faster to get a lead in front of the snake and turned to face it. Her ears twitched as she focused on the snake's movements. Once she gaged how the snake moved, Raika prepared to board her pursuer. One running leap just as the immanis opened its jaws allowed Raika to crash onto the snake's head. Raika wasted no time clawing and biting down on the scaly flesh. The snake jerked and threw its weight around trying to knock Raika off. Raika continued her assault, digging out a black eye in the snake's face. Blood sprang out onto Raika's black fur down onto the dusty soil. Raika dug in further as the snake hissed and smashed its head against another tree. She barely hung on to the snake's flesh as she was flung about. The snake got one good hit on the tree, causing Raika to fall to the floor.

Aura halted her charge when the snake slithered back into the woods. The Misty Woods was home to many large predators like the Immanis Snake, and it was often unforgiving to small hunters like wolves. This is why the Misty Woods was often used as a proving ground for new warriors and wolf hunters and huntresses. Once the snake was long gone, Aura trotted over to heavy breathing Raika. Her sister required medical attention for the venom in her body, shifter beasts heal fast from broken bones. Aura gave Raika an approving lick, signifying Raika had completed her task. The wolf hunters appeared with the cart and loaded the dead deer up along with the injured Raika.

Aura watched the four wolf hunters pull the cart onto the cave, leading back to the valley. She decided to walk the perimeter near the cave in case another race or animal decided to be bold and follow the wolves. Aura walked about passing the rest of the Imbris Deer herd and the injured Immanis snake diving into its burrow. The Misty Woods was full of animals that were busy running through trees and gathering food. She stopped to clean the blood from her silver fur of the deer blood. Aura thought of the smiling faces of the children feasting on the bounty of deer that they had retrieved. Although the village has cattle and farm goods that can be eaten and food from the trades made with other villages, the wolf hunters and huntresses hunt to bring in feasts for the children of the village. It's a tradition that keeps the village close to its roots.

"Aura." Alpha Enoch called into her mind. "Time to report." Hearing his voice made Aura's mood sour. She was not ready for this conversation, but she had a responsibility to her sister to report on her success.

"Yes, Alpha. On my way." Aura responded as she took off toward the underground village. The run would help calm her nerves before facing Enoch. She was thankful that Enoch could not sense her thoughts or emotions outside of the village. Aura could get a few minutes of peace.

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Aura disliked her incredible speed right now because the run was over too quickly. She transformed into her beast form once on the edge of the village. Her appearance was still mission-ready as she carried her dual knives on her waist. She was dressed in her black hunting armor over her green halter and matching shorts to allow for maximum movement. The roots of her hair were beginning to appear silver while the rest remained a thick black mess tamed into a braid. Aura approached the grand hall once more, taking a deep inhale. Exhaling her worries, she entered the building.

Alpha Enoch waited patiently for Aura to reach the main chamber. Enoch had the room repaired and redecorated yesterday while he spent time with the council reviewing the candidates for becoming wolf hunters. It was time for three hunters to retire, which is a big deal for the clan. There are always forty-eight wolf hunters in service at a time because of the number of rings available. The Alpha Hunter and Huntress have the forty-ninth and fiftieth rings. When a new spot opens for a wolf hunter, the clan celebrates with a three-day, full moon festival. This was a rare time for three wolves to retire at once.

"Lost in your thoughts, Alpha?" Aura asked with a forced kindness in her voice.

"I was thinking of the selection of new wolf hunters." Alpha Enoch said. He moved from the column he was leaning against and invited Aura to the table. Once they were seated, he looked at Aura. He sensed her tension and her hidden annoyance towards him. Enoch wanted so much to see happiness in her gold eyes. "Your report, Aura."

"Of course, Alpha." Aura had a slight prideful tone to her voice. "Per your orders, I took Raika for a hunt. She scored five deer of her own and defended our bounty by turning an Immanis Snake away. She tore out one of the snake's eyes after getting hit by one of the fangs. She is being treated for venom and physical injuries now."

Alpha Enoch chuckled at Aura. "Do you just attract the biggest predators to those you mentor?" He chuckled harder at the irony. Enoch had faced an immanis snake when Aura had taken him for his hunt a few years ago. This woman was a magnet for trouble.

"No, ALPHA." She almost growled. Enoch was still annoying her. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Aura, there is. The engineer, Jenro, informed me it will take him some time to evaluate your idea." He replied. His eyes looked over her. How he wished to taste her lips again.

"He mentioned that when I spoke with him. Alpha, I wanted to check in on the wolf hunters in the villages outside of the Hailia Mountains. Jalen and Ivy have yet to check in and Jenro said Karis hasn't said anything either," Aura said. She was filled with concern for Jalen as she spoke. "The humans had said the villages were facing a plague."

Alpha Enoch's face went from sympathy to jealousy at the mention of humans. "Are you sure you are worried about your friends and not that human?" Enoch let the bitterness roll on his tongue.

"Enoch, no. I promised Jenro that I would look into it. He misses his mate." Aura said, crossing her arms. Enoch was going too far again. "I am not in this for a human, Alpha."

"Good, but you aren't assigned to those villages. You will have to wait for word from the villages." Enoch replied as an idea formed in his mind.

Aura was seething from Enoch's response, but she knew better than to sound angry. "Enoch, I am the best person to send. My mission has finished, and I may be able to help the villagers with my herbalist skills. Please, Alpha."

Enoch enjoyed the look on Aurora's face. For the first time, she needed something from him. "True. How about we make a bargain then?"

"What do you want, Alpha?" Aura asked. She was surprised that he had given in already. She adjusted her posture in her chair trying to prepare herself for his request. The room suddenly seemed more uncomfortable than before.

Enoch smiled. "Don't worry, Aura. I just want to go on a date with you."

All the tension in her body exploded as she struggled not to fall over. Is he doing this? Doesn’t he remember her reaction to the council forcing a relationship on her because of him? Then there was Raika's crush on him, and Aura didn't want to hurt Raika. Aura believed Enoch just had a momentary attraction toward her because they were familiar and he's under a lot of stress. Enoch seemed to have a completely different opinion of their relationship. Why would this go any better than that kiss he gave her?