*Immediatly after the events of the previous chapter*

*6/4/90*

Rose couldn't blink. The moon was drawing her gaze with an irresistible pull. Her rose-colored eyes were almost clear in its light. She took a deep breath, tasting silver on her tongue.

Hunter pulled her arm while trying to shield her from view. The Huntsmen were heading toward the northern forest, where Ember and Scar's packs were. “Rose, we need to move. Everyone, form a barrier around her, and-"

A shriek ripped through the darkening town. "Werewolf!" A woman was pointing at Rose, eyes wide with horror.

Rose lurched forward, trembling as her nails extended. “This can't be-” She couldn't even finish the thought as the feeling of shifting bones and rapidly growing fur overwhelmed her. Her clothes were being shredded.

Jade cursed under her breath. Already, a few of the Huntsmen who hadn't run into the woods were turning around, trying to make a path through the crowd of frenzied townsfolk that was running in the opposite direction. "We need to run. Now!"

"Hold on!" Hunter rushed to Rose's side as he remembered something. "The vials!" He hurried to detach Rose's belt of Stone dust vials. They wouldn't have time to use them while running, after all.

Then, Kenny’s voice boomed from nearby. "Out of my way!" He was pushing through the retreating mod, a saber in hand and a grim expression on his face.

"Run!" Hunter shouted as he raised his shield and Jade held up her magic-adorned hands. Garrett and Mason each grabbed one of Rose's arms.

The group plunged toward the south side of town. Their one advantage was that most of the Huntsmen were in the northern woods and would take too long to get back. There was resistance, though. People threw various items from their houses, while several explosions and shouts told them that Kevin was throwing cherry bombs.

Rose lifted her head as the change completed. Her yellow fur shimmered in the moonlight, and her terrified eyes reflected the stars. She parted her jaws and howled in agony. There were too many sights! Too many smells! Too many sounds! Too much!

She shook Garrett and Mason off and rushed toward the trees. One foolish albino tried coming at her from the side, but she easily grabbed his arm in her jaws and flung him away. The cool shadows embraced her, and her legs propelled her forward. She was free!

Then, she became aware of the scent of other wolves. One in particular was sweeter than anything she had ever smelled before. It drew her to the right and toward a distant clearing.

Hunter and the others, now that Rose was in the clear, turned around to face their pursuers. "Please, stop!" Hunter shouted, though the angry yells and explosions drowned his voice out.

It was then that Brianna noticed the bitten albino. Blood seeped from his arm, and his eyes were wide with horror. "Hey, come over here!"

Before anything else could be said, Kenny strode over, thrusting his sword through the boys neck without a moment's hesitation.

The group watched, hearts sinking, as the albino collapsed. Blood from the cut and Rose's bite seeped into the earth. Then, they met the eyes of the Huntsmen who had finally caught up, led by Kevin. The faces of those gathered were filled with rage and fear.

"Hunter," Mason muttered. "They don't look interested in talking." He raised Feldspar nervously.

"We need to give Rose more time," Hunter replied, desperately searching for a familiar face. His eyes fell on Ada of all people. "Ada, listen! Werewolves aren't evil. Rose isn’t damned!”

"Nonsense!" Kenny strode forward, pointing his saber at Hunter's throat. "They have corrupted this whole hunting party! I should kill all of you right now!"

"Wait!" Ada pushed through the crowd, stumbling as she approached. She put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Please, sir. This village has already lost so many good people. Don't take another one from us."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Quiet, slave!" Kenny snapped. "And we're wasting precious time. If they won't step aside, they must die!"

"Hold up, old man. Hold up." A voice followed by several people being shoved aside signaled an old man's approach. One of Kenny’s friends. "Don't be too harsh on 'em. They just lost two members their party. Seeing Rose turn all of a sudden probably was too much for them. They couldn't handle losing someone else. Shock does crazy stuff to you."

“Well, how in the world was she bitten without them knowing?" Kevin growled. "And why didn't she immediately tell someone?"

"But, she wasn't-" Jade started to speak up, but was silenced when Garrett jabbed her side with his elbow. She blinked up at him, and he just barely shook his head. She bit her lip and didn't say anything else.

"We fought some Shadows while patrolling a few days ago," Hunter lied, thinking quickly. "There…there were Mutts and Thunderbirds. She got a small scratch, but we thought it was from a Thunderbird." He did his best to look repentant. "Everyone's been so scared and quick to kill people who might or might not be werewolves. We didn't want to lose her.” Thankfully, he was already feeling scared and emotional enough to let a few tears fall.

There was some muttering in the crowd at this. Ada was the next to speak.

"I agree with him. We expect Huntsmen, licensed or not to do their jobs no matter what, but losing two people at such a young age probably was too much for them." She moved forward, smiling at Hunter. "They seem okay now. Why don't we give them a chance to redeem themselves?"

Kenny turned on her. "And how do you suggest that?"

“You have duties as our leader," Ada said smoothly. "And you have been retired from being a Huntsman for years. You won't be able to track her down. So, let's let Hunter’s group do it. They will hunt down Rose, bring her pelt or some other token back as proof, and will be allowed back into Castell Henllys."

Kenny looked outraged, but his friend was nodding his head. "I think that is a perfect plan. And, to ensure it is done, we'll send one other group with them. Will that satisfy everyone?"

There was a mixture of grumbling and muttering, but Kenny lowered his saber with a sigh. "Very well."

A small voice called out: "I volunteer my hunting party." Michael, the albino boy, moved to the front of the crowd, followed closely by a reform group of his and Kevin's surviving groups. It consisted of Michael, his best friend Marry, Kevin, and his best friend Rus. Many people nodded at this. Michael's group was half the size of a normal hunting party and was often sent when speed was needed for a particular kill.

Kenny glared at all of them. "I will give you a month. If you haven't brought proof of my Rose’s death back before the next full moon, consider yourselves banished from Castell Henllys forever."

Hunter's mouth went dry, and he was barely able to nod. Glancing at the others, he led the way into the forest, trying desperately to figure out what to do next. “This is bad! If it was just us, I guess we'd just leave, but we can't allow Michael and her group to be exiled too!” He thought.

Michael moved ahead, looking at the ground. "With the trail this fresh, we shouldn't have a problem," he muttered.

Marry walked up to Brianna, shaking her head. "You've landed us in a nice mess, huh?" She clapped her shoulder. "Don't worry. It's understandable."

Brianna bit her lip, glancing at Hunter, who shook his head and mouthed "Later." She nodded once and said nothing.

“We can't keep this a secret from them,” Hunter decided in his thoughts. “So, we'll tell them once we're a few hours away from Castell Henllys. If they believe us, they can help us. If they don't, they’ll have to either fight us or run back home. We can probably take them in a fight. If they run back to Castell Henllys, we'll have a good head start before anyone starts chasing us.”

~o0o~

For Ellora's small pack, the night of the full moon began as one would expect. They transformed, keeping their howls quiet, and started hunting for their next meal Flint was the one using his beta powers at that moment and was the first to realize something was wrong.

His nose twitched and his ears flicked. Another wolf was entering his radius. He growled, signaling to the others, who went still, looking around nervously. It was only one wolf, and it didn't feel like Ember, Scar, or any other wolf they knew. Yet, this one felt familiar in a way.

Summer allowed her beta powers to activate, also trying to figure out who the wolf was. Whoever it was, it was barreling haphazardly in their direction. “It's definitely a whelp.” She communicated this with the others.

They all tensed as the wolf drew closer, the sound of pawfalls now apparent to everyone. Steven whimpered while Ellora stepped to the front of the pack, baring her fangs. Coraline moved next to her, head tilted in confusion. She could smell the newcomer, and the smell was oddly comforting. Then, the footsteps slowed down and the sound of sniffing signaled the approach of the cautious newcomer.

Ellora took a step forward, yipping once, firmly telling the werewolf to come out.

There was a pause before a large, strong creature with pure yellow fur stepped into the moonlight. Her eyes were the color of pink sugar cookies and filled with confusion and fear. She immediately turned in Coraline's direction. Her ears flattened, and she let out a whine.

Coraline's back stiffened and her jaw dropped. “Rose!” Immediately, she bounded forward, burying her face in her sister’s fur. The scent of fresh water, steak and eggs, and clean cloth mingled with a new, purely wild smell that was inherent in all werewolves. Her tail wagged as she felt Rose nuzzling her snout against the side of her neck.

The others watched the reunion, dumbfounded. Had Coraline bitten Rose at some point? That didn't make sense. Rose would have stayed with them in that case. Ellora could only imagine the reaction that would follow someone changing in the middle of a human town.

Her blood froze. “Hunter!” What had happened to Hunter and the others when Rose had turned?

Flint guessed Ellora's thoughts and volunteered to scout closer to Castell Henllys. He crept carefully through the trees, stopping when he was close enough for his enhanced hearing to catch what was going on. His happiness at hearing that Hunter's group would be allowed to follow them was quickly dampened when he heard that another group of humans would also be coming. He huffed angrily, returning to the pack with his news.

Ellora thought for a moment before coming to a decision: The pack had to move. Hunter and the others would figure something out, but they had to keep away for the time being. Ellora would stay behind with Flint and Steven and keep an eye on the group. If something changed in their favor, they'd fetch Coraline, Rose, and Summer, who were to run as fast as they could while disguising their trail. Ellora, Flint, and Steven would try to leave a trail for Bandit and Scarlet to follow.

It was by no means a perfect plan, but it gave them the best chance of reuniting with everyone eventually, and maybe even getting to a new home safely. Despite everything, Ellora felt a certain lightness in her chest. Coraline and Rose wouldn't have to be separated after all, and if Hunter wasn't allowed back in Castell Henllys, that meant she would still be able to see him more.

She immediately berated herself for the selfish thought, but she wasn't entirely able to keep her tail from wagging at the thought of eventually seeing her human again.