Charles ran off on all fours, following in the wake of Katherine and Achelois.
William looked over at Aceso. “That could have gone...better.”
Aceso shook her head. “It’s not your fault, William.” She looked down the street to follow the retreating form of Charles as he continued to shrink in the distance. “If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”
William looked her in the eye. “I don’t blame you for anything you did, and you shouldn’t either.” He almost reached up and patted her shoulder but thought better of it at the last minute. “We will get through this.”
Aceso looked up at him, “Thanks. But we should get going too.” She glanced behind her at Nicolas who still hadn’t left yet. “Are you coming or are you going to sulk here all night?”
The three of them made their way out of the abandoned section of the city. Aceso and William traveled at a speed that was comfortable for Nicolas. William kept scanning the area ahead of them looking for any of the others. He didn’t find any trace of any of them until they reached the grassy plain bordering the forest, there he saw some tracks and some other signs that the three werewolves had passed this way.
Something had to be done though. He knew that Aceso was meant to be the pack’s alpha. But he couldn’t say any more than he already had. He glanced over at Aceso as she sped up to jump over a fallen log as they entered the forest. She is going to have convince them. The only thing he could do was sit back, support her whenever he could, and see what happens.
William heard Nicolas crash into the forest behind him. He glanced back at him to see that he had gotten himself tangled in some branches and pine needles stuck out of his fur like a porcupine. He smiled but turned around before the blonde could see him. He had other things to do besides laugh at how ridiculous Nicolas looked. They had to hunt and prepare for tonight.
William couldn’t pick up any trace of smells of the other three werewolves. He found that odd but then there was no wind here and he was just going to have to get used to it. It wasn’t going to be easy to adjust to having one of his most reliable senses taken away from him. Aceso peeled off to the left and William followed.
The two increased their speed, ignoring the blonde that was behind them. They moved with a purpose and there was no play in their running. They were hunting. They kept their bodies low to the ground. Taking the easiest route over bushes and around trees as they raced through the forest. They were as soundless as shadows flowing over the land.
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William wondered if the rest of the pack was out hunting as well. Would they call if they made a kill? It wasn’t fair to doubt the others, but William had seen how Achelois had reacted. She responded to the revelation with anger, disbelief, and something that was close to hatred. Disrespect at the very least. Would those emotions carry over to how she acted as a pack mate? William couldn’t be sure, but at the same time he berated himself for not having any faith in the rest of his pack. We are still a pack and Achelois and the others will act as such. At least he hoped so.
He and Aceso had covered a lot a ground and still had found no sign or trail that might lead to any game. He had seen glimpses here and there of the smaller rodents of the forest, squirrels mostly. He thought that he had even seen the black mask of a raccoon a while back but nothing that would be suitable to feed even one werewolf much less all six of them.
He and Aceso were in the process of turning around and finding another track to hunt along when they heard a werewolf howl. It was something alien and harsh sounding. It wasn’t just a call; this was more desperate. William had heard something like that only once in his life. It had come from a young wolf from his pack in his forest. He was barely older than an adolescent but somehow, he had run afoul of a bear family that lived on the north side of the valley. William had been human at the time and wasn’t able to help. He saw the young male the next time he ran with his pack so he must have escaped. But William never forgot how the sound of that particular howl sent shivers through his body, the desperate cry for help when help was not expected to come. That was the sound he heard now.
He glanced over at Aceso, who was already moving. William kicked himself into a sprint. The two fed off each other and pressed themselves faster and faster through the forest. He saw a light-colored form running ahead of him. It didn’t take too long to identify the form as Nicolas. It struck him as odd that Nicolas would be running toward the howl as well. William didn’t have time to wonder about it. Soon Aceso and William were passing the blonde werewolf tearing ahead through the underbrush of the forest.
William hadn’t run like this ever in his entire life. He felt his body grow stronger as he and Aceso forced themselves to run ever faster. But there was no joy in the speed that they now shared. Both of them were locked onto the single purpose of getting to where the howl had emanated from. Even their great pack speed may not be fast enough to get them there in time.
He jumped over some shrubs in between two tree trucks and got a face full of pine needles for his trouble. When he landed, he shook the pine needles out of his face and he saw Katherine and Charles being circled by four grey werewolves.