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Taking my time, I edge toward Lyle and the bobcat he caught. He senses me even before I’m close, a low, rumbling growl sounding from deep in his chest. A warning. One that I ignore as I hop toward him before lunging and landing on his back. The second my feet touch his fur, his growl cuts off, realizing it’s me. I drop down and roll around in his soft fur while he returns to his meal.
Lyle’s bear is huge. From what I understand, the biggest there ever was, and even with him on all fours, I can see most of the clearing and stream from this high up. I take a second to look around, satisfaction filling me seeing our hunt was successful. Blair’s Titanoboa has the turkey about halfway into his huge mouth, his long body coiled around a tree closer to us, with the end of his tail dipped into the lake. It looks like the twins took down the bear, though they also look about two seconds from pouncing on each other. They’re never competitive unless they’re shifted, then they compete over just about everything.
Wait.
I do another sweep of the area, but still come up empty.
Pike’s still not here.
I bring my foot down hard three times on Lyle’s back, and he freezes before standing and surveying the area. I can’t exactly talk to him like this, but we have things in place, signals we use to let each other know when something is wrong, and one of mine is the three stomps. It works out pretty well, considering how often I end up on one of them, either for protection or just because I can.
Lyle’s growl is loud and deep as he uses his alpha call to alert the others. My ears are always sensitive, but when I'm shifted, it makes my ears ring. I hop off his back to lessen the intensity.
I stumble over my own feet, thrown off, but nobody notices as the others go on high alert around us in response to Lyle’s call.
Two seconds.
That’s all the warning I get. My fur stands on edge, and my beast’s urge to run kicks in before I can comprehend why. I don’t fight it. I learned a long time ago to trust in her. I don’t even look around before I take off, making my way into the dense part of the forest with brush and trees so close together that one wrong move leads you right into one. Usually, I would hide and take cover until the guys handle whatever this is, but this doesn’t feel like a regular threat. This isn’t just something dangerous in the area like a predator that happened across us.
No, whatever is out there is after me specifically, and if I stop now, I have no doubt it will be on top of me in no time.
Alpha calls from the guys go up in the distance, but I keep going, weaving behind trees and taking fast turns, hoping to lose them. But nothing is working. Whatever it is, they’re fast as fuck and more than capable of thinking on their feet.
The guys are coming. I can feel them getting closer, hear them as they follow, trampling bushes, trees, and anything else that dares stand in their way.
It’s not enough.
There’s already too much distance between us, and every second only creates more. Panic sets in, and I’m suddenly turned around, lost in woods that I usually know like the back of my paw as I turn wildly in any direction that feels like a good idea.
Until I hit the cliff edge.
I stop, but just barely. I don’t have time to be grateful with my pursuer right on my literal tail as I turn to face them, feeling uneasy about letting them have my back.
I’m not sure what to expect, but I raise on my hind legs, ready to defend myself any way I can. The only other option I have is to jump, and while jumping is something I do best, I’m not sure how well I’ll fare diving off a cliff into the rocky pool below.
I’m not writing it off as an option, but it’s not a choice I’m thrilled about. Not that I like my chances with whatever’s about to come out of the trees either, but it is what it is now.
It feels like forever that I stand there waiting to face my pursuer. My heart hammers in my ears so loud I’m sure it can be heard for miles. The snap of a branch is the only warning I get before it emerges from the treeline, but there’s no slipping and sliding. No, their large creature approaches on all fours with precision, stalking me like the prey I am.
Shit.
A snarl breaks through the silence, and my eyes are drawn to the muzzle before anything else. Sharp teeth glisten in the sun, saliva dripping from its mouth as the beast slowly approaches. I’m frozen as my eyes track up the beast’s snout to the massive body behind it. Its hackles are raised, making the beast appear even larger, not that it’s necessary. Ears and all, I may hit four feet on my hind legs. I’d guess even on all fours that it’s easily five feet tall, maybe taller.
A wolf!
Of all the things in this forest, a wolf isn’t something we’ve ever encountered.
At least not a wild one.
My attention goes to his eyes, and I feel like all the oxygen leaves my lungs in a violent rush, as if I’ve just taken a hit to the chest.
Pike!
Istand on the cliff's edge opposite Serena, battling to control my beast, but it’s useless. As if I’m screaming into a void, I try to take control, but nothing happens, and I continue on my path to her.
Everything’s been weird since Serena passed out in the library. I’d been full of worry when she was unconscious, but it wasn’t the only emotion that filled me. I’ve been feeling like my skin is too tight, on edge, and ready to snap. The only other time I’d felt like this was when I’d been away from my family too long, my beast needing his pack. At first, I thought it was because I’d missed dinner, but I worked with my father all week.
I’d kept my distance from Serena, trying to give her space. I know she’s going through a lot, and Blair would tell us if she needed us, even if she wouldn’t. My temper wasn’t directed at her the last time I lost it, but that didn’t mean I was willing to test if that would be the same this time.
