As I enter the forest, I instantly catch the scent of a rabbit, causing my stomach to rumble with hunger again. My mouth fills with saliva. You know what, screw waiting for the guys to eat. With all the swimming, I worked up a mighty appetite. A little snack won’t ruin my dinner.
I start following the scent trail, taking in a deep breath every so often to make sure the rabbit hasn’t changed course from the path I’m following. Its scent is so sweet I can practically taste it already. I take my time, lacking the desire to rush myself. The rabbit doesn’t seem to have been in a rush either. The trail tells me it discovered its own dinner in a small opening of trees where a bunch of clover is growing.
I keep following the scent until finally, I spot the rabbit in the clearing nibbling on clover. I crouch down and quietly crawl forward. When I’m close enough to pounce before the rabbit can try to bolt away, I sprint forward at full speed. While I typically like to take a leisurely pace to enjoy my surroundings, that doesn’t mean I don’t contain the speed needed when it counts.
As soon as the rabbit spots me, it shoots away like a brown bullet into the underbrush nearby. Please, like it can deter me. I’m sure it’s running based on survival instincts. It’s certainly not used to seeing wolves in this area, not to mention a shaggy blond one. It takes me six long strides to catch up to the rabbit. Human parents tell their children not to play with their food. I can’t help but laugh, because what’s the fun of hunting your food if it ends too quickly?
I slow down to give my little snack a bit of space and then race off to the right to bypass and get out in front of it. Centuries of experience lead me to hide behind a tree, knowing it will prevent my prey from seeing me until it runs right into my trap. Sinking down, I listen to the progress the rabbit is making. Right before it gets to me, I snap my head out and lock my jaw into it's back and vigorously shake my head to kill it.
Mmm, yes, my yummy little meal smells delicious! I hold its head under one paw and its front legs under the other one, taking a sizeable bite of the hindquarter with enough force to rip it in half. After placing the front half next to me on the ground, I eat my delicious meal.
I’m almost finished with the first half of my snack when I hear a sound from somewhere in front of me. Lifting my head, I twitch my ears to try and pick up the source of the noise, focusing my attention on the direction of the sound. Suddenly a red blur comes from behind me and snatches the second half of my rabbit from next to me, and immediately pivots to the left to run from me.
That son of a bitch just stole half of my snack. Irritation prickles within. Not only has he ruined the remainder of my rabbit with his nasty slobber, but he ran off before I could seek retribution. Oh, hell no! I jump to my paws and chase after him at full speed.
Chapter 3
Derrick
One Hour Ago
I’d left the pack a little early to avoid being late to meet with the guys. When I saw my opportunity to slip away, I seized the moment. If I had waited, I would have inevitably been roped into babysitting duty for my sister’s pup. Don’t get me wrong, I love that pup, but sometimes you just need to get away and enjoy a vacation with your bros.
This meant I arrived in the park’s general area earlier than any of the guys were expected to get here. Since I found myself with so much extra time, I figured I would head west to meet up with Klaus. So, after sunset, I shifted and set off to track him down, which leads me to this moment.
Out of all of us, I've always been the best at tracking; I’m a natural. If I concentrate on my desired target, I get a warmth in my chest when heading in the right direction. The opposite goes for when I head in the wrong direction; the warmth in my chest cools off. And when I’m relatively close to my target, I get a bit of a vibration along with the warmth, confirming I’m closing the distance.
I use this skill now, putting all of my focus on my desire to find Klaus. I turn clockwise forty-five degrees at a time, to lock on to the sensation in my chest. Because I know his starting point, I already have a sense of what direction he’ll be in.
Sure enough, the warmth in my chest heats when facing west. I twist a bit to see if I need to head north-west or south-west, and the feeling gets a little hotter toward the north side. Perfect! I’ll track him down in no time. Not wanting to waste a moment, I race off. Because the sooner I find Klaus, the sooner I can figure out a way to fuck with him. I’m diabolical that way.
I run through the woods, keeping to the path the warmth in my chest dictates. I leap over fallen logs and zigzag to avoid running headfirst into a tree, something I seriously don’t recommend doing. The terrain seems to be flat for the most part, but I know from when I did research on the area, that some parts are reasonably elevated.
Finally, I get a slight vibration in my chest and slow down so I can sneak around without Klaus realizing I’m close. Shit! I should’ve thought about covering my scent track. I know he’ll need to head west from where he’s at, and I’m coming in a bit south of there. Hmm, that doesn’t mean he won’t stray a bit. A gust of wind from the north blowing south would be pretty great right about now.
Sometimes I get a lucky break and the Fates grant me my wishes, and it looks like this is one of those moments. A stiff breeze blasts through the space, picking up my scent tracers and carrying them up toward the top of the trees. Now Klaus won’t accidentally stumble upon me being here easily. He will actually have to find a spot where my paw rubbed off some of my scent to find my trail, but I doubt that will happen.
With my trail covered, I relax, knowing all I have to do is stay downwind from Klaus to catch him off guard. I head farther south and then go west so I can sneak up from behind him. After a while, I hear the soft lapping of water brushing against pebbles and make my way to the shoreline. I pause before I fully exit the trees to make sure I’m still out of view.
Where I stand, there are only a few feet of pebbled shoreline before you reach the water. As I glance around the lake, I notice there are areas with larger beaches than here in front of me. Feeling parched, I creep forward until I get to the water and drink to my heart’s content. My reflection is peering back at me, my tongue darting out and distorting my features as ripples fan outward.
I drink my fill and back up slowly, making sure I don’t catch Klaus’ attention just in case he somehow showed up without me noticing. Once back in the forest and under the protection it provides, I follow the treeline searching for Klaus. I know he’s close, it’s just a matter of spotting him. After a few minutes, I find him laying out on a rock. His normally blond fur is slightly darker, he’s probably just come out of the lake and is waiting for it to dry off, so he doesn’t get it all muddy by running into the forest right now. For such a laid-back guy, he sure can be anal about keeping his fur clean.
I sit down behind a tree, peaking out every so often so I can keep an eye on him while deciding how I want to fuck with him. He rolls over to air out another section of his fur and I let out a huff while rolling my eyes. I sure hope he doesn’t decide to wait until he’s completely dry.
It feels like ages when he finally stands and hops off the rock. Oh, thank the Fates. I’m not sure how much longer I could’ve waited. Klaus trots off into the treeline in front of him, heading west toward the park and where we’re all meeting.
I follow him at a distance, biding my time for the perfect moment. My observation skills result in me seeing the instant he locks onto the scent of a rabbit and starts his hunt. I decide to stay put to make sure I’m not seen, just in case the rabbit doubles back. If it does, Klaus could see me if I’m following. It shouldn’t take him more than fifteen minutes to finish his hunt anyway, even if he decides to draw it out some.
After giving Klaus enough time to finish hunting, I restart my own and track him through the forest. Sneaking up from behind, I see him munching on half of a rabbit. The other half is lying on the ground beside him. I can’t help the glee I’m filled with when I’m hit with a brilliant plan.Life is great when you’re an evil genius!
I study the ground between myself and Klaus, making a note of clear dirt patches. Dirt equals silent footsteps, that’s where I'll want to place my paws once I make my move. I pick up a branch in my mouth, and with a quick flick of my head, I toss it through the air to land somewhere in front of Klaus, hopefully distracting him just long enough to implement my plan. As soon as the branch leaves my mouth, I make my move and rush forward at full speed.
The branch I tossed hits the ground seconds before I reach Klaus’ side. I see his head turn toward the sound, making sure he doesn’t catch sight of me until it’s too late. I snatch the uneaten half of the rabbit next to him and bolt to the left.My plan is coming together!Knowing Klaus is hot on my trail, I find a burst of energy and speed off, trying to shake him from my tail.
The burst of energy I was able to find propels me onward, putting some distance between us. The exhilaration of the chase is pumping through my veins, continuously feeding a desire to move just a bit faster. I keep running, searching for a place to hide while wishing for that wind to start up again and blow my scent all over the place to confuse him. I inwardly smirk when there’s an almost cyclone-like wind bursting through the area, resulting in my scent being scattered all around.
Up ahead, the terrain changes as we run uphill. My speed remains constant with little strain as I approach the peak, taking a right at the top. I search for a good place to turn around, so I can run back down the slope the way we just came. Hoping that Klaus doesn’t notice and I end up behind him again. I adjust my grip on the rabbit, making sure I don’t accidentally drop it.This is my rabbit now, bitch!
