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“No, we can’t.” Juniper kept her reply curt and her expression indifferent as she picked up her pace.
“Well, I do feel like we should talk about it though. Because—”
“Absolutely not,” Juniper insisted, cutting Rowan off mid-sentence. “I have no interest in talking about anything whatsoever.”
Rowan nodded and kept walking. He couldn’t very well force her to speak if she had no intention of speaking with him. She seemed insistent not to discuss what had gone on between them, so Rowan decided to let it go.
When they got to level ground, Rowan signaled for Juniper to hold on. He walked a few paces away and then took off his clothes, folding them neatly into his backpack.
When he was naked, he summoned his wolf. His back stretched, his arms and legs grew longer, and sharp claws shot out from his hands and toes. Rowan’s chest widened and his muscles grew taut.
His nose turned into a snout and his jaw stretched, filled with two rows of sharp, pointed teeth. Sleek, dark hair grew out of his skin, covering every inch of his eight-foot wolf body.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the burning urge to howl. He could smell the forest now. He could smell the wind and everything it carried. He could smell the worms under the earth, and the rodents that scurried around in the bushes.
It felt good to let his wolf out. He felt a mouthwatering hunger as he smelled a dear upwind, several hundred meters away.
And then, he smelled Juniper.
The wolf, now in control, rushed toward Juniper excitedly. He nudged her on the leg with his head and Juniper smiled warmly. She reached out to stroke his fur but stopped her hand just short of the massive wolf’s head.
Rowan could feel his wolf become furious with him.This is your fault, he accused Rowan.If you hadn’t gone and rejected her, she would definitely have stroked my head, just as she used to.
Rowan ignored the angry wolf and turned back to the task before them. There was enough work to do already and he could always find time to appease the offended wolf.
He remembered the site of the most recent attack, and turned in that direction. “This way,” he called to Juniper with his mind. Although she was not a part of his pack and thus, they had no link, alphas were able to use telepathy with all creatures while in wolf form. It was different from the mind-link of course, as it was just a mental voice and emotions could not be felt. He showed her the rotting remains of the slain animals, leading her deeper into the forest as he did so.
“I don’t think these attacks are from different animals,” Rowan explained to Juniper as they inspected the fifth attack. It had been dead more than a week, and the stench was thick.
“Truth be told, I don’t even think it’s a predator, for that matter.” Rowan shook his head slowly. “Whatever it is should have at least eaten the animals that it killed. This…beast…doesn’t feed on its kills. It just murders the animals and leaves them whole.
“The reason this is such a big problem for me is that everybody needs the forest. We need it for our hunts, and also for the lumber mills. I’ve been considering stopping people from entering the forests. At least, until we can be sure of what exactly we’re dealing with.
“It’s pretty dangerous for anyone to be out in these woods right now, with an unknown killer roaming freely. I may meet some blowback, but it’s something I think I need to do. For the safety of the pack.”
Juniper had been crouched over the carcass, picking through its rotten wounds with a stick. “I understand your concern. On one hand, you’re worried about the safety of the pack. On the other hand, you don’t want to disturb the economy of the pack.”
She got to her feet and dusted her hands. She scanned around with a worried look on her face. “I agree with you, though. It really is quite troubling, even to me. I find the situation very strange. Just the thought of something lurking in these woods, killing at will, and not for food. That’s scary.”
Rowan felt the same way. He had so many questions. What was this creature they were up against? Why kill if you didn’t plan to feed? What did it—or they—want? Was there a bigger goal? A bigger picture that he had been failing to see?
He was glad that he had Juniper alongside. She had a way of seeing through problems, and it was refreshing to know that he could seek a second opinion.
Rowan’s ear twitched and he looked up immediately. He glanced into the distance, making sure. And then he heard it again.
“Did you hear that?” Juniper asked, to Rowan’s surprise.
“I think so,” Rowan replied. “Come on.” They walked several yards down and the sound grew more distinct to Rowan. It was the croaking of a buck.
They found the deer behind a bush, with a deep, red gash on the side of its throat. Blood had soaked into the dirt and grass under the beast, darkening the spot. The buck’s eyes jumped with fear from Rowan to Juniper, and it tried uselessly to move away.
Juniper rushed forward and got down on her knees beside the injured animal. She stretched her arms toward the gaping wound on the buck’s throat, and took a deep, calming breath.
She began chanting, and immediately a bright, purple light shot out from her palms, bathing the forest with an eerie light. The mana was concentrated around the wound, and the light pulsated rhythmically.
Rowan watched her with shock and confusion. Her chant sounded guttural and her eyes shone purple. He saw the cut on the buck’s neck start to close slowly, and his eyes grew wide with amazement.
The scene Rowan was witnessing was beyond incredible. Not only had Juniper become more confident when she went away, she had become much stronger as well. She truly had improved in her magic. He had just witnessed her heal a dying beast!
