Page 54 of Teeth To Rip & Tear

Find the White Stag.

One of the other wolves yipped and nudged their butt against mine, knocking me forward to play. Maybe to break the silent standoff between the Huntsman and me.

I’d already come this far. I decided. I turned back to the portal and stepped forward, allowing the mists to swallow me hole.

The mists spat us out in the middle of nowhere. The dark sky, with its purple wash of stars, reminded me of home—staring out into the wilderness when the lights in town died down and allowed the cosmos to come out of hiding.

I didn’t recognize my surroundings, though that wasn’t saying much, considering I hadn’t been out of Locket, Tennessee, once. I was alone in the middle of a field. The grass was low and sparse enough to mean livestock of some kind. Fences ringed the property at a distance. The ground was wet, though the sky was clear of clouds, enough to see the stars.

A moment passed, and Kaleb’s wolf stepped out of thin air and came up to my side, his nose to the ground as he trotted a circle around me, tracking a scent I hadn’t bothered to catch. The ground smelled like wet grass and dirt. I hadn’t thought to try and find any other smell.

The other wolves popped in, folding out of thin air to join Kaleb. I took a moment to commit them to memory.

A black wolf with a fluffy coat—Mitchell? A reddish wolf, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he pranced around, just happy to be included—definitely Wyatt.

Kaleb, with his silver coat and orange eyes.

And the most enormous wolf of all, who sat next to me, standing sentry as the others scouted the surrounding field for clues. The giant wolf, with his dark coat and stern expression. His ears flicked, hearing something in the distance.Dean.

I closed my eyes, feeling the wind brush against my fur. The sensation was entirely new.

Then I heard it, like wind chimes in my head. My eyes flew open, and I searched the field, though everything was still and dark. The other wolves continued exploring the fieldsilently, except for the brown wolf beside me. The wind chimes grew louder, and I blinked as a smear crossed my vision—a trail of light that didn’t go away when I blinked.

The hundreds of wolves that had gone through the portal before us were long gone, no doubt already in hot pursuit of the white stag. However, something pulled toward the corner of the field and the strange gate hidden in the undergrowth.

My motley crew of wolves followed me as I raced to the fence, yipping when I saw a white tuft of fur caught in the barbed wire. The other wolves cocked their heads to the side, confused, and I yipped again, gesturing to the fur with my muzzle.

It wasn’t until I reached forward and pulled the tuft of fur from the fence with my teeth that they noticed it. I wondered how they hadn’t seen it before. They’d scouted the perimeter a dozen times before I’d even gotten off my wolfy butt.

The russet wolf stepped forward, lowering his head and sniffing the fur hanging from my mouth. His lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing sharp teeth that made me very glad I wasn’t a human on the receiving end of that smile. The red wolf tipped back his head and let out a howl that was more than sound. It carried something bloodthirsty, a feeling I could only describe as magic.

The white smear on my vision shifted to the other side of the fence. Before I knew it, I reeled back and jumped clear of the fence, my paws hitting the soft ground as adrenaline pounded through my body. I felt thehunt. It called to me, and soon, the other wolves followed, trusting I could see something they couldn’t.

The chiming grew louder. I could see the sound. As I raced through the field, I no longer felt each limb separately—with every step, my movements on four legs grew smoother.

The other wolves gave chase as we came to a line of trees between the fields. Rolling hills behind us and woodland infront. The trees looked different than the ones surrounding my house. Thinner and closer together. An animal poked its head out of a warren. A barrelled black body and white striped face. A badger.

My legs tangled as I tripped, taking stock of an animal that proved I was so far from Tennessee I could have been on another planet entirely. Which country had badgers likethat? Europe? The United Kingdom?

The white trail hung in the air, glittering. Even when I blinked, I saw the colors behind my eyes telling me where to go. I had one goal in mind, and I didn’t know how, but I would find the white stag.

The trail ended, and I skidded to a stop on the spongey undergrowth. My ears flicked as I searched for the sound, and the other wolves froze, each panting from exertion.

A shiver rolled over my fur.

Tangled in a bramble, its body covered in hundreds of minor cuts, its white coat pink with blood. The stag’s eyes showed the white rim of its sclera as it bucked and squealed, trying to free itself.

Its horns were as large as the beast’s body. It couldn’t see us, lost in its panic.

The russet wolf stepped forward, its ears pinned against its head.

It wasn’t a hunt anymore. It was an execution.

Kill it.

I shook my head, trying to expel the bloodlust from my mind. The thoughts didn’t belong to me. They pressed on my brain, making my teeth ache.

I shook under the strain.

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