Page 45 of Game of Destiny
‘Amie?’ Cadence’s link was full of fear.
‘I’m right above you, Cade. There are too many wolves out here for you to try and sneak out. Stay where you are.’
‘A-are we going to be okay?’ It broke my heart to hear how scared he was. I made the decision based on pure instinct.
‘I’m going down to them,’ I linked Finlay.
‘Damn it, Amie! Stay put! If you are seen it will be an issue,’ he told me.
‘If I’m seen, I will continue down the hill and turn north. The boys will be safe.’
‘But you won’t!’
‘They are scared, Finlay. If they panic they will give their location away, and I don’t stand a chance of saving them. I need to do this.’
‘Fine. But be careful and stay safe until we get there.’ I took a deep breath and wondered if I should shift into my human form. But decided against it. My human form was smaller, but it lacked advantages my wolf form had for traversing down the steep hill. I pressed myself as close to the ground as I could get and inched my way down the hillside. I made sure to use all the trees and bushes as cover and the gods smiled at me as the wind was blowing towards me. It made the scent of all the unknown wolves hit me, but my scent was blown away from them. Just as I was about to crawl into the cave, I caught the scent of a wolf I thought I recognised. I couldn’t place it and I tried to hone in on it. Then I snapped out of my thoughts and focused on the task. I managed to get into the small cave without being noticed. I was grateful the first snow hadn’t come. My red wolf stood out like a sore thumb against the white snow. But in a forest with fall colours, I blended in. Inside the cave, Cadence and Jon were huddled at the far wall. Their eyes were big and full of fear as they watched me enter the cave. As soon as they saw it was me I could see them relaxing. The cave was too small for me to stand in and it was cold. I did my best to manoeuvre myself inside, keeping quiet. I turned around so I was facing the entrance and backed up to let my body press into the boys. Even though they had on jackets, the coldness of the cave and them sitting still for so long had them shivering. I shared my body heat and comforted them with my presence.
‘Are the two of you okay?’ I asked the boys in a mind link.
‘Yes,’ Cadence answered.
‘Better now that you are here,’ Jon linked.
‘The others are coming and will take care of the wolves outside. Until then, I will protect you. Stay close to each otherand me to keep warm and stay quiet,’ I told them. The small cave would work to our advantage. Even if we were discovered, the wolves outside couldn’t rush in all at once. At the most they could come one at the time. I could defend our position against one wolf. ‘I’m with the boys. They are safe but cold and scared. No one saw me. We are staying put,’ I linked Finlay.
‘We are on our way,’ he told me. It felt like hours. I was focused on the scents and the sounds from outside. Ready to attack at any sign of an intruder. At the back of my mind, the familiar scent was gnawing at me. I knew I had scented the wolf before, but I couldn’t place it.
‘I can’t wait for the first snow,’ Cadence mindlinked me and Jon.
‘Same here,’ Jon replied.
‘Yeah? What is the best thing about the snow?’ I asked to keep them going and keep them occupied with happier thoughts.
‘When you take us out into the woods. It’s always fun and you always pack hot cocoa and treats,’ Jon said without hesitation. I smiled internally at the answer. It was nice to know they liked our outings and picnics. The thought of having picnics with the pups triggered the memory I associated with the scent. A picnic table covered in snow and an offer of coffee and sandwiches. I reached out to Finlay, Martin and Sam.
‘It’s the Rolling Hills pack,’ I linked them.
‘That is attacking?’ Sam asked.
‘Yes. I scented their Gamma. It took me a moment to place the scent, but I’m sure it’s him,’ I told them. We hadn’t heard anything from the pack since our meeting with them. Finlay told us that even at the joint pack gatherings, they stayed clear of him.
‘They must have become desperate,’ Finlay linked. ‘Now we know it’s not a loosely put together group of loner wolves. Makesure everyone knows it’s a pack that is attacking and adjust the tactics.’
‘Yes, Alpha,’ we all answered.
‘How are you holding up?’ Finlay linked me in our private link.
‘We are doing good.’
‘It’s taking us longer to reach you than I thought, but if we are fighting a pack it makes sense. They have trained together and are working as one. Just hold on and don’t do anything stupid,’ he told me.
‘I won’t. And the same goes for you.’ I continued my wait. I could sense Cadence and Jon mindlinking each other. It was good they kept their mind off the situation and I appreciated them leaving me out of their conversation so I could focus on listening and scenting. There were still a large amount of wolves outside. But they seemed to keep to the forest floor below the hill, most likely thinking they were alone and the steep hill would keep them hidden. Then something changed. The first growl I heard I took for someone being impatient. They had clearly been given orders to wait while their pack mates were out fighting. The second growl I heard was not one of impatience, it was aggressive.
‘Are you close? Something is happening outside, someone is getting pissy,’ I mindlinked Finlay, Martin and Sam.
‘We are at least ten minutes away,’ Finlay was the first to answer.
‘It’s about the same for us,’ Sam linked.
