Chapter 24 Mess with the wolf, you loose your pants.

A Chapter by A.L.Exley

Every Warrior in the camp goes quiet. Their eyes are wide as they stare at the forest, and their bodies are tense as they prepare to grab their weapons. One by one, Bodolf's pack emerges from the treeline. The Crows are not scared of the wolves, but they are definitely cautious as they prepare to fight. The wolves stalk closer and closer in their steady, loping gait. Another howl brakes loose; this one is wild like a battle cry.

The camp erupts into chaos. Wolves run all over the camp. They dodge between tents, and knock over racks of swords and food. The warriors scatter, chasing after the wolves. But the wolves are too fast, and the Crows are too drunk to catch them.

Meanwhile, Pine works feverishly on the latch, trying to open it. A Crow dives from the sky towards him with it's beak ready to stab.

"Look out!" I yell.

Before it reaches Pine, Luna appears and slashes the black bird with her talons. The bird shrieks and falls to the ground. It shifts, turning into a tall girl with long, raven hair.

Miria?

My breath hitches a minute as I look at the girl's face. She has the exact same hair, and piercing green eyes. But no, it isn't Miria. There is a malicious look that Miria would never wear. Her face lacks spotty freckles, and is longer and leaner than Mir's.

The girl looks down at Pine with disgust and draws her sword--an obsidian blade blacker than coal. She marches forwards, but doesn't get far before one of Bodolf's wolves leaps at her and knocks her over. It clamps onto her leg and pulls, forcing the girl to fight. The wolf edges her away from my crate.

On the far side of the camp, I watch a group of wolves circle around a warrior, taunting him. The warrior swings his blade at the wolves, but they are quick to get out of the way. While he is distracted by one wolf, another one runs in and grabs the leg of his pants. The wolf pulls so hard, the man's pants come right of. He shouts and falls on his face while the wolves run off, laughing. The man gets up and tries to pursue them, but his pants are caught around his ankles, and he trips.

A metal click brings my attention back to the cage. Pine has succeeded in undoing the lack, and the door is opened. I waste no time crawling out of the cage and running for the cover of the trees.

"The girl's escaping!" shouts a low voice.

I dare to look behind me, and nearly stumble. A giant, burly man with a thick red beard---the same man who had captured me and tied me to a tree--has loaded a bow and is pointing an arrow at me. I force my legs to move faster, but there is still a lot of space between the woods and me.

I hear him yell. I glance over my shoulder at him. He is laying on the ground, with Jay standing by him, growling. The man stands up and aims an arrow at Jay. Then he hesitates.

Once I'm in the safety of the woods, I peer around a tree and watch Jay face off with the man. The Warrior is slowly lowering his bow, saying something I can't make out over all the shouts and barks. Both he and Jay seem hesitant to attack. Then, Jay backs off, and runs towards me. The Warrior doesn't bother following him. He just stares after Jay with his thick eyebrow's creases, and his mouth slightly open.

"You okay?" he asks me.

"Yeah, you?"

He just nods, not really giving me his full attention. He seems distracted by something.

"We better get moving. Bodolf's wolves can't hold them back much longer," he says.

As I follow him through the woods, I think about what the Crows have said. Where's the boy? They had sent someone after me, that much is clear. The only person I have come in contact with is Jay. Could he be in league with the Crows? It sounds ridiculous, but there is something strange about him. The way he talks and acts is very human-like. I had only realized how human-like he acted when I met Bodolf's wolf pack. He acted more like me than a real wolf.

But he can't be a Fenrir Warrior, he's a wolf. It's obvious he's hiding something from me, but if he wants to kill me, he already has had plenty of chances. He just helped me escape the Crows, and he helped us get out of the mountains. There's no way he would betray us. He can't be working for them.

When we're out of hearing distance of the camp. We anxiously wait for Bodolf's wolves to arrive. Ten or so minutes later, they finally come. All we're miraculously unharmed; not a single scratch or puncture wound.

I kneel in front of Bodolf, who is not fazed at all by my human appearance.

"I don't think I can thank you enough," I say to him.

He smiles at me. "You are welcome. But don't forget about Jay; he's the one that convinced us to come."

Bodolf had taken a big risk to save me; his whole pack could have been killed. Yet, Jay managed to unite them for the rescue.

"I guess you can do some things right," I smile at Jay.

His ears perk up. "Does this mean I'm not a complete bird-brain?"

I smirk. "Don't count on it."

I wrap my arms around the woolly fur on his neck, and pull him into a hug. His outer fur is wiry. But if I dug my fingers in, I could feel his soft undercoat. His tail gives a small wag, and he rests his head on my shoulder.

Then, another howl sounds. But is isn't triumphant or menacing like the pack's battle cry a few minutes ago; this howl rises and falls from a desperate voice.

"Storm," Bodolf says to his beta wolf, "I want you to take the pack to the far end of the territory. The Warrior's may try to follow you, so don't stop. Ylvana," he turns back to me, "I want you to come with me, Winter want's to see you. And Jay--" he turns to him. "Feel free to join the rest of the pack."

Jay hesitates for a moment. "Thank you, Bodolf. But I think I'm going to stick with Ana for a while."

Bodolf nods, and begins leading us towards the den sight.

On the way, Bodolf is silent

On the way, Bodolf is silent. He hold his tail stiffly, and walks with a quick his pace. His eyes burn ahead of him with worry. The heavy sense of dread grows stronger with every step I take.

Winter is pacing nervously when we reach the meadow by the den. Only one of her pups stands by her. There is no trace of the playful energy either of the pups had when I had first met them.

"Thank you for being quick," she says when she sees us. "He's lost a lot of blood. I don't know how long he can make it."

"Winter," Bodolf says quietly. "What has happened?"

She quickly trots back over to the den, and picks something up in her mother. As she comes closer, the knot in my stomach tightens.

"I beg you," she says, placing one of her pups on the ground in front of me, "please save him."

Slowly, I kneel down. The pup--I can't tell if it is Aiden or Archer--is lying very still, covered in blood. The shaft of an arrow sticks out of his side. When I put my hand to his sides, I can barely feel his ribs moving.

I didn't know much about healing--that is Miria's specialty. She has read all the books on first aid. I couldn't understand them because the writing was boring. Now, I regret not reading them. I a, the only one who can help this pup. I can't let this innocent life be taken for no reason.

"I'll try," I say, kneeling down.

There is so much blood--way more than what a small pup should loose. I take my silver cloak, and gently wipe some of the blood away so I can examine the wound. The arrow has almost gone completely through the pup's tiny body. Judging by it's position, it doesn't look like it has pierced any vital organ. I tug on the arrow a little, and the pup gives a weak yelp.

"They came out of nowhere," Winter was telling Bodolf quietly. "I ordered the pups to get into the den. But they fired the arrow . . . "

I hold the pup as gently as I can on my lap. Without moving the pup's body, I snap off the feather head of the arrow. Now comes the difficult part, because I can't just pull the arrow straight out; the edges of the arrow head are serrated, and would cause even more damage. Instead, I have to push the rest of the arrow through the pup's body without hurting him too much.

I turn the pup, and slowly push the arrow tip through his skin. The pup squirms a little. He is too weak to even make a sound. I pull out the rest of the arrow, and wrap him up tightly in my cloak. His body is starting to go cold from the loss of blood. There is nothing more I can do; I have no first aid supplies that can stop the bleeding.

The other pup walks up to me and licks his brother's nose. The dying pup gives a weak, barely audible bark. His brother nudges him, trying to get him to stand up. He doesn't understand why he can't.

Through the bloodstained fabric of my cloak, I feel the pup's heartbeat stop.

"I'm so sorry." I look up at Winter.

Her eyes glaze over, and her ears droop back. "You tried."

I unwrap the pup, and lay his body at his mother's feet. Winter bends down and picks up the pup. The other pup whines as his mother carries his brother away.

Jay sits besides me. I rest my head against his shoulder. His thick, smooth fur tickles my cheek.

Bodolf lets out a long, mournful howl. Somewhere in the distance, the other wolves answer him.

"You did everything you could," Jay whispers to me.

It doesn't make me feel better. If this was the best I can do, it was terrible. Plus, what if I had made a mistake? Maybe the pup would have lived if I had done things differently.

I shake me head, defiantly. "I can't just leave like this."

Luna lands besides me, next to Pine.

"What are you talking about?" she asks.

"I can't go back to the castle while stuff like this is happening out here." I look down at my cloak, now stained red.

"Ylvana, I know you are upset, but the only thing you can do is get yourself out of danger, "Luna says.

"What if Fenrir is right? What is I am the Wolf Princess? It could be my responsibility to fight against this."

"You don't know how to fight. You barely know how to act like a wolf!" Luna says. "Ylvana, please. We have to go."

Once, my mother had told me I was as stubborn as my father had been. That didn't mean much to me, since I had never met him. I know perfectly well how stubborn I can be, and right now, it comes in handy.

"Fenrir has to pay for what he's done," I say, "If I have to live with the wolves, so be it. I'm not running away."

Luna's beak opens, but she can't figure out how to argue with me.

"I have a place you can go to be safe, if that is what you wish," Bodolf steps in.

I look up at him, and nod.

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