444 A sign... Any sign at all
Lina failed to rest easy for the rest of the night. Her mind wandered to the rogues that had just attacked their camp and more to the mountain lions that had rescued them. There were rogues out in the ranges that had probably brought down the mountain pass.
They had all known that and the rogues had eventually attacked them. âWhat would have happened if the lions werenât around to help us? What then?â
Lina wanted to think like this but part of her mind kept a constant reminder that Katie was always watching. Her presence was dim but now she was sure the Lost Princess was still watching⦠and helping in whatever way she could.
âSeems like only yesterday that my sister didnât like having the power to speak to animals,â the girl chuckled.
Looking up at the ledges on which the lions had retreated, she noticed three of the lions casually resting there. She hadnât even noticed their presence. It was almost like they were doing their best to remain hidden and not bother them.
Whatâs more, is that the beasts werenât sleeping either. âLast I checked, mountain lions arenât nocturnal. All the more proof that sheâs there⦠Isnât it illegal for someone to help me through the Trials?â
But then again, there was the matter of rogues trying to kill them. If Katie could stop that from happening and not interfere with anything else, perhaps she wasnât breaking any rules.
âI wonder how far the lions chased those rogues⦠Hopefully into the ice at the top,â the princess chuckled internally.
As the hours ticked by, Linaâs curiosity grew more and more. The need to have something clarified was only getting more intense.
.....
Their entire trip had been nothing short of a breeze when it came to dealing with the wild. There wasnât a single creature that had attacked them and the only one they had crossed paths with was a jaguar. Even that had paid them next to no attention.
Lina searched her mind for the research sheâd made on the animals that lived in the Sirius empire. Snakes, lizards, mammals, birds⦠anything she could rememberâ¦
All the indigenous animals seemed a lot more scarce than she assumed they would be. She searched her mind for the memory of the most insignificant creature of them all⦠The Black Antâ¦
Noneâ¦
It was almost like nature was avoiding them intentionally.
Itâs not like she wanted to be attacked by the creatures. Their behaviour merely worried her. Wyattâs words rang through her mind.
âSo youâre protected by nature. I donât think I would have seen that coming.â
Each time the mountain lions would catch her staring at them, she would avert her eyes and bring them back when she was sure they were not looking. Fearing a staring contest, this game went on for a bit⦠Until sheâd gathered enough courage.
This time, she wanted to look into their eyes. Her heart hoped she could glean a spark of the wolf she idolised.
The mountain lion stared at her finally sending a rush of fear through her veins. The powerful beast was even more imposing when staring directly at her. Lina resisted the urge to look away from the predator.
She wanted to know. Her curiosity once again proved more than her fear.
And she didnât have to wait long. Staring straight into the catlike pupils of the mountain lion, she was able to see it.
The minuscule almost insignificant and yet strong blue spark burned deep within the lionâs eyes. The power of the royal she looked up to.
âSo close⦠yet so far.â
Lina wanted to ask the lion so many questions and yet she was sure the lion wouldnât be able to answer her. The fact that this was the only sign of Katie in her life reminded her of how far the Lost Luna really was.
âCanât stop yourself from playing the hero, big sister!â
The princess remembered one of the first interactions sheâd ever had with her sister. Katie saw a problem and wanted to fix it immediately. She also wanted to get close to Lina so fast. At least, thatâs what Lina had thought at the time.
An outsider⦠yet she had no trouble fitting in. And yet Lina, who was the insider, had all the trouble fitting in. What an awkward situation it had been!
âGet a grip, Lina. Katie needs to heal,â Lina sighed to herself.
âI donât know if you can hear me, but Iâm going to do my best as well. Iâll protect them in your absence. Even with you gone, youâre still trying to protect me, but Iâll show you it wonât always be the case. Iâll prove it to you.â
The lion stared back at her with no form of expression. What else could it do? Itâs not like it could speak human. But then, Lina thought she imagined the bright blue speck in its eyes shimmering for only a moment.
Whether it had shimmered or not, it was enough. A sign⦠any sign really, was all she needed.
...
Drake was almost certain the three rogues in front of him were supposed to be on the same side, but then again, logic seemed to fly out the window when the Rogue King was involved.
What he was witnessing had him utterly perplexed. One of them had suddenly shifted into his human form, not caring for his nakedness and plunged his hand deep into the gut of the wolf that Drake had now come to recognise as Victor of the Golden Moon pack.
It was hard to forget the face and scent of the person that heâd demoted during his visit to the pack. From the moment heâd taken the manâs power as a delta, something had stuck to the back of his mind.
Like the extra power heâd taken from the man lingered within his own... alien to his system, constantly keeping him aware of a werewolf he had punished.
A werewolf that was meant to prove their worth to him. The man was also the one that had sold them out to the rogue king and broken him out of the Lycaon palace dungeons. He might have just been the most treacherous person on the planet at the moment.
Despite all that, the prince still regarded the man with pity. If heâd known this was the same person that had collapsed the mountain pass just to kill him, perhaps he would have taken this situation a little bit differently.
His body still felt odd from coming down the mountain. While his mind had been trying to figure out what was happening, he was far too distracted to notice what kind of danger he was in. That, however, changed when the rogue that had run Victor through spoke up, âIâm done giving you second chances, runt.â
The rogueâs voice was deep and intimidating, similar in more ways than one to the voice the prince feared and had only heard once before. When the three of them approached him, he hadnât felt the need to fear this man. Now, something was different.
His answer came when the rogue turned to face him. Instead of the amber eyes that heâd dismissed earlier. This rogue had glowing red eyes. Something was wrong with them. They didnât glow a clear crimson like those of an alpha.
Instead of a glowing crimson iris, the whole of the manâs eyes was glowing completely, combining both the pupil and the white of his eye. The odd transformation came with a change in his aura.
âYou look like youâve seen a ghost, your highness,â the manâs deep voice came again.
Drake tried to shake the fear that now coursed through his veins but couldnât find the resolve to do so. The man before him was supposed to be a weak ordinary wolf and yet, with a sudden change in his demeanour, the prince was already on his toes.
âWho are you?â the prince asked, filling his voice with as much authority and confidence as he could. The strange boost in power heâd felt earlier was still pulsing through him, but even with it, he wasnât sure why he couldnât relax.
âIâm just glad Iâm not feeling weak today,â the prince thought to himself, his mind flashing quick scenes of moments when heâd woken up weaker than he normally was. The erratic change in his power had not yet caused him trouble... yet.
âOh, donât disappoint me, Prince Drake. You know who I am. I might look a little bit different, but our wolves always know who they are looking at even when they wear another body,â the deep voice came and this time, everything snapped into focus.
He was speaking with the rogue king which shouldnât have made any sense. Why would the rogue king be speaking through a body that wasnât his?
Scratch that... what was the rogue king doing here at all? So many things didnât make sense at the moment. Drake already had enough to worry about as it was. Adding this to his list of things was asking too much of him. âOne problem after the other, Drake,â he thought to himself, âYouâre the older brother to the Rogue Killer after all. Thatâs got to count for something.â
Another question rose up, âThen, why are your eyes red?â