The Hunt

LAKE

Tarzan shifts into a small brown-and-white wolf before tackling me to the ground. I growl at this insolence and easily push him off me. It becomes apparent that he’s an omega.

The small wolf tries again and again to make me yield to him. This goes on until Lynne forces a shift and rips the omega’s ear from his head when he pounces again.

Painful yelps and growls break the silence. Tarzan’s wolf understands who he is up against but still tries to take Lynne down.

She taunts the wolf by jumping lightly through the air and easily dodges attacks.

My wolf twitches slightly in irritation when her opponent manages to clamp his jaw down on her foot. The pressure is barely enough to break the skin through Lynne’s fur.

Tarzan’s wolf growls triumphantly. Lynne is less than amused before violently pushing the male through the air into a tree trunk.

The tree, or rather the wolf’s spine, cracks. Lynne’s paw is released instantly, and the wolf lies limply on the forest floor.

The snow crunches beneath my feet as I walk back into my cave. I manage to dry an area enough in the back of the cave to start a fire.

Lynne is able to dig a reinforced opening above it to let smoke escape.

To make use of Tarzan, I skin his wolf in order to make a pelt to cover my naked body. I bury the rest of the remains as far away as possible. I don’t want death lingering around my camp.

Today, I’ve found myself thinking about my pack and family. Now that I’ve left, the bond has been broken, making me a rogue.

I’d be lying if I said that it feels bad. My body doesn’t hurt at night anymore, nor do I have any pain emotionally.

My heart is just a bit sad when I think of Landon. It was such a waste that I had to do what I did. The fact that he was my twin is wrong, but he shouldn’t have attacked me as he did.

Something is changing in me. I can’t find any remorse for anything I’ve done in the past day. Part of my mind wants to go back to slaughter my ex-mate and his ridiculous woman.

The air is very stuffy as I step out from the cave. It’s fairly foggy and cold.

My wolf pelt is coming in handy now. It fits my body really well. The eye sockets have dried out enough for me to see out of the dried blood.

Lynne is longing to get out for a run and hunt. I happily strip the pelt and shift.

I never realized how much freedom there is while in Lynne’s form. Just feeling the cold air through her fur and the icy-cold snow on her paw pads puts me at ease.

It’s not long until the scent of a herd of deer hits us. Lynne can tell they’re about three miles away.

She begins to run and scent mark the surrounding area, taking her time to make the deer have a false sense of confidence.

Lynne is crouched behind a bundle of tall grass toward the back of the herd. It’s made up of does and their young. Many of the mothers stretch up the trees to strip bark from the trunks.

Lynne’s mouth waters as she eyes up potential targets. Her eyes lock onto a large doe. My wolf can sense something off about this one. The doe has no hooves, just bulky fur at the end of its legs.

Suddenly, the herd begins to panic and trample over the tall grass where Lynne is hiding.

My wolf growls and sloppily grabs a deer that jumps overhead. Luckily, Lynne is able to snap its leg clean off at the hip.

The deer cries out in pain as Lynne bites down on its neck. Blood slips down her canines as the thrill and adrenaline stir the animal instinct to devour.

Footsteps echo in the forest before my wolf can dig in. Multiple figures begin to circle Lynne and our kill.

My wolf growls and stands protectively over the deer carcass. I’m able to see that the figures are actual people hidden beneath different animal pelts.

One is a wolf, another is a deer, and I can even make out a fox.

“How dare you interrupt our hunt!” a very dominating voice growls loudly. “That deer is rightfully ours!”

The figures show themselves and remove the pelts. Multiple males with black eyes stare my wolf down angrily.

One in the middle of the form is more strongly built than the others. It’s obvious he’s the leader.

Lynne continues to snarl and bare her teeth. The leader, who strangely looks like a model from Vogue, steps to us without fear.

“Give it up,” one of the males laughs. “You’re outnumbered.”

“You’re coming with us, Little One.” The leader smiles cynically toward me. “Men!”

There is no way a huge wolf is going to be able to escape this. I force Lynne to shift into my form.

I pick up the deer carcass and throw it over three males to my left. They fall to the ground, but more fall in behind.

I growl loudly and jump over them. The leader laughs as his men slam themselves into a rock they didn’t see in the grass.

More and more men come after me, but I easily dodge their attacks and attempts by using the terrain.

This is a natural warrior technique I inherited from my father and ancestors. Being protected all my life didn’t really give me the chance to hone these skills.

With these males and their obvious lack of teamwork, though, I’m able to evade them enough to find an opening and run back toward the cave.

“You’re entertaining, woman,” the leader calls out to me. “Run as fast as you can. You’re my hunt now!”