Chapter 4: Catch Me If You Can

Being a werewolf, Scarlett had a keen sense of smell, hearing, and agility that allowed her to hide from Tobias and his subordinates. She had been keeping a safe distance from them, observing their movements without being detected.

With years of training with his father and brother, she can hide herself using a combination of her werewolf abilities and some practical tactics. Beside her natural agility and grace, it also allowed her to move quickly and silently. She could move stealthily through the forest, avoiding making any unnecessary noise that could give her away.

She could blend in with her surroundings by staying still in the shadows or undergrowth. It could also help her to hide in the forest, as she would blend in with the foliage and use the cover of trees and bushes to stay hidden and out of sight.

And thanks to her father's strict upbringing and training, she has mastered one of another skills of concocting herbs to disguise her scent. Her father had taught her how to make a combinations of herbs or plants to create a powerful potion that can cover or mask a werewolf's scent. The potion could be made from a combination of herbs with strong, distinct scents, such as juniper, lavender, sage, cedar, and pine which she could easily find anywhere around her.

Using her speed, Scarlett had already run more than 20 miles now. She had entered the nearest town and was hanging around inside a small closed boutique. Her speed wasn't limited by space or walls, hence she easily broke into the boutique.

As she was extremely vigilant and smart, she had already thought about it when she ran away. So she decided to change her clothes just to be safe.

The boutique was filled with all kinds of costumes. Scarlett simply picked out a simple linen dress that suited her, and she quickly put them on. She then left the town to a river in the forest and tied the crimson robe she was wearing earlier with a big stone and then tossed it into the river.

Scarlett washed her hands to get rid of the dirt. She couldn’t help but feel sad thinking about the beautiful crimson robe… But there will be an uproar tomorrow morning, so it's time for her to get some rest!

She fled the forest, knowing that she had to leave before anyone found out what she had done. She knew that she could never return to the lake, but at least she had made amends for her mistake.

***

Even though Joel Serge and the other guards were hunting experts with excellent tracking ability, at that moment they were completely at the end of their wits.

They had to work hard and expand their search area until they finally caught the smell of their king's robes by the river. There was a big stone wrapped in that precious crimson robe to prevent the cloth from washing away by the water.

Joel and the other guards shuddered by the sight of the drenched robe!

They had never expected that the royal robe the king had once worn would be so disrespectfully misused…

Who was that stupid brat!? She's really lunatic!

When a sudden gust of wind blew from behind them, Joel and the other guards were stunned as they heard an extremely clear voice, "Did you all manage to find that thief?"

They immediately knelt before their king, before Joel said shamefully, “We apologize, My King. We only found the robe...”

Tobias quietly approached behind them and glanced at the ruined wet robe even before Joel had finished reporting.

As they bowed low, they could only feel the warmth around them increasing but had no clue what expression the king was showing.

Tobias remained silent. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the drenched robe.

He asked, "Have you traced that person's scent?"

Joel nodded and said, "Yes, My King, but the robe had been under water for some time. That's why it lost all of its scent long ago.”

The lycan king wondered what kind of brat they were dealing with. This thief can run more than 20 miles in less than an hour without internal power. What's more, the woman didn't even leave any evidence or traces behind, so even his most accomplished guards couldn't track her…

Was it really a human girl?

Or could it be a lycan or werewolf?

When Tobias sighed, Joel who was investigating the scraps of tattered cloth just now took a step forward and knelt in front of the king. “Report, My King. I’ve inspected the entire place… There’s only one secluded den around this area which belongs to Dark Valley werewolf pack. As we know, however, the entire pack had been attacked last night by the rogue lycans.”

After a moment of silence, Tobias scowled and asked, "How is it going?"

Joel said, “We have cleaned the place, My King. The piece of tattered cloth was actually a woman clothing belongs to one of the pack members. I’ve checked all the dead victims but I could not figure out who she was.”

Tobias nodded his head and dismissed his subordinate.

During this period, lycans and werewolves were able to coexist peacefully and even form alliances when facing a common enemy. This suggested that the two species have found a way to respect each other's territory and way of life, and may have developed some level of trust and understanding.

However, this did not necessarily mean that there were no conflicts or tensions between the two groups. It was still possible that there may be individuals or groups within either species who opposed with the peaceful coexistence and seek to cause trouble or start a conflict.

Furthermore, the peaceful coexistence between lycans and werewolves may also be fragile and dependent on certain conditions, such as a common enemy or a balance of power. If these conditions were to change, it could potentially upset the delicate balance and lead to conflict or tension between the two groups.

What actually happened last night? And who was this girl?