Catori tore through the woods at an enviable speed. The mild wind rushed through her flaming red fur as she pushed her muscles to cover more ground. The agile she-wolf leaped over fallen tree branches with a daunting strength, given to the amount of time she spent in these particular woods.
Everything here was familiar to her and to an extent, these woods were like her play ground. When she was younger, she and the twins would play hide and seek here with blindfolds as a way of strengthening their senses and tracking skills. Ofcourse, Kurt always won each time. But she was always good at the running part. Her speed always left the twins eating her dust and save for the fact that Kurt was an excellent tracker, it was almost impossible to keep up with her.
The only other wolf in their pack who wouldn’t break a sweat while running with Catori was her Mum. She was just as good as her in speed - even better. Catching her mother was an impossible quest and the few times Kurt had played with them, not even him could track her. She was that good. Infact, Luna Dakota was good at everything. Catori knew that too well and that was why she always pushed herself to be as good as her Mum. She was a smart, strong and resilient woman. The only person Catori had ever truly envied.
This simple fact prompted Catori to push her muscles to go faster. Usually, she went on these runs to soak in the tranquil that thrived in the forest - the chirping birds, the hushing wind and the swaying leaves. The epitome of peace. However, not today. The anger boiling in her blood blocked out her other senses that usually paid attention to the little details. All she could think about was her Mum. That has been all she could think about for days. The unhealthy obsession that came with waking up every morning and realizing once again that she was gone. The way her heart would drop and shatter to a million pieces yet again. The way she willed herself not to give up on finding her, even though all she had been hitting was dead ends. It was all draining. Reality was becoming too draining.
Not even the run could give her the solace she desperately sought. Especially not after her sour encounter with the counsel. Those bloody monsters, she thought. Just two weeks in her absence and they were already making plans for a new Alpha from another lineage. After all Catori and her family had sacrificed for the sake of their pack. Her grandfather had even died defending them! Yet, they were so easy to turn their backs on them. Like all the years of dedication meant nothing. Like the Dolphus lineage meant nothing.
When she got to the edge of the forest by a cliff, Catori cried out a bitter howl, a mountain of emotions surging out with each octave. She howled repeatedly at the receding evening sun. Regardless of the fact that it was a breathtaking view to see the orangish-yellow sunset, Catori howled sadly at it. Tirelessly for over an hour, she cried her heart to pieces through her howls until she was too exhausted to keep going.
About thirty minutes later, Catori returned back to North Lotus territory in her human form. Their pack grounds used to be such a bustling place, packed with festivities and warmth. However, that usually bubbling town had died a long time ago. As Catori walked through the rows of bungalows belonging to the lower class indigenes, she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious. It didn’t escape her notice how a few bystanders stared at her with harsh glares and judgemental eyes. Strings of whispers followed and although Catori tried to walk with her head held high like the royalty that she was, her sharp ears caught every bit of insensitivity that fell from their lips.
“What a shame? First her father and now, her mother.”
“She looks miserable.”
“I heard her Mum is dead. They can’t find her anywhere.”
“I heard she ran away. A true weakling if you ask me.”
“I always knew that lineage was cursed. Remember what happened to Alpha Gavin Dolphus?”
“He killed himself. How can anyone forget?”
For a fraction, Catori’s heart stopped, simultaneously halting her foot steps. She had half the mind to storm over to the group speaking in so called whispers. But instead, she coiled her fingers into a fist and forced herself to keep walking. What was the point of confronting them anyway? They would keep talking when she wasn’t there.
Nonetheless, Catori couldn’t stop her mind from wandering back to their words about Alpha Gavin Dolphus - her great grandfather. Ofcourse, she never met him but his reputation and stories preceded him, especially regarding the way he died. Everyone said he killed himself on the night of a full moon and from the first day Catori ever heard his gruesome suicide story, her mind had raised numerous questions, which were all shunned by her mother. No on in their family ever talked about him. It was forbidden and all that mystery only fueled Catori’s burning curiosity. Not that there was ever a chance of satisfying that hunger for the truth. The only other Dolphus family member living in their pack was her Uncle Xavier. He was living by the outskirts of North Lotus with his family and only visited the Dolphus family house once in awhile. For reasons Catori couldn’t understand, it almost seemed like Uncle Xavier avoided the family and that made him the last person she could think of questioning about Alpha Gavin Dolphus. He had only dropped by the 3rd day after her Mum had gone missing and never came around again. He was a weird man, so Catori didn’t think too much on it.
“Tori! I’ve been searching all over for.”
Catori’s minute reverie was broken by Kasa’s voice as she jogged up to her friend, who was just few steps away from the Dolphus magnificent family mansion.
“Hey,” Tori responded weakly.
Kasa’s wild hair had been tied up into a messy ponytail and her characteristic blue eyes sparked with such radiance Catori envied.“Hey you.” She smiled. “Where have you been? You’ll never believe what happened.”“Went for a run. And can this wait? I’ll really like to go inside.” Catori’s eyes trailed over to the solid wooden mansion, fenced by a properly trimmed flower bush.Kasa’s scrutinizing gaze seemed to pick up the little hints of despair etched onto her friend’s face like an awful scar.She frowned with concern. “You don’t look okay. Wait- How did your meeting with the counsel go?”Your father was an asshole as usual, Catori wanted to say.“You know, same old grumpy bunch.” Instead, she just sighed and shrugged halfheartedly.
Catori turned to Kurt and asked, "What's going on?""I asked to speak to a lawyer," the boy in the chair said again. Everyone in the room ignored him. Kurt signalled to Tori for them to speak outside the room while Kasa stayed behind to watch the intruder."This guy is dangerous, Tori. Let me handle him," Kurt said once they were out of the room."How did you catch him?" she asked.With a sigh, he answered. "He was hiding behind one of the large trees close to these training grounds," he said. "I suspect he wants to learn our way of training and battle. It's not a coincidence that he decided to spy on this part of North Lotus first."Catori took some time to regard his words. They made sense and Kurt was never one to dwell on wrong reasoning unless he was very sure about it. But there was something about that boy. He did not like a spy to her. He seemed a little t
It happened quickly. His fist flew towards the boy's jaw soon, there was a loud crack. With speed like lightning was on his feet and narrowly dodged the blow. Kurt Hemming was breathing heavily. His nostrils flared. His usually pale skin was red like fire. His usually tranquil baby blue eyes were looking tense with his pupils being enlarged. The hair on his neck were on alert and he was becoming hairier by the second.Kasa was scared, getting ready to fight him or hold him down if necessary. His wolf was coming out. It must have been crying to be released all this while. Every soul in the room was tense except Catori. She sat down assessing Liam. Something about him was not right. Something about him was familiar to her, it was too familiar in fact. Unfortunately she could not really place a finger on it.Meanwhile, Liam was watching Kurt with every ounce of seriousness, so was Kasa. Gradually, Kurt's appearance went back to bein
Catori slung the strap of the shoulder bag over her head and nestled it on her right shoulder. She contemplated whether to take her phone or not but ended up deciding against it. After all, who was there for her to call? Or who would ever decide to try reaching her?She went to the mirror to study her appearance. Today, she had chosen to wear the most comfortable of all her clothes. It was a black shirt on a pair of black joggers and black sneakers. She wanted to be able to easily blend in with the shadows. The only thing which was likely to give her away was her flaming red hair. The joggers had as many pockets as there could be. Each pocket contained weapons that would come in handy on the journey. She wore a pair of sneakers to top it off. What bothered her was what to do about her hair. Dyeing it was going to be useless, the dye would still fade soon. Instead, she tied it in a small bun and wore a black beanie over it.Openin
Nine elders were seated at the round table. Nine people who were to be the elders of the pack. Nine members, of which the majority came to do what they knew best, to plot evil. They sat, each wearing his or her black cloak to signify that they were about to deliberate on certain issues. "We should not have given her two more weeks to find that wretch mother of hers," Zeta Ahmik said. "That will make it a month with us not having an Alpha." "You have to be fair to the girl," Mrs Maxwell said. "She is doing everything she can to bring our Alpha back. If anything, I expected you all to at least be proud of her efforts." Beta Calian snorted. "You speak like she is the only one who is making effort, Gamma Maxwell." He smirked. "I am not surprised at your stand though, you are her fellow woman, after all." "What is that supposed to mean, Calian?" Mrs Maxwell asked. Zeta Ahmik answe
There were barking noises all over the place. Four wolves stood in a circle observing the carcass before them. Suddenly, one ran out of the circle and took a big bite out of her.Catori woke up with a start. The excruciating pain coming from her left side made it difficult for her to move. The slightest move of a muscle sent intense waves of pain all over her body. The brightness of the sun was too much for her eyes to handle as her lids slowly opened."Don't move," a masculine voice her right commanded.As if I can even try, she said in thought.She could not even turn to see the stranger."Who are you?" she managed to get out though her voice sounded nothing more than a tiny whisper. There was no response.If you want to kill me, you might as well make a little conversation, Catori thought.She briefly closed her eyes and when she opened them, there was a face blocking the sun from her face.
The sun was shining bright in the sapphire sky. One would think that with the brightness with shone with the heat accompanying it would be promising but no, there was no heat at all. In fact, the air was as refreshing it could be.Fenris sat on the lowest branch of the tree, staring into the sky. The feeling he had at the cave was one that he wasn't familiar with. He felt an odd sensation, a sweet one that his inner self did not want to let go. From the moment he set his eyes on her, his body had began to tingle.His ear drums were filled with the sound of another person's heartbeat even before Zayna brought her into the cave. He thought he was just imagining things until she came in. Although she was covered in blood, he still could not believe his eyes. The definition of a perfect hour glass figure stood before him. His jaw almost dropped to the floor. The eye contact which they briefly shared felt like a thousand years in her arms. It sent
That part of the forest was tranquil. There was only the chirping of birds to be heard. The rays of the sun pierced through the partings in the leaves to illuminate the ground. The ground was littered with dry and fresh leaves which had fallen.There was a figured rested on the trunk of an oak tree. The figure had blonde hair, white skin and was adorned with dirty grey clothes. A gentle breeze blew on the girl, causing her to stir. Gradually, those baby blue eyes opened and stared at nothing in particular until they were able to focus. She could not recognize her surroundings at first until the memory hit her like lightning.It was very dark and she was running without focus. She lost her friends. Then she stopped to catch her breath. That was where the memory stopped.With a start, Kasa jumped up from where she sat. It had just dawned on her that she was in fact very lost. She took a second look at the place she was
Catori surveyed nothing in particular from the edge of the hill. She could hear the birds chirping. They sounded so sweet. The air was so refreshing to breathe in.After the war, all the members of the council were either sacked or decided to resign on their own. Mrs Maxwell was appointed a high member of the council. At first, she was the only member. She singlehandedly conducted the Alpha's test on Catori and her brother. It had been decided that since another child of Luna Dakota was found, then it would only be fair to give him a chance at being alpha as well. Naturally, Liam failed. Kurt had become the new zeta of their pack. Cassarina became the beta.For the first time in a while, North Lotus was in perfect peace. She turned in the direction she came from.As she entered the busy town, she spotted a family honey skinned man with black hair. He was with a little boy who was about a year old on his neck. He pecked h
A blonde lady suddenly jumped in front of her enemy to shield him. She looked exactly like him and Kurt.'She must be the sister that Kurt talked about,' she said in thought."Get out of my way," she growled but Kasa wasn't ready to budge. Beta Calian saw this as a golden opportunity. He was up and away in a matter of seconds away from them. She wanted to go after him but on second thoughts, she decided to let him be for the time being and check out what was wrong with the blonde girl in front of her. She looked disheveled."Who are you?" Kasa asked in a shaking voice.Catori stepped back and closed her eyes tight. She felt the fur on her body grow out to the ground. She felt her red hair fall on her shoulders and her bones clicked back and she was no longer standing on all fours."Catori?" Kasa called in a confused tone."So I was right. You do k
Catori's knees made forced contact with the floor. Kurt landed on her right side and her father was thrown to her left. There were sniggers from among those vipers. There was clapping and mock praise at the round table."Well, well, well, Catori Dolphus is finally home. It seems like you came at the right time," Zeta Ahmik Black said and laughed.Catori stared at him, trying to fix his face but to no avail."Don't let them know that you can't remember them," Arthur whispered as quietly as he could.Beta Calian raised a palm and there was silence. He stood up from his seat at the round table and went to stand before the prisoners. He glared at Kurt, who glared back."So you even had the face to show up here," he said to his sun. His expression depicted anger and disappointment. Kurt didn't reply, to which Arthur gave a sigh of relief."So to the re
"So it's best for us to enter through this South border, actually. This is the less guarded area," Kurt explained to them. "If we go in successfully and stay put for a little while, we can gather some information first and know how to plan our moves."The others listened to him with interest. As a member of the elite warrior scouts, it made sense to have him give them the directions. Arthur listened to him as his mind slowly mapped out a method of attack. He nodded in agreement with the Hemming boy. Kurt trained well."That's good. I like your logic. Just as he said, we shouldn't barge in there. It has been a while since we were here. As much as Cassarina and Mrs Maxwell left just a few days ago, anything could have happened within that time," Arthur said. "We should steal into the pack. The problem now is when we can do that and where we will stay while we gather this info we need.""We also have to consider how we will
The two women walked silently on the bushy path. Zayna carried their medium sized luggage while Catori walked beside her empty-handed. "Are you sure that you don't want my help?" Catori asked after a while. She didn't feel comfortable letting Zayna carry all the luggage though they were in a duffel bag. The other woman, clad in black jeans and a black tee shirt, just like Tori, replied with a "No," for the upteenth time since they set out. "I don't know why you keep fussing over a baby that isn't even well developed yet. Just let me help you," Catori said. "Tori, all the help I need from you right now is for you to walk with me and keep quiet. We don't want to draw any unwanted attention to ourselves," Zayna replied. "And please, save your energy because I can bet you on anything that we might soon get attacked." Choosing to heed the Ghost Reaper's words, Catori kept her mou
Catori paced around in the room while Zayna watched her, to understand where the extra agitation was coming from.Tori stopped suddenly. "Hey Amar, I've got a question for you," she said."Shoot.""Are you a male or a female?" she asked.Her question was rather amusing to Zayna. "Why do you ask?""Well, you sound like a female at times and although you look like a male and actually sound like one most of the time, I can't help but think that you're a female," she said."Impressive," Zayna drawled. "Well, you got me then. I'm a woman.""How come you like to disguise yourself then?" Catori asked her as she dragged the chair in the room and sat down."Sorry but your friends think I'm a man. I just need to be on the safe side," Zayna replied in her real voice."Tell me about my
Catori stood at the window in silence. It had been over week since she had come to stay with Kelvin's family. They had been so welcoming right from the start, especially when his mother heard that she was pregnant. Catori desperately wanted to remember what her boyfriend looked like but come what may, she just could not. Amar had come to see her every single day since the day that she was discharged from the hospital.'I wonder why my boyfriend hasn't come to see me. What if we broke up before I found out about our baby?' she continued to ask herself. No matter how many times she asked Amar, there was never any concrete answer.There was a knock on the door and Erica let herself in before Catori could give her the permission to. "Hey. How are you feeling today?" Erica asked her."I think I'm getting better. I vaguely remember who you are now," Catori said. She was unsure of what she just said but all the same, ther
Kasa stumbled on a stone as she ran for her life. The rumbling of the earth showed that the guards were closing in on her. She was nearing the beginning of the hill. Left with no option, she climbed and it seemed like the moon goddess chose to smile on her, as she came across a small cave which she hid in. She heard the guards getting closer and went further into the cave, hoping with all her might that they would not catch her scent. If they did, then she was done for. She tried to catch her breath and stop the panting of her lungs.So your dad actually decided to do away with you, her wolf said.‘Please, this is not the time to tell me how you predicted this,’ Kasa said.No, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. Even I am shocked that he would decide to go that far, said her wolf.Kasa's tears touched the floor of the cave, making tiny splattering sounds in the process. She snif
Beta Calian paced around his office in circular motions. "I should not have let that old woman go. There was definitely something off about her being alright with leaving. I should have known that she would escape with that girl," he kept on muttering."So what makes you think that realizing your mistake and going after them will change anything?" Zeta Ahmik while he took a sip out of his cup of tea."Why are you so less concerned? You should be the one to be fuming about this, not me!" the Beta screamed."Tell me, why should I kill myself over the fact that your plan did not work when I'm not even the one who made the plan?" Zeta Ahmik asked him calmly.Beta Calian was stunned. "Are you serious right now? Black, you were solidly behind me this whole time and all of a sudden, just the operation isn't going according to plan, you think it is a great idea to pin the blame on me?" Beta Calian asked.