Ikion’s muscles bunched beneath his sleek black pelt, anger fueling his frenzied journey through the dark forest. He could still see it, the blood seeping into the ground, the shredded carcasses strewn across the battle field. He winced as his sister’s battered face stared out at him from every shadow. He couldn’t erase the bloody scene from his mind. She had been so beautiful, so young. A deep growl issued from his throat, disturbing the quiet forest flying past him. But now they would pay for what they had done. He resisted the enticing urge to throw back his magnificent head and howl his sorrow to the moon. He was on Komacho territory now.
As the giant redwood trees surrounding him thinned and then disappeared altogether, Ikion felt exposed, naked. The valley before him was awash in moonlight, a bright contrast to the darkness of the forest. He pulled his lips back in disgust as the gravel of a man-made pathway pressed into the flesh of his paws. Humans.
Warily he padded off down the gravel slope, the large brown house visible to his right, a newly planted vineyard to his left. In a swift lunge, the powerful black wolf glided over the fence into freshly plowed dirt. Soundlessly, he moved towards the house: his enemy’s human den. The porch creaked loudly and he quickly padded past the front door. He was surprised to find the packs scent strongly covering a rickety wooden staircase to his right. Awkwardly he climbed the moldering stairs to the second floor balcony.
Ikion couldn’t believe what he found at the top of the stairs. A window leading into a large bedroom had been left wide open, the screen hanging uselessly to one side. It was obvious the pack used it as their escape. Tasting the air, the black wolf peered into the untidy room. He could see an empty mattress and judging by the scent, he realized that the Komacho Alpha Ethanne, must be away.
As he slipped in through the window the frame scraped uncomfortably against his ribs and back. Anticipation filled him as he realized he was not alone. To his right lay another mattress, a small silver wolf strewn across it, her hearty snores disguising his loud heart beat. He passed by Queleigh’s twitching form cautiously. The young she-wolf looked deadly even asleep.
He slipped soundlessly into the hallway, splinters pricking at his paws. He waited a few moments, breathing deeply to quiet his racing heart. Nosing into the next doorway he shivered. Ryelaine lay deathly still, her black pelt identical to his own. Even walking dreams, Ryelaine’s body sensed the foreign presence in her den. How perceptive.
Enarose was in the next room, the yellow walls covered with holes where the plaster showed through. Obviously the pack had played rough in this room as pups. Ikion stared at Enarose. She was beautiful, her tawny fur shifting as she slept. She was the identical of her sister only much smaller.
Moving to the last room on the landing, Ikion shivered as the moonlight fell through the white curtains to illuminate the young woman lying on the old mattress, curled tightly into a fetal position. He breathed in the human scent; she was almost too good, he could hardly detect wolf-scent at all. His anger wavered as he neared her. Summoning the image of his sisters dead face to mind, the anger returned full force.
Kajo, the young she-wolf destined to take the Komacho pack from Ethanne. She was their only hope, and she was his. Ikion padded forwards, knowing he would have to make this as soundless as possible. If he alerted her sisters they would kill him. Kajo’s body twitched, her brow creasing as a shiver ran through her body and her lips moved to form soundless words. Ikion’s resolve faltered as he stared down at the young woman, marveling at her human form. A breath later a slender tawny wolf lay before him, writhing on the bed as if in pain. He was stunned by how easily she phormed. Moments later she returned to her human form.
Ikion phormed and knelt beside her as all intent of revenge and murder dissipated. He was close enough to see the battle scars covering her fragile white skin which seemed so delicate beneath the pale sheets wrapped tightly around her twitching body. He had only seen Kajo a few times before, and she had been raging and fierce on the battlefield, leading her pack into war against his own family. But for some reason he could not touch her, he couldn’t hurt this beautiful creature lying before him.
Ikion phormed and fled the den before slipping away into the blackness of the forest, Ryelaine’s dark gaze filled with fury as she watched him disappear.
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