Chapter 53: Chapter 53
Alex and his warriors raced through the forest, sniffing the air for any trace of the kidnappers. They had been on the trail for hours, but so far they had come up empty-handed.
When they got to see the landmarks that Heartman had described, Alex and the head warrior dropped down from their houses.
"Check behinds those trees if you'll find the marks," Alex ordered, and the rest of the warriors dropped down from their horses.
"Yes, Alpha," they chorused.
Every warrior walked behind the tree nearest to them to search for marks Heartman had talked about.
"Found one, Alpha" a warrior called from a distance.
From another end of the forest, another worrior called out, "I have found one Alpha."
Many other wariors saw the same and called out to him.
"We're following the right landmark," the head of the warriors reported to Alex.
"Then we shouldn't be searching like this. The previous Luna needs our help, our packs glory needs to be restored. These kidnappers need to be brought to justice and taught never to cross paths with any member of the crystal Moon pack!" Alex shouted, boosting their spirits.
He knew the long period of unfruitful search had made them to start having doubts in the mission, and Alex needed his warriors to be high-spirited because no one knew the capability of their opponents–the kidnappers.
Alex gave out a war cry, and the worriors responded with theirs as they charged towards the direction Alex had given them.
Looking at the worriors back in spirit, Alex felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him. But the fight wasn't over yet he charged along with them taking his place at the frontier.
From a distance, they could see a building–they had finally tracked them down.
Alex and his warriors arrived at the hideout. The building was a gigantic and dilapidated old house. Alex could tell a great pack lived here from the look of the massive area.
He gave a signal to the head of the warrior, telling him to pass a message to the other warriors.
Everyone was to split and enter through three different entrance that were present.
The warrior head gave the signal to his men, and they split up.
Some warriors were left outside to watch if there were any strange movements or the kidnappers tried escaping after the grouped warriors had gone inside.
With nods, everyone signified that they understood their duties.
After giving the counting the warrior head gave the signal for all groups to go inside.
They moved in like spies not to draw any attention to themselves. Alex couldn't be more proud of his warriors, pride settled on his shoulders.
Smiling to his own thoughts, Alex who was heading his group went in with them, while the worriors on standby looked for hideouts around and stayed there with heightened sense observing the environment.
As the first group led by Alex entered the abandoned building, they were met with an eerie silence.
All other groups came into the big opening, which seemed to be the pack dining room.
"No sign of the kidnappers, Alpha." Kaden, the warrior head, reported to Alex.
"It's empty, Alpha. If anyone did then they must have evacuated the building. No sign or movement from our end," the last group gave their report.
Everyone looked around the bare walls, sniffing musky air, which indicating that the kidnappers had left in a hurry.
Alex gave them the order to search and they obeyed. Everyone turned back to search for the second time. The air was thick with tension as the group surveyed the area, searching for any clues.
Alex's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, looking for any signs that could give away the direction the kidnappers had taken. It was then that he noticed the furnace was still warm, indicating it wasn't long they put out the fire. Meaning the kidnappers could not have gone far.
He called the worriors attention to it, so they could observed it.
"They couldn't have gone far," Alex said; his eyes scanning the room, "We need to split up and search the area. They must have left some sort of trail behind."
The warriors nodded in agreement, and they were divided into groups.
When they trudged out out of the building, the warriors on standby didn't see anyone leave the building and they too were added into groups.
They transformed into their wolf forms, dispersed and set out in different directions with their keen senses on high alert.
Alex led one group; his nose to the ground as he searched for any sign of the kidnappers.
Alex's senses were heightened as he ran through the forest. His wolf form was fast and agile, and he could smell everything around him.He could smell fear, desperation, and something else he couldn't quite identify.
The trail led deeper into the forest, and Alex knew that they were getting closer. He urged his group to move faster, and they picked up their pace with their paws pounding against the forest grounds.
Their heightened senses allowed them to pick up on even the slightest scents and sounds.
As they ran through the forest, Alex couldn't shake the feeling that they were getting close. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and his heart pounded against the walls of his chest.
Finally, they burst through the trees, and they approached a clearing that had little rocks with sharp edges buried in the ground.
Alex felt something that made his heart stop. He caught a whiff of something familiar–the distinct scent of blood. He lifted his head and followed the trail with a racing pulse.