Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Since my first shift I was sent to training right away. Special wolves that shifted early are sent to train with three things in mind, speed, stealth, and self-defence. We are smaller than the wolves that usually had their shifts at sixteen years old. It is why we are taught how to be fast and silent but also how to defend ourselves. We are considered an “Elite wolf” meant to serve a higher purpose in our pack. At sixteen we could choose to either become Hunters or Trackers. If strong enough we could be the leaders of our pack like a Beta, Second Beta, Head Hunter, or Head Tracker. I personally am eyeing the tracking spot just like my mother - the fastest Tracker in our pack. I could be considered a natural. My body although small is faster than most sixteen-year-old shifters. I could keep up easily with older wolves and even hide my scent better. My mother always takes Mia and I for extra training because Mia seemed to be the only one barely able to keep up.

Once a month our family took us hunting. Sometimes we hunt in the forest, training our bodies to dodge trees as we catch prey. I loved the chase of the hunt. My favourite things are usually smaller prey like squirrels and rabbits. Animals considered too quick to catch. After strict training from my mother I became quick enough to grab a squirrel as it scampers up a tree and beat a rabbit to its burrow. The hard parts were leaving a clean kill.

But there were some skills we are taught that are considered essential in case any of us became a rogue. This included how to loot from human territories, what herbs and plants are edible as well as what farmer would not miss a few cattle from so called “animal attacks”. Our pack is situated in the north-western parts of Ontario Canada, close to Sauble Beach area. The area held many forest and lands that are deemed unsuitable for living thanks to witches but close enough to farms that a simple raid on a moonless night is all it took. And today is such a night.

My parents tell us to shift just inside the tree line by our house before silently making our way through the territory until just outside where a field of cattle greeted our sight. Calves bleated and ran around, too restless to sleep. Their mothers slept blissfully unaware of the threats that lurk just behind them. Our targets are the babies.

I am first to go since I distracted the creatures with my fur, my wolf body slowly maturing into a delinquent. I am nine now and our hunting strategy is that I distracted, the rest kill. Within thirty minutes we have five calves and are on our way home with the deed done, the farmer would be pissed but it is a sight many get use to considering the coyotes and normal wolves living in the area. It would be considered just another animal attack come tomorrow morning

We stop at the butchering hut, a cold concrete hut my father had built so that he could cut the meat and send a portion to the pack house to help stock up. Something set as a mandatory rule by the first Alpha of the pack that is carried down many generations. Slowly we place the dead calves on the metal square just outside the door and left my father to work while my mother, brother, sister, and I go out to the forest, killing a few wild turkeys and a dear. Our goal is to help get a supply going for when it is needed as well as keep the stock at the pack house up for the next few weeks.

We repeat the process of putting them on another metal square and left to go into the house, taking a shower and relaxing. It is a long weekend here in Ontario due to Family Day being tomorrow, so my siblings and I get to stay up late and watch movies with our parents. This is the only time we get to do this kind of bonding since Zack is in college and Mia in high school, so our parents do not have to worry about them and their activities now that they have chosen their path and place in the pack. But because I am still young and have yet to choose a path of a pack member my parents still treated me like a child.

I hate it.

"Well who wants my famous homemade burgers tomorrow?" My dad asks as he waltz into the room carrying a cooler box with what I assume to be meat for burgers, perking my siblings and I right up.

"Do we really need to answer that dad?" Zack asks with Mia and I both nodding in agreement. The night went on about what else we would have with the burgers and the fun we would have at the pack run tomorrow night. In the end I found myself curled up between my brother and sister fast asleep.

…

"Daddy can we go for the run now? The pack should be ready for one." I ask impatiently, hopping from one foot to the other. Our dinner had been finished hours ago and now it is time for the annual family day run. To say that I am excited is an understatement. I love being in wolf form and running in the night as my fur moved like flames in the wind. It always amazes newly shifted wolves when they run with the pack for the first time especially since they have never seen my fur until the pack run. The way some wolves would trip over a root from the distraction always has me rolling in laughter by the end of the run. My siblings have already shifted, tired of waiting and I am inches away from joining them and taking off in search of pack members. But I knew my parents would ground me to only the yard and away from any pack run if I took off without consent.

"Yes we can." My father chuckles out, this small phrase being all I need to hear before I run around behind a bush and shift. I whimper from the pain and the bones cracking and realigning themselves till I stand on all fours. It has only taken three minutes for me to shift and join my siblings, but it felt like hours with all the pain. Due to my age my family limited how much I shifted but still has me training to shift as much as I could to get use to the pain until it became a seamless shift. I have another three years until I could go through a shift train at fourteen and the horror stories that Mia and Zack brought back has me both nervous and excited for it to happen.

Finally everyone is all shifted into their wolf forms and running through the forest. Our first stop is meeting up with the rest of the pack at the pack house where our run would start. It gave everyone a chance to let lose in our wildest form and any wolf are welcomed as long as they could stick with our group. The ages range from some as young as thirteen to as old as two maybe even three hundred years old; perks of being a supernatural being. Zack had already set off for a group of friends as the pack house came into view. Then Mia left for another group. There is only one person I wanted to see and the moment I spotted Leo I nuzzle my parents and take off like a bullet, tackling the thirteen-year-old to the ground and pinning the older pup under me.

[Ambie get off me!] He growls through our mind link as I playfully tug on his ear.

[Make me!] I retort with, only to find myself pinned under him. I couldn’t help the annoyance as I try to wiggle free, even resorting to reaching for his ear and biting it hard only to give up.

[No fair Leo. Just because you’re focusing on warrior training more doesn’t mean you can take advantage of the fact you’re bigger than me.] I whine.

[Life is not fair, deal with it.] His smug voice fills my head. I huff and wait for him to relax, then move out from under him before swiping my paws under one of his and tripping him, dashing away as he chases me through the throng of wolves.

[Amberle I will catch you and when I do you’re so dead.] Leo threatens and I laugh as best as I can. Leo may be able to use his strength more against me, but I have speed. He would never be able to catch me unless I let him.

Leo is our future Alpha and son to Alpha Blue. Yes, his father’s name is Blue - like Blue's Clues - and he even looked a bit like the dog from that show. Blue is like me, a wolf with rare fur. His fur somehow came out with a light blue tinge and a dark blue patch on his left eye. It is a sight to be seen in the pack. What is even rarer was having two wolves with rare fur in the same pack. Normally a pack has only one wolf shift with rare fur. It always signifies that the Moon Goddess blessed them for a greater destiny - one that always bring the best out into the world of werewolves. Blue’s destiny was saving the werewolf king many years ago. It is how our pack was able to thrive so well for being a somewhat smaller sized pack. Everyone speculates what my destiny would be, but no one would know for sure just yet.

[Okay everyone.] The voice of Alpha Blue rings into my mind and I stop, ducking just in time for Leo to crash into his father’s side as the Alpha give the both of us a pointed look. There is a reason we are called ‘Double Trouble’ in the pack. Somehow the two of us would get into trouble in multiple ways. We would either crash into higher ranking wolves when being chased by one another. Other times we would wreck a gathering without meaning too. But most times we had a blast pranking Alpha Blue, my father, and the high-ranking wolves when they least expect it

[It is time to run. Keep eyes on the pups considering we have a few rare early shifters and remember the run ends at the lake just behind the pack house. Stay together and stay safe.] With that he takes the lead as head of the pack and we chase after him. The territory is a modest size and unless you have had months of training it would be hard to keep up in speed. Trackers scouted the route from the trees as Hunters surrounded the wolves. Even though we are on our territory sometimes things could happen. The last pack run a group of rogues tried to kidnap some she wolves. Needless to say I watched how brutal a mate could be when one tried to harm their other half. It took a total of three hours to finish the run before we reach the lake to rest. From here we could either head home or socialize in our fur.

This is where I once again tackle Leo after finding him in the crowd before dashing away again. For the next few hours we chase and tackle each other in mock battle. Enjoying the chance to let loose and tumble around like pups before heading back home for the night. That is when we hear it. A gun shot rang through the trees as Leo and I separated, silence filling the forest that was once lively with pack mingling.

We freeze.

[Hunters have entered the territory. Everyone Get to the pack house and make sure the pups are safe.] Blue orders as wolves begin to scoop up many pups and race to the safety of the pack house where the bunkers waited to protect us.

[Amber?] My mother, she is worried and probably questioning my safety. Her voice filled the pack link and I know I must reply into the link as well.

[I'm with Leo.] My answer is short, but it contains two meaning. One, I am safe. Two, our future Alpha is with me. We should be priority to protect and hopefully wolves will see us on our mad dash to the pack house.

[Okay, meet us at the pack house.] My father sighs, but I knew everyone would be vigilant for us.

[Okay.] I looked at Leo and we nod in understanding, taking off and running to catch up with the other pack members. Some completely ignore us and that makes sense since hunters are considered enemy number one in the werewolf community. But the danger did not mean that they could not help. Although we did our best to keep up with wolves that we spotted, even barking out for help, our legs could not keep up with the fully-grown adults. Soon we end up falling behind, trying hard to make it the last leg to the pack house as the roof comes into view.

"Did you see that? The wolf with the fur like flames?" I could hear the hunters, and they had seen me. As beautiful as my fur is, it could also be a dangerous thing since it is easy to see. Leo seem to have sensed them too as he steers me away from them and into the thicker parts of the woods where it would be harder for a human to move through and easier to hide and blend in.

[Hurry up!] He growls, his Alpha side appearing. I could sense his urgency to have me moving faster, away from danger. It is his Alpha blood. The need to protect his pack mates growing stronger in this dangerous situation

[I am] I glared back; reaching the safety of the cave comes into view and us hiding just inside. Neither of us shifted nor breathed too loudly as we curled into the hidden ledge, Leo using his black wolf fur to hide me in the shadows. Unless a light is shone towards us, we will look like a shadow to anyone who looks into the cave.

"Where did they go?" Hunter one asks angrily.

"I don't know! You were the one tracking the fucking runt and its friend!" His companion answers just as furious. I know to a hunter a werewolf with rare fur is worth thousands to them. It was survival one-o’-one. If you are special werewolf like me and held fur that the hunters society deems novelty than you would be either captured and kept as a pet or killed and have your pelt taken to be used for whatever they deemed fit.

[Amberle, Leo, where are you?] It is Alpha Blue, worry filling the link.

[In the cave just north of the pack house. The hunters are outside where we are hiding.] I could hear Leo reply as he presses closer to me, his body ready to pounce in case we are found. Guess that means that Alpha Blue opened up the mind link to everyone.

[Stay there, we are coming.] It became quiet after that. The sounds of Leo and I barely breathing are the only sounds we could hear as we tried to sense the locations of the hunters and how close they are to us. Suddenly howls and growls could be heard. The sounds of fighting between wolves and hunters reach our hiding spot. It sounds like our warriors are winning. Then two shots rang out and I felt my body go from shivering in fear to completely still. Shots are never a good thing to us. Almost all shots from a hunter’s gun are fatal to us wolves because of the silver coated bullets created specifically to terminate our species.

[Amberle whatever happens, whatever you hear, no matter what just stay in the cave] It is a command from Blue directed just to me as our private link buzzes into my mind. But worry and dread fills me while I wait for the cries of pain from the hunters to quiet down before I race past Leo who tries to hold me back. Something in his eye holds pain and urgency in keeping me in the cave but I trip his paws from under him and use this advantage and my speed to race past his sprawled-out form. The entrance of the cave greets me as I head for the outside, my mind hoping for the best but dread starts to pool in my heart.

The scent of blood from my parents catch my attention before I see pack members circling around the base of a tree, sadness radiating through the bond. My steps falter with hesitation. My parents are strong wolves so nothing should have happened to them, right?

With renewed resolve I rush past into everyone and shift into my skin, stopping wide eyes as the scene of my parents leaning against each other weakly. With the slight sizzling of burnt skin my eyes first catch sight of the scarlet blood dripping out of a wound on my father’s chest, the location close to his heart. His hand was clasping my mother’s as she weakly smiles at him, her free hand holding onto her abdomen as more blood drips out from her wound and past her fingertips.

“Mom…Dad…” I whisper out, my feet resuming their path slowly until I find myself kneeling in front of them, my hands resting on their clasped one.

“Hey Amber.” My father gasps out, his smiling face now facing me as I stare back and forth between them. The wounds worsen with their movements as they shift to make more room for me, allowing me to move closer and hold onto them.

“You’ll be fine right? The pack doctor will heal the both of you soon right?” My mother’s hand reaches for my face as she wipes her fingers delicately across my cheeks, her gentle smile filling with sadness. I did not realize that I had started crying until that moment and I nuzzle into her warm touch.

“Promise me you’ll stick together, all of you!” Her voice is weak but still holds the command and respect of one of the leaders of the pack as her eyes move from mine to over my shoulder. I follow her gaze to see Mia and Zack standing just behind me, a look of sorrow on their faces.

“You can’t leave us yet.” Mia cries out, taking the spot beside my father as she clings to his arm.

“I’m sorry Mimi.” He sighs, releasing my mother’s hand to wipe away Mia’s tears.

“Zack promise us you’ll take care of your siblings.” My mother continues, ending her words with a cough that causes blood to dibble down from the corner of her lips. My father quickly wraps her into his embrace as I catch Zack nod, unable to voice his words at the fact that our parents are at the end of their lives and nothing could stop it.

“Good. Now remember we love all of you.” My father smiles, tears welling in his eyes as he starts to gasp for breath.

“Stay together and know that we will always be with you.” My mother continues before she sighs one more time. They lean closer together, their breaths becoming shallow until their body slowly goes slack and their eyes close. They are gone.

“You bitch! This is your fault!” My head spins as a hard slap connects to my tear stained face. My body sprawls against the forest floor as I turn to look at my sister Mia who stands above me, her nails turning into claws. Zack quickly rushes over and restrains her; a passive look on his face as he stares at me. But the distain and hate in their gazes have me frozen in place.

“It’s not my fault.” I retort back, standing up and rubbing my swollen check.

“If you weren’t such a special wolf our parents wouldn’t have died. It’s because of your fucking fur.” She screams, fighting to gain freedom from Zack as her hatred simmers in the air. I slowly back away from my siblings, seeing the anger in Zack’s eyes and wondering if he would attack me too.

“Enough Mia! Zack take your sister to the pack house now.” Alpha Blue orders, coming to shield me from the two. But I could see the hesitation in Zack’s eyes before he nods again. He takes a few steps dragging the still raging Mia along with him before he stops and turns to look at me.

“From now on you are no longer our sister.” He states before he resumes dragging Mia away. My heart feels like its shattering as darkness slowly slips in around my vision. What was supposed to be a normal pack run had led to the loss of my family.

“Amberle?” Alpha Blue yells out, his arms reaching for me before darkness fully takes me with this overwhelming grief.