Escape
The thought of her aunt’s death was weighing heavily on Luz’s mind. She didn't want to think—didn't want to feel the stinging pain in her heart. She might not have known Lilith but she felt like she just lost a very dear friend.
'You need to hurry up!' he yelled back at her. 'Even pups run faster than you!'
'I'm sorry!' she cried as she struggled to keep him in her sights. 'I just haven't run all that much.'
'You must've been lazy then,' he growled as he was so far ahead, that she could hardly see him. 'A wolf your age should be able to keep up easy!'
Feeling annoyed she said, 'I said that I'm sorry, but I hurt my foot helping Lilith!'
It wasn't a complete lie, her paws were aching from all the running and felt raw as she forced herself to take a step. She felt bad about using Lilith’s recent death as an excuse, but what else could she do?
Hunter stopped running for a moment to look back at her. 'Sorry,' he said rather gruffly. 'But I'm worried about my pack. If we don't find them then anyone of them could be killed next.'
'I understand,' she said quickly as she finally caught up to him. 'I would be worried to. But do you even know where to find them?'
He blinked at her, and stared as if she was crazy. 'You must've been alone for a long time.' He decided. 'Any wolf would know how to find their pack.'
His ears twisted around like satellite dishes before he stuck his nose close to the earth and took several deep breaths.
'Their scents,' he told her. 'You smell and memorize their scents like you've done with mine.'
For a minute, she didn't understand what he meant, but as she drew close next to him, she picked up his pine scent.
So feeling stupid, she put her nose close to the ground and breathed in deeply. She expected to smell nothing but dirt—but she was amazed to see that she could pick up several scents. One was a wonderful floral scent… something like lilies? The second scent was of autumn leaves and… cinnamon candles? Why would a wolf smell like that? She put that out of her mind as she picked up the third and final scent… it was of gunpowder and something sweet like candy. But what got her the most was just how familiar this last smell was to Lilith…
'These scents belong to three of my pack members,' Hunter said once she raised her head and looked at him. 'The one that smells like flowers belongs to amity. The one with leaves is edric, and the last one is emira.
Luz nodded in understanding. Yes, she understood… she didn't like how everything was happening, but she would do whatever she had to help.
Hunter , realizing that they were wasting time turned his head and said, 'This way. I know that they're down a little further.'
Luz started running as soon as hunter said those words, knowing that he was about to take off. Sure enough, he was already taking the lead even though she started off first.
'Here's the plan,' he told her as his tongue rolled as of his mouth and he panted. 'I'll lead the hunters away, you help to get them out of the area and up the cliffs.'
'But I don't know the way,' she called back as she struggled to keep up.
'You don't need to,' he said, sounding frustrated. 'They all know how to get there, you just have to help them in any way you can.'
'But…' luz began worriedly, she couldn't believe that she was doing this. 'What about you? What if you get hurt?'
'I'll be fine! It's you and the others you have to worry about!' he roared back. But before she could come up with a retort, they heard the sound the sound of more gunshots ringing through the air, along with the howls of wolves…
Luz felt her heart sink. No… would more humans really be responsible for the death of another pack member of Hunter’s?
To her great astonishment, Hunter let out a howl of cruel laughter. 'Those humans… they think that they can kill us off that easily? They need to learn how to aim.'
Luz didn't understand what he meant. But then she heard the howling echoing around them again and realized that this was different…yet familiar from the one that Lilith howled. This was angry… as if the wolf was getting ready to protect its territory.
Understanding that no one was dead—yet, she and Hunter broke through a thick cluster of trees—and then she finally saw them…
Six… I repeat, 8 wolves were all standing there, gathered against a giant boulder and about 9 hunters with their guns and nets cornering them.
Three of the wolves were standing with their backs against the rock, while the others stood right in front of them, blocking them from the hunters view.
The ones in the back looked much younger, in fact the smallest one looked like he was still a puppy. He had deep orange-red fur with a flickering tail that looked like it belonged more to a fox than a wolf.
The second youngest looked just a little bit older than the red one with a lighter golden color and she had such the sweatiest looking face that she had ever seen. How could anyone be cold-hearted enough to hurt a face like that.
The final wolf that was standing with them looked much older, and was bigger… but Luz could tell that she was definitely a female. She had a beautiful white color fur coat and a large, swollen belly… oh—luz realized that this must've been the pregnant wolf that Hunter called Ava.
The other three green and brown wolves that were standing in front of them had their teeth bared at the hunters, as if daring them to try and come any closer. There were three females 2 older males, that looked ready to go down fighting.
One of the males was a dark green color—he had an impish grin, like he was already thinking of a cleaver way to get them out of this mess.
The second male was of a deep brown, almost a chestnut color and he was the one that looked the most dangerous. He was showing more fangs than the other two and there was a wild look in his eyes as if he thought that if he lost this fight then he would lose everything.
That look scared her for a moment before the last female….was her friend, amity took a step forward and looked like she wanted to be the first one to attack.
She was also a very beautiful wolf with fur that looked light green with purple bangs with a tint of black around her eyes like war paint. Out of all them, Luz could tell that she had the longest claws that could easily take down anyone…
All in all, this was one pack that you shouldn't mess with.
Hunter let out a howl of rage and before anyone could turn and look at him, he came flying out of nowhere and right in front of his pack. Perhaps luz was listening to her lupus canine instincts, but before she could stop herself, she copied Hunter , and flew herself next to him with the wolf pack behind her.
'What…?'
'Who are…?'
What the—
Why does the new wolf smell familiar?
'What took you so long dog breath?'
All these words came from the wolves. 'We can talk after we get out of here!' Hunter howled at them before he turned to luz and snarled angrily, 'You were supposed to stay back and let me take care of this!'
'Well, sorry,' luz snapped back. 'But you didn't really expect me to sit back and watch you all get killed did you?'
'I thought that you said that we can talk after we get out of here!' yelled the white -colored female—Ava.
That snapped hunter back into battle mode. He growled fiercely at the hunters, who were looking thrilled that they were going to catch one of the pack leaders. It made luz sick to watch their happy faces. Really… how can anyone be so cruel to think that killing something for fun be… fun?
She decided that if she ever got out of this mess, and ever shift back into a human again, she would do everything in her power to help put a stop to hunting once and for all. Really, maybe people should get turned into animals more often, let them see how 'fun' it is to be hunted.
She reared back her head and began to let out a ghostly howl, hoping that it would scare the hunters, and also to let them know that she wasn't going to stand for them attacking anyone else.
They blinked in surprise at her howl and a few of them even took a step back.
"Where'd she come from?" a hunter with a mullet haircut and red shirt asked nervously. "I've never seen her around here before."
"Must be a new addition to their pack," a balding man next to him replied. "See, they're multiplying! We've got to finish them all off before their pack gets any bigger!" he then pointed his gun at Ava, who looked like she was having trouble standing up.
"Hurry up and kill the females off," he snarled.
'Over my dead body you will!' called out the strong, brown male as he put himself right in front of Ava.
'You want anyone,' Hunter growled, (Literally and figuratively) 'Then you have to get through me!'
'Hunter ,' the one with the impish grin called edric replied, 'We need to get out of here, Ava can't take much more—and flapjack and honey wants to hurry up and find Lilith before we head to the cliffs.' He then turned to luz and asked, 'And might I ask, who are you?'
Luz didn't answer due to nervousness.
Thankfully, Hunter answered and said, 'She's that wolf that we heard in the area lately. She's here to help and you're all going to escape back into the cliffs you hear?'
'But what about you?' Luz asked worriedly as the hunters were getting ready.
'Like before,' Hunter told her, 'I'll drive them away.'
He then turned to the green male and said, edric—is there anyone else hurt?'
'No,' he answered a little sourly. 'But except my pride.'
'Keh,' Hunter snorted. 'What pride?'
Edric looked like he was about to throw back some smart remark but Hunter said, 'Now isn't the time for us to fight this out. You help get the others out of here. I'll try to get you all some time… but I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep them all busy for long.'
'Right,' edric said as he turned to the others. 'Owen,' he said to the brown wolf. 'You help Ava . Honey ?' he then asked the golden, 'You and Flapjack watch each other's tails.'
He then looked at the other brown female and said, ‘Viney my dearest…'
'I know what to do,' she said irritated. 'And I'm not your dearest.'
'Luz? Hunter whispered for her. Her ears swirled around to catch his words, 'You go with them. I think I can buy you all about a minute… a minute and a half if I do a good job. Which means that you only have that much time to get them all out of the area. But once you all start running, they'll never be able to catch you.'
He then smiled to himself, 'There's never been a human who could outrun any of us.'
'You got that right,' amity said as she stooped down in front of the green female one called emira. 'As much as I hate running away from the likes of them…'
'Sister,' whispered emira , looking nervously.
'Don't worry,' amity said soothingly. 'I'll make sure that we get out of this.'
'Yo, dog-breath,' called the brown wolf whose name was Owen, He put his snout underneath Ava and said, 'Try not to mess this up.'
'Keh,' he replied. 'Please, I have to tear you apart before I die.'
Luz then noticed that one of the hunters was pulling out a large net, large enough to trap them all in. ‘Hunter?… ' she began in a scared voice as she drew closer to him, feeling more secure with him by her side.
'Just follow the others,' he said back to her quickly as he crouched low, getting ready to spring. 'Just keep up with them and make sure that no one gets left behind. Trust me, I can deal with these lowlifes.'
They briefly looked at each other's eyes before she nodded in understanding. 'Please…' she said to him softly. 'Be careful.'
She could've sworn that she saw him smirk. 'I told you not to worry about me. Worry about yourself and the others.'
'Get ready,' amity growled as she moved to the two youngest pack members. 'Wait until they shoot… dodge it… and then make a break for it.'
Luz turned back to the hunters and very slowly they raised the guns up to eye level and took careful aim. 'Get ready…' Hunter said to them and she poised herself in a position to dodge. The hunter pointed the gun at hunter, and said, "You're nothing… but targets."
He pulled the trigger… and then all hell broke loose.