Wolf's Whisper

by Arizona Tape

  "Right behind you."

  I jumped around as I heard the silky voice I'd recognise anywhere and was suddenly met with a set of bright blue eyes. Where did she even come from?

  "Hi," I managed to utter, my voice suddenly squeaky and my throat dry. How did she always manage to take my breath away?

  "Were you worried about me?" she grinned as she took a step in my direction, a sly smirk playing around her pink lips.

  "What, me? Naaah." I tried, hoping I came across casually, but the grin on her face told me I was failing miserably at that.

  With her lips dangerously close to my ear, she brushed a strand of hair away from my cheek. "I’m glad to see you too," she whispered, as I suddenly found myself standing in a field of wild strawberries.

  A shiver ran down my spine as she pushed my chin up with two fingers. Her bright eyes pierced into mine as she lowered her face towards mine. Was this it? Was she going to kiss me?

  My breath hitched in my throat as I stood in front of her, frozen still, scared that any movement, even a breath, might break this moment.

  A light breeze blew over my wetted lips, which I later realised was her breath. She was so close, I could almost taste the strawberries. And then...

  "Guys! Enough with all the lovey dovey stuff, we have more urgent and serious business to discuss."

  Aspen's loud voice boomed through the cave and as it did, I felt how both I and my wolf were immediately dragged away from Ashleigh. Voluntarily or involuntarily, my attention was suddenly completely focussed on Aspen. Aspen, who had luckily put on a shirt and a pair of trousers. Aspen, who if he wasn't kidding and playing around, was dangerously handsome. Aspen, who turned my brain into mush and my stomach into a stress ball every time he used his alpha voice.

  Aspen, who could make me almost forget about Ashleigh.

  Not just Ashleigh and I jumped apart, begrudgingly, the redhead pulled away from her own reunion. Even the imposing man and the rebel Darren seemed unable to withstand a command from their alpha, as both of them turned away from Danny.

  Yeah, alpha Aspen certainly was something else. And as he spoke in his authoritative voice, planning out our next move, I could feel my heart break as my wolf was torn between the two siblings.

  But as much as I wanted to wallow in my own misery, a loud grunt in the back of the cave caught my attention.

  With his hand pressed against his side, Regan was now slumped against the wall of the cave. I couldn't be sure, but I could almost see sweat pearling on his face. His face now painted in harsh lines as he finally admitted he was in pain.

  "You okay?" and "Are you hurt?" were yelled through each other as both Danny and Darren ran to Regan.

  Far more careful than expected, Darren peeled away Regan's shirt. Underneath, he exposed a nasty looking cut that was already collecting pools of puss. Tasty.

  But as Regan groaned in pain, that thought disappeared and made way for genuine concern. He seemed the type of guy that wouldn't complain about a little scratch unless it was completely serious. And from the looks of it, it was serious.

  Danny pressed a cloth against Regan's ribs to remove the puss and I sincerely hoped she wouldn't use that towel later to dry the dishes. As much as I cared for Regan and wanted him to get the best care, it just seemed like a legit thing to worry about.

  The muscles man groaned in pain as Darren applied some sort of sticky ointment and wrapped the wound with a simple cloth.

  JP brought him a cup of the leftover soup we had for breakfast and even Aspen willingly gave up his "throne" (aka the ugly stump of wood he found inside the cave) so it could be used as a little end table.

  I was still processing the fact that apparently Darren was the healer of the group and wondered how I could help. Everyone else was doing something, so the least I could do was try.

  I grabbed one of our logs and poked up the fire, blowing in the ashes to raise the temperature of the coals. I counted out the logs and happily nodded. Definitely enough to last us for a while. What about our drinking water?

  The pot that Ashleigh and I filled up not so long ago, was now almost empty. I gazed at the entrance of the cave, realising the storm had sort of settled. I should really help.

  The group had shifted and chased away the Coyotes while I had helplessly waited in the cave. The least I could do, was get all of us some more clean drinking water.

  I grabbed the cauldron, tipped the left over water into a smaller pot and heaved it up. "I'll Regan some more fresh water," I called out to the group. Danny shot me a grateful look and JP smiled.

  I felt a sense of pride course through my body. See, I could be useful. I wasn't just the youngster they needed to take care of.

  I felt a warm hand on my wrist. "Be careful," Ashleigh gently said, her blue eyes piercing into mine. I nodded, smiling at her, hoping she'd realise I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself.

  "See you soon," she whispered, making my cheeks heat up. Damn, she was so cute. I wish I'd have said something smooth or smart, but I just bit my lip and scrunched my nose. Judging from the twinkle in her eye, she loved my response either way.

  Chapter 9. Chesca

  The icy cold wind clashed on my skin as it chased the freshly fallen snow back up in the air. I shivered slightly, my hand tightening around the handle of the cauldron.

  I looked back over my shoulder at the cave, a picture of the group flashing through my mind. I had never been part of a group before and although it was pretty damn nice, the quiet was a welcome change. Like the embrace of an old friend.

  How long had I been with Aspen and Ashleigh? Maybe a week? A little bit longer? I wasn't entirely sure. Time is a fickle thing, especially out here in the wild.

  I sighed as I deeply inhaled the fresh air. It sure was nice not to be breathing murky cave air. For a moment, I set the pot down and with my arms spread, I let the wind play with my clothes and hair.

  I had forgotten how nice the Aladwin Forest could be when you weren't packed in a cave with your two mates who always seemed to be in constant conflict. I had seen how they fought about the last piece of jerky, or who got the nicest fur. I really didn't want to think about what kind of all-out war I could cause.

  The dark strands of my hair playfully danced in the wind as it tugged on anything it could. I enjoyed the cold breeze whirling around me, not noticing how it slowly guided me into deeper into the forest.

  It wasn't until I heard a faint cry in the distance and opened my eyes, that I realised how far I had strayed from the cave. I turned my head towards the noise, trying to pinpoint the location.

  "Heeelp!"

  A young, female voice found my ears and if the call for help wasn't clear, she sounded clearly distressed. With my fantastic instincts, ahem, I navigated myself towards the source.

  "Hey, hey lady! Up here!"

  I tilted my head upwards, wondering what "up here" meant and quickly came to realise that it meant, "Up here in the tree".

  "Ehmmm... Hello?" I called back, wondering what was going on.

  "Hi! Can you help me?"

  I internally groaned. Why did I keep finding strays in the middle of nowhere? Was this some sort of practical joke? A scavenger's hunt nobody told me about? Find the strays?

  "What is the problem?" I inquired, already cursing at myself for straying so far from the cave. Bad Akira, this is what happens when you go out on your own. You find people.

  "This is kind of embarrassing, but... I seem to be stuck?" the girl shouted, looking a bit unsure of herself.

  "You seem to be stuck?" You'd think that was something that was quite clear. Either you were stuck or you weren't.

  "Well... I was chasing this little bird and it flew into this tree. So, naturally, I followed it. But now that am up here... I think I forgot I can't fly?"

  "You forgot?"

  "Well, yes. I mean, I’m quite sure that in one of my past lives I could fly. But then again, maybe not. It is all a bit hazy."

  "The flying
part or the past lives?" Why did all the people I found have to be crazy as coo-coo birds as well?

  The girl held her chin as she seemed to ponder over the question. "Both, I think."

  I softly banged my fist against my forehead, already knowing I would regret this. "What can I do to help?"

  "Weeellll... Maybe... I don't know, hack down the tree?"

  Ironically, I knew someone who was quite proficient in that. An image of Ashleigh cutting down the tree with a naked Aspen in it flashed through my mind.

  No, better leave them out of it.

  "Or you could... You know, climb down?"

  The girl facepalmed herself. "Oh, so silly of me, if only I had thought of that!" she sarcastically called back.

  "Just a suggestion," I muttered under my breath, part of me wondering if I could just leave her stuck in the tree. But as I looked at the panicked look on the younger girl's face, I realised that probably wouldn't be good for my karmic reservoir.

  "Why don't I guide you down on the branches?" I suggested, hoping she didn't genuinely expect me to bring the whole tree down.

  "Oh, that would work!" the girl cheerily answered.

  I studied the branches of the tree, trying to figure out how she would have gotten up so high in the tree and what would be the best way down. "Maybe put your foot on that branch to your right? Yes, there. A bit lower, lower. Lower. Great!"

  The girl hesitantly tested the branch underneath her, realised it held her weight and smirked. Unexpectedly agile, she suddenly let go of the tree and with a flexibility that certainly wasn't human, she jumped the whole way down.

  Really? Really?!

  As she handily landed on both her hands and feet, not a scratch on her body, she veered up and happily hugged me.

  "Thank you so much! Boy, I was really stuck there, wouldn't have known what to do without you," she chattered away, as I finally got a better look at her.

  She was only a couple of inches smaller, but nearly half of her was hair. How a person could walk around with such long hair would always amaze me. If it were me, I'd tangle myself around a tree in no time.

  "I’m Cece, thank you for helping me out. What is your name?"

  I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck. "No problem." No problem indeed, I hardly did a thing. "My name is Akira."

  "A-ki-ra," Cece spelt, as she seemed to think it over. She then clapped her hands, threw her long hair over her shoulder and giggled. "That is beautiful. I love it. You should keep it!"

  "Great, thanks? I will?" I slowly said, not sure why the girl assumed I wasn't planning on keeping it. I groaned, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into this time. I should probably just say goodbye and quickly, quickly, walk away from this girl. But she seemed so young. Could I really leave her alone?

  "Are you on your own or are your friends waiting for you somewhere?" I asked, secretly crossing my fingers behind my back. Please say friends, please say friends.

  "No friends, just me! Little old me."

  Damn it! Just my luck. Don't say it Akira, don't say it. "I’m travelling with a group of friends, you can come with me for the time being?"

  As soon as the words left my mouth, I internally facepalmed myself. Bad Akira, I said don't say it!

  Cece happily clapped her hands. "Oooh, I would love that. Haven't travelled with anyone in a while now. Not since my last friend died, but oh well, it happens."

  I let out a sigh as I motioned her to follow me. Why did I keep finding strays? Why didn't I get more than five minutes alone time?

  I nostalgically thought back to my first two weeks of my journey, remembering all the peace and quiet. But as I did, an image of Ashleigh flashed through my mind and I realised that finding her, hadn't been so bad after all.

  With my new companion to my side, we retraced my footsteps. I let out a sigh of relief as I found the pot I had left behind and made a mental note to take better care of our equipment. Well, not ours, Darren's. He would surely kill me if I lost one of his cooking pots.

  We reached the clearing in front of the cave and to my surprise, Aspen was leaning against the entrance, his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed to be drawing figurines into the snow with his feet, but as if he sensed me coming, his head snapped up. His eyes worriedly darted over me and I realised he had been waiting for me. Why? I hadn't been gone that long, had I?

  A smile tugged up the corner of his lip as he realised I was still all in one piece and only after that, his eyes darted to the left.

  "Fuck!" Aspen's loud voice trumpeted into the night as he suddenly called for Ashleigh. Not a moment later, she appeared from the cave, a worried look on her face as well. A smile of relief lightened up her face as she saw me, but that quickly changed into a snarl. The two siblings exchanged a glance, stared at me and signed some quick signals at each other. They curtly nodded and surprisingly efficient for the bickering duo, they seemed to come to a consensus.

  Like they felt hellfire up their ass, the two twins sprinted towards me. Ashleigh jumped in front of me and as she pushed me behind her, Aspen flew at Cece's throat. With unexpected ease, he swiped the girl off her feet and slammed her into the ground.

  Aspen was hovering over her as he used his knees to pin her shoulders down. "How dare you!" he growled at her, his lips curling up menacingly.

  Not entirely sure what was happening, except that Aspen just attacked my guest, I pushed Ashleigh aside and grabbed Aspen by the upper arm. "Hey, calm down! She is a new friend!"

  Now I really regretted bringing Cece along, but for a whole lot of different reasons. This wasn't exactly the warm welcome I had been planning.

  Danny and her guys came running out of the cave and if I thought Aspen had an overreaction, I wasn't prepared for the rest. Darren immediately pounced on the girl, while Regan had to hold back a hissing Danny who seemed to be ready to claw her eyes out. Even with a giant gash in his chest, he was still a force of nature.

  More screaming ensued as both Darren and Aspen bore their teeth at Cece.

  A hand touched my shoulder and as I turned, I found myself staring at the worried face of JP

  "A-A-Are you okay? Did, did C-Chesca hurt you?"

  "Chesca?"

  "Y-Y-Yes. I t-told you about her, d-didn't I?"

  I turned from JP to Cece, who seemed quite unfazed by the angry man sitting on top of her.

  "This is Chesca?" I asked, my voice rising in surprise. "But she is so..."

  "Young? Pretty? Incredibly sexy?" Cece quipped in, her voice far too carefree.

  I decided to ignore her suggestions as I turned back to JP and narrowed my eyes. "I thought you said she was a Coyote?"

  He shook his head, both his hands worryingly running through his hair. "N-No. She is a-a Puma, but s-she has a standing a-alliance with the C-Coyotes."

  I tilted my head to the side as I studied the frail girl underneath Aspen. So this was a Puma? Interesting. I had never seen one before. They were supposed to live all the way up in the desert.

  "She seems harmless to me."

  "H-Harmless?" JP stuttered, his eyes turning as wide as saucers.

  "I will kill her!" Darren growled as he pressed a knife against her throat.

  "Do it quickly!" Aspen encouraged him as he backed away from her, giving Darren better access to the girl. Cece looked at me with pleading eyes and this time, I tugged on Darren's vest.

  "She is just a little girl. Darren, please stop!" I called out to him, trying to remove the blade.

  "Don't let her fool you. She is the devil herself," Regan added. I threw him an angry look. He was supposed to be the reasonable and reliable one of the group. How could he be okay with them killing off someone like that?

  I gave Darren's arm another yank. "Don't."

  I could feel the muscles flex under his shirt but I wasn't fast enough to react. With a hard shove, he pushed me away, his dark eyes flickering menacingly in his sockets. "I’m going to slice her up real nice. Real nice," he muttered under his breath, as
he teased her skin with the tip of his knife.

  "Ashleigh? Will you do something?!" I turned to my mate, begging her to help me. I tried to catch her eye, but she was stubbornly staring into the ground, unwilling to meet my gaze. "Ashleigh?" I tried again, panic rising in my chest as even my own mate wouldn't back me up. This couldn't really be happening, right? They weren't seriously going to kill this girl right in front of my eyes, wouldn't they? They wouldn't...

  But as I saw the murderous look on Darren's face, the disgust on JP's and the approval on Aspen's, I suddenly realised that this group wasn't nearly as cheery or as warm as they let on.

  A chill ran over my entire body as even the cheery Danny didn't object or the voice or reason, Regan, seemed to agree with the general consensus of the group.

  Their intent was clear. I could feel it in the air, I could smell it on their bodies. They were here to kill.

  Akira... What did you get yourself into?

  Darren growled menacingly, bearing his teeth at Cece as he traced her neckline with the tip of his knife. He looked like he was ready to plunge the steel into her without a second thought.

  I felt my muscles tense. Was there nothing I could do to help her? Maybe if I...

  It happened in less than the blink of an eye. If you didn't pay close attention, you'd have missed it. One moment, Cece was there. The other, she was gone.

  A loud scream pierced the night. Darren. With his eyes spitting fire and rage visibly surging through his body, he threw his knife into the ground. Right into the spot where only an instant ago, Cece had been.

  "No!" Aspen growled loudly, so angry his Alpha surfaced for a brief moment. For an instant, my breath caught in my throat as my wolf could feel his raw power. Beautiful.

  I suddenly felt two hands on my shoulders and a slender body pressed against my back.

  "There!" Darren barked as he picked up his knife and suddenly pointed it at me. As angry as I had ever seen him, he limped toward me. Where did that limp come from?

  But this was not the moment to wonder about his mobility. The knife threatening me seemed much more pressing, as it was almost literally pressed against me.