Wolf at Heart

Chapter Eight: The Message

"You're going to what?!" Ray demanded, completely caught off guard.

"No, no you can't," Brooke pleaded, "Don't do this."

Even Jerry wasn't joking around this time. He was as shocked as everyone else was.

Dakota was going to turn himself in. 

To his sister.

"Dakota you can't. They'll attack us anyways. You know they will. I've seen her. She won't follow along at all." I tried my best to reason with him.

He wasn't taking any of it. Already making up his mind, Dakota packed the last of his supplies.

I had a sudden, crazy idea. It was stupid, reckless, and probably wouldn't work.

Perfect. Anything to keep Dakota from going to the bandits.

"Dakota, if you want to do something, then let's go warn the Lupine at the tribe's main camp. Getting yourself killed won't stop the other Lupine from dying either. This way, we can prevent that and chase off the bandits too."

Ray, Brooke, and Jerry immediately started to protest.

"It's way too dangerous!"

"You're going to get caught!"

"I'm not going to let you get yourself killed!"

Dakota, on the other hand, took to the suggestion right away. Great minds think alike. 

"I'll do it," He announced, and started to shift into his fox form.

"Hold up!" I said, eager to be on our way. "I'm coming too. Clearly, I had said we, not just you, Dakota. Or did I leave that part out?"

He frowned, also ignoring the others' arguing. "I'm going alone. You should stay here and help out." Hurriedly, spotting the look on my face, Dakota added, "You can be of use here!"

Like that would fool me.

Stubbornly, I stood my ground. "No. You are not going alone, and I came up with it in the first place. Someone needs to make sure you don't get yourself caught."

Silently, I pleaded with Dakota, begging him to understand. I had to do something. I'd started this, and I was determined to see it through. I couldn't just sit here while he was off risking his life. Again.

Amid the shouts of protest from the others, Dakota nodded curtly. Wise choice, as I would've followed him anyways. He jerked his chin over to my tent and bag.

"You have two minutes to pack, then we go."

He said we. We. I was going to fix my mistake after all. Hurrying over to my tent, I packed only necessities. It didn't take long, seeing as everything I'd had before was back at the Feline camp.

Ray, Brooke, and Jerry by now had stopped fighting the inevitable and agreed to cover for us while we were gone. They stood in reluctant silence and watched me pack.

Finally, I was done. Here we go. Deep breath Mel. Not like I'm walking toward my death or anything. Definitely not, of course not. You can't die now. If you do, then there goes a third of the Lupine tribe. No, you can't die yet.

Yes, I talk to myself. Don't you?

Brooke raced up to me right as we were about to leave.

"Melody, wait!"

I turned, and Dakota observed in silence, impatient and wanting to get a move on.

She nearly tackled me with a tight hug.

"Here, take this, Mel."

 Brooke pressed something into my hand and I looked down. In my palm lay a bracelet, thin wire curled around a bead with a crescent moon engraved on its smooth surface.

"I can't possibly..."

"Take it," Brooke said firmly, and walked away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

I nodded once and shifted with Dakota, not looking back once.

I wasn't going to die yet.

Yet.

(Side Note: Sorry for the short chapter! It's a filler and I had to include it. It'll get better from here.)