Wolf at Heart

Chapter Thirty Six: Plans

Avoiding Ash's intense gaze, I focused on the untouched plate in front of me.

I'd spent a restless night in turmoil, shoving my emotions down. After giving Ash my pocket knife, I'd told him to keep it so I wouldn't do anything stupid like before. Hours had passed without any rest and now all four of us were in the breakfast area discussing our next move.

"We're going to the Serpentine, that's for sure, but what happens after we get there? We all know the Serpentine have some serious superstitions about this sort of stuff." Sora said, laying her hands on the wooden table.

Instinctively, we all looked at Ash.

There was an unspoken agreement that he was the 'leader' of our mismatched band. He was, after all, usually the most level headed of us.

No one else was in the secure room, Sora had made sure of that. No need to let anyone know our actions.

Especially since we didn't know it ourselves.

Ash flipped through some of the scrolls that he and Sora had found in the library. "It doesn't say any specifics about who it'll be. All we know is that the chosen from the Serpentine represents the Earth. Somehow we'll have to find him or her and convince them to join. Word of us will have reached the tribes by the time we get to their main camp. If things go according to plan, then we'll find them and more to the Ursidae's camp."

Rasing a cautious hand, Dakota rubbed his forehead. "Do we know when the Predators will attack again? I want to be ready."

Frowning in concentration, Ash sifted through his papers. "From all the documents, I think they attack every new moon. Which means..."

Sora completed his unfinished sentence. "Which means we have less than a month before they strike. Probably even more powerfully at that."

Remaining silent, I nodded along. We'd already spent too much time in the Feline camp. Although I didn't want to leave my brothers, I was confident that they could protect each other.

It occurred to me that until now I hadn't taken this very seriously. Spending my free time talking instead of fighting or traveling. Now it was real. No one would hurt my family again.

I steepled my fingers. "So, now that's done, what are we waiting for? Let's pack and go."

With that, we all stood and dispersed to collect our various items.

Emptying my room, I didn't glance back as I left. This was one place that I wouldn't miss.

I met with the others at the gate. Ash was poring over a map, seeking the best route. Dakota idly sharpened his dagger lazily, doing his best to look unconcerned. Sora hadn't arrived yet, so I took a cautious seat next to Ash.

He glanced at me but said nothing. Just as well, because I didn't feel like talking.

I just felt like getting out of here.

Sora joined us at last, wearing her new clothing. I'd just noticed that Ash had his on too. Dakota didn't have one, seeing as he wasn't...well, one of us.

The outfit looked like any normal upper-class Feline outfit save for a dusty red scarf draped over her shoulder. Strange, I feel like I've seen that scarf somewhere before. Sometime before the Ceremony at least.

I didn't see any visible weapons on her, but knowing Sora, she definitely had at least one.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and snapped her fingers. "Let's go."

We turned to Ash and waited expectantly. He let out a sigh, still studying his map. Rolling it back up, he pointed to the road that led to the markets. "If we follow the road past the markets, at the end of the day we can stop at an inn by the road. It's going to be a long while 'till we get there, but at least we don't have to sleep on the ground anymore. We can restock there."

Dakota pumped his fist and we all shifted.

I gave Ash a once over on his costume and smiled in appreciation. It looked better than his torn clothing at least.

Dark brown pants ran down over black boots. The hood of his charcoal cloak left his face deep in shadow when he flipped it up. His sword was untouched, though the scabbard was now a much darker shade. The shirt and belt he'd worn before remained unchanged as well.

Now he really looked like an angel of death. Strange, since he represented the Sky.

I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Traveling at the back -- since I didn't trust Sora to be at the rear -- I noted with interest that many heads turned as we passed. It seemed that word had already spread.

While I'd been busy studying the reactions of the crowd, we'd already passed out of the town and into the forest. The paved stone road had deteriorated into a sandy, gritty path.

I grimaced as the small stones cut into the pads on my feet. Walking in the grass was a much more favored choice.

Ash must've thought the same and allowed us to swing onto the cool grass next to the road. He'd set a fast pace and was flying for all he was worth, while we did our best to keep up.

Soon, everyone was panting or slowing except for me. Though I was tired, I still could've gone on for a longer period of time.

Perks of being a wolf.

Sora and I pulled a truce, both of us too spent to do anything more than glare. I was still going to have to sleep with one eye open tonight.

In minutes, we were up again, once more trecking across the misty forest. Every so often Ash would call a break, and then we'd continue on. The only way I knew how much time had passed was the sun's position.

It was well after dark when we finally spotted the roadside inn.

Everyone was eager to rush in, but Ash stopped us, forcing us to wait as he went in. I stood by the doors and heard muffled conversations. A second later, Ash opened the door and gestured for us to come in.

He held out the keys to the rooms. "They only have two rooms available, so Melody and I will share one, and Dakota and Sora will share the other."

Wait...what?

(Side Note: There's still an update on Sunday! See if you can guess who's who in the picture below. I may have gotten a little lazy...)

(Starting from the top-down left to right: Jerry, Brooke, Raymond, Dakota, Carter, Sylvia, Melody, and Isaac.)