Wolf at Heart

Chapter Forty One: Last Warning

The Earth's Chosen had to be here. Who else could control the ground like that?

New resolved hardened in me.

I had to find him.

I had to find him before the Predators arrived.

Better not to think of the consequences if I failed. No, I wouldn't have another disaster on my hands. Not if I could help it.

If the thief from before wasn't to the left or right, then he had to be -- above!

Something whistled past my ear in the blink of an eye and I jerked my head up just in time to see a figure fall on me.

"Arg!" I shouted, slamming into the pavement. "Get off me!"

My attacker kept my arms pinned to my sides, his knees digging into my back. A kind of net not unlike a fisherman's trapped me, becoming even more tangled as I struggled.

I managed to twist around and spot my attacker, confirming that it was the same person that had stolen the book.

He wore loose clothing in earth tones, a mask and scarf wrapped around his head, concealing his features. Baggy pants were clipped by a chain belt that held up various bags -- one which contained the book. He had on a ripped and worn shirt that was a size too big on him, making it obvious that it had been stolen at some point.

Though I felt pity for him, knowing he most likely had to steal to survive, I also felt confused. Why did he want a book? He couldn't eat it, he probably couldn't read, and who would buy a book that was made-up?

Suspicion crept into me as I fought to get free of him. He was stronger than he looked.

Then it struck me.

The scarf of his head wasn't a scarf. It was a blindfold.

He was blindfolded.

His eyes were covered but this kid still easily held me down, tying ropes around my hands.

My curiosity was outweighed by my need to escape and a hunch that the book might be more important than it seemed.

I had to get it back, maybe at all costs. Whatever it had in there -- if it was information that could be used against us, I needed to keep it away from our enemies.

Letting out a yell, I found my footing and stood, bucking the kid off. He was taken by surprise, scrambling to his feet as I shook the net off, feeling annoyed.

"Give me back the book," I stated, discretely working on the ropes. It was tied tight with the expert skill of someone who'd been at sea before.

I saw the kid tense up now that I was standing. I had to buy more time before he ran.

He subtly shifted his stance, his palms facing outwards and ready.

My gaze flickered back to the blindfold. Was he blind? Even if he was, I had to be careful. This guy had already caught me off guard more than once, so it was going to be hard to get the book back.

Not a moment after I said that, he darted forward again. I barely dodged, my mind racing.

What did he want from me? He already had the book. He could've run by now if he wanted. Why continue to fight me?

He wanted to tie me up so I couldn't follow him, I realized. If he knocked me out, by the time I woke up, it would have rained and washed away his scent.

A split-second glance at the sky confirmed my initial thoughts, and also cost me in the fight. A quick jab struck me in the chin, hard enough to almost make me black out.

Focus!

I turned my full attention to the kid, ducking and weaving my way around his blows. I grunted when another attack connected, leaving me gasping for breath. Though I was on full defense, I was having a tough time blocking. He had been trained well.

Growling in frustration, I saw an opening and used it, landing a square hit on his side. The battle had been relatively silent, but now my opponent backed away, gasping in raspy breaths.

Baring my canines, I snarled, "Who are you and what do you want with the book?"

The kid gave no response and in a flash he was gone, racing down a hidden exit. I moved to follow, shouting, but another wall of earth blocked the entrance.

The Earth's Chosen! I almost forgot!

I glanced wildly around, instinct prompting me to look up. A different figure stood on the roof of a two-story tall building. He was down-wind of me, so I couldn't catch his scent. From here, I saw the figure staring at me, twin eyes, golden like the sun, looked down at me. For a moment, we stood, analyzing each other and trying to figure out any weaknesses. Then the figure too left.

So who was the Earth's Chosen? The thief or the mysterious figure?

I had to find out.

I studied the walls, attempting to chart a path to get out of here.

A jump there, spring off of the corner of the wall there, yeah, that'll do.

After calculating the angles, I tense, readying myself.

Sprinting, I ran towards a stack of crates against one wall, climbing up so that the balcony was within reach. On my toes, my fingers just grazed the bottom edge. Coiling slightly, I jumped, gripping the tiny ledge and hoisting myself up.

Unfortunately for me, there was someone in the room connecting to the balcony. When she saw me, she went ballistic, rushing over.

Oh shoot. I better get out of here.

"Get out you rascal!" She screamed, even going so far as to jab a broom at me.

Geez, calm down. I'm going, I'm going.

I threw a quick apology over my shoulder, posing myself on the edge of the railing and leaping to grab hold of the roof shingles. From there I scrambled up, regaining my footing and scanning the streets for the thief.

But he was long gone. I'd taken too long to get up here.

There was another grinding noise behind me and I turned just in time to see the earthen walls go down. The street was left as if nothing had happened prior.

My eye twitched slightly.

So as soon as I get up here, you lower the walls? Is this your way of playing a joke?

Letting out an annoyed sigh, I spotted the inn from before and made my way back.

Now I had to explain why I lost both the book and the thief.

If Sora said one mocking word about this to me, she was so dead. I wasn't even going to bother with a warning.

(Side Note: Sorry for the kinda short chapter today. I'm not copying what I've written from paper now so it'll take longer to write chapters, so sorry if I can't update as frequently and as long updates like before. I might have to only update on Sundays now, but that remains to be seen. On that note, here's a sketch of Sora!)