Abracadabra, Howls, and the Furry Guardians

Expect the Unexpected, Doubly so in the Abyss of Despair

Rappelling down a steep cliffside wasn't something Marika had ever done when she was human. Luckily, the enhanced werewolf senses took care of everything for her. It was as if her body took over, and she was just a passenger in its skillful hands. The feeling was the strangest she had felt in a while, but she found it enjoyable to feel so skillful and powerful.

"How are you doing?" Tate yelled out from underneath her, having insisted on going first for safety's sake.

How it made sense for the tracking dog to follow its owner instead of the other way around was beyond Marika, but she decided to let him be. It clearly meant a lot to him, that crazy idea of protecting a strong werewolf such as herself. The danger was bound to lurk everywhere, and there was no way she could predict what the safer option was. If it was necessary, she was ready to fly down the rope and help him out. She had some tricks up her sleeve, after all.

"Much better than expected," Marika admitted, surprised that any physical activity was not a big issue for any of the werewolves.

Strangely enough, even though not all of them looked as buff as Tate, including herself, they all had almost equal strength, with one sense slightly heightened among different werewolves. It was so odd for her when she first turned and saw some tiny female werewolves lifting her male partners as if they weighed nothing.

"In a few meters, there is a nice undercliff where we can rest. I'm waiting for you there," Tate said, his voice somewhat muffled.

Marika's hands squeezed at the rope so intensely that she could feel it cutting into her skin, drawing blood without her even noticing.

WE? We both know that you don't need any rest, but it's for the poor fragile female to rest her weak body that you are doing this!

Her thoughts were so loud in her head that she felt as if someone was screaming into her head, making it vibrate with the intensity of the voice. It was frustrating, to say the least, but not something she could control. That was until Flufflala flew right next to her hand, allowing her to pet her soft fur, diverting all the attention to the feeling of comfort that spread through her whole body, forgetting all about the annoying werewolf macho man whom mere moments ago she wanted to claw to death, to prove her point that women were strong too.

"Better?" Flufflala asked when Marika resumed her downward climb.

"Yes, thank you," Marika said, looking anywhere but into the soft and caring eyes that looked at her with intensity. "I just lost control of my anger for a second. I'll try to do better."

Flufflala nodded, her ears twitching as she circled around Marika a few times. Then, continued her downward flight, her colorful wings making Marika gasp in wonder.

"Tate?" Marika asked the moment she put her feet on the undercliff, not seeing the irritating guy anywhere.

There was quite a bit more space than Marika expected and a winding path that seemed to lead into the cliffside. Clearly, that path was used before, and she couldn't help but wonder if any lives were lost on its innocent-looking path.

"Tate, where are you?" Marika said, looking around as a strange feeling spread through her body.

It was like someone was squeezing at her heart, and there wasn't enough air to breathe. Her breath came shorter and more labored until the point where she was standing there hyperventilating.

"Tate!" she screamed desperately, her hands shaking like crazy.

"I'm over here," Tate finally said, pulling himself out of a nearby wall like someone pulled themselves out of a pool.