Way of the Wolf: Redemption

Chapter 3 - What's in a name?

*Edited*

Chapter 3: What's in a name?

The Alpha Female was watching me. She always seemed to whenever we happened to walk near each other. Today she was with the ancient male I swore had woven magic throughout the pack during the last night they'd spent in their summer camp, and they both repeatedly glanced back at where the Beta and I kept pace behind everyone.

The magic wielding male often walked near us, but I'd never paid him much mind. Hair a stark white from age, he was slowed by an awkward limp and often paused to lean against the wooden staff he used. It seemed to take him great effort to travel for such long periods of time but he never fell behind; not that I thought the pack would leave him. Wolves often slowed to walk with him a while, though few offered him help, and those who did were quickly punished by a quick whip of his staff. Still, they didn't want him to be alone simply because he couldn't keep up at all times, and for some reason, that made my mouth fill with a bitter taste.

My mood wasn't helped by the hushed whispers shared between the pair a few metres ahead. Grim expressions were cast my way again, and the way the older male showed a lick of pity only made me bristle. Even with a broken leg, I could have taken him on, I was sure, so who was he to pity me? I was fed up. Of being stared at and spoken about, especially when I couldn't hear exactly what was being said. No matter how I strained forward over the Beta's shoulder, all I could make out was the odd word.

This time when they looked back at me, I bared my teeth and growled, but the sound barely managed to escape before a hand come down sharply on my thigh. I gasped at the sting, stiffening against the Beta's back. The strike hadn't hurt beyond the initial burn, but if he was anything like the wolves I knew, the next time would leave a bruise. They always started off lightly.

"Come now, don't be grumpy, that barely would have hurt," he crooned, smoothing his thumb over the same spot. "There's no need to growl either. Signy and Sol aren't doing any harm by looking, especially as they're most likely discussing how best to help you. You've behaved well the last few days, but if you regress to acting out again, they might decide their help is wasted; while you and I both know it's not."

I don't want any of your help, it was on the tip of my tongue, but on seeing he wasn't going through with his promise to tie me back up if I so much as growled, I decided not to test him further. Instead, I ground my teeth together and forced my gaze away from the watching wolves.

Happy that I'd decided to heed his warning, the Beta lengthened his stride again.

How much longer would they keep acting like they were saving my life and doing me a great service by taking me captive?

I let out a disgruntled huff.

The landscape was beginning to change, I noted. Trees of oak, willow and others that lost their leaves in autumn became tall standing fir and pine, the air filled with a pleasant minty aroma. Ground thick with foliage had become bare and rockier, but plenty of animal scents and tracks were still there. We'd been walking North for days, and then turned West, but days and weeks had blurred together so much that I found it impossible to gauge how far we'd travelled or where we could possibly be.

"When we have a break, Madden wants you to try and walk a few steps," the Beta said, perhaps trying to distract me from my brooding.

I couldn't answer. A creeping feeling of panic had begun to fill me at the thought of the tens, maybe hundreds, of leagues that were between me and Valdis. How would I ever find him again?

The Beta didn't press me to answer. He'd grown used to my bursts of willingness to talk that turned to despondent numbness just as quickly. Emotions ebbed and flowed like the tide, anger tumbling into frustration, to hopelessness that led to loneliness, that would eventually have me opening up to talk again. Still, he continued to speak to fill the silence as he always did, and his rich timbre was annoyingly nice to listen too even if I didn't pay much mind to exactly what he said.