“Make the kill, B.” Grandfather ordered.

(‘Scent’ Excerpt Chapter 11)

My eyes widened in fear at what I had done as I looked down on the poor animal which was groaning in agony. Then I looked up at the tree she had been clawing when I saw some kind of insect hive inside of the broken trunk. The female grizzly had been happily minding her own business, trying to feed herself when I stumbled along and massacred her!

“Do it, B.” Grant growled out softly in his deep, rumbling Werewolf voice. He walked up to stand beside, as did Ian, Dad, Grandpa and Grandfather. “Kill her and put her out of her misery.”

“Then we will feast on her flesh.” Ian eagerly licked his lips as his glowing pink eyes stared hungrily on our prey.

“Make the kill, B.” Grandfather ordered.

No, no, no! I don’t want to! I shook my head as I stepped back from the scene of my crime. I’m disgusting! I shouldn’t feed on her as I don’t deserve it!

Dad’s glowing red eyes narrowed in what I thought was disappointment as he watched me back away. He must feel so let down that he didn’t have a son to turn instead. He must think I’m a disappointment to the entire pack…

Ian saw that I wasn’t going to do it, so he dropped down to his knees and took hold of the grizzly’s huge head in his supernaturally strong arms.

SNAP!

The grizzly’s head dropped to the ground lifeless, with her eyes staring blankly as her blood continued to ooze out of her many cuts and scratches.

Dad lowered to the ground beside his best friend, as both Grandpa and Grandfather followed. My mouth fell open in a mixture of horror and yet hunger, as I watched the male Lokoti Werewolves begin to feed. They used their claws and teeth to pull away her fur to reach the warm, succulent flesh underneath.

“B?” Grant held out his clawed hand to me.

“NO!” I roared before I turned around and took off out of there!

I ran in a direction I know not… The trees flew at me so thick and fast, I felt the odd scratch of a low branch or a bush that grazed as I concentrated on missing the tree trunks. I ran faster, slipping from Lokoti Werewolf speed to Circulator light speed. My skin turned bright as all of me and not just my eyes glowed. I tried to run faster than I had ever run before, even faster than light speed!

Something odd happened as I no longer felt my bare feet touching the cold, hard earth anymore. I was running so fast, I felt all light and tingly like I could have been floating. When I looked down at my bright body, I saw straight through myself! Oh my god I look like a ghost! Then that means I’m in phase! I looked just like Gran and Mum did when they went into phase being Circulators.

Just then I looked up when I saw I was about to hit a huge tree…! Frickin’ hell, this is gonna hurt! I ‘closed’ my eyes as best as I could, being all bright and see-through as I tried to prepare for the impact…but it never came.

I stopped, or I think I stopped. My body of bright light reformed back into it’s solid, Werewolf shape and I could feel my feet touching the ground again. When I looked around, there was no sign of the tree I was supposed to hit. Hang on, where am I?

Feeling completely lost, I looked around the surrounding wilderness which I had never seen before. I was in some kind of huge, grassy plain which stretched for a couple of square kilometers. But I knew I was still in the vast Lokoti National Park by recognizing the distant trees as well as the familiar backdrop of mountains in the Alaska Range.

The real question though, was how the hell did I get here? Oh my god, I think I must have instantaneously phased! It would make sense, I was running so fast I went into phase. When I thought I was about to hit the tree and I closed my eyes, somehow I instantaneously phased myself out of danger to another part of the National Park. Only how do I get back? I’m lost! I don’t know my way home from here.

My muscles turned to jelly because my body was depleted of energy and I slipped to the cold, grassy ground. I tried to remain in my Werewolf body for the supernatural body heat as I was wary of the icy cold air. Next, I tried to calm my racing heart by admiring the view of the snow-capped mountains which looked a haunting white under the starry sky.

Just then I heard a noise and my head snapped around to track it. My nose caught wind of a familiar scent…maple syrup? Off in the distance I spotted Declan in European Werewolf form. He stepped out of a section of wood carrying some kind of large, dead animal in his strong canine jaws.

On all fours, he trotted over to where I was sitting in the grassy plain. His glowing green eyes stood out in the night, with his jaws dripping with blood from his hapless victim. The closer he came, the sight of his huge, hulking, hairless supernatural body made him a sight for sore eyes!

“How did you find me?” I wondered.

I WASN’T LOOKING FOR YOU – he telepathically replied – I WAS HUNTING WHEN I CAUGHT YOUR SCENT.

“Oh.” I said flatly, looking on his prey.

Declan ceremoniously dumped the carcass he had been carrying in his mouth, which I saw was a male Elk? Then he sat down on his hind legs to look down on me as the weaker Werewolf.

“Elk?” I queried in my deep, rumbling voice. “How the hell are you hunting Elk? They’re not native to Alaska.”

SOMETIMES THEY STUMBLE INTO OUR TERRITORY, ESPECIALLY TO MIGRATE AWAY FROM THE RADIATION – Declan shrugged with his bulky shoulders – SO WHERE IS GRANT AND THE OTHER LOKOTI WEREWOLVES?

“I don’t know.” I answered.

AREN’T THEY SUPPOSED TO BE TEACHING YOU TO HUNT OR SOMETHING? – he gave a funny look with his monstrous face– IT’S WHAT THE PACK HAD BEEN PLANNING

“They did take me hunting.” I said dismally. “I’m a failure.”

IS THAT WHY YOU’RE SITTING HERE SULKING? – he chuckled which came out as an odd kind of panting noise.

“They took me hunting and I hurt a bear.” I said guiltily. “I think I disappointed Dad when I couldn’t finish the kill so Ian did it. Just as Grant tried to get me to eat with them, I chickened out and ran away.”

STOP BEING SUCH A PRINCESS BY WASTING GOOD FOOD – he rolled his glowing green eyes – GRIZZLY IS RARELY HUNTED AS THEIR NUMBERS ARE FEW SO YOU JUST TURNED DOWN A DELICACY.

“Thanks for the sympathy!” I looked away in annoyance. However when I heard some kind of strange, wet, crunching noise? I turned my head back around to find Declan eating his prey. “You’re eating that now?”

WHEN THE MEAT TURNS COLD AND IT STARTS TO DECOMPOSE IT’S NO GOOD – he thought with his mouthful – NEED I REMIND YOU THAT WEREWOLVES FEAST ON FRESH KILL?

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