Blooded Mate

Chapter 55 - First Run

A/N: Trigger warning - Violence

Still in human form, Eri came forward with the urine-doused pennant for them to sniff. Though he would be in charge of tracking their opponent's territory, everyone on the team must be able to identify it during the mission. Then Eri tossed it away and completed his shift, emerging as the slender brown wolf with a swath of black running down his back.

Styles led the way to the entrance of the tunnel. The other Lycans moved aside to let them through as they went. All eyes were on Ethan.

Zyga's tawny wolf sat on its haunches at the gate, patiently waiting for them.

Luna's energy filled the night, the bright evening moon piercing through the thinning forest canopy. The air was fresh and crisp. The ground was dry, and the leaves rustled faintly in the wind. It was a good night for a run.

A Lycan howled from somewhere up ahead, its rich timbre weaving through the woods, and the first batch of trainees moved out. They were the ones who had been assigned the yellow pennants, the defenders. They had a different set of markers to follow and identify their territories.

Which of them will we face?

While they waited for the next howl, Eri went to work sniffing out the starting point of the moose trail that would lead them to their target. Other trainee trackers did the same. It did not take long, and Eri gave a short bark to signal he had found it.

Ethan and his teammates lopped off in that direction. Their starting point was embedded within the copse trees circling the first side road from the tunnel. With the tension of the hunt upon them, none of them could remain still. They shifted and shuffled among the dead leaves, rubbing against each other as they waited. Ethan's heart started racing, and his hackles half rose.

Then, the second howl came, and the final batch of trainees sprung off.

Eri took point, his nose hardly ever an inch above the ground as he followed the scent. He moved in short bursts, sprinting, then stopping to confirm they were on the right track, then running again.

Stiles, Brent, and Reg fanned out behind him, keeping close to protect their tracker in case of an attack but staying far enough to give Eri room to work and not mess up the trail.

Ethan and Mabel brought up the rear.

The little speckled wolf's tail hung low, and the whites of her eyes showed in her frantic gaze. Another group sped across their path some yards ahead, and she flinched, her anxiety rippling through the rest of the team and raising all their hackles. They held still, wasting precious moments even though that squad never glanced in their direction.

Ethan moved closer to to the she-wolf, hoping his presence would calm her. Mabel's fear was amplifying the tension gripping them.

Ethan forgot Zyga was trailing them until he saw him while scanning for threats. The old tracker's paws hardly made a sound as he slinked between shadows and moonlight.

Without any warning to his team, Eri took off like an arrow once the sounds of the unwary intruders faded into the night. The rest of the group jerked, scrambling after him.

Ethan panted, his head whirling left and right as he ran.

He had to split his focus into three: making sure he did not fall far behind their tracker, watching out for Mabel, and keeping an eye out for potential threats. Their paws churned up soft loamy soil and disturbed the dead leaves in a rustling flurry, but they could not afford to slow down or tread lightly.

Their lead was charging up ahead in a mad sprint.

Then just like he started, Eri stopped abruptly, sniffing the base of a tree. Brent and Reg skidded, scrambling on the floor for traction. They were noisy, and the quiet of the deep forest magnified every scrape on stone or snap of a twig.