For Crying Out Howl

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this next chapter up, I've been busy. So now, Brycen wants to take his story back, and all Lyka's gonna do is wait, so on with the hunt! Brycen's POV))

Silly human. Thinking in terms of human lives. I told her I healed faster. There wont even be much of a scar. I raced around her camp twice, smelling very faint trails of wolves, including the male I've smelled on her, and the most recent trail of the hunter. He didn't stay long after wrecking her camp.  He may have waited, but he didn't wait long.

I followed his trail for a while, before my hunger won out. I'd have to hunt him later. I was too hungry to fight. Even if I did, when I won, I'd be too hungry to resist a fresh kill. Disturbing thoughts entered my head about a rogue wolf, a human family camping in the woods, and lots of blood. It's against Pack law to kill a human, and to eat one is taboo. Any wolf, Pack or lone, gets a death sentence. Not that the pack would find out about this man, but I would never give my wolf such control again. I would never forgive myself. 

I caught a rabbit and ate it, then found another, and ate that one too. I tried to find bigger prey, but it seemed like they had disappeared from this area. Which reminded me that the wolves had left the area. Maybe there is more going on here than a wolf pack moving on. Maybe the wolves hunted down all of the larger prey, and there was none left. But that's not like a wolf pack. They hunt enough to live on, never taking all the prey from the forest.

I searched for another rabbit, and was going to give up when I came across a small pond. A single doe was drinking the water. I hunched down, preparing to pounce, when I realized she's a mother. A small fawn was laying down next to the water. I hadn't noticed him at first, because he wasn't moving. He's dying. The doe looked up, sensing me. I stood up, intending to scare her away, but she just laid down next to her fawn. A mother protecting her child to the end. I walked to the pond, and took a drink of water. Also washing the blood off my face from the rabbits. I lay down opposite the doe, and watched her with her dying fawn. His breathing had slowed down, as if he was trying to savor his last breaths. The doe licked his head, soothing the fawn. Then he just died. The doe looked down at her son, and then at me. I wondered what she was thinking. I wondered why the fawn died. I didn't see or smell any blood. I figure he was sick. I couldn't catch many illnesses, so I could take the fawn. Such a thought seemed wrong. The doe suddenly got up and ran away. I was alone with my thoughts. I sighed. I wouldn't take this fawn. 

Almost as if it was waiting for me to decide that, the spirit of the fawn rose out of his body. I was shocked. I've never seen such a thing. The spirit looked at me, an smiled. Then he spoke. "Wise shifter. There is disease in this land. Even the spirits fear. The humans are soon to follow, and evil stalks our sister. She is important. I've placed her in your protection. Go now wolf, run. She's in danger. Do not return to these woods. GO!" He shouted. After a stunned second, I ran. I hadn't realize how far I'd gone. Dark clouds rolled over the sky, and rain began to pour. I ran full out, going faster than I ever had, feeling the spirit pushing me. I slipped in the mud, and the spirit lifted me, pushing me on. "GO!" .

It took me twenty long minutes to get back to the camp. I was terrified at the sight I saw. Darkness had gathered around Lyka's tent. Shadows reached out and tapped and scratched the side of the tent. I could hear her scream. Thunder rolled across the sky, and lightning lit the camp. The shadows... They were not shadows. Grotesque forms so complex, it gave me a headache trying to figure them out. I howled my despair to the spirit. He charged into the camp, hitting one of the forms. It exploded into black dust, and the spirit was gone. The other forms backed away from the tent, and I took my chance. I ran into the camp, right up to the door of the tent. I faced the forms, and howled a challenge at them. I expected to die, but they backed away in fear. They left, disappearing into the darkness.

The storm let up slightly, but continued. I scratched at the tents zipper, whining in frustration, but I wasn't going to risk changing now. Lyka heard me, and opened the tent. I looked at her, breathing heavily. Both of our eyes were wide with fear. I felt a chill go up my spine, and jumped into the tent, turning around to look outside. I saw a shadow stalking through the trees. I almost went after it, but Lyka put her hand on my back, reminding me of the spirit. She's important. I backed away from the opening, letting Lyka close the tent. I laid down across the door of the tent. Lyka sat on her bed, watching me. I grunted at her, trying to tell her to go to sleep. 

"After what ever that freak storm was, you think I can sleep? You're crazy," she said. I snorted at her. She can read me well. She still needed to sleep. We were leaving in the morning, if the storm let up. She literally growled at me. A very human-like growl. I grinned at her. "Oh fine. We'll see about who's boss in the morning then," she laid down on her bed, pulling her blanket over her shoulders. Lyka complained for a while longer, and I tuned her out, listening to the sounds outside. She seemed to realize I wasn't paying attention to her grumbling, and finally got quiet. She fell asleep soon after that. I tried to stay awake all night, but the storm let up a while before dawn, an the normal sounds of the forest lulled me to sleep.