Episode 3

At the pack's haven, with the boys clean and fed, the Alpha listened to the recounting of all that had transpired.

"So you're telling me you got there, and someone had just finished off the hunters? Did you pick up the killer’s scent?" Alpha Zoren inquired.

"The whole time we tracked the group, we scented a female. But when we arrived, although her scent was there, we saw no trace of her," Alan, the Beta and group leader, reported.

"The odd thing, Alpha, is that the scent seemed familiar, yet I can't remember whose it could be," stated Demetrius, the pack's top scent tracker.

"So, it was one of our own?" the Alpha sought confirmation.

"Yes, definitely a she-wolf," Demetrius confirmed.

"Are you sure there were no traces of her? And the arrows that killed the men, did you smell anything on them?" the Alpha continued his probing.

They looked at each other, and the youngest among them confessed:

"Sorry, Alpha Zoren, we didn't even consider that," he said, scratching his head palm and making a grimace.

"It's okay, guys, go rest. With a clear head, you might remember more," the Alpha dismissed them.

"Oh, I remembered something, Alpha," spoke up he who had been silent until then, "I noticed there were no wolf tracks at the scene, not even from the female."

"Interesting, so the female didn't shift at any point and wasn't there when you arrived," the Alpha pondered, stroking his thin beard. "Perhaps she could not shift because she was carrying a beast with her."

All looked at him, surprised. They hadn't considered that the she-wolf might have been after the hunters, just like they were. In that case, she realized they were coming and quickly left the scene, taking nothing with her. Thus, the hunters' spoils should be hers.

There was much to contemplate, and the boys' minds were tired. Noting this, the Alpha let them go to rest and he went to his own abode. He had spent days worried about them out in the cold, at the mercy of hunters, and was also bothered by the pups facing meager sustenance. Thankfully, they returned well and with milk to feed the youngsters. Now he could rest a little.

**

All slept until dusk, a normal occurrence for nocturnal creatures like wolves. However, this time it was due to sheer exhaustion, as the human world operates by day and the pack had dealings with humans. They provided security services and snow clearing with their trucks, and some worked in the shops of the nearby town.

The pack's settlement, about an hour and a half drive away, was accessed by a paved road cutting through the forest, allowing for the transport of people and goods. Unfortunately, it also paved the way for hunters. This reminded Zairon to notify the sheriff about the hunters. The sheriff was a bear shifter.

The Zagaian village, as they had called themselves for hundreds of years, resembled a small town. Anyone arriving by car would enter through a central street, lined with houses and shops, as well as a small police station, a mechanic's workshop, and a medical clinic. There was a school for the children, set farther away, and teenagers went to study in the larger city.

The houses' roofs were tall and steep, designed for easy snowfall clearance. Painted red, they stood out against the white snow. Surrounded by an extensive forest, they had the perfect environment for white wolves to run and hunt. A nearby river provided water delivered to the Village through underground pipelines.

Zairon had invested heavily in a modern heating system for the water and pipeline protection, so the water wouldn't freeze before reaching the Village. They also had two robust generators providing electricity to everyone. A dam was under construction farther away, but the state governor had promised direct power soon, which made Zairon think of sustainable energy. However, with the food scarcity, he had to wait until there was capital to invest.

Wolves live off the hunt, and in its absence, they can dwindle and die. Unbeknownst to them, the illegal hunters had wreaked havoc on the local fauna and the lives of the shifters.

Zairon stretched upon waking and tended to his morning ritual, glancing at his reflection and deciding to trim his unshapely beard. He plugged in the electric shaver, and a spark caused the whole house to lose power. He yanked the cord, removing the device. Running his hand through his hair, he went to check the circuit breakers; indeed, one had tripped. He reset it, and power returned—he'd have to replace that outlet.

Using the kitchen outlet, he shaved while setting up the coffee maker to brew. He arranged eggs and bacon and finished his grooming, unplugging the device. Noticing beard trimmings scattered on the floor, he mused on the benefit of being without a mate: no one to grumble about the mess.

Zoren left after eating and headed straight for the storage where the sheriff was examining the material collected at the hunters' camp. The sheriff looked sorrowfully at the frozen, untreated pelts, likely from carcasses abandoned anywhere. Precious meat for the wolves. It was fortunate that bears preferred fish, or he too would face starvation.

"It's a lot, Zoren. Such cruelty. If those wretches weren't already dead, I'd kill them myself," the sheriff expressed his indignation.

"Yeah, my friend, cruelty never ceases to amaze me, and it has never come so close," Zoren replied. "On the other hand, there was a good stock of provisions in the camp. I don't understand why they had so much powdered milk."

"Some bears are about to have cubs, and a bear cub fetches a high price on the black market," the sheriff explained.

"I'm going to take these boxes to the dining hall, Arlon. Care to join me?" Zoren smiled invitingly, hinting that someone of interest might be there.

"Of course, Alpha. It's my duty to assist," the sheriff replied with a grin, picking up one of the boxes of powdered milk.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***