She was camping in a tree.
Wrapped in a comfortable hoodie, in sweatpants, in a tree. This is the life. She had trekked in the forest until nighttime, before she killed and ate a rabbit for dinner. She did the latter in her wolf form, obviously. She then chose a nice tree to climb. Seems like nothing tried to kill her in her sleep. It was a good feeling. She stretched and yawned, before taking a swig from her water bottle and untying her bag from a branch. Then she was off, hopping from tree to tree like a flying squirrel. It was something she thought would be a cool idea as a child, and she managed to master it and make it reality a few years ago. She would never stop worrying if the branch below her would crumble, though.
She wasn't moving aimlessly. She knew where she was going, what she was doing.
It was tranquil. Relaxing. Purposeful. Calming. So many words to describe what was shielding her mind and soul from everything that was going on around her. What was keeping her sane. If she didn't have anything useful to do, she would go crazy from the sheer amount of thoughts weighing on her mind. Instead, she let the thoughts in through the door of the attic one by one, analysed it and filed in away. Other thoughts that were more invasive and were constantly trying to break free to wreak havoc were locked away in safes that were then set aside.
Everything was organised. Controlled.
The only problem was that they would all escape and roam freely if there was too much of a disturbance, so she always kept the gilded door to her mind close, so no surprises could be sprung through there.
The only reason she went through her thoughts in the first place was because they would all pile up and eventually burst through the attic and overwhelm her if she didn't.
Three black cats suddenly leaped up onto a branch near her and watched her with pairs of bright blue, gray, and gold eyes. One of them went "Mrrrrrrr", because he just felt like it.
"Aww, you're so cute." Alina cooed, crouching down to get a better look. "You won't kill me if I touched you, would you?" She was about to reach out a hand to pet the cat, but decided against it. "I'd better get going. The sooner I get rid of the scum, the less people will die, even if I have to become a murderer myself."
The gold-eyed one rubbed his head against her hand, then meowed and bounded in the direction that she had come from. The other two somehow managed to make "oh my god not again" faces.
Alina chuckled. There was something serene about having the soft, warm fur of the cat rub up against her fingers, in spite of her having fur herself. In her wolf form, at least.
"Honestly, you're probably better off on your own." And she continued on her way, with two new companions and a lasting, unnoticeable smile on her face
***
A few hours later, back at Bloodlust Pack, people were freaking out. Only some people. "What do you mean she's gone?" Linda demanded worriedly.
"I can't find her. She's not responding to my mindlinks." Delphine explained, not particularly worried about her daughter. She was useless, anyway. The only thing she did that was worth noting is kill her brother. The one that had a bright future ahead of him. The one that didn't make her guilty every time she saw him. "I believe she'll be fine, we should only start worrying after a few days."
"Have you told Harry?" Linda asked. Which parent doesn't give a damn about where their child is? "Only those who don't qualify as one." She told herself.
She got a shrug in response, before the healer turned and walked away, most likely to look after her patients, leaving Linda to gape after her. Linda mindlinked her Alpha.
What she got back in reply was a short wave of worry and weariness before he answered with, "Do as you see fit, dear. Just update me if anything happens or if you need something." Linda acknowledged this before going off to find the twins. Where could Alina have gone?
While she was at it, the cat with golden eyes turned up outside the hospital doors and sat down, right smack in the middle of the pathway.
Korū and Hikari were just visiting their uncle. Kaito's condition was improving rapidly, considering how the people who tried to murder him did a very crude job, seemingly more for pain than efficiency. Hikari yelped in shock when the cat just darted into the building as she opened the door, brushing past her legs.
Hearing the yelp, Linda made her way over. Seeing the cat, she frowned in confusion, "Where did that come from? I'm pretty sure there isn't such a thing as a pack cat."
"Mrrrrrr," it purred, bounding up the stairs.
The twins and Linda followed it to find it curled up on Kaito's hospital bed, purring as Aiki stroked it gently. "Oji-san-"
Kaito managed a smile. "This is Kaguya," he said, his voice no louder than a murmur. The cat -Kaguya, apparently- nuzzled him.
"Ah… okay. Guys, Alina's missing." Linda said.
"Missing, or taking a stroll?" Korū deadpanned.
"Stroll, obviously." she answered somewhat sarcastically. Her nerves were fried from thinking about Delphine's nonchalance. "Her emergency pack, at least what I think is an emergency pack from what Delphine told me it contained, is gone, apparently. And I don't even have one of those! No one has seen her after your little… I don't even know what to call it. Spat? Unfinished duel to the death?" Linda said, sighing as she remembered what had happened between Korū and Alina, which she still didn't really understand.
"Skirmish." Hikari arched an eyebrow, eyes fixed on the bandage wrapped around her brother's foot, then turned her skeptical gaze onto his face. Korū gave her the side-eye. "Don't look at me like that."