The forest was alive with sound: the pounding of metallic paws, the sharp whirs and clicks of robotic joints, and the thudding of Athen's powerful strides as he carried Sakura on his back. Her heart raced as she gripped his fur tightly, her eyes darting between the trees.
"Almost there!" Sakura called out, leaning close to Athen's ear.
Athen responded with a low growl as he darted through the underbrush, leading the relentless tracker wolves toward the ridge to the north.
Behind them, the werewolves' mechanical howls grew louder, their glowing red eyes piercing the forest shadows.
At the ridge, Alex and Alec stood beside the hollowed-out tree trunk halfway up the slope, their faces tense as they braced themselves.
Alex turned his sharp gaze to his younger twin. "We've got one chance to prove ourselves, Alec. Are you ready?"
Alec hesitated, his ears flattening against his head. "I don't know... I miss home, Alex. I miss the way things used to be. Living like free kids on the plains."
Alex's eyes softened. "Alec, we were always going to grow up. That's part of life. I miss it too—the island, the way things were. But the sooner we do this, the sooner we can go back. Home will still be waiting for us when we return. We just have to survive this first."
Alec let out a quiet whimper, lowering his head. "Yeah... you're right."
"Come on," Alex urged, stepping forward and gripping the hollow tree trunk with his forepaws. "We have to time this perfectly."
Both brothers pressed their weight into the task, straining against the hollowed-out log. The bark creaked under their combined effort, but the tree remained stubbornly rooted.
"Don't stop!" Alex barked. "We've got this. Just keep pushing!"
The tracker wolves burst into the clearing below, their gleaming bodies bounding after Athen and Sakura. The pair charged straight toward the ridge, the ground trembling beneath their combined weight.
"They're coming!" Jack yelled, his eyes wide as he watched the advancing werewolves.
As they ascended the slope, Sakura shouted from Athen's back, the tracker wolves hot on their heels. "Get ready!"
Alex and Alec dug their claws into the ground and heaved against the hollowed tree trunk. It groaned but refused to budge.
"Damn it!" Alex growled. "It's stuck!"
"Push harder!" Alec barked.
The first of the tracker wolves reached the base of the ridge, their mechanical jaws snapping as they began to climb. Athen skidded to a stop near the top, allowing nature to take its course.
"Move it!" she screamed, her voice cutting through the chaos.
The twins grunted and pushed with all their might, but the tree barely shifted.
Jack bolted toward them, slamming his shoulder into the trunk alongside the twins. With a combined roar of effort, the hollowed tree groaned again and finally gave way, teetering over the slope's edge.
The world seemed to slow as the tree crashed down the ridge, splintering the rain-soaked earth and triggering a cascade of mud, rocks, and debris.
"Run!" Sakura screamed, her voice breaking through the noise.
Below, the tracker wolves were caught in the chaos. Their metallic bodies were overwhelmed by the torrent of mud and rocks, their glowing eyes flickering before they were buried under the weight of the avalanche.
Breathing heavily, Sakura looked back over her shoulder, her heart pounding as the ridge disappeared behind a wall of destruction.
"We did it!" Alex shouted, his voice filled with relief.
"Not yet!" Sakura yelled, turning to the pack. "We need to keep moving! If any of them survived, they'll pick up our trail again. Don't waste time—just go!"
The pack didn't argue. They surged forward, paws and feet pounding the forest floor as they left the ridge—and the tracker wolves—far behind.
As they disappeared into the dense wilderness, the rain began to pour again, washing away their scent and the remnants of the fight. For now, they were safe, but Sakura knew the battle was far from over.
The pack tore through the forest, their breaths labored and paws pounding against the soft earth. Rain slicked their fur and dampened their tracks, but it did little to ease their exhaustion. Southward, they ran, each stride carrying them farther from the destruction they had left behind at the ridge.
Athen led the charge, scanning the terrain for obstacles. Sakura clung to his back, her fingers buried in his thick fur, her exhaustion threatening to overtake her. Behind them, Jack, Michael, Alex, and Alec followed in a line. Their bodies were battered, and their steps faltered, but they pressed on.
"Keep moving!" Athen growled, his voice carrying over the sound of their footfalls.
Michael, limping slightly from his earlier injury, gritted his teeth. "I'm not stopping," he panted, though every step sent a jolt of pain through his body.
The pack pushed southward for two days, avoiding the villages and trails marked by humans. They skirted past Lugnaquilla Mountain, its rocky slopes offering brief cover but little comfort. The air grew thinner as they climbed higher, but none complained. Silence was their shield now, their only focus on evading the tracker wolves that could be on their trail.
Their bodies were fatigued when they descended into the dense forests leading toward Limerick. Days had passed since they'd last appropriately rested, and their legs moved purely on instinct.
"We can't keep this up forever," Sakura murmured.
Athen's ears twitched at her words, but he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he slowed his pace slightly, allowing the others to catch up. "We'll rest soon," he said finally. "Just a little farther. We need to make sure we're out of range."
Jack huffed as he caught up, his paws caked with mud. "A little farther?" he grumbled. "We've been running for days."
"Better sore than dead," Alex said, his twin Alec nodding in agreement beside him.
The pack continued their relentless pace, the landscape around them shifting as they moved deeper into the wilderness. Limerick's outskirts loomed on the horizon, though still far away.
Finally, as the sun descended below the horizon, Athen stopped in a secluded grove surrounded by towering pines. The air was damp, and the ground was soft enough for them to collapse without much thought.
"We rest here," Athen announced his voice firm.
Sakura slid off his back and stumbled to her feet, her legs trembling from exhaustion. She glanced around at the others, their bodies battered but still standing.
"Good job, everyone," she said softly. "We're almost there."
Athen lay beside her, his large form shielding her from the cold wind sweeping through the grove. The twins curled up close, their heads resting on their paws.
"I'll be right back," Jack said, nodding toward the woods. "I'm going to scavenge some dry wood for a fire. Once it's lit, I'll tend to your wounds before taking my turn on watch."
"Thanks, Jack," Sakura replied, giving him a small wave as he disappeared into the shadowy trees.
Michael lay down with the others, licking his wounds while his sharp eyes scanned the forest's edge. His ears twitched as he asked, "Athen, where do you think those werewolves came from?"
"They trailed us from behind," Athen replied, calm but edging with thought. "My guess is they followed us from Dublin. Either Kenjiro has a base of operations nearby, or they tracked the aircraft that brought us to Ireland."
Michael's eyes narrowed. "Do you think they'll follow us all the way here?"
Athen shook his head slightly, the rain dripping off his fur. "Not in this weather. The rain will mask our scent for a while."
Sakura frowned, her voice quiet but firm. "We can't afford to face him head-on. Once we figure out his next move, we'll have to leave. Quickly. Who knows what he's planning next?"
Athen lowered his head. "Tomorrow, we'll contact Isabella for an update. Tonight, we rest. We'll need all the strength we can get."
Before long, Jack returned, walking on two legs, his arms full of firewood. He dropped the bundle near the group and pulled a battered lighter from his pocket. He coaxed the fire to life using a crumpled notebook he had found as kindling.
"Where did you get that notebook?" Sakura asked, her brow furrowing.
Jack exhaled heavily, avoiding her gaze for a moment. "Found it in the forest. Next to a body—a lone hiker."
"A body?" Sakura's voice shot up in alarm. "Out there, all alone?"
Jack chuckled. "Relax. He's not going anywhere. You think he's gonna come back and haunt us or something?"
Sakura frowned. "Shouldn't we tell someone? Let them know?"
Athen cut in. "And say what? That we were prowling through the woods when we stumbled on him? We already look suspicious enough."
Sakura fell silent, her gaze dropping to the ground. Her chest tightened as she thought of the hiker's lonely, forgotten state. Decaying under the massive awning of the forest, far from anyone who might care. His family was probably wondering where he had gone, hoping against hope for his return.
Quietly, she pulled out her phone and typed a note, marking the exact location where Jack had found the body. Someday, when they were safer, she'd find a way to notify someone. For now, it was all she could do.
While Jack tended to Michael's collarbone fracture, he broke the silence first, his voice low but carrying warmth. "Gotta say, I'm impressed, babes. You didn't just hold your ground for your first real victory as an Alpha—you led us straight through hell and back. That's no small accomplishment."
Alex raised his head slightly. "He's right. The way you planned the ambush and used the terrain to our advantage. That was brilliant. You didn't panic like the rest of us."
Alec chimed in, his voice quieter. "And you thought about all of us. You didn't just charge ahead. You made sure we were safe. No one has ever done that before."
Sakura blushed under their praise, her cheeks warming even more than they were from the fire. "I don't care what's at stake. I'd never leave any of you behind. We're a team."
Jack chuckled, his hands busy bandaging Michael's shoulder temporarily. "Team or not, someone has to lead, and today that was you. You've got guts, babe. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Athen, silent until now, shifted slightly, his blue eyes locking onto Sakura's. "Jack's right—you did well. But don't get carried away. One victory doesn't make a leader; being an Alpha isn't just about winning fights. It's about making the hard calls, protecting the pack, and learning from every mistake. You've got a long way to go."
Sakura nodded the weight of his words settling on her shoulders. "We both have a long way to go."
"You've already taken the first step," Athen replied, his voice softening. "You trusted your instincts and kept us alive. That's more than most Alphas manage in their first fight."
The fire crackled warmly as Jack finished tending to Michael's shoulder. Michael let out a long sigh, settling down beside the twins with exhaustion and relief. Jack stretched, wincing slightly from his aching wounds but managing a smirk. "Well, Michael should be okay for now, but we'll need to do some proper surgery once we're back on the island."
"Damn...," Michael muttered. "If I'd been paying more attention the tracker werewolf wouldn't have blindsided me like that. I swear, I thought it was a damn mountain goat at first."
"Hey, at least you're alive," Sakura said softly. "That's what matters."
Jack chuckled, tossing another stick onto the fire. "Honestly, Michael? A mountain goat might've done just as much damage to your shoulder. So don't beat yourself up too much."
The rest of the pack burst into laughter, the tension from their long day momentarily easing. Michael glared at them. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he grumbled, his ears flicking back. Michael rolled his eyes but couldn't help a small smile creeping onto his face. He'd make sure to stay sharper next time.
An unforeseen phenomenon unfolded in their laughter. A swift, ghostly white fog descended from the mountaintop, shrouding them in mist. In an instant, the once-vibrant flames of their fire pit were extinguished, casting them into an impenetrable darkness where only four wandering yellow flames flickered eerily around them.
Michael struggled with his words. "Athen what's going on?"
"I don't know."
Alex asked, "Do you think they know where Kenjiro is?"
"Shut up," Athen ordered. "I hear something."
As the spectral mist enveloped them, haunting music emerged from the abyss. Drums pounded rhythmically, their primal beats echoing through the forest, accompanied by the deep, otherworldly tenor chants resonating with ancient power. The air was filled with resonating bells and the alluring melodies of flutes and harps.
Sakura's heartbeat rapidly joined the beats of the drums. She whispered fearfully, "Athen..."
"I have a feeling they're not here because of Kenjiro..." Athen said, his ears perked up. "Whoever they are, I will not hesitate to kill them."
The ghostly white fog slowly dispersed, leaving behind a delicate haze that clung lightly to the ground, enveloping their feet like a mystical shroud. In response, the boys sprang to their feet, forming a protective circle around Sakura.
The melody ceased utterly, but the whispered chants maintained movement. One of these hushed voices repeatedly whispered Sakura's name while the other echoed for Kenjiro. These mysterious murmurs persisted, their repetition sending shivers down their spines.
Alec's voice shivered. "Athen, I think they heard you."
The pack feared the worst.