88
3RD PERSON.
For three long days, the seven trackers journeyed their way through the wilderness with almost no time for rest. They had been trained for these kinds of missions over the years so it wasn’t so exacting. That didn’t mean that they found it exciting and very enjoyable. In fact, some of them were already very tired but they knew they had to keep going if they wanted to find Maya and bring her back. That was the only motivation they had and it was the driving force that kept pushing them forward. Besides, they were trying to accomplish a week’s journey in a few days, so it was supposed to be hard and terrible. The best part of the mission was that they could pick traces of her scent as they moved through the woods. Sometimes the trail disappeared and the team would be forced to split and search. Until one of them found something, they didn’t move because it would be disastrous to go all that way without finding any single thing. That was why they were the best of the best, the reason Venom had chosen them to carry out the mission.
Also, it was very clear that they had done a good guess and a good research because according to the trail they were getting, it pointed towards one of the circled Packs. There wasn’t any better news than that. Even though they were tempted to move straight without caring about her aura and scent, they didn’t fall for it. It was the most important hint, and they wouldn’t ignore it.
On the fourth day of their journey, they finally arrived outside the Pack. Her scent had led them there and they were very sure she was inside the Pack. Trackers had very high sensing abilities and could smell a person’s aura and know who it was from a mile away. They were incredibly gifted and it was a natural talent which was improved by training. Many werewolves had excellent smelling abilities but it was nowhere near the ones these trackers possessed, but the only bad side was the fact that these trackers were only a very small amount of the population. They were rare but incredibly helpful, especially when trained in martial arts or on the art of being a spies.
They pitched a tent a long way away from the Pack so they wouldn’t arouse any form of suspicion from the boundary guards.
That night, they started to get everything ready, everything that would be beneficial for their mission. They discussed how they would slip into the Pack unnoticed by distraction. From their little spying on the boundary guards, they knew the guards were alert, which was both their strength and weakness.
The next day before dawn, they began moving towards the boundary with incredible stealth and precision. The plan was to cause pandemonium and attack some guards, kill them and change into their uniforms. It worked pretty well, because at the end of the whole disarray, none of the guards were able to discern what had happened and who had been attacked. They had no idea what hit them and decided to play it off as a wolf-call by one of the warriors. It had been a long time since they had some fun out here in the treacherous plains of the boundary, so why not? As long as they got back to their jobs, there was no harm in it.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
The trackers were long gone by then and had already entered the Pack. It was early in the morning when they arrived and it was the time that the nurses and the maids got up and went to work. They found her and while two of them approached her, the rest stayed back and made sure to hide to avoid being detected.
She was startled when the familiar scent of her Pack members drove her wolf wild. She looked up, alarmed. When she saw them approaching her calmly, she did the same.
“What are you people doing here?!” She growled in a hushed whisper as she stared at them, wide-eyed and in shock. She never expected that Venom would go as far as risking the lives of his finest warriors just for her safety.
“We were sent by the Alpha to come rescue you. You have to come with us immediately. You have to come back to the Pack!” The man said, looking down at her.
She shook her head as she tried to wrap her head around what might have possibly caused Venom to take this action, but she soon found out that if there was anybody to blame, it was probably her.
She hadn’t sent a single letter to him to let him know that she was safe and nothing had happened. Well, since the trackers were here, she had to do it herself. At least, the message would be delivered right to Venom without her fearing that she was going to be exposed.
“Well, this isn’t the time to go yet. There are a lot of things I’m taking care of and I’m sure that I’m closer to the answer than ever. I’ve been working incredibly hard to make this work and he’s not going to fuck this up when I’m so close to getting it. Tell him that I’m sorry for not sending him a letter. You see, the security here is very tight and everything is heavily scrutinised, everything that leaves and comes in. So I couldn’t run the risk of sending a letter no matter what. Let him know that I am not in any sort of danger and I am safe as they come.”
She finished, glancing back to make sure she hadn’t attracted a pair of curious eyes. Thankfully, the maids were minding their business and went about to their daily jobs. She looked back at the man who had a very confused and conflicted expression, as if he was being torn apart by two decisions.
“You see…” He stuttered with a start, “The Alpha commanded that we should bring you back to the Pack under any circumstances. And I have to obey him, but from a personal point of view, I would have loved to let you stay. I am very confused because I don’t know what to do.” He said, calmly. She was happy that the man at least used his senses. He wasn’t one of those annoying guards who wouldn’t listen to reasons and insist on doing what the Alpha said without checking if there would be downsides to it.
“Tell him to trust me. I know he is worried, but there is nothing I can do. I will finish this and I will come back to him like I promised him. There is no way I’m coming back without getting what I want.” She said. Just then, the other guard who was with the man replied.
“We have to do what the Alpha said. You have to come back. The instructions were clear.” Her face went red immediately, even though it was still dark and the world was still asleep.
“Then you’d have to fight me if you want me to come back now. I’m sure you don’t want me to alert the guards there are aliens in their Pack. You won’t like it, I promise you.” She threatened, giving the man something to worry about.
He scoffed and turned away, earning a suppressed chuckle from his superior who was rather unimpressed with his inconsiderate words. The tracker asked her. “Do you need help? Is there anything bothering you that needs to be taken care of. It looks like something isn’t right.” He asked her but she shook her head.
“Everything is fine. There is no problem I’m facing other than the fact that we had to pick some jobs so we could blend in and get closer to the Packhouse. We are all going to work now and I’m sure you want to leave, because the guards will be out soon and they won’t be happy seeing you here.” She warned. The man nodded and turned back with a weary sigh.
“We will tell him what you have said. But if he insists that we come back, we will come back for you. Is that an agreement?” He asked her. She shrugged.
“I’ll be back this week or next week. I promise.” She said to them, hoping that they wouldn’t probe any further.
The trackers nodded and walked turned back to the others who were waiting. They were rather unimpressed and unhappy when they heard what she had said. They were unhappy because of the amount of work it took them to get here only for her to tell them that they should go back and give her message to their Alpha.
They left the Pack with disappointed looks on their faces. Maya was very happy when the trackers left. She was happy that she had been able to talk with them and knew that Venom would get a response. However, she thought it would have been better if she had written a letter to him so he wouldn’t think it was made up.
But at the same time, she knew he believed his men and wouldn’t perceive it to be a lie. She wanted to tell Tianna about it, but Tianna had already left for work and time wasn’t on her side any longer. She just walked into the hospital to join the rest of the nurses and the doctors who had reported for work.
The impeccable working culture in the Pack was one of the only few things she liked about it, everything else was mediocre or horrible. However, as soon as the trackers arrived at the Pack, they sought out Alpha Venom. He didn’t address them until they had converged at the secret chamber where they had had their last meeting before their departure.
“We found Maya, but she refused to come back with us.” Their general spoke first, sounding sad. Venom was very happy when he heard the man say they found her, but why wouldn’t she come back with them. He wasn’t fully convinced and knew there could be more to the story than what he had just heard.
“What do you mean by that?” He asked, feeling his heart beat fast. The fact that she was alive was enough to calm his raging heart. The tracker told him everything she had said and how she had said it, including her threat to expose them if they didn’t leave. He laughed, but it was a sad, wry smile. He missed her deeply and couldn’t wait to see her again.
What made him even more happy was the deadline she had given before she would come back. As soon as the meeting had ended and the trackers were gone, he went back to his room and picked up the letter she had written him before she left. He read it again, smiling at it. He could imagine her in her work garb, and all he could do was smile and laugh and chuckle depending on how he felt at the moment.
His fears had been allayed, and there was no better feeling than that. Knowing that there was nothing else to fear about her safety, he knew it was time to focus on the Pack and get the work done. He had his trackers rest and recover from the long journey they had just been to but before then, he made sure that the security at the boundary was doubled, thus, making it heavily guarded. More and more of the Pack members were also deployed to learn how to fight in case everything got out of hand. With everything set, he decided to get back to his office. He had gotten a request from Alpha Orion, the leader of the council of elders, to visit an old friend who was a powerful Alpha so they could form an alliance. He was happy when everyone was working for the good of the whole Pack.