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The Three Steps to Owlsomeness!

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     Not wanting to be alone with Damian, I hurried to my room and reformed my thinning leaves before curling up on top.

Sinking into the crunching cushion, I contemplated everything that had happened since my hunting patrol returned to camp two moon rises ago.

My thoughts drifted towards my patrol. I spoke with Jade when I didn't have one of my babysitters eavesdropping, she didn't know what happened to the others. After attempting to fight, she was forced into submission; like me, exhaustion from our hunt had taken a heavy toll on her. Since we didn't pose as much of a threat, we were both taken down without much physical harm; however, the hit to our pride was still a gaping wound.

I hope the others were okay, and I desperately wished I knew if they had any plans. Hopefully, they decided to hide out at the summer rendezvous site as well and were preparing it for our arrival.

My silent contemplation came back to my pack, then my parents. I tightly squeezed my eyes shut, warm tears managing to find a way out and slid down my cheek, leaving itchy trails behind in their wake. I pulled a fur over my head even though it was too hot, silent sobs racking my body.

     I felt like my heart was torn in two as I thought of my parents and then of Damian.

     Suddenly, a horrible idea slipped into my chaotic mind; Did he kill anyone from my pack?

     I shuddered at the possibility and tightened my grip on the hides in an attempt to silence my pain from nearby ears.

This was my first chance to let out my feelings since the pack meeting, and I was taking full advantage of it.

Only once my fur blanket was soaked, did I finally cease my pity party; however, I felt as if a small weight was lifted from my heavily burdened shoulders.

The question of what Damian may have done still pressed down on me forebodingly. I knew that even though it was well into the night, I wouldn't be able to sleep until I got answers.

After wiping my tears away and waiting for any signs of redness to fade, I slowly pulled myself up and stumbled to the doorway. Pausing to think of what to say, I stuck my head out from around the fur hide door and whisper yelled, "Damian?"

His raspy voice, indicating how near to sleep he was, mumbled back, "Yep?"

I came out of my room, still wearing my cotton shirt and fringed, leather pants. I could tell he was only a few steps away from my door, so I lingered in the entranceway, "I need to talk to you."

"I always need to talk to you," I could tell he was smirking mischievously despite how dark the room was.

Brook wriggled inside but soon fell still when we remembered our purpose. I remained silent and could barely see the outline of him shifting to a sitting position on the floor, only possible due to the extraordinary vision all werewolves posessed.

"Crystal?"

He snapped me out of my thoughts and I mindlessly blurted out, "Did you kill anyone?"

He was quiet for a moment, then cautiously asked, "What do you mean?"

Drawing in a long breath, I forced myself to get the words out, "Yesterday night, when Blood Moon attacked my pack, did you kill anyone?" I flinched at the sound of my quivering words.

There was a moment of silence that seemed to last a lifetime, before he calmly, but firmly replied, "No, I've never killed anyone; not your pack and not my enemies."

I let out my breath, relief crashing through me in replace of my apprehension. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself kneeling on the ground, arms wrapped around his strong form. I hugged him tightly, and I felt his sturdy arms slide behind me to securely embrace me back.

His smell wafted over me, soothing my nerves and calming my breaths. We stayed like this for so long, I felt like time had stopped, and the world was giving us the chance to catch up to our fast paced lives.

      At some point he shifted me so I was cradled on his lap, my head leaned into the curve of his neck. I was partially aware that he didn't have a shirt on, but I was too overwhelmed by the newfound innocence in my mate to care.

My mate, I was struck by realization for the first time. I've found the one person out there, who was truly meant for me; my other half.

For a moment, I forgot all the bad that happened the last several days and squeezed tighter, sighing contently.

After a while longer, I slowly remembered that I wasn't supposed to like him due to recent events and I went through the mood swings that I've been having every time I'm happy or relaxed since Blood Moon first arrived. My comfort twisted into guilt, then sadness, and finally, nothing as my mental brick wall reformed. Reluctantly, I released him and stood up. I heard him catch his breath at my sudden absence.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," I whispered, "I was just... This is too much, I'm not thinking straight. I'm sorry," with the final sentence, my thoughts drifted towards my pack and my parents.

I turned to my room but he grabbed my hand, "You have nothing to be sorry for, I can't imagine what you're going through. I never meant for this to happen," he sounded as if he were talking to himself as he released my hand.

Not sure how to respond, I slipped away into my room.

I let out a long breath as I landed on my leaves, Why can't I just be mad at him?

"Because he's your mate and so far, only his pack has given you reason not to like him; he's been nothing but kind," Brook murmured.

     "But I'm not supposed to like him, our pack wouldn't approve."

     "Sleep, Crystal," she hummed, "save it for another time."

     And with that, I let darkness envelope me.

     Blinking my eyes open, I sat up, sunlight streaming through my window. I berated myself for the sting of disappointment that flashed through my chest once I realized Damian hadn't snuck in again.

I slowly dragged myself out from under the covers, and I reached up to my desk to pull off my bone carved comb. Leaning back towards the ground, I quickly brushed and braided my long, brown hair, before changing into a new set of cloths that were specifically designed for hunting.

More awake now, I stood up and paced over to my window. The sky was a dismal grey, thick clouds pressing heavily on the clearing.

I took in a deep breath, relishing the smell of rain and dew. Shutting my eyes, I enjoyed the sensation as it grew, my werewolf nose honing in on it until I caught a tinge of smoke mixed in with it. Whipping around, I found Damian leaning on the far wall, observing me.

"How long have you been there?" I demanded, glaring at him venomously despite the relief I felt at seeing him, "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's creepy to watch others without them knowing?"

He snorted, causing my wolf to purr in delight at the back of my mind. I quickly blocked her out, not wanting the sound to exist further than the recesses of my mind.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself for once, I came to ask when you'd be ready to go hunting," his eyes gleamed with interest at these last words.

Glancing back outside, I gauged the weather conditions and planned which places would be best to hunt, what game we'd seek, and thus picked my fellow hunters accordingly. Turning back to him, I yawned, "We should be ready soon. We have to leave before the rain scares away all the game. The wind may pose a problem for archery, so we'll have to stay in the denser areas of the forest," I was still engrossed in thought as I stepped past him; keeping a fair distance between us despite the urge to run to him.

Stupid mate bond hormones, I thought bitterly before returning to my more important responsibilities.

It wasn't long before I'd strung together four other teenagers, all having shifted recently or not at all. They were the ones who had the most practice with human weapons since that's what they relied on to help the pack.

Snow and Buck were skilled trappers, while Crescent was an experienced knife thrower, leaving Copper and I who are decent archers.

I'd already reminded them that Ivy, Geyser, Talon, and Storm were still out there and to be discrete should they pick up their scent at any time as the five of us waited at the West entrance to camp for Damian and the appointed Blood Moon guards

"Speaking of guards," I spoke to my wolf, "they said that those two... What's there faces-"

"Jake and Ron," she replied coolly.

     "Yes, them! Aren't they supposed to be guarding us all the time? I haven't seen them since I yelled at Damian yesterday morning."

     Brook paused for a moment, "I think we should ask Damian later."

     On cue, Damian, Jake, Ron, and seven others approached from the side of the housing district the Blood Moon warriors have been staying in.

     As they neared, my mate called out, "Crystal, this is my best friend, Keith."

I glared at him, none of his pack called me by my title. Even though I'm sure it slipped his mind, it was highly insultive to not refer to an alpha, luna, beta, or gamma by their title.

Oblivious to my mood swing, he looked at me expectantly and Snow nudged my shoulder; she was one of my few pack mates who truly understood how careful I had to react to the Blood Moon pack. Unfortunately, most of my pack, while they gradually began to have our escape plan whispered to them behind our Keepers' backs, only obeyed me out of respect to my parents and title, they didn't seem to grasp the potential danger my actions can put them in.

I looked up to Keith, who now stood in front of me to the right of Damian. He had dusty brown hair, dark but friendly brown eyes, rugged facial hair around his mouth and chin, was strongly built but to my delight, slightly shorter than Damian who I'd guess was 6'5.

     Nodding to Keith, I slowly turned back to Damian, "We need to leave immediately, it's going to rain soon, and the animals will be heading back to their dens."

     He got this weird look on his face and shifted from foot to foot. "Okay, but first, each of you need to take Wolf's Bane," he said it like I should know what it is, but after seeing my blank expression he added, "It temporarily separates you from your wolf so you can't shift."

     I stiffened, tension thick in the air, a growl emanated from one of my pack mates. I drew in a long breath, clenching and unclenching my hand behind my back until I regained self control. Glancing at my friends, and then back to Damian, I announced, "I'll do it first. Afterwards," I turned back to my pack, "each of you can choose whether to stay, or help elsewhere. Whatever your decisions may be, remember who we're doing this for," scowling at Damian I asked, "What do I do?"

He quickly avoided my unforgiving stare and reached his hand to Keith who handed him an odd, pointy object. "Give me your arm," he half asked, bashfully glancing at me but unable to hold my gaze.

I took another deep breath before stepping forward, Snow hissing at me to be careful, and faced my right palm up to him.

He held my wrist so that my skin was right, "Have you ever had a shot before?"

I shook my head once.

He sighed, "It doesn't hurt much, I'm going to push this into your vein and it will release the Wolf's Bane."

That didn't sound fun. I swallowed and closed my eyes, freaking out a little from the needle in his left hand.

I heard my friends hiss at him just before there was a small pinch and he released my arm. I opened my eyes and was about to inspect my arm when a lonely, frigid breeze seemed to blow through me. I gasped and stepped back, reaching my hands up to my heart. Crescent, who was nearest, grabbed my arm to support me, a look of horror on his face.

I felt so alone, I couldn't explain it until I realized, Brooks gone, she can't be gone. I felt a jolt go through me after registering her absence and I looked wide-eyed to Damian, who seemed beyond guilty, "Will she come back?" I gasped, "Will Brook, my wolf, will she come back?"

He nodded, "In a few hours."

I shivered, relieved to know I wasn't doomed to this cold and unwelcoming existence for the rest of my life.

My pack mates looked as if they'd just witnessed a death, "I'm okay, it just..." I trailed off.

There was a moment of silence before Copper spoke up, "I'll go next."

One by one, each of my pack mates were given the Wolf's Bane, even those who've never shifted. I was proud to lead them, they went through this horrible event, just to serve the pack in solitude with only Blood Moon guards to accompany them.

After arranging us into five groups, two guards for every hunter, we parted ways. The trappers went to the rivers, Crescent took his knives to the edge of the woods, and Copper and I picked up our bows and quivers, heading towards the heart of the evergreen forest.

     Damian, Keith, and Copper's two guards trailed along a few feet behind me in Stoney silence. Copper was on my heels trying to refasten his water canteen as I moved around the edge of camp, heading North towards The Winding Valley which is where the evergreens lie.

     Having fixed the canteen predicament, Copper bounded to my side, "What are we hunting?" he murmured so we wouldn't scare away the game.

     Keeping my eyes on the path, I quietly replied, "Look for deer, elk... the big stuff. Don't pass up on anything though, and make sure you put your guards to use carrying the provisions back," If we're going to be tailed around everywhere, might as well get something out of it.

     He nodded as I turned my attention to the six senses I possess, I picked up the scent of rain... and smoke, which I quickly ignored.

     Leaves, dirt, dew... I ran through the scents that bombarded me on a daily basis, but without my wolf's keen nose, it was practically useless. Finding nothing of interest, I picked up our walk to a leisurely trot. Being a werewolf, we actually were moving quite fast; however, Silver Moon's territory is enormous.

     After the sun had just passed its peak, our trot now seeming a relentless pace despite multiple breaks, we reached the first evergreens that mingled with the other trees. Soon we were skipping across the rocks over Silver Springs, then, as we landed on the far bank, we were engulfed by the prickly green trees at the beginning of The Winding Valley, the fresh smell overwhelming almost everything else.

     I nodded to Copper before veering to the right and he the left. We would be more effective on our own.

     We had already shot several squirrels, rabbits, and even a goose at the springs. It was split up between the four Blood Moon warriors to carry so Copper and I would have easy access to our bows.

     It was just Damian, Keith, and I now. We slowed our pace so I could catch any sound that may be disguised by the cover of the imposing trees.

     The black tailed deer loved these woods and I t didn't take long before I found a trail of hoof prints. I pricked my ears and turned to face my two shadows. I put a finger to my lips and pulled out an arrow from my quiver. The tracks were firm meaning they were still fresh and it didn't take long for me to hear one make a content snicker.

     The squirrels chattered overhead as I came to the edge of a small clearing. In the midst of the trees on the opposite side, was a whole herd of the small deer.

I stuck my finger in my mouth then held it up; the side nearest them and to the right became cold, indicating the wind was blowing from that direction.

I backed into the forest a little ways, signaling for Damian and Keith to stay where they were before I disappeared into the undergrowth. I edged around the left side of the clearing, quiet as a snake. The unsuspecting deer were munching on grass, occasionally eyeing the dreary sky.

When I was twelve wolf-lengths away, I slowly rose to my full height and pulled my bow up. I eyed the nearest deer who was standing in profile to me, a large buck (for their species) whose neck was exposed. I held my left hand out as far from my body as I could, gripping the handle of my bow. While my right hand, which had already cocked the arrow, was pulled just behind my ear. I aimed at the artery in his neck.

Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. I was about to shoot, when a loud crack sliced through the air behind me. All the deer, including my target looked directly at me. His eyes widened as he opened his mouth to bellow, but my arrow whizzed through the air and found its target.

With an enormous thud, my prey fell to the ground, blood splurging from his neck.

"What did you think you were doing?! I told you to stay over there," I yelled quietly, so as not to scare Copper's game. I whipped around but was thrown to the ground. My eyes widened as a crushing weight landed on my stomach, and I heard something crack.

I gasped for breath when a musty smell rushed through my nostrils, a smell I've only inhaled once before. I could barely breath, it's crushing weight on my stomach was slowly suffocating me.

Before I could react, huge claws ripped through the skin on my side. I screamed as pain jolted through me, something warm and sticky pooling from my left flank as I lay on the hard, grass-less ground, the trees towering over me.

Warm, haggard breathing neared my neck, and I was met by a yellow eye, glaring at me.

Bear.

I quickly squeezed my eyes shut and tried to cover my head and roll to my back, but it was on top of me. I knew not to fight back, that would only make it attack me more.

All of this had happened in a moments time, but it felt like I was laying on the ground for hours, pain surging through me, when the bear fell off me. No, it was pushed off me.

A ferocious snarl ripped through the air, but I couldn't look up, I felt paralyzed... paralyzed? My eyes widened in horror, what if the bear broke my spine? Am I paralyzed? Never to move again? I couldn't ask Brook, the thing they injected me with before leaving didn't allow me to speak with her.

My breathing became ragged as I panicked, until a worse thought occurred to me, My mate is fighting a bear, has he ever even dealt with one before?

As my thought ended, a horrific yelp pierced the air.

I bit my lip, trying to fight back a scream. The thought of possibly being paralyzed was a memory in the past as I threw all my force into turning my head in the direction the sound had come from, and my eyes widened even more at what they fell upon.

On the ground, lay a wolf. Blood seeped into the ground around him, his dusty fur now caked in dirt.

As horrible as it was, I sighed in temporary relief knowing it wasn't my mate. However, it was short lived as I looked past the barely breathing body. Damian, in the form of his sleek, black wolf, had the bear cornered against a rock ledge. You NEVER corner a bear unless you want to die.

I took in a deep breath and yelled as loud as I could, my voice dry and raspy, "Get away, give it an escape route," I began wheezing violently.

Damian looked in my direction, and I felt another claw tear through my chest at what I saw next; the bear, at the chance Damian had given, lunged towards his exposed side.

A wolf's shriek broke through the air before it was muffled by a thud, and then a gurgled cry. Finally, everything was as silent as the bottom of a lake. A cold wind blowing through like the echo of a long forgotten spirit.

    Oh, my, goodness, gracious, for the love of peanut butter. In an author's note that was right here I made a spoiler (which probably was obvious already) that has been removed. It was common knowledge in my mind since I'm the author and completely forgot it was a spoiler XD