The Young Luna

Chapter 34

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"It's getting late" Seth grumbled in annoyance, as I answered his call. I was still at the shooting range

with Chris, and it seemed – like always – we had lost track of time.

"Is it? Got distracted" I replied, glancing at my watch. It was almost one am.

"Are you alone?"

"Nah, still with Chris. I'll head back once we've put the stuff away". Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"Alright, baby, I'll see you in a minute" Seth sighed. I was about to hang up when he spoke up again.

"Actually, don't leave. I'm going to come and get you".

"Seth, I'm fine. It'll take my ten minutes to get to you. If you're that worried, then I'll get Chris to walk

me".

"No, I want you to wait for me. I'm leaving now". He hung up the phone before I could argue anymore. I

groaned in annoyance before slipping my phone back into my pocket. Chris lowered his bow and

raised an eyebrow.

"We're done?" he assumed correctly.

"Yeah, Seth is on his way to pick me up".

"Wow your dad is strict" he teased.

"I know, maybe Daddy will punish me for being late" I grinned cheekily.

"Oh gross". Chris pretended to retch as I laughed warmly. "Let's change the damn subject before I

chuck up all that food your mother forced me to eat".

"Prude". I stuck my tongue out at him and we laughed. Chris opened his mouth to say something, but

he was interrupted. A terrifying scream pierced the silent night and both Chris and I jumped in shock.

The scream came from nearby, close outside the shooting range. My heart began to race and, for a

terrifying second, I flashed back to the night Yemi had attacked me. A shiver ran through my body as I

tried to shake the memory off. Another scream sounded, before another women shouted for help.

Chris didn't pause, he grabbed one of the bags of arrows and slung it over his bag. He turned to me

and paused. "Stay here". And with that, he loaded up an arrow and flew out the door.

"Not fucking likely" I muttered, threw my own bag of arrows onto my bag and snapped an arrow and

bow into position. I then followed after Chris, only a few steps behind him. He was creeping slowly into

the deep forest, in the direction of where the screams had come from.

I tapped him on a shoulder, and he glanced back at me with a nod. His warm brown eyes were full of

fear, which I was sure that I mirrored. I gestured that we should split up and come from opposite sides.

Chris took a deep breath and nodded once more.

I eased off to the left, circling around and silently slipping through the forest. My bow was raised, my

arrow poised, and my heart racing. I silently moved through the dark vegetation making sure to avoid

fallen branches.

I told myself, I was hunting deer. Just like Chris and I used to do in the summer, take a trip down to his

grandparent's and spend it camping and hunting. We'd do this manoeuvre when we saw our prey –

split up and come from opposite directions until one of us had the shot. So, I told myself that was the

same now. Just like hunting deer.

"Help me please" a voice screamed. The hairs on my arm stood up and my heart threatened to burst

out of my chest. I eased forward, around the trees and towards the clearing where the noise was

coming from.

I hunkered down behind a large fallen tree trunk, peering through the darkness and into the clearing.

Towards the left I could see three people. Two women and one man – one of the women was laying on

the floor and the man was leaning over her, the other women was the one screaming for help. But, I

didn't recognise any of them.

The woman on the floor was obviously hurt, but I had no idea who these people were. We were

towards the outskirts of the Pack territory, but that didn't mean a thing. I knew every Wolf who was part

of the Vernal Pack and I knew every Wolf who'd come with Seth and I from Equinox Pack. And these

three were strangers – stranger on another Pack's territory.

A few hundred years ago, rogue Wolves used to be a thing; people who'd left their Packs to live on

their own. But, that didn't happen anymore. Or, if it did, that person often died within the first few

months of being on their own. Usually it was insanity or suicide that killed, sometimes the two

combined. Wolves are social creatures, we die without Packs.

So, I knew these three people were from another Pack. They were trespassing.

I glanced through the night, searching for Chris. I quickly found him, he was almost opposite to me – on

the other side of the clearing, obscured by a large rose bush. Just like when we hunted, he waited for

us to make a decision together on how to handle things. I met his eye contact, once he'd found me,

and I shook my head.

He frowned, as the woman kept hysterically screaming for help, but nodded sombrely. As much as I

wanted to rush in and find out the situation, I needed to think like a Luna. And a good Luna didn't go

running into a situation without knowing the dangers – a reckless Luna would kill a Pack. That's what

my mother used to always say, and as much as I hated to admit it, the crazy bitch was right about that.

I gestured to Chris, I was going to move closer to the people, he nodded back but he still didn't look

happy. But he knew; I was the better shot and I was the one who had Shifted out of the two of us. It

made sense to send me in first – as much as he didn't want me to.

I eased silently through the forest, knowing where to stay hidden. I'd grown up in these woods, as kids

Chris and I spent hours playing catch the flag in these forests. This was home territory to me, I knew

where I was going.

When I was able to get closer to the strangers, I noticed that the woman on the ground was badly

injured. She had blood seeping out of a wound on her stomach, and she didn't seem to be healing from

it. I felt bad for not running to their aid, but then I had to remind myself that this could be a trap or an

ambush.

And then the man with them moved slightly. I was desperate to get a better look at him. As sexist as it

was, I saw him as the biggest threat. He was taller, larger and I assumed the strongest. So I moved so I

could see him from the front. But it was too dark to work anything but his silhouette out.

But, I was pretty sure God was on my side that night, as a second later the clouds cleared and the

moon lit up the entire clearing. And then I saw the man. The second I saw his face, made out his

features, I let the arrow fly from my bow. I didn't think about it, I just acted.

It hit the man in his left shoulder and he flew backwards with a scream. "Joder!" He hit the floor with a

thud, and the woman stopped screaming in shock. I rushed throw the bushes and into the clearing. I

heard Chris behind me less than a second later – he didn't ask why I shot the man, didn't do anything

but back me up.

The strangers turned to me in shock as I slipped another arrow into my bow and held it up. "Don't

fucking move" I hissed at them. I was hidden by the shade of the trees, the moonlight not highlighting

me.

"Look we--" the man began, arrow still sticking out of his shoulder. He tried to hold up his hands in

surrender, pain evident in his face. I cut the man off by shooting my second arrow through his other

shoulder. He screamed out in Spanish again. The woman, the one not injured, screamed again before

diving towards me as I was reaching for another arrow.

"Stop" Chris snapped moving forward and aiming his arrow at the girl. She skidded to a stop, looking

helpless and confused, as I also stepped into the moonlight. I walked over the man, who was bleeding

on the floor. I stood above him, arrow poised, as he blinked up at me in shock.

I gave him a smile. A smile full of sadistic pleasure and happiness. "Hello Rafa. How the tables have

turned. Make another move and the next arrow goes through your fucking heart. And you know I never

miss".