Truff in the Arctic part 2
Now, I didn’t want to help in Truff’s death, but I wanted to die even less. I hung my head “I’ll help you.” I heard someone else leave the room, but only dared look up after I couldn’t take the silence anymore. Matt had left, leaving me with Chris, who smiled pleasantly while still revealing his fangs. “To be honest,” he said to me, “you seem like a very likable person, and I don’t want you to die for something stupid like not listening to us. He walked over and knelt down so we were eye-to-eye and said “don’t worry about your Zerenix friend. As of yet, we don’t have any set plan of how to kill him, and we will try to not involve you too much. Just try and relax.” He also left the room, leaving me alone. As soon as I made sure that no one seemed to be coming back for a while, I looked around for a way to escape. There was a window to my right and it looked like it could be opened. I got up, tiptoed over to get my coat and gloves which had been hung on a coat rack near the fireplace, suited up then unlocked and opened the window. It silently slid open and I slipped out, landing in a pile of snow. Getting to my feet, I got a good look at my surroundings.
These Valiors seemed to love seclusion. Apart from their house there was nothing but snow and trees. A snow covered path through the woods showed where a road was. I ran to the woods and broke off an evergreen branch which I used to attempt to erase my tracks. Realizing that it was making more of a mess, I tossed the branch and continued to walk, hoping for snow to cover my tracks. A bush nearby shook and I froze, but only a little white rabbit jumped out. It looked at me, wiggled its nose, and hopped off. Relief swept through me as I sank to my knees.
“Looks like we found you.” I quickly glanced up and saw a Valior with dirty-blonde hair and green eyes. I heard Chris behind me, “good job, Adam. Adam smirked and ran past me back to the house. Chris approached me and held out a hand that I refused. He grinned, “you have to get back to the house before you freeze to death.” He reached out and firmly grabbed my wrist. All it took was a slight pull and I was up on my feet almost bumping into him. “I don’t want to have to hurt you to get you to listen!” He began to pull a little harder and my wrist was beginning to hurt when a blood-curdling howl cut through the air. Suddenly a big brown wolf, the biggest wolf I ever saw, jumped out from some trees and knocked Chris (who thankfully let go of my arm a moment ago) down. I lost my balance and fell down, not daring to move should the wolf turn his attention to me. Another moment later I heard a growl next to my ear. I slowly turned my head and realized that a black wolf, the same size as the one who attacked Chris, was standing next to me. She was about a head taller than me when I was sitting and had a mouth full of sharp teeth. He turned his attention to Chris and slowly walked over to him.
Chris had backed against the nearest tree as the two wolves closed their distance between themselves and him. I heard a voice behind me “don’t worry, you’re safe now.” I turned and saw another giant wolf, this one orange with a black mane of hair down his back. Did this wolf just speak to me? I wondered, when something else caught my eye: another wolf! This one was grey with white tips on its ears and black patches on two of its feet. Another thing; this wolf had two big white wings sprouting from its back! The orange one looked over at the grey one and nodded, then turned to me and spoke. “I will explain everything later, but now you must escape. This place is not safe for a human like yourself. I promise no harm will come to you if you come with us.” I glanced back over at Chris, who was still pinned against the tree, the two wolves growling just inches away. I decided to go with the wolves. I nodded to the orange one, who nodded again to the grey one, who walked over to me and spoke. “Nice to meet you! The name’s Dusk. Hop on my back and I’ll take you back to our den.” I obeyed and before I knew it we were flying through the forest. Dusk kept his wings up which created a small barrier between me and the icy wind. I heard other movement besides Dusk and guessed that the other wolves were running with us.
After a time we finally slowed down and eventually came to a stop. I heard a female voice “it’s safe. Let her down.” Dusk lowered his wings and I noticed that we had arrived at what must’ve been the den. It looked like a small cave cut into a hillside. We were still in the woods, but I knew we were far away from the Valiors. Outside of the cave stood the three wolves from earlier, as well as another. Her fur was as white as the snow around her, and it was only due to the fact that she was standing in the entrance of the cave that I was able to fully see her. She had blue tips on her ears, belly and tail. “Welcome,” she said, “come inside and make yourself comfortable.” I got off of Dusk and walked into the cave. It was dark in there, but my eyes adjusted to it fairly quickly. I sat down and wrapped my arms around my body. In here it wasn’t as cold as the outside, but it was still cold. Duck came over and laid down around me; his fur warming me a little. The brown wolf who had first attacked Chris came in and sat down opposite me. He also had black tips on his ears and tail. The other three sat around me and him, forming a small circle. I was quick to notice that they blocked the entrance.
The brown wolf spoke. “Hello, young one. May I ask your name?” “Megan.” He nodded, “My name if Tuft, and this is my pack. The black wolf is Moonlight, the white one is artic, the orange one is Mutt and I believe you’ve already met Dusk.” I nodded and he continued, “we know that you are friends with the Zerenix Truffer. But do not be alarmed, we do not wish to harm him nor you. In fact, we wish to find him and thank him. He killed a Valior that has been hunting our kind for years, and now we can live a little happier and safer. I suppose that you have many questions that you wish to ask, so let me explain what I think you want to know. Me and my pack are also Zerenix. Zerenix are a special type of species. Some of us are born as humans, some of us as wolves. However, a Zerenix born as a human has wolf ears, while a Zerenix born a wolf has the gift of human speech, and sometimes something extra (I felt Dusk’s wings slightly move as he said this). Luckily, we aren’t targeted by Valiors as much as a human Zerenix, but we are hunted by both Valiors and regular hunters. Well, now that I’ve introduced the pack, we might as well cut to the chase. As I’ve said earlier, we want to find Truffer and thank him and also help him get back to his original home. The Arctic is crawling with Valiors since so many Zerenix also reside here. Your friend is in more danger than you know. Do you have any idea where he might be?” I thought long and hard; the last time I had seen Truff seemed like forever ago. “He’s probably at the hotel we were heading for before we got separated.” Tuft nodded than spoke behind me “Dusk, carry Megan to the hotel. I’ll stay here and guard the fort. The rest of you go with them and give them as much protection as you can. It will be dangerous out in the open, but I believe you can do it. Now go!” I climbed onto Dusk’s back once again and at a sprint he set off, Arctic, Moonlight and Mutt following.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the hotel. I got off Dusk and started to head towards the entrance when I realized that none of the wolves were following me. I tuned to look at them and Moonlight spoke up. Now I could see her better and I realized that she had darker patches of fur on her muzzle, stomach, and tail. “We can’t go in there. It’s full of Valiors who know that we’re Zerenix. And they probably know about you, too. News travels fast in these parts. I also strongly doubt that Truffer got a room here, but it’s the only hotel in the area. So go and try to find him. We’ll be waiting outside for you both. And if you get in a pinch and need help, just howl as loud as you can. We’ll hear it and come to your rescue.” I nodded, then headed up the steps to the front door. I opened the door…
And entered a very nice lobby. It had a few people who I knew, at a glance, were Valiors. They turned and stared at me as I approached the front desk. Another Valior was sitting behind the counter, filing her nails. She looked up as I approached and narrowed her eyes at me. “Excuse me,” I said, trying to act as though I wasn’t a target for Valiors, “but did someone ask for a room last night?” Still staring at me suspiciously, she opened her log book and finally looked away from me. One of her fingers scrolled down a page, then she closed the book and set her piercing eyes on me again. “Yes, someone did ask for a room last night. Do you know him?” I quickly nodded, “we came here together, but got separated. He told me to meet him here.” She scowled at me than finally said, “fourth floor, room 28a. He should be in there.” I thanked her, went over to one of the elevators and soon was on the fourth floor. I found the room and knocked. For a few moments there was silence, then a very muffled “come in!” I entered…
And was tackled, had my arms and legs tied together, and was thrown onto a bed. I finally got a good look and panicked. It was Chris, Matt, Jewel, Charlotte and Adam. The Valiors from before! It was a trap-Truff had never been in this room. Matt spoke first, “Chris tells me that that pack of Zerenix wolves rescued you. Where are they now?” I remained silent. Matt smirked, “I bet that they’re right outside, just waiting for you. But they won’t ever see you again, I can assure you of that! Chris, you keep an eye on our hostage! The rest of you, come with me. It’s time we settled this score once and for all.” The others left, once again leaving me with Chris. He sighed. “Why don’t you ever fight?” I asked him. He looked at me for a moment before responding, “I don’t have the skills. I’m great for getting the truth out of somebody, but when it comes to fighting I’m almost powerless.” Just then the window in the back of the room flew open and there stood Truff, gun in hand, pointing it right at Chris’s head. “You let her go NOW,” he yelled, “or else I’ll be the last thing you’ll ever see!” Chris immediately obeyed and before I knew it I was free. Truff swept me into his arms and dropped down onto the balcony of the third floor, then the balcony of the second floor, then the ground floor. We both peered around the side of the building and saw Matt and the others looking around. Tuft and his pack had clearly sensed danger and escaped. I felt Truff’s hands on my shoulders. “C’mon,” he said, “I’ll show you where I’m staying.”
We walked a bit down the road and came across an old abandoned shack. It looked rugged on the outside but on the inside Truff had a nice fire going and some small blankets that were soft and warm. As we sat around the fire, I told Truff of my encounter with Matt and his family. Truff told me that he had come to the hotel, but sensed Valiors everywhere and continued down the street until he found this place. He parked the car behind the house and spent the night walking around with a flashlight calling my name. “That was dangerous! You could’ve been killed!” Truff smiled at me and replied, “but I wasn’t.” After we exchanged stories, we both laid down and went to sleep.
During the night I felt something clamp over my mouth. I opened my eyes and saw Chris standing over me. With his other hand he made a hushing noise. I frantically looked over at Truff, who was still asleep and hadn’t sensed any disturbance. Chris lifted me into his arms, letting go of my mouth, and before I could make a sound we were out of the house and far into some more woods. Around me I could hear the sounds of barking, howling, snarling and the sounds of fighting. I knew it was Tuft’s pack and I was almost certain that they were fighting with Chris’ family. But why had he kidnapped me? We came into a clearing and he put me down “don’t move.” I knew of his strength, so I obeyed. “You’re safe here.” I looked at him quizzically. He continued, “I’ve come to like you Megan. A lot. Not in love or anything, but I like you as a friend. You have a good heart, and the last thing I want to see is you getting hurt. A nice girl like you shouldn’t have to deal with Valiors and Zerenix’s, but its too late for that now. You’re a key piece to this problem. You’re friends with a Zerenix and enemies to the Valiors. You’ve already taken sides without realizing it. Luckily you’ve found me, or else things might’ve been much uglier. I’m the compromiser in the family. I’m the one who wanted to keep you alive and use as live bait. The others just wanted to kill you when we found you on the road. They also wanted to kill you back at the hotel, and when they realized you had escaped there was no talking them out of their decision that the next time they find you they will kill you. They left again and met the wolves and began to fight. I was left alone, decided to help you out. I don’t know how far I have to travel to bring you back home, but I’ll do it. I can’t say the same for your Zerenix friend, and I can’t help him. It’s against my nature.” I looked off to where the sounds of fighting were and Chris looked as well. “They’re getting closer.” he said.
And they were.
