Hi friends! Here's chapter 4! I've been trying to get chapters up fast :) Please review!
I sat up quickly, fumbling for my sword. Wolves. Kicking off my blankets, I moved to the entrance. The moon glowed brightly enough that I could see them. There were eight, no nine, and they were circling the tents. What had I read? Fire keeps them away. Unfortunately, Papa and I had opted against a fire and just ate our food cold. I watched his tent. He must be awake too. One wolf darted forward and poked his head into Papa's tent, snarling. I was halfway out of my tent when he collapsed, fur matted with blood. Papa shoved him out onto the ground. I stepped out, hoping to make a dash for Papa's tent, when I heard a low growl to my left. I turned and froze. The wolf crouched down on its elbows, ready to spring. My strangled scream echoed through the forest. Every creature from here to the other end of the wood must have heard it. I clutched my sword, trembling a little. As the wolf leapt toward me, a shrill whistle rang out. Abruptly, the pack turned and loped back into the forest. I stood frozen for a moment longer before turning to see Papa dragging the dead wolf from our campsite.
"Are you alright, Papa?"
"A few scratches, but other than that, yes. And you?"
"I'm fine." I looked wonderingly into the woods. "Someone called them."
He nodded. "I know. Whoever it was saved our lives….unless they sent them to attack us in the first place."
"Who would train wolves to come at whistle though? I mean, they certainly didn't seem tame."
"Agreed. I hope we don't find out." That's when I noticed.
"Papa. The horses are gone." They really were. Hoofprints followed the pawprints all the way into the woods. "Should we go after them?"
"Let's wait till light. Then we'll keep going."
The woods seemed infinitely less ominous in the light, but they were still creepy. Papa and I clumped through the underbrush, following the horses' trails. We hadn't been sure what to do at first, but since the prints seemed to lead toward the heart of the forest, we followed them. At first, walking was refreshing, but my legs quickly grew heavy.
"So you've really been doing things for Queen Delia all these years?"
"Unfortunately, yes." I frown at my muddy boots. He lied to us.
"Did Mamma know?"
He glanced over at me. "Of course, Par. I didn't keep secrets from your mother. We just didn't want you girls to worry about me, so we let you think I was on business."
"You lied to us," I said flatly.
"I withheld the truth."
"It's the same thing!"
"I'm sorry, Paragon!"
"I've trusted you for my entire life, and you lied to me. What? You couldn't have told us after Mamma died?"
"I didn't think you needed anything else to worry about."
"Maybe I wanted to worry about you! Maybe I wanted to think about something other than how much I missed her. Miss her." I tripped over a particularly evil root.
"And maybe I was wrong, Par. But it's too late to know now, isn't it?" I grunted noncommittally.
"So, are we still going to be in here tonight? Cause, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be eaten by wolves." He had that wrinkle in his forehead that he gets when he's worried.
"We could sleep in the trees. Or at least sit up there until morning."
"That sounds fun."
Any suggestions for next chapter? Review review review! Have an awesome day/night!