"You said that we all carry some of Sophia's scent with us right…because we're around her so much?" Luke asked, directing his question to Maggie.
"Well, yes you do, why?" Maggie responded, confusion clearly written on her face. Matt, Sherman, Vivian, and Sophia were confused as well, and all were looking at Luke as though he had lost his mind. Luke paused for a moment, waiting for realization to dawn on them. When it didn't come, Luke continued, knowing that if he waited much longer, there wouldn't be time to save any of them, let alone Sophia.
"You said that its hard for these hunters to follow Sophia around here because we carry her scent." Luke glanced at all the adults and continued, "So if we have a group of people that carry a large portion of her scent…then maybe we can confuse them into following us instead."
"Luke, why try to make them follow the group? The point is to make it so they can't get to Sophia!" Maggie said full or exasperation. She was honestly dumbfounded by the fact that this stupid pup who claimed to care for the savior of two species would be so ignorant as to lead the evil ones right to her.
"He doesn't want them to follow Sophia. He wants them to THINK they're following Sophia." Sherman said this after a light bulb practically went off above his head. After his comment, all the others in the room began to understand what Luke was suggesting.
"Of course! We've no time to waste. Quickly, Sophia you come over here with me." Vivian exclaimed pulling Sophia away from everyone. "So obviously, the group with Sophia needs to be the ones who have the least amount of contact with her on a regular basis."
"Right, that way they won't carry as much of her scent and will help to delude it. That will make it much more difficult on the hunters to find her." Matt said exclaiming. "That means that Sherman, Luke, and I should be in the group that goes on without her." As Matt said this, his heart was breaking. It was unbelievably difficult for him to even imagine leaving his daughter alone when something this awful was approaching.
"Maggie goes with us." Luke declared, still not willing to trust this stranger with the well being of someone he cared about so much. "My mom is hardly ever around Sophia, so she can dilute her scent and get her to somewhere safely. Besides, two can travel faster than 3."
"And three can travel faster than four, Luke." Maggie declared, somewhat angered that Luke still didn't trust her to protect Sophia. She meant as much to her people as she did to Luke's. "Besides, I married and lived with a hunter for many years. I know how they think and how they work. I can anticipate their moves and get Sophia and Vivian to a safe place."
As much as Luke hated to allow this, apparently it wasn't his decision to meet. The adults all seemed to agree to this idea, and were discussing where the best place to meet up again would be. Luke, Sherman, Matt, and Vivian had decided that the underground shelter on the outskirts of Wolf Lake would be the best idea. Very few knew of its location and despite being a secret, the shelter was quite spacious and a formidable fortress. They also agreed, at the demanding of Luke, to not tell Maggie where they were going unless something happened and Sophia had only her to rely on.
Everyone was preparing to leave, when they realized the drumming was getting even closer. After Sophia had said her goodbyes to her father and Sherman and Luke had said his goodbyes to his mother, he pulled Sophia aside. All of the adults noted this but said nothing because they were all more than well aware of the fact that those pups cared very much for each other, even more than they were willing to admit. Where all the Wolf Lake adults turned their heads to allow the young ones a few moments to say goodbye, Maggie kept her eagle sharp eyes trained on the pair to see what would happen.
"Sophia, be careful. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do." Luke said, and he continued, but this time he spoke on the private mental path they had established a few weeks ago, "Sophia, don't trust Maggie. Something about her just doesn't sit right." As Luke finished saying this, he slipped something into her hand. Sophia risked a glance down and saw he had given her a knife that could be deadly but still easily concealed. Luke took Sophia's hands in his and they locked eyes as Sophia started to speak, "Luke, if something happens…if something goes wrong…" Sophia never got to finish what she was saying because Luke quickly cut her off with a look.
As she stopped speaking, Luke said, " Sophia, nothing is going to happen. There is nothing in this world or the next that could keep me from finding you. I know things have been weird between us, but we're going to get through this….together." Sophia gave him a little smile and then she bit her lip. As they gazed into each other's eyes, Luke and Sophia both started to lean in at the same time. This time they kissed, though it was as innocent as the first, was full of passion and emotion and something else…..fear…..fear that something would happen to the other and they would never see each other again.
As they broke apart Luke lightly nipped at her neck causing Sophia to gasp in surprised pleasure. When they looked at each other, Luke couldn't help but give a slight smirk. "Well that's one hell of a way to transfer your scent to me." Luke said smiling. "And the bite? What was that for?" Sophia asked suppressing a giggle at his childish antics.
Luke paused for a moment, allowing his smirk to transform into a full fledged grin. "That was my way of sending a piece of me with you." Sophia smiled and blushed as she began to speak next, "Luke, I didn't need a bite for that. You've been a part of me since we were little…whether I like it or not." Luke put on a face of mock hurt and was about to respond when the adults interrupted.
"Sorry to break up this farewell party, but the hunters are still on their way." Sherman said as he handed a small pack to Matt and Vivian. While Luke and Sophia had been talking, he had packed some food and other necessities. The trip was supposed to be a short one, but he wanted to be sure both groups had the best chance at surviving this trek because each group carried a vital component to the survival of Wolf Lake and the world as a whole…even though neither group knew exactly who it was or how pivotal their roles would be.
Each of the groups had one more brief farewell and they went their separate directions, Sophia, Maggie, and Vivian to the east and Matt, Sherman, and Luke to the west.
Shortly after they left, the drumming ceased as a group of people came upon Sherman's house, abandoned. One of the men leaned down and looked at the two different trails. He reported to the leader of the group who then closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply for a few moments.
"I have looked at the evidence and have presented to our group's leader. Our instructions carry us to the west. The girl travels to the west, and so do we." The hunters took off at a brisk pace, in search of the girl who could save or destroy the lives of everyone on the planet.
Little did they know that they were traveling in the opposite direction of their prize, and into the exact direction the people who wished to destroy them were hoping they'd go.
Okay…so I finally decided to update…not sure how long b/f the next one…but if you think the girls are safe b/c the "people" are traveling after Luke and the boys…think again…something even worse is looming on the horizon for the citizens of Wolf Lake.