The morning air was fresh and dew was speckled on the grass. I crouched down, sniffing the ground. Flu Cah! The easiest prey you can get. I found the herd a distance off. There was an old one with a twisted ankle near me. I charged from the bushes and latched my jaws onto its rump. It squealed like a Balaen Hog as I brought it to the ground. It looked into my eyes. I looked into its, and there was understanding. "Thank you, old and wise," I murmured before hastily killing it. The meat was warm and tender, like a newborn Wildeyassan Calf. I licked my chops as I finished.
The morning went on without much action. There wasn't a slightest scent of a nearby Wolf and the Sun boiled the Earth to an unseasonably hot temperature. I panted as I walked along the forest. I wouldn't reach the Shenandoah again until three Moon Skies from now. I sat down and took a sip from a mucky pond. I was nearing the Xythe thicket, which was close to the Xythe Heusva. There they would have at least a stream of clear, clean water and not the filth I had drunk ever since the day before yesterday. My fur was matted from the rough travel. I looked around, my sides heaving as I fought to keep cool. Something came from the brush. It was another Wolf. How had I not smelt it, or at least sensed it? It was chocolate-brown and slim. Its ribs shone through its fur. She looked up at me.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my hackles bristling.
"You do not know? Oh, of course. You haven't reached your Second Birthday. All you hear of is Bone, Lupus, and Bane." The she-wolf shook her head in disgust. "You could call me the Hunter. The Immortal. The Balancer. Anything, but most do call me the Hunter. No Wolf, such as the cursed Bane or Lupus," she spat, "can put a 'spell' on me. A deal. Like you have." She said, her eyes glowing a dim gold. "I live forever and come to the Mortals whenever I wish… which is quite a bit…." She looked at me, almost laughing. Then her face grew serious. "They call me the Hunter because I hunt down the ones with these Deals and tell them how to—go through it. Lupus couldn't tell you the male's name, right? Well I can." I stared, mouth almost dropping. How did she know my Deal with Lupus?! The Hunter continued, "Unless you wish not to know." I stayed quiet. Lupus, what do I do? I paused.
"How come I've never heard about you? If you're supposed to help Wolves, we would've learned about you." I narrowed my eyes. The Hunter looked taken aback. She narrowed her eyes, snarled, and ran into the bushes. I stood, my heart pounding in my chest. Then I turned and continued my patrol at a rapid pace, trying to get as far away as I could from that spot. Was I right? Was the Hunter a phony? A servant to Bane? The thought echoed in my head as I galloped on. When I had come to a stop, my paws were raw. I had skipped passed the Xythe Heusva and was near the southern part of the Shenandoah. Tomorrow I would head straight northeast for half a mile and reach the Rihon Heusva.