Abstruse

After making sure they had a few wolves on border patrol, Kai strolled out from their settlement, getting rid of his clothes on the go. He crouched down, going on all fours as a growl left his mouth, his body shook when the shift started, cracking could be heard as his bones broke to reform into that of a wolf, and white fur began sprouting from his skin, covering every inch of it. Within a few moments, a massive white wolf stood in place of the man. It shrugged its coat and launched into a run. Its sharp nose picked up the scent of the rogue wolf. It was faint but it was still in the air. Seems like it was injured somewhere because Kai smelled blood as well. He huffed as he ran, Lara might be tiny but she was vicious when it came down to fighting. The rogue might have caught her off guard, giving him an upper hand over her but she was quick-witted and had managed to injure him as well.

He scouted throughout the woods, following the faint scent of blood lingering in the air. When the scent became stronger, Kai doubled back a mile to shift to his human form. His own scent would be stronger in the wolf form, he didn't want to alert the rogue. It was a moonless night, pitch-black darkness engulfed every inch of the forest. He treaded through the close-knit trees with unfaltering steps, he knew these woods like the back of his hand. Kai didn't hear anything apart from the crickets and the occasional howling of the wolfs. The sound of breaking twigs alerted him to the presence of the beast not so far away. Kai took a few steps back, his bare feet making no sound as he managed to hide behind a massive tree trunk, sharp ears trained in the direction of the sound. The adrenaline of an upcoming fight flowed through his nerves but he had to be patient about this. Rushing for the kill with blind rage never resulted in anything fruitful. Let the beast think he's safe, let it drop its guard, then he would attack. So he waited.

They were miles away from the pack border and the wolf had slackened. His relaxed posture meant he wasn't yet aware of another presence.

'Perfect' Kai thought. When the scent of the rogue had become strong, Kai covered himself in mud to tone down his scent. Once he was close enough, Kai closed his eyes and gritted his teeth together to avoid making any sound as he pushed the long, sharp talons from his knuckles. Changing halfway through was painful for any werewolf but he couldn't risk doing a complete transformation right now, it would alert the beast and Kai was in no mood to chase after him. Leaning his head back against the trunk, he tuned out the other noises and focused on the light footfalls of the wolf. It had to be close now. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the gray fur a few feet away.

He lunged, talons out and ready to strike. Alarmed by the sound, the wolf turned to look but Kai managed to slash at his side. Blood sprayed on his face as a long gash appeared on the wolf's flank. It let out a snarl and limped back to face its attacker. Kai pounced on the beast, shifting midair to reveal a massive white wolf in his stead. He stood at least a head tall than the other, his pristine white fur glowing as if it had a light of its own. The rogue darted into the woods to save its hide, he had recognized Kai.

'I'm gonna make you regret ever coming in our territory' Kai thought, going low on his haunches as he launched himself after the fugitive like a bullet shot from its confines.

Twigs broke beneath his massive paws, soil sprayed and a few small animals screeched as they got out of his path. Once he was close enough, Kai leaped, locking his fangs around the wolf's hind leg. It howled in pain, jaws snapping near Kai's neck in an attempt to break free. But Kai, as ruthless as ever, pressed down harder and broke his bones, making the wolf collapse. He pulled back, pristine white fur now spotted in crimson. He threw his head back and howled, alerting his pack that he had managed to catch the culprit. A loud scream echoed through the forest when the man shifted, his leg was ruined and he was losing blood at an alarming rate. Kai shifted as well, hovering over the man as he tried to crawl away from him.

"Why did you hurt her?" He snarled right in the man's face.

The stranger flinched but he didn't speak a word, instead, he clutched at the tree for support, balancing his weight on one leg to push himself up. Kai let out a vicious snarl but the man didn't phase. Taking a few deep breaths, he pushed out his talons. In a different situation, Kai would have admired him for his sheer will to keep fighting. But this was the wolf that had hurt his best friend, his possible future mate, and that filled his mind with blind rage.

The rogue charged at him, Kai moved out of the way only to go around him to grab his neck, screeching when the man dug his sharp talons in his forearms, drawing blood yet he didn't let go. It was pointless to fight, the man should know it but he was a stubborn one or maybe he thought he'll be taken back to their pack to be tormented and was asking for a quick death instead. Kai understood that rogues were never treated kindly, and he was not a fan of torture.

"Rest in hell" He whispered before he twisted his arms to break the rogue's neck, killing him in an instant. He let go of the limp body and the man hit the ground with a thud. Kai squatted down near him, closing his wide eyes. He picked a handful of soil and placed it on the rogue's chest, right where his heart would be.

"We rise from dust and to dust, we return" he whispered, the words they chanted when anyone died.

The just-risen sun shone brightly on the horizon, birds began chirping, nature's alarm clock to wake up the woods. He returned to the settlement, making a beeline to the healer's cabin to check up on Lara, and was surprised to see her sitting outside with a few of her friends. She marched toward him, making him hyper-aware of the blood on his fur.

"You killed him, didn't you?" she asked and he lowered his head, eyes looking everywhere but her

A hard punch landed on his face making him take a step back, he growled in her face but she didn't flinch. Lara was a gentle one, she didn't approve of the violent ways of the wolves. But you can't change someone's nature, can you? It's an inborn quality, and wolves were well known to be hot-tempered. Besides, how was he supposed to keep calm when the rogue had injured the one he loved so dearly. He nuzzled into her neck instead, breathing in her scent. She smelled clean without any traces of the metallic tang of blood. However she took a few steps back, her eyes downcast as if she didn't like his proximity.

Lara had been behaving weirdly for a few weeks now, she even avoided being with him and it was killing him. Every day Kai went over each of their interactions, trying to figure out what he did to make her become so stand-offish. He had planned to confront her about it but the rogue ruined it all. Shaking his head, he walked off to his cabin, he'll find some time later to talk to her. Right now he needed to crash, his head was throbbing a lot.