4

I crashed into the pool beneath the waterfall, my mouth in a puff as I held my breath in. I wanted to swim upward but my twisted ankle writhed in pain. I couldn't push myself out. Also running out of breath by the very second. I needed to get air, at my last draw as I sank deeper into the pool the natural urge to take in air barged in, water flooding into my lungs. I drifted deeper into my eternal darkness. Watching the light above shine as it got dimmer and dimmer.

"She can't be identified." What's this? I can hear something.

"It doesn't mean we should leave her to die" who are they? Am I dead?

"Wait, what are you doing, sir"

"Get out of my way" I felt an external air being pushed into my lungs forcefully.

Cough, cough, cough.

The water spilt out, and I drank in the fresh air, before slumping back into my sleep.

Some minutes later,

"Wake up" a faint voice shouted at me. I didn't know where it came from.

"Don't make me splash water on your face." I heard it again. I didn't recognise it.

With the thought of water, I saw a flash of my memory of myself, drowning in the lake.

I jolted from my sleep, into a sit-up position.

"About time you woke up. Woulda dumped all this water on ya" to my side was a woman. Dressed in clinic clothes and had a scruffy look on her face.

I didn't pay attention to what she said, rather It was the fact I was in an unfamiliar environment putting my mind in a wary phase.

"Where am I," I asked, in a rushed breath. I had yet to calm my raging nerves.

She clicked her tongue at my tone, "how rude" she muttered keeping the wooden bucket aside. I watched her closely. Why would she want to pour a bucket of water on a patient?

"Ya're in the raven pack." She answered

Raven pack, I've heard of them before. Weren't they the pack next to the small village I used to stay in? Finally noticing the people around me in the ward. I noticed some injured people from the village. I sank back into my bed exhausted and relieved. I was safe.

"Get up you lazy bum, you're ok and fine let the other injured fella take their turn," she said with a harsh time shoving me aside from the bed.

She put another unconscious person on the bed. Come to think of it, the state of the ward was dishevelled. Some others sat on the ground. It was dusty and the woods had given out. The house looked like it could come under any second.

"Do you know who saved me?" I asked her, although she seemed uninterested in my question. She ignored me. I wanted to thank them at least. I could remember their faint voices and that was all.

"You're better off not knowing, go join the other lads. You rogues are everywhere, messing up the place. We could have left you at the border to save us all the trouble." She rambled on as she cleaned the unconscious person with little to no care in the world.

Apart from my damp cloth and healing gnashes I was in perfect shape. All thanks to the werewolf genes. I followed the place she had pointed to, outside the house. There were a lot of us who managed to escape from the village. I can see her annoyance, it was normal for packs to be weary of trespassers. Without a pack, we were all rogues. It was hard for any rogue to be accepted into any random pack. Them letting us in came with a catch and I know it.

We crowded an open space as if waiting on someone to address us.

And Someone eventually did come to address us, standing on a high pedestal he looked down upon us. Dressed in a flashy robe, with a smug look on his face.

"Good day everyone, " he caught everyone's attention with his audacious voice. Something about his smug look made me seethe in fury.

"It was rather unfortunate that you were attacked by the infamous black wolves. And thought to seek refuge in our pack" he said with a sardonic smile. He meant to say, he didn't care if we were attacked. And we were all nuisances in his pack. I gritted my teeth, glaring at him from where I stood.

"However this is a large group, and to cater for all…. won't be easy. But that has already been decided." I felt like I wouldn't like what he was going to say next. "You will have to work for us as lower-class wolves" they raised their voice in inconsistent murmurs. Most of them weren't okay with this, especially higher-class wolves who had pride not to bow down to anyone below them. I sighed, it was expected. Other than the raven pack being a fairly good pack, the next in line for alpha was a jerk. I just confirmed that first-hand. I am not bothered by this statement if it meant I would get to live another day. I narrowed my gaze to the others gathered with me here. They didn't look pleased.

After a while, the mutters settled and the eldest in the pack stepped forward.

"It's a pleasure to be blessed by your presence" I internally scoffed at the flattering words directed at him. His ego would only grow more.

"We humbly beg that your request be taken into proper consideration," he said, with a smug look and disdain, he jests at us.

"It's your choice to stay and we'll take care of you or leave to another pack" it isn't a choice, more like you are welcome to leave. A brief murmur but no one retaliated.

He clasped his palm with a wide grin, "it's settled then '' he looked at the enforcer next to him. "You will be given a house according to your rank, we like to distinguish our people. And also your task for the pack will be decided by rank." He waited a bit, but still, no one rejected him. They didn't have a choice in the matter.