Chapter Six: Amara

Amara sighed as she plucked another flower.

When she agreed to help Sarai pick up herbs for the wounded and sick, she didn't realize how boring it would be. Sure, Amara didn't exactly have a plan outside of exploring the Oldwood, but now she had to specifically look out for the breeds of flora Sarai had described to her.

Traversing the Oldwood to find various herbs was beginning to become cumbersome. Amara's hide satchel was already more than half full now, and the flowers she added only weighed the bag down even more. Even in her cougar form, gallivanting between the trees and over the odd boulder began to annoy her. She took more and more breaks, and the breaks became longer.

Amara wanted to contribute to the clan, but she wanted to contribute in a way that would stand out. The sooner her people recognized her efforts, the sooner she'd earn the kind of respect her father commanded. But she wouldn't stand our collecting flowers.

Amara stopped for a drink by a small pond, not bothering to change into her human form. She dropped her bag on the bank and gingerly leaned down, licking the water and soothing her thirst.

Something felt off, though, so Amara stopped her drinking and just listened. Nothing moved, the only sound coming from the water that dripped from her chin to the pond, making soft ripples on the water's surface. It was odd. Normally birds would inhabit the treetops and sing to each other when she took walks in the Oldwood, and other animals would graze not too far from her at all times.

She stayed unmoving for another minute, making sure no sound got past her ears. Once she was sure, she straightened up, smelling the air. Her sense of smell wasn't as good as her hearing or sight, but even so, if an animal were within a certain distance, she'd know it, and yet...nothing. Except... there was the hint of a scent, a smell which wasn’t like anything she'd know off the top of her head.

Amara grew restless, her heart picking up the pace. Curiosity got the better of her, and she began to slowly move in the direction of the smell. Listening close as she stalked the Oldwood, a myriad of strange sounds hit her, causing her to recoil in intrigue. Low growls and heavy footfalls, careful like a cat but too heavy to be like any other cat shifter Amara knew.

What the hell was going on? The closer she got, the more convinced Amara became that whatever creature was giving her this strange feeling, it was nothing local. It reeked of familiar yet distant lands.

To get a better sight advantage, Amara scaled a tree, making her way onto a branch and gradually leaping to the next. She continued to stealthily climb from branch to branch, from tree to tree, until she got close enough to peer out at the creature infecting her forest. Amara grew tense, the anticipation nearly killing her. Her heart pounded, wondering what would pass beneath her. She watched carefully as the creature came into view, her eyes wide and her body stiff and still. Her tail wrapped around the branch she crouched upon.

Eventually, the creature stomped on under her, and Amara caught her breath. A wolf, a giant one, with gray fur and dazzling dark green eyes. Amara's tail unwrapped itself and flicked slowly from side to side as she watched with awe as the massive beast strolled by. It walked slowly, carefully, deliberate with every step. Beyond that, it sniffed the ground, stopping just under Amara to get its bearing.

Suddenly, the realization hit her. Amara, for the first time ever, was seeing a live member of the Pack. It took a few more moments for her catlike curiosity to fade into sudden vexation and rage.

A wolf shifter? A member of the Pack? Here, in the Pride's territory? Amara couldn't get over the idea that a wolf was cocky enough to wander past the border that separated the two territories. The Pride would not tolerate this act of brazen arrogance.

Amara licked her lips, readying herself.

There was an opportunity before her. It was as if mother nature had answered Amara's prayers. A leader earned respect by protecting her people, that's what her father had taught her. Surely this wolf meant harm upon her people.

But what if there more nearby? Wolves stayed in packs, didn't they? Amara glanced in every direction listening carefully, but she couldn't make out any others besides the lone wolf before her.

This was her chance!

But should she go for help? Alert others so they could team up against this beast?

Amara took her stance, awaiting the perfect moment to strike. She'd never truly fought for her life before, but now was as good a time as any to learn.

The wolf began to move again, loping away. Amara, panicking slightly, misplaced her step and tripped over herself, tumbling, hissing from the tree branch. She fell on her side, shrieking at the wave of pain that swelled her body. Struggling to stand, Amara met the gaze of the gray wolf, who stood only a dozen feet away, watching her closely. Caught off guard, Amara scrambled back to her feet and hissed at the wolf, using the power of her hind legs to pounce on the wolf before it realized Amara's intent. The wolf howled in shock and pain as Amara landed on its back and began to slash and chew at its back. The wolf, using its pure strength, threw itself against a tree, sending Amara to the ground.

Amara jumped to her feet and screamed, her adrenaline pumping, but the wolf stared her down, rearing up and howling so loud that the force from its howl pushed Amara back a few feet. Surprised, Amara didn't react in time to move out of the way of the wolf barreling towards her. The beast tackled her, yapping and barking, clamping its jaws down on Amara's front leg. Amara let a yelp of pain escape her lungs, but soon enough began to batter the wolf's head. The wolf whimpered but didn't let go, thrashing Amara around, smacking her against endless trees and throwing her once more to the ground. The wolf howled again, the sound rattling her bones. Fear raced to her mind, scaring Amara so severely she jerked backward. Blood trickled from her wound.

To her surprise the wolf stayed its ground, panting and growling at Amara. Amara stood slowly, limping slightly, but she never took her eyes off the wolf. Amara trembled slightly. She didn't expect this wolf to be so strong.

She hissed at the wolf, who growled low, and turned its back to her, attempting to leave.

Another wave of rage injected itself into Amara's bloodstream. He was turning his back to her? Amara lost all sense of her condition, rising to her feet and darting to the wolf without paying mind to her wounded leg. The wolf, not expecting Amara to continue the fight, didn't turn quick enough and found Amara once again crawling on his back. This time she slashed harder and faster, making sure to keep herself rooted firmly on the wolf's back. The wolf thrashed around again, but when it aimed to smash Amara against a tree once more, Amara jumped off at the last second.

The wolf slammed into the tree so hard that the barked cracked and broke, the tall tree collapsing forward. Both Amara and the wolf dodged to either side, just barely missing being squashed by the Oldwood.

Both Amara and the wolf glared at each other from either side of the tree. Amara growled at the wolf, making her stance known. The wolf, panting, yapped at her.

Amara paced, trying to decide where to strike next, but before she could make a decision, the wolf hopped over the downed tree and rushed her. Amara scrambled, but ultimately failed to roll out of the way. The wolf caught her neck in its jaws and slammed her down to the ground. Amara fought desperately to get the wolf to release her, and he did, letting go with his mouth but pushing down on her chest with its paws, keeping her from moving. The wolf's weight was crushing, and Amara struggled to breathe. The fear of death overrode her mind, and Amara thrashed around more so than she ever had in her entire life. She howled, she screamed, she tried to bash the wolf's face in.

But the wolf was having none of it. He reared back and let out a howl at point blank range, scaring Amara so badly that she lost her will to fight. All she could focus on was the wolf on top of her.

Fear...is this what her father felt when he fought against the Pack all those years ago? Were there wolves as strong as this one so long ago? Amara was so concentrated on the wolf that she accidentally slipped back into her human form, shrinking under the wolf and forgetting to cover her naked body.

Silence filled the air. Amara waited with bated breath for the wolf to take her life, to win this duel she so foolishly thought she could win. But the wolf didn't make a move. Instead, it stared at her, silently. The silence persisted to the point where the wolf even drooled slightly, the big globs falling to Amara's chest.

In a move Amara could never have predicted, the wolf backed off, letting her wriggle to her knees. She half expected it to lunge back towards her, so she took a defensive stance, but when Amara realized the wolf wasn't planning to attack again, she stared in wonder at the great beast before her. As she watched the beast, it began to shift back to its human form.

Amara caught her breath for the thousandth time upon seeing the wolf shifter in all his glory.

Naked, like her, the wolf shifter stood tall, his rippling abs and biceps flexing as he stood straight. Short, wispy gray hair covered his handsome head, and a chiseled face and the same dark green eyes greeted her with the same curiosity she wore. A number of scratches and bite marks she placed along his body began to heal; slowly but surely they all closed. The shifter looked down at his body, raising both his arms to make sure he saw the power of his natural healing. He looked back up again at Amara and smiled.

Amara, growing self-conscious, covered her chest and bottom as she crouched, staring back. She didn't think she'd find her voice working, but it did, and she broke the silence first. "Who the hell are you?"

The wolf-shifter gazed at her, shaking his head. "Not an enemy, if that's what you're asking."

"Liar!"

The wolf shifter stepped forward, his body contorting in a single beautiful motion that caused Amara's face to flush the color of blood. "My name is Darius. I'm not here to harm you, or anyone else. Please, believe me."

Amara recoiled as he took another step, so the shifter sighed and plopped down cross-legged on the ground, placing his hand on his legs. "What's your name?"

Amara knew she shouldn't trust the shifter before her. Ever since her first days, her parents and every other cat shifter had installed in her head the depravity of the Pack. They were savages, mean and living in squalor. But the perfect visage before her eyes told her that, at the very least, this one wasn't like the stories she's heard throughout the years. "Amara…"

"Amara. That's a pretty name." Darius observed her closely.

"Your's isn't too bad either…"

Darius remained silent. Amara tried not to get lost in his eyes. She shook her head. "What do you want, wolf?"

Darius raised a brow. "It should be obvious."

"Oh yeah? Spit it out then, because I don't know."

"It's simple. I just want to talk."