Chapter 99

Well, my challenge is well underway. already I have had one person message me with the correct date. that means there are only eight spots left in total. I am excited to see what some of you decide to name some characters! hope you all enjoy the story!

None of them spared a glance towards the nearby hordes, focusing purely on the goal in front of them. However, as they ran, the distance was proving to be farther than it initially seemed. And while Maia, Shadow, and Kali had all gotten far better at moving on two legs, they were stumbling trying to keep up a fast pace. Silently, Natalie directed each of them back into the Soulscape, as they were at risk of not just alerting the monsters to where they were, but also of hurting themselves. Now, because all they needed was a solid burst of speed, Sol was called out. While they were making alright time getting across, every second spent out in the open was a chance of them being seen by a single goblin. As quick as she could, Natalie mounted up on Sol. Turning around, she reached her hand outwards to Shannon. Indecision plagued her face, and she held off for a few seconds before she grasped the hand of her partner. Natalie quickly pulled her up and sat Shannon behind her. Without letting go of her hand, Natalie wrapped that hand around her midsection as fast as she could. That may have been the only thing that held Shannon on top of the warg, as Sol started sprinting towards cover as soon as Shannon was mounted up on his back.

Within a minute, they were behind the hotel. As soon as they stopped, Shannon disengaged herself and collapsed against the wall. She had started to hyperventilate part of the way over, but their overall safety took priority right now. As Shannon regained her state of mind, and Sol caught his breath, Natalie took a look out at the horde from the corner of the building. From the look of things, the orcs were redirecting the monsters, shifting their path towards where she had changed out her canine companions. However, some of the stubborn hobs and gobs kept moving in their original direction. Did this mean that the larger the monster, the more sensitive it was to her energy? It was looking to be a viable theory, but not one she actively wanted to test. Maybe if they met some loner goblins out on the road, but inside a town was too dangerous of an idea. She even decided to put circulating the energy inside of her on hold, in case that was also able to be sensed. Thankfully, they were not seen directly, as the orcs had been in the middle of the group. As long as they moved on, it was unlikely that they would be found by the monsters they had just avoided. And given how many were there, she expected that there may only be a few stragglers left in town.

Turning back now that she was more confident of their safety, Natalie walked over and sat down against an abandoned car a few meters away from Shannon. It had been a few weeks since Nat had saved her from Lethbridge, and she was making great strides in her recovery. However, this was not contact when Shannon was ready, but more out of a necessity. She could only hope it did not adversely affect her partner's recovery, as that could have just as easily pulled open the wound and aggravated the situation. When she saw that Shannon had finally regulated her breathing and seemed to be in a better state of mind, Natalie decided to confront the issue instead of deftly avoiding it. Standing up, she walked over to Shannon, stopped a meter in front of her, and bowed her head. "I am sorry for forcing you into that situation. I do still want to take it at your pace, as your health and happiness mean a lot to me. I knew it was a bad idea when I basically forced you into that close contact with me, but I also do not regret what I did. Do you forgive me?"

Natalie stayed standing with her head bowed, not daring to raise it until she heard her answer. Shannon waited a minute, thinking things through, before finally replying, "I am not mad. It was the best option we could take, and we are able to live. I would have been madder if you had left it as is and got us into even more trouble. However, I will need a bit to process all of my feeling, so my forgiveness will have to wait until then."

Tears of joy had started falling from Natalie's face. "Thank god", she cried out over and over again. She did not know what she would have done if that had driven a wedge in between the two of them. Wiping her face clear, she stood up straight and did her best to hold back any more tears. They were out of the frying pan, but still beside the fire. They had to move so that the monsters that were now swarming into the field behind them did not pick up any smells or tracks before they could consider themselves safe. All three of them got up and started heading west, as Shannon pulled out her map. However, what she saw was not promising. There was only one bridge that crossed the Highwood River, and it was right in the middle of town. With the number of monsters that they passed; they felt the need to move fast. Should they pull back into the town, it would be bad times™ for their pack.

Not wanting to get trapped in the maze of the suburbs, the three went forward along the south side of Highway 2A. None of the other canines came out, now that they knew them moving in and out were able to be detected. Every place of business they passed showed signs of looting however, especially the grocery store by the traffic circle that they needed to turn into town at. They did not bother going and investigating, as they did not want the extra weight nor chance the monsters detecting them storing stuff into the Soulscape. Thus, they forged onwards, and deeper into the town of High River.

Huge thanks to my Elder Wolves Selvaria, Viktor, Saganatsu, Eeleater, Eric, Lachlan, Adam, John, Nicholas, Jacob, Onean, Erudual, Hades, Krimson, Neal, Juuso, Sebastian, Sir Hellington, and Kevin for supporting me and my writing! Remember that I keep Patreon ten chapters ahead at all times. Our next goal on Patreon will be getting up to 50 patrons, which I will then spend more time each month writing some side stories and shorts that show other perspectives throughout my stories!

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