260 The Alpha And The Winged Serpen

She had made a trip out into a forest of purple leaves to clear her mind. While speeding through it in her Titan wolf form, she had encountered a small pack of werewolves. 

"Alpha Darric of the Moon Ring Pack," Vy called out with a smile on her face. 

The wolves that had been hiding in the forest cover were shocked that the woman before them knew of their leader's name. But without any direct orders, they did not reveal their location. 

From the cover of darkness, a lone wolf walked out. It had dark grey fur and a white underbelly. The wolf had the same piercing yellow eyes as she had seen that day. 

-Have we met before, woman?- a voice appeared loud and clear in Vy's mind. 

Aether did not like the way the wolf was speaking to Vy. He hissed. -Watch your tongue, wolf.- 

The wolf bared its teeth to Aether. To the mighty Alpha, Aether looked like nothing more than a scrawny snake. 

-You should be watching your mouth, worm.- 

Before Vy could even set things right, the wolf's words had already triggered Aether. He slithered off Vy's neck as she took a few steps back. She did not need Aether to fight her battles, but she knew he would be pissed at the remark. 

Aether took to his winged serpent form, casting his shadow over the Alpha werewolf. 

"Who are you calling a worm?" Aether hissed as he unveiled his oppressive aura. 

Within an instant, all of the remaining wolves shy away from Aether. They could not even lift their heads up to look at the winged serpent. Only the Alpha werewolf stood his ground. But the aura of the winged serpent surprised him. 

Vy cleared her throat, successfully diverting the attention back to her. 

"Alpha Darric, I believed we met briefly in a forest outside of Exaltatus, the capital city of the Arkwing Kingdom."

Vy's words jogged his memories. 

"Yes, I remember now," Darric replied as he quickly shifted to his human form. 

His long black hair was down to his shoulder, he wore a simple grey tunic shirt and light brown trousers and leather boots. The rest of the wolves revealed themselves on the orders of their Alpha. 

Bertuf, the Beta, also took to his human form and stood by his Alpha's side. The werewolf was surprised that they would meet Vyrena here, of all places. 

"What brings you out here, Miss Blackfire?" Bertuf asked out of curiosity.

Lycster had remained half-hidden behind his sister the entire time, uncertain of what to make of these strangers. He vaguely recalled his sister telling him about her encounter of these wolf shapeshifters, but he did not like the hostility he felt from them. 

"I am on a mission, sent by Future Eye."

Bertuf's face lit up, "So you're the Raven we need to escort through the forest?"

After Darric and Bertuf explained the situation, Vy came to understand why they were here in the Shrouds Forest. The Future Eye had been made aware of the countless troubles Vy had faced in transporting the cargo. 

As the Shrouds Forest has been said to be filled with danger, even more so after dark, Future Eye called on a favour from the Moon Ring pack which happened to be in the area, to escort Vy and the cargo to the Triking Sea. 

"Oh I get it now," Vy said as she recalled some of the information that was provided to her while they were in Volitar City. 

The Future Eye did mention that they would provide a team to escort them through the Shrouds Forest. 

"It was meant to be just one or two of us, which would have been more than enough for the job," Bertuf explained, "But after understanding the situation you've been through…"

"They've decided to beef up the security a little more." Darric continued the explanation. 

Vy smiled, it would be nice to have some extra muscle around. While she enjoyed fighting her own battles, it could always get exhausting the unpredictable. 

"A little more security never hurt anyone, thank you for protecting us." Vy thanked them. 

She also offered for them to join the campsite they had set up. Alpha Darric politely declined, instead, he invited them to move over to the campsite that they had set up. It had been fortified with a few more defences, for protection during the night. 

"I think we can manage on our own for a night," Vy remarked, "We've already had everything set up after all. When we begin travelling together tomorrow, we can camp together then."

Alpha Darric was not surprised by Vy's decision. While he did not want to leave them out here on their own, he respected her choices. Furthermore, he was not about to leave them out there on their own. 

The Alpha immediately ordered three members of his pack to guard Vy's camp for the night. Another three would come back to this spot to switch shifts with the others in a couple of hours time. With arrangements made, they all decided to call it an early night so that they could start their journey through the forest bright and early. 

Vy bid farewell to the Alpha and the remaining members of his pack before she and her brother returned to their camp by the fire. They made room for the three werewolf guards who would be keeping watch tonight. 

Aether had returned to his keeled snake form, leisurely coiled around Vy's wrist. She did not have to see his face to know that he was pouting from the comment that the Alpha werewolf made about him. 

When Vy and Lycster turned in for the night, she gently pats Aether on the head. She could feel his keeled scales on her finger as she did. 

-I take it that you don't like them very much.-

-Those mutts? Not one bit.-

-Especially their leader?- she teased. 

-Especially him. I find his lack of respect off putting.- 

Lycster laid next to his sister, ready to drift off into sleep. This was the first time, since their journey through the desert, they could both get some rest at the same time. Although the hard dirt ground did not make for a comfortable bed, they all quickly fell asleep to the sound of the crackling fire.