Chapter author: YouAreNowIncognito

The search was over, the prey was there. For two months he had been tracking the pack, for fifteen years he had been searching for that wolf cub. Not a cub anymore.

Hunting wolves was always more fun than many other animals, not just because Delmar’s own animal form was a wolf, but because they were always on the move. It made them harder to find, funnier to hunt. Other animals could be so boring, they stayed in same place and were often smaller, a hunt like that did not last very long.

The pack wasn't particularly big, but it did seem to have some interesting individuals. There seemed to be demon bloods among them. He could see at least two wolves with horns, and some of them had more unusual colors. A pack of outcasts. He thought. The perfect hiding spot for an element shifter.

A dark green and a grey wolf were yelling at each other. No not one of them. He should be red in some way. A red wolf with curled horns stood watch atop a cliff. A lookout. But it’s not him, he did not have horns as far as I can remember. Delmar wasn't afraid to be spotted by the lookout, his hiding place was good enough.

Suddenly he saw him. A slender ginger-brown wolf with red mane sat alone a short way from the rest. He wasn’t all red, but Delmar recognized the face. He didn’t like the fact that the cub wasn't red, the young shifter almost resembled a wolf perfectly. Even some of the actual wolves in the pack looked more like a demon than him. No horns, no dragon tail, no nothing. The only thing connecting the young wolf to his element was the red mane, and that he could have had even if he wasn't a shifter. Damn it! He is probably strong. Delmar thought. Oh well, it meant the fight will last longer. He smiled and telepathically sent some bad feeling to the young wolf. This will be fun.

Ramsey sighed. He did not feel very well. Something was off. A minute ago he was laughing at his stepfather fighting with Trevor as usual. Trevor wasn’t exactly a lunatic, but he was quite messed up. Ramsey’s stepfather Sillof on the other hand was just a plain grumpy old wolf. The two of them never got along. Ramsey usually enjoyed their bickering, cheering for one side or the other. But this time something bothered him.

“Ramsey how are you feeling?”

Ramsey looked up towards the direction of the voice. It was Angi of course. She always seemed to know when he was feeling down.

“Oh, hi Angi. I didn't see you coming.” Ramsey lay down, resting his head on his paws.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I… actually don’t know. I just got a bad feeling suddenly. Like something bad was about to happen. It feels like it did the night my parents died in that fire…” Ramsey sighed. “It was a terrible night, the fire flared up out of nowhere. My parents were the first victims. The rest of the pack fled. I don’t know if they forgot about me, thought I was dead or if they abandoned me. And in the middle of it all two awful ice cold eyes staring at me.” He shivered. “Then I ran. Suddenly Sillof found me. I can’t remember details about it at all, I wonder why I thought about it now?”

“The fire flared up out of nowhere? I wonder where it came from.”

“Yes, we all wonder that, don't we boy?” Delmar said as he slowly walked out of his hiding spot, enjoying every step. “But we know who started it, don’t we?”

“You!” Ramsey’s eyes was filled with fear. “I know you! You are the one who started it and killed my parents!”

“Now, now. Don’t be so hasty. I don’t have the power of fire, so don’t blame your own sins on me.”

“No, I didn’t…”

“Ramsey, what is he talking about?” Angi looked very bothered. “Who is this guy?”

With every step Delmar took ice crystals formed in the air around him, forming a pair big skeleton wings hovering above him.

“You are the one who started the fire. You drove your own pack away. And it was YOU who killed your parents. Don’t you remember boy?” Delmar walked up next to Ramsey. He put his forehead against Ramsey’s. “I was just the observer.”

“Go away.” Ramsey whispered quietly.

“What?” Delmar laughed. “Is that all? Here you are confronting the big bad wolf and all you have to say is ‘Go away’? Where is the rage? The fire you hold inside of you? Don’t you see that you need to defend yourself? I might as well attack you!”

His floating wings changed shape, becoming sharp spears floating around him. He sent a pair of them towards Ramsey. Not enough to kill him, but enough to scare him and maybe hurt him a bit. But Ramsey didn’t do anything to avoid it, he just took the blow. Delmar rushed forward, took a firm grip with his jaws around Ramsey's neck and threw him into a tree.

Nothing. Ramsey just lay there like a ragdoll, crying in despair.

“Why won't you defend yourself?!” Delmar shouted. This was not what he had been planning, he had been hoping for an epic battle. He hadn't been hunting this fire shifter for fifteen years just so he could give up without even trying to fight.

“Make me see your flames, fight me! Shift! Let me see a demon!”

Nothing...

“Delmar… get away from him or I'll crush you…”

None of wolves had noticed that the fight in the background had stopped. Now Sillof stood there, the old wolf’s voice was filled with fury.

“Wolfieboy!” Delmar smiled, his voice filled with sarcasm and fake joy. “Look at you! How old you have become! So it’s your pack I’ve ran into.”

“Get away from him…” Sillof growled.

“Or what? Can’t you see we’re having a conversation?” Delmar turned back to Ramsey.

“Or I give you a couple of new scars to add to your collection.”

Delmar had met this wolf before, that meeting had actually become Delmar's biggest failure. He and Sillof had fought, and Delmar had been defeated. By a regular wolf, and if the shame wasn’t enough, the fight left some nasty scars that wouldn’t heal. They reminded him of his failure every time he saw his reflection…

“Pft, look at you, just an old fool.” Delmar said dismissive. “Do you really think you can still beat me?”

“Yes I do. Now get away from him.” More wolves joined behind the old grey pack leader, snarling threatening. Delmar wasn't afraid of the pack, he could kill all of them if he wanted to. But where was the glory in that? He was here to fight and kill the fire shifter. Fight and kill. Not just kill. And the pack needed to survive to bear witness to it all, or else nobody would know about it. This whole operation was a failure. He needed to rethink his strategy.

“Tsk, do you think you scare me? But since you asked so nicely I’ll leave. You weren't very welcoming anyway.” Delmar turned around slowly. Blast! How can he make the shifter fight him? He walked back into the forest again. As soon as he was out of sight he sneaked back to the pack to observe.

The old wolf Sillof approached the fire shifter.

“Are you okay Ramsey?” He put his head under Ramsey’s body to help him back on his feet.

“Yeah, I feel pretty fine actually. It’s only a few scratches.” Ramsey smiled as blood poured from the “scratches".

“You moron, he could have killed you. That wolf is bad news, stay away from him.”

“But he seemed pretty scared of you dad.”

“Don’t call me that…” Sillof snarled. “And he is right, I’m just an old fool. I was lucky the time I defeated him, and I was young back then. I probably wouldn't stand a chance today.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll defend you if he ever comes back!” Ramsey said with a silly smile.

“Pfft, don’t be a fool. You couldn't even defend yourself.”

“For you I’d fight, dad!”

Delmar had heard everything he needed. The shifter seemed to have been adopted by old Sillof, Ramsey had called him dad. He had also said he would defend Sillof if he was attacked. The plan was easy. Ramsey was no longer his target. He would instead attack his old nemesis Sillof, then Ramsey would go to attack defending the wolf.

But he had to wait for the right moment. The hunt wasn’t over yet...