#8 The Archer and her Wolf

Thea

I crouched quietly behind the large boulder, adjusting myself so I had the best view of my target. I pulled my bow from behind my back and notched an arrow, scanning the woods with focused eyes. I heard a tree branch snap and my entire body shot to the left, zeroing in on the two large men who were engaged in a hushed meeting. One of the men was Hugo, my target. The other was probably one of his sleazy co-conspirators.

I strained my ears so I could listen in on their conversation. I wasn’t a werewolf, I didn’t have supernatural hearing, but thanks to my Alpha lineage and some intense training, my senses were more than human. Hugo was ordering the other man to do something he didn’t want to do. The man was reluctant but eventually agreed. I narrowed my eyes on the mystery man as the two broke apart and ran in opposite directions.

I knew my target well. Hugo would go to his usual hideout so I could easily track him down later. I knew nothing about the man nor his assignment, which was undoubtedly sinful. I made a split second decision to follow him instead of Hugo and figure out what he was up to.

I tossed my bow over my shoulder and silently ran off after the mystery man. I followed him a short distance before he slowed and broke out from the cover of the trees. We were near a park just outside of the busy human town. I grumbled, I hated dealing with the humans. I wasn’t exactly dressed inconspicuously with my hooded red cloak, tight black jeans, and red tunic. Not to mention the black quiver and bow slung over my shoulders.

I pulled up my hood, carefully tucking my raven colored hair behind my shoulders and covering my pale face. I pulled the cloak around my bow and quiver before stalking the edge of the forest. The man was making his way through the park, seeming to have a specific target in mind. I spotted a vantage point on the other side, on top of a small hill overlooking the park. I ran for it, hiding myself behind a thick oak tree and taking aim. I followed the man’s movements.

He was creeping towards a small child who was playing alone in a sandbox. There were two women sitting on a bench in front of the box, watching him closely. The boy looked up, like he was sensing the impending danger, and I caught a glimpse of his face. I knew immediately that he was a young werewolf, as were the two women with him.

The man approaching them was a viscous rogue who wouldn’t think twice about murdering women and children. Lucky for them, I never thought twice about killing vicious rogues. I pulled back on my bow just as the women jumped up. They saw the rogue wolf and knew they were in danger. They yelled for the boy, I was too far away to hear his name. The rogue smirked and I released the tension on the string, sending one arrow soaring through the air.

It hit its target, tried and true. Slicing through the rogue’s heart with its silver tip. The smirk froze on the man’s face as he clutched the arrow, dropping to the ground like a sack of bricks. The women gasped, looking around for the source of the arrow. One of them ran towards the boy and scooped him up, cradling him protectively to her chest. Three men came running over then, also werewolves, just in time to see the rogue’s body disappear into thin air. The enchanted arrow sent him back to my homebase for identification and confirmation of the kill.

I stood up and ran back towards the woods, sinking into the darkness. I would leave it to Base to discover the rogue’s identity and why he was after that boy. I had to get back to my objective, Hugo. It was a twenty minute run to his hideout, an abandoned cabin in the middle of the swamp. I climbed the tallest tree next to the cabin and perched on a large branch, waiting to see what Hugo’s next move would be.

“That idiot got himself killed before he could complete the mission.” Hugo’s voice startled me from my nap.

I snapped up, readying an arrow and searching the ground below. It was dark out now, well after midnight if I had to guess, and Hugo was standing on the front porch talking to someone.

“Was it an Archer?” The man asked in a gruff voice.

“I guess so.” Hugo grumbled, “He was supposed to kidnap that stupid boy and ignite the fued. Instead he was killed and, poof, vanished just like that.” Hugo snapped his fingers.

“Definitely an Archer then. He’s probably being experimented on right now.” The other man said. I rolled my eyes at their ignorance.

“What do we do now?” Hugo asked.

“There’s plenty of rogues to do our dirty work. I’ll send another one your way tomorrow.” The man shrugged.

“What about the Archer? Obviously we have one tailing us, Matt.”

Ah, the faceless man now has a name.

“Zinn was flamboyant, he drew too much attention to himself. He was probably just another one of the Archer’s targets. Don’t worry.” Matt blew off Hugo’s worries.

The man I killed was named Zinn.

“Fine, but send extra security just in case.” Hugo didn’t sound convinced of his safety.

“Don’t be such a pussy.” Matt shoved Hugo to the side before turning around and stomping down the steps.

I narrowed my eyes, struggling to see his face through the darkness. He was wearing a dark hood, maybe from a jacket or a cloak, so I couldn’t see any identifying features. I groaned silently and watched as he shifted into a wolf and ran off. By the size and condition of his wolf, he was also a rogue but one of high rank. I turned my attention back to Hugo.

Hugo huffed in frustration before opening the door to his cabin. He looked around outside suspiciously before shutting and locking the door. I lowered my bow and relaxed against the tree again. I had to figure out who that boy was and what pack he belonged to. He was probably the son of an Alpha, earning him a target on his back. Whatever feud Hugo and his boss, Matt, wanted to start, it had to do with the little boy’s pack.

The next morning, I was awake before sunrise and waiting for Hugo to make his next move. At around 6:00am, he left the cabin and shifted into his scrawny tan wolf. He was tiny and straggly looking, indicating that he was a rankless rogue. He was nothing, not an Alpha, Beta, or a Gamma, not even from a good bloodline.

But, what he was, was a mercenary. He did the bidding of his bosses and that earned him the attention of the Archer’s. He was low on the totem pole, but important enough to be entrusted with certain secrets of the rogue’s inner workings. Which is why my instructions were to send him back alive. Those were my least favorite marks. I was an assassin, not a delivery woman.

I jumped down from my perch in the tree in one single bound, landing smoothly on my feet. I hitched up my bow and tucked my cloak around my body before running off after the rogue’s trail. Hugo had a particular odor about him that made him especially easy to follow. I’m not sure if he even knew what a shower was, or owned a bar of soap.

Hugo went all the way back to his original meeting spot. What an idiot. If he thought he was being followed, why return to the same spot he met Zinn before he was killed? I rolled my eyes at his lack of intelligence. Yet another rogue was waiting there to meet with him. This time, I knew what the assignment was.

“The man before you failed and earned himself an arrow. I suggest that you do not fail.” Hugo threatened the rogue.

Everyone knew what it meant to be killed by an arrow. No one used them besides the Archer’s. It was a warning signal, a threat to anyone who was smart enough to listen. Rogues were not known for their smarts.

The rogue nodded and ran off in the same direction as last time. And, just like the last time, I let Hugo go and followed the stranger.

Instead of going towards the park, he veered off to the north and towards werewolf country. There were a few packs who made Florida their home, and they all had a common meeting space to conduct business and social gatherings as well as hosting shops, a market, and other small businesses. It was deep inside the woods, far from the human town, and protected by hoards of security protocols and guard wolves.

It was in a central location to the four main packs in Florida, and not too far from the state line. On the other side of the border, in Georgia, was the pack I grew up in, so I knew my way around these woods very well.

I had no idea what this rogue’s plan was. There was no way he could get past the guard towers and the patrol wolves. I followed him from a few yards away, staying hidden in the cover of the thick trees. He bypassed the towers and went to the west side of the border.

A single guard was placed every 10 yards or so around the perimeter of the camp. But, on this particular stretch, there was only one guard covering about 30 feet of the border. The rogue walked up to him casually and nodded. The border wolf nodded back and just let him walk right in.

“Tank.” The guard nodded towards the rogue.

“Toby.” The rogue nodded back before slipping inside the camp and disappearing into the crowd.

I grumbled and left the sanctuary of the woods, approaching the guard, Toby. Toby stiffened as he saw me approach. An Archer was quite recognizable and brought with them an aurora of fear and power. Toby was shaking in his boots, literally.

“Toby, was it?” I purred, my voice as lethal as my bow. The guard’s face was as white as snow.

“Who are you?” Snapped Toby, but his voice cracked, evidence of his terror.

“A human in a Halloween costume.” I answered sarcastically, “Why did you let that rogue into the camp?” My expression remained flaccid.

“He wasn’t…” Toby tried to lie to me, but I silenced him quickly with an arrow through his leg.

He growled in pain and hit the ground. He probably didn’t even see me lift my bow before the arrow sank into his flesh, the silver head burning his skin and preventing him from healing.

“Don’t lie to me!” I shouted, notching another arrow and leveling it with his head.

“He….he paid me a lot of money.” Toby cowered.

“To do what?” I questioned.

“To let him through the border. I got the other guards posted here moved for five minutes so I could sneak Tank through.” He explained.

“What does he want with the camp?” I pressed, knowing that his fellow guards would be back soon.

“He didn’t say.” The man held his hands up in surrender, his lip quivering, and I knew he was telling the truth.

Just then, three guard wolves ran towards their post with wide eyes.

“Archer?” The largest man addressed me, bowing his head as a sign of respect.

“You have a traitor amongst you. He has just left a rogue into your camp. I believe a young boy is the target.” I said, lowering my bow as the other two guards secured Toby.

“A boy? The Alpha’s son was attacked yesterday and he’s here at the camp today.” The large man said.

“Yes, I was the one who killed his attacker at the park. We must hurry before this rogue succeeds in his mission.” I said to the man.

“I’ll mindlink the Alpha and the young Alpha’s guards. After you, Archer.” The man said just as his eyes went dark. I ran past him and into the camp, following the rogue’s scent.