Sous stretched her arms and came out from the wooded area with Shadow and Shadow Jr. trailing behind her. She let out a big yawn and scratched her butt, with her shoulders slumped. She placed her hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright sun that morning.
"Ssheeesh, all this sun yet with all this snow. I don't understand why we couldn't sleep in an inn."
"Hush, stop that complaining. And if we'd slept in an inn then that would be breaking and entering since no one is around, SOUS!" Shadow said with annoyance in his voice.
Pop!
His back cracked as he stretched it. He looked at his daughter while he scracthed his butt.
"Shadow Jr. how'd you sleep? Shadow asked his daughter.
"Like shit-I mean poop, sorry," she was doing her best to no longer cuss in front of her father.
All three of them, their ears twitched.
Swoosh!
A dagger landed near Sous' head. She looked up to see a wolf in their werewolf form. There was more than one and Sous automatically knew they were from Apex.
"Tsk!" Sous let out. "Looks like we got company...company I didn't think I see in quite some time."
The wolves looked down at the three before them, bearing their teeth at the Sous, Shadow, and Shadow Jr. They were given orders to kill them.
They jumped down from the rooftops and charged at the three. Sous hands began to light up with the blue flames. Blue particles floated around her as she stood her ground.
Shadow Jr. growled as she transformed into her wolf form. She leaped towards the wolves and tackled one to the ground. She bit into the wolf's neck as she ripped it apart.
Sous' blue flames erupted into a protective circle around her arms. The Alpha was swift with her movements and punched one wolf in the face, breaking its jaw, blood spilling out. Blue fire burned its fur as it howled in pain.
Shadow Jr. tore into another attacker's flank, her claws shredding muscle. Blood sprayed across the snow. She whipped around, snapping at a third wolf lunging for her spine.
Her teeth clamped on its foreleg, bone crunching. A fourth wolf seized the opening, sinking fangs into her shoulder. Shadow Jr. snarled, shaking it off violently.
Sous moved like blue lightning. She spun low, leg sweeping out to trip a wolf mid-leap. Her fist, wreathed in cobalt fire, hammered its ribs, breaking them.
CRACK!
The sickening crack echoed off the silent buildings. Before the wolf hit the ground, Sous was already pivoting, elbow smashing into the snout of another. Blue flames licked hungrily at its muzzle. The stench of burning fur choked the air, the sound of it gasping made the Alpha smirk.
Shadow Jr. ripped her shoulder free with a spray of crimson. Blood matted her fur, hot against the cold. She didn't whine. She lunged, a blur of teeth and claws, meeting the fourth wolf head-on.
Their collision was brutal, a tangle of snapping jaws and tearing muscle. Snow churned crimson beneath them. Shadow Jr. pinned it, jaws finding its throat. A wet, gurgling choke silenced its snarls.
Sous didn't waste breath. A wolf lunged at her flank; she sidestepped with unnatural speed, her hand shooting out. Blue fire coalesced into a searing lance that punched clean through its chest.
The creature crumpled mid-air, fur smoldering, hitting the snow with a dull thud. Before the corpse settled, Sous was already spinning, ducking under a swipe meant for her head. Her knee drove upwards, catching the attacker's underside. Bone cracked. The wolf folded, wheezing.
Shadow Jr. shook blood from her muzzle. Three wolves circled her, hackles raised. One feinted left; she ignored it, sensing the real threat lunging from the right.
Her powerful hind legs propelled her sideways. Her jaws closed on the lunging wolf's foreleg, snapping it like dry kindling. A scream tore from the wolf, cut short as Shadow Jr.'s claws raked its exposed belly.
Sous felt the air shift behind her. Instinct screamed. She dropped flat, the razor-sharp claws of a leaping wolf whistling inches above her head. Rolling onto her back, she thrust both palms upward.
Twin jets of searing blue fire erupted, engulfing the attacker mid-descent. The wolf became a shrieking comet of flame, crashing into the snowbank behind her, convulsing violently before falling still, smoke rising thick and acrid.
Shadow watched with his arms crossed, smiling that his daughter was fighting side by side with her pupil.
Icarus flapped down onto the ground. Sous, Shadow, and Shadow Jr. looked at the man while he landed.
"Where were you? We were just attacked!" Sous yelled out.
In his arms were bundles of food. He dropped onto the ground in front of the Alpha. "I went to get food." He looked around and saw the deceased wolves lying on the ground, a bloody mess.
Shadow stepped forward. "Icarus," he started. "Why did you bring us here?"
"I became friends with the elves because of Tany. A couple of weeks ago, I learned they were having trouble with the nearby wolf pack. The nearby pack had joined forces with the Apex pack."
Sous scrunched up her nose. "But Apex has a partnership with the Valley of Trey."
Icarus shook her head. "A lot has changed Sous since you were away. Apex has taken over all of Canas and they're now trying to gain influence here. Nadia is trying its best to push them back and are succeeding thanks to the witches of this country."
A fire burned as they continue to talk over breakfast. Sous shook her head. She was doing her best to get on with her life yet here she was being back dragged into what Apex was doing.
"I wonder if they knew I was coming here and attacked or...they were looking for me anyway and attacked," Sous asked herself.
Icarus flapped his wings. Sous turned to him.
"Do you know where Zan lives?"
Icarus raised an eyebrow. "I don't but Tany does, I'm sure. She keeps in touch with everyone. Why didn't you asked when you were with her?"
Sous shrugged. "I was focusing on my daughter."