No problem. I was the best. There was a reason I was the alpha of the shifters, and it wasn't my good looks.
With a confident nod, I took off, following the trail of the alchemists. Smiling in satisfaction was beyond me, though I was pretty sure I would have done it yesterday.
Trailing the scent was easy and gave my mind time to wander. I wasted so much time with petty emotions before. Smiles, laughter, jokes– before, I would have been smiling at these thoughts. Come to think of it, I'd never seen myself smile in wolf form.
As I trotted, I shifted my facial muscles into a smile. It felt the same as when I was human, but my wolf muscles were very different. Was it like the silly dogs on YouTube videos that would smile for treats?
The world may never know.
Keeping my mind from flitting from my task was surprisingly easy now. After analyzing the situation, I’d come up with a plan. I was going to find the group of alchemists, and I was going to make them unable to interfere with my life. If I was lucky, I'd be able to take out their entire group, a simple solution to our problem. Hard to understand why I’d hesitated to simply kill them earlier.
I followed Isengram's scent, focusing on it and blocking out everything else. My wolf paws hit the ground with silent precision as I paralleled the pavement of the highway. A wolf was much slower than a fox, but they could run forever.
Soon, the scent branched off onto a smaller, side road. I'd have time to dart off the road if a car came down this sleepy street. It led up into the woods and farther and farther away from the city. Running full steam, I hit the open road. If fate were kind, I was headed toward the alchemists' hideout.
The scent grew stronger, energizing me. They were near, in this forest. A place where most of the advantage was mine. The first home I could remember. I was going to put an end to their interference. If any of their organization remained after this day, they’d think carefully before crossing me and mine again.
I raced along, dodging trees, and leaping over fallen logs. I was close. The scent was strong, but another inner sense told me I was very near my goal. I just needed to stay focused and keep up with the scent.
Seconds later, I skidded to a stop, claws scrabbling for traction in the loam. I'd nearly stepped right into a clearing around a three-story sprawling stone house. I crouched and slowed my pace to a near crawl, careful not to make too much noise. I didn't want to warn them.
Even this far from the open windows, my ears pricked up. The sound of tinkling laughter and clinking glasses drifted out of the house and to my sensitive ears, enraging me. They were celebrating Isengram's death.
What I could see of the interior was full of expensive wood paneling. Smoke rolled out of the chimney. It looked like a call back to a castle while having all the luxuries of a modern house.
In short, it would have cost a fortune to build. My people ached in exile in Dream and fought off the virus while these magicians luxuriated after murder.
How fortunate I was here to teach them the price of their interference. If any remained, they’d be too afraid to interfere with me or mine again.
I crept closer until I could see the alchemists. Six of them.
The need for adjustments to my plan became apparent when I recognized two of them. Franklin and Eldora were in there. The group held champagne glasses and looked as if they were as light as feathers. No cares in the world. That was going to change.
So many questions needed to be answered now. How had they gotten Franklin back here? Were they the ones who’d taken the chair from its hiding place? Was it here?
Inching closer, I got a better look inside the room, and sure enough, there was the mystical chair.
Without my current clarity, I would probably have snarled with a mix of fury and worry.
Without fury clouding my thoughts, analysis was simple. They knew my home; they’d made it unsafe and had stolen from me. In order to be secure, I needed to kill them all.
I’d planned after all to make children with Cathy, and the young needed a safe home. Life was easier when reduced to basic solutions.
The simplest way to make sure an enemy didn’t attack you again was to kill them.
I shifted shape again, this time to a Siberian tiger. Twelve feet long and nearly a thousand pounds, equipped with claws and teeth should deal with them quickly and easily.
After crouching low, I surged forward, tucking my head, and bursting through the large plate-glass window. I aimed for the neck of the alchemist closest to the window. I didn't recognize him, but it didn't matter.
Knowing or not knowing had no impact on my already-made decision.
The glass shards clung to my fur and showered the group, and I landed on my target. He screamed and tried to push me away, weak hands scrabbling on my fur. Blood flew as I relieved myself of the burden of his existence. Dropping the limp body from my mouth, I sought my next target.
The other alchemists panicked and screamed, scrambling in all directions, except Franklin and Eldora. They stayed still, their eyes wide with fear.
I had them cornered, and they knew it.
The alchemist closest to me whimpered and backed away, but I was faster. I swiped at him with a paw the size of a dinner plate.
