19: Lies

Celeste's POV

I look up towards the treetops, knowing somewhere in there a boy with dirty blond hair is hiding. It's a nice day out; the sun is up but the weather isn't too hot or too cold. The green of the trees partially blocks out the sunlight while also coloring the forest floor in an expansive green light. There's pine cones falling to the ground that crunch under my footsteps. 

"Lycer!" I squint my eyes, trying to catch sight of the boy with dirty blond hair. "Where are you?" I know he's here somewhere, I can smell him up above. The leaves rustle and a big 'plop' sounds beside me as he jumps down to where I'm at. He's shirtless as per usual. If you were lucky, he'd wear a button up shirt with several or all of the buttons undone. He's never been a fan of that particular clothing item. 

"Ah, my dear Celestial; to what do I owe the honor?" I laugh at his fake accent.

"The other kids went hunting so I came to see you!" I smile brightly at my best friend. 

He chuckles, putting an arm over my shoulder, "In other words: you were bored?" I roll my eyes.

"I'm almost always bored, that's why you're my friend." I give him the 'duh' look. "I want to go hunting, can you teach me today?" He looks hesitant so I turn my puppy dog eyes on him. He always falls for the puppy dog eyes. He's terrible at saying no to me regardless. 

"Alright but we're starting out with the basics. Something easy. Why don't you go and shift." I nod, shaking his arm off of me to go behind a tree. I've always been a bit embarrassed with my nudity, despite being a werewolf. Taking off my clothes, I leave them behind the tree under some leaves and shift, my bones cracking and setting into place. Prancing back around the tree, Lycer is already shifted into his much larger form. He's not big on talking about his past but I have a feeling he has alpha blood somewhere in his ancestry. 

'Come along, Celestial,' his voice echoes in my head. 'And make sure you're quiet. We wouldn't want to scare the animals away.' I nod, being mindful of my steps as we begin to walk away. If anything, he would be the one to step on something with his big chunky paws. He's always crunching leaves and such. 'Stop!' He says after we've gone maybe thirty-forty feet. Looking up at Lycer, I wait for his instruction. 'Look,' he says, gesturing to our right. I spot a small rabbit, black and brown. 

'What do I do now?' My confidence I previously had goes down as I realize just how little I know what I'm doing. 

'As quiet as you can, lower yourself to the ground. Get as close as you can and when you feel like you're within good reach, pounce on it.' I nod, lowering myself to my belly. 'Good,' he compliments, pride ringing in my head. I resist the urge to wag my tail. I slowly move closer to the rabbit that's nibbling on some greens from the forest floor. 

'How close should I be?'

'Only a few feet, maybe less for you.' I nod, letting myself get closer. I'm maybe four feet away when Lycer tells me to go for it. I jump up, catching the rabbit by surprise. Without giving it too much thought, I bite into the rabbit that goes limp in my hold. 

'Lycer! I did it!' I hold up the rabbit, pride blooming in my own chest as Lycer smiles his wolfish grin at me, tail thumping. 

'Good job Celestial! As you get more confident with it, you'll be able to go quicker and soon you'll be hunting with the others!' I bring the rabbit back to him, dropping it at his feet. Lycer nudges my head with his nose as a sign of pride and affection. Then he goes still. His head snaps up, scanning the area around us before growling. 

'Lycer?'

'Get behind me,' he instructs, no more lightheartedness in his voice. I move behind him but he quickly backs up so I'm almost hidden under him. I can't help it, I whimper. I try to look around best I can, trying to find what he's clearly seen or heard. I can't smell other rogues.

'Lycer, I'm scared, What's happening?' 

'I know. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe.' I ignore the fact that he didn't answer my question. 'Remember Celestial, I'm your protector.' I nod. 

He growls again and two wolves come out from behind two large trees. How long have they been there? They were large, though not larger than Lycer's wolf form with mangy fur. They still give off no scent and my confusion continues to spiral. They shift to reveal two large men, covered in scars. One of them is bald with a scar running from his temple to his cheek with murky brown eyes. The other has gray eyes and slicked brown hair.

"Shift," scar head demands. Lycer growls in return. 

'Don't do anything he says, Celestial,' Lycer instructs. 'If I tell you to run then you run, got it?' I don't agree with him, saying nothing in return. I shiver in fear. Lycer moves forward and shifts back to his human form, kneeling and putting a hand behind him to grab me. I cower into his hold. 

"Her too," greasy hair sneers. 

"She will be left out of this," Lycer growls out, obviously angry with these two men. "What do you want?" Does he know them?

"Malum wishes to speak with you," scar head says threateningly. I've heard that name before, one of the few times Lycer indulged in his past. He was a mean man, full of himself. He craves power and will do anything to get it. 

"I'm never speaking to that bastard again. You can pass that message along." Before I knew it, I was knocked out of Lycer's hold as they both lunged for him. My head hits the ground and a wave of dizziness hits me. I hear rustling and growling before my eyes clear. Scar head has Lycer pinned to the ground, holding his arms and legs down with his own. Lycer tries to push him off as greasy hair kicks Lycer in the side. Lycer coughs and I whimper. 

'Celestial,' he groans as a fist hits his stomach, 'run!' I stand still in fear, my body not listening to my mind. 'Celestial, go Now!'

'Lycer!'

'Run, Celestial! Run!'

'Please don't make me leave you!' I lock my eyes with the blond, he smiles as blood begins to dribble out his lips. 

Greasy hair stops his assault and looks to me, "Come here, little girl." His voice was a sneer. Gaining some courage, I growl at him. "Oh stop that growling of yours lest I put your mouth to some better use!" 

Lycers growl echoes around the forest, "You Leave Her Alone!" Lycer tries to break out of scar heads hold, failing as another blow lands to his head. 'Run, damn it! Run!' 

'Lycer. . .'

'I'll be okay,' he lies, 'just go!' Despite everything in me, I listen to him; turning and running for my life.

"Celeste? Are you okay?" I blink, coming back to the present moment. I nod mutely. "Do you know where he resides?" I look to the Alphas around the room who eye me hopefully. 

 "No, I'm sorry." I'm so sorry Lycer. . .