Not a Wolf 1

They had been walking for an hour, and one might think they had traveled miles, but Ace knew that if he turned his head, he could still clearly see their original landing spot. 

Not a single sound could be heard from the group as they slowly parted the dense underbrush aside. This was in stark contrast to how the journey had started, with some even cracking jokes, trying to turn this into a casual stroll. Now, they were as low to the ground as possible, trying to keep their visual profile to a minimum. 

Growl! 

Ace frowned but didn't turn his head. As stealthy as they were, there was one loud exception. 

Growl! 

"Stop!" grimaced Decan. "And how come you're still hungry after eating all that?" 

Ace looked back toward Riley, the kid who in his eyes must have been the dumbest of their bunch. Riley's stomach had only grown rowdier over the past few minutes, and at this rate, Ace worried those things might hear them the next time they passed them by. 

Decan gave Ace an aggrieved look. "We can't risk it, Ace. I know you're in charge, but if it were me, I would leave him right here." Most of the other boys seemed to agree, cautiously scanning their surroundings. 

Riley's face fell. "Ace, you can't leave me here. What will I do if those things find me?" 

"That's the point, idiot!" shouted Decan, his voice cracking an octave too high for Ace's comfort. "If they find you because of your loud stomach, they find me too!" 

Others began chiming in, voicing their concerns to Ace, but it still felt too soon for Ace to decide. Did he really have to abandon someone for a simple upset stomach? 

Just as Ace wanted to interject, he felt a small tingle in his feet. His expression instantly turned grave, and he exclaimed in a hushed tone, "Get down, now!" 

His body sank beneath the tall grasses, and the rest of the group followed suit like a well-oiled machine. It was as if they had rehearsed this a million times, and in their minds, they most certainly had. 

All sound had stopped, and only loud breathing could be perceived. For a third time today, Ace prayed that whatever had brought them here would keep them hidden once again. He didn't dare imagine what would happen if they were sniffed out. 

Moments later, a loud sound began reverberating through the forest, as if an avalanche was approaching from afar. The noise continuously boomed, bouncing from every massive tree and amplifying the sound beating inside their heads, and when it reached its highest peak, Ace gathered all the courage he had and peeked through the green and purple camouflage. 

Despite this being the third time he laid eyes on them, and despite mentally preparing himself for this moment countless times, his breath still stalled, and his heart skipped a beat. 

A dozen large beasts galloped across the forest floor, throwing a massive wave of vegetation fifty feet high, trampling everything in their path. This time, they were at their closest, and Ace managed to make out finer details: they were humongous, with grey fur covering their bodies, looking like bisons enlarged five times, with crocodilian long snouts. In their wake, a trail of purple sparks danced, almost mesmerizing if it weren't for the horror Ace felt in the moment. 

Growl! 

Everyone's blood chilled, lives summarily flashing before their eyes. Despite the storm of noise from the pack of enormous flesh, Riley's growl still seemed infuriatingly loud. 

Even though they were more than half a mile away from the pack, Ace's blood curled when one of the beasts stopped and looked in their direction. His heart stopped completely, and each breath he drew seemed to elongate to miles. Only after the beast resumed its course did Ace feel his soul return. 

That's it, he thought to himself. I'm killing Riley. 

Once he made sure the monstrosities were out of sight, he quickly got up and made a line straight for Riley, who was still hiding beneath the grass. 

Decan watched with bated breath, his hands shaking, but only he knew if from fear or excitement of what was to follow. Norman saw Decan lick his lips when Ace grabbed Riley by the throat, and he took note of this small detail, a mysterious light flashing in his eyes. 

Just as Ace was about to squeeze his hands and break Riley's spine, the boy smiled and gave an innocent laugh, "Why do you have two heads, Ace?" 

Riley's joyous smile brought Ace out of his nightmare, and his hands turned clammy. He dropped Riley and took two steps back, visibly shaken. He realized he was about to end someone's life over a stomach ache. 

He quickly turned to Norman. "What should we do about this idiot?" 

Norman was surprised Riley wasn't dead yet, and the apprehension he felt for Ace decreased tenfold. He looked at Riley's dumb smile and shrugged. "To be honest, he is probably going to get us killed. Those things heard a small growl from half a mile away. Can you comfortably say he won't get up to wave at them next time they pass us by?" 

Ace knew Norman was right, but killing Riley was suddenly out of the question. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to be responsible for it. If Riley killed himself, good riddance, but doing it himself seemed unspeakable. 

"My belly feels so full it's about to burst! Haha!" 

Watching Riley pat himself on the stomach like an oblivious child, Ace gritted his teeth and strode toward him. He leaned forward and sent his palm crashing down behind Riley's neck. Riley instantly fell unconscious, and Ace hoisted him onto his shoulder. 

"I'll carry him." 

"What about his stomach?" Decan shouted. 

Ace turned his cold eyes on Decan, silently telling him this wasn't a debate. Norman shrugged, knowing this was better than letting Riley follow them himself. Who knew what he would do if he was up and about on his own. Plus, Ace seemed like he had a body capable of carrying him.