Chapter Nine: Alpha
Galu plucked a tuft of jagged fur out of a large, deep footprint. The shape matched that of a Beowolf, but at least three times larger. He pulled down his mask as he lifted the fur up to his nose. The scent was a pungent likeness to that of the normal Beowolf as well. Every subtle odor and marking Galu was used to tracking was now screaming out to him. He knew the beast that left this behind.
“This is it,” Galu signed, “the path of the Alpha Beowolf. This is the monster responsible for the death of my family and entire village.”
As anger forced his grip to tighten, the needle-like fur pierced Galu’s palm. Blood oozing from his hand, he released the sheddings. He stood up with his eyes unblinking and fixed on the darkness ahead of him beyond the trees.
“It’s as good as dead, Galu.” Carmen reassured him. “We’ll give you first go at it, but the second things look like they’re going south, we’re jumping in.”
Galu simply turned toward her, eyes ablaze with fury, and nodded. He knew in his heart that her offer would not be necessary. The sheer rage apparent in his soul caught his team off-guard. They had never seen him like this before. He had never been this close to vengeance. They knew what this meant to him, but it didn’t make seeing their silent, loving comrade filled with bloodlust.
The only way to bring peace to his heart would be killing the Alpha. The team pressed forward, following the tracks through the night. Galu’s resolve was enough to fuel them all.
