Noon doesn't come quick enough.
My wolf howls and whines, telling me to leave ahead of the group and find Celeste as soon as possible. I was tempted but knew I would be outnumbered the minute I got close to the mountains. We've sent scouts to wander through the mountains, hoping to get a trace, but something tells me - if I go sniffing around, trying to find an entrance, they would be set off. No, it needs to be so many of us that they're overwhelmed. The guys were right with thirty not being enough. The minute we split up to try to find the entrance, they could have easily taken us down.
The warriors waiting for me are already shifted when I reach the border. Josh and I stride together to the front of the group. "Thank you all for joining me. As everyone is aware, our Luna was taken from us several weeks ago." Growls fill the air. "This morning, she was able to link me. We now know that she is in the west mountains. We are going to retrieve her. We are relying on an intimidation tactic. We do not know how many they have on their sides but we do know that their strength is unnaturally manipulated at times. Once we reach the mountains, we will split into groups of ten. The second a potential entrance is found, send out a link and we will all meet there. We do not enter until we are all together. Be prepared for an attack but do not initiate."
Choruses of 'yes, Alpha' reach me through the link.
"Thank you all for your time and dedication. It will be a long few days but I know we will come out of this with a victory on our hands." And Celeste back in my arms. "Let's go." Josh and I shift and we all take off at a run.
The first day is easiest. Familiar forests greet us and no troubles come along the way. The night is cold but we all stay in wolf form and huddle together to keep warm. Four wolves at a time keep watch with rotations occurring halfway through the night.
We wake up bright and early on the second day. The mountains, while closer, feel so very far as I stretch into wakefulness. The cold has still managed to seep into my bones. I'm sure I'm not the only one aching.
The second day feels like a taunting torture. The mountains do feel close now. So close that twice I yell for everyone to increase speed. At the end of the day, Josh tells me we need to slow down if we want to keep our energy when we arrive. I huff but agree. I end up taking watch the first half of the second night. My wolf is restless and wants to get to Celeste already. My head swims with bad thoughts of what condition I'll find her in. It's a relief knowing she's alive, that our bond hasn't snapped even though not fully formed yet. Not enough of a relief to keep me from pacing around the area Josh found us to rest for the night. She said 'help.' She's not okay. One thing I'm certain of; I won't be getting back the same Celeste they took from me. It took me so long to get her to warm up to me and I'm worried I'll have to start back over. Worried that she'll shut herself in her room again. I want her in my arms. I want to lay in our shared bed and hold her as tight as I can. I have to force myself to sleep when Josh taps in for the second half of watch.
The third day, I wake earlier than everyone else. I decide to go hunting. The sun was barely up in the sky. There's not much to hunt in the winter. The deer have already started to go to warmer areas. I manage to find a few rabbits, bringing them back to our camp when everyone starts to rise. 'Eat,' I instruct those awake in the link. Some do, some join me in another round of hunting. One of the warriors manages to find a lone doe and I help them bring it back to camp. By then everyone is awake and eating.
'Didn't sleep much?' Josh drops a rabbit in front of me before sitting and beginning to tear into it. He's strategic about it, even in wolf form. Pulling off chunks of fur lined flesh before digging into the meat below.
'I can't. We're so close.'
'Has she linked again?' I shake my head. 'We'll find her.'
'I know.'
With Josh at the lead, we reach the mountains by mid afternoon. My stomach hurts with how anxious I am. I'm here, Celeste. I'm here.
It's quiet in the chilling cold. The air nips at our noses and minds.
'We don't know what the entrance will look like, how far it'll be into the mountains. Nothing. If you are suspicious of anything, link me or Xavier and we'll find you.' I forget how assertive Josh can be. When I chose him to be a third, I did so because he's smart. He can track down most any information or person within just a few days, sometimes less. Oftentimes, in my head, I suppose I pair him together with Jacob. They always seem to work as two sides of one coin. And I forget that they can work just as well when not together as they can as a pair. 'Find your groups.' The warriors split off into groups of ten; so they can still handle an attack until backup can arrive. Josh and I stay together as the only group of two. The five groups split off in different directions around and through the mountains. Josh turns to me, pawing at the ground. 'Are you okay?'
I shake my head, letting out a large huff of air. 'No. I thought I'd maybe feel her when we got closer or smell her but so far, nothing. All I can smell is the snow.' The snow was freshly fallen on the mountain, settled and no longer falling along only the upper part of the mountains.
'We'll find her, Xavier,' he assures me again. 'We're so close now and we know it.'
'The amount of times I stared out at these mountains these last few weeks. It shames me that I never thought they're in the mountains and not somewhere through them.'
'The amount of work it would have taken them to build caves in the mountains, I wouldn't have thought of it either. We know they're advanced for rogues but that's something else entirely. Don't blame yourself.'
'You would think the nearby towns would have reported something. Sounds of explosives or drilling. Something.'
'I didn't find anything online but I also didn't think of it. I suppose I could be to blame there.'
'No, no. Don't blame yourself either. You've worked hard these last few weeks.' I paw at the ground this time. 'I'm - I'm sorry. For how I acted these last few weeks. You guys didn't deserve that.'
'We understand, Xavier. Celeste - she's your entire world now.'
I turn back to him. 'I still-'
'Still care for us? The pack? Of course you do.' He shakes his head. 'But once someone meets their mate, it's game over in terms of the consumption of love. She's more than anything else in your mind and heart, and that's okay.' I stare out at the large mountains in front of us. 'Just don't make any dumb decisions because of it.'
'Like Jacob?' It was a teasing question; I don't even know why I said it.
'Like Jacob,' he links firmly. I stare at him incredulously. 'C'mon, let's go,' he links before I can ask any further questions.
We take off at a run through the nearest mountain path.
We get several links through the next few hours. Some of no value, some of which have Josh and I veering off our current course to investigate caves in the base of the mountains or seemingly out of place shrubbery. It's nearly nightfall when we get the most interesting link. 'Alpha,' a voice finds its way to me. 'Our group found a house against the side of the mountain.'
'A house?' I pause my trek, motioning Josh to stop as well.
'Yes, Alpha. It's damaged, the door is knocked down and there's some paw prints in the mud outside.'
'How many paw prints?'
'A lot, Alpha.'
I give a nod to Josh. 'Stay there, do not go inside.'
'They found it?' I nod. 'Which group?' I tell him which and we take off in the direction of their scent.