Hunger Awaits
Chapter 11

Unknown's POV

"Please, don't do this. I swear I won't tell anyone about you." I stared at the black wolf standing in front of me. His eyes were locked on me and his body was tense waiting to pounce at any minute. I was still in shock at what I had just witnessed. Ryker, the man I was taking care of had transformed into this beast that stood before me now. Never in my life had I witnessed anything like that. I had seen shit like that in movies, but I never believed that people like this actually existed. I watched the animal as he started to circle me. I pleaded again. "Please, Ryker. I am just an old man who lives by himself. I have no one to tell even if I wanted to. I took you into my home and cared for you. Please." I tried to search the wolf's eyes for any sympathy, but there was none, only hate and anger.

He continued to circle me and I prayed for a way out. I saw an opportunity to run so I took it. I ran through the open bedroom door and towards the front door. I could hear the beast right on my tail, but I didn't dare to look back. I opened the front door and ran out into the cold air. I looked around and saw the smoke coming from the cabin that was just over the small hill, so I ran that direction. My heart was racing and I didn't know if I could make it. My old body wanted to give out on me, but I willed it to run faster. I was just to the top of them when I felt the pain in my chest. "Please, not now," I said to myself. I chanced a look behind me, but I didn't see anything. I reached the top of the hill and my body couldn't take anymore. I collapsed to the snow-covered ground and suddenly felt the tightness of my chest as I struggled to breathe now. My left arm started to go numb and I started to have blurred vision. I knew what was happening and there was nothing I could do about it now. I would rather die like this than be eaten alive. I turned over onto my back and looked at the starry sky. "I'm coming home now my sweet," I said as I let the darkness consume me.

Matto's POV

It has been a week since Kendra left, but it feels like a lifetime. I had tried to keep myself occupied with work, but unfortunately, there still was the night. I often found myself taking nightly runs to try and clear my head. This night, however, was different than the rest. I had an uneasy feeling that I couldn't shake. I told Jace that I was going out for a run. Koda and Tenaya had stayed at the resort for the night, so it was just the two of us. I then walked out into the coolness of the night air and shifted. I could sense something in the air, but I couldn't pinpoint it. I shook it off and started my run north towards the cabin of the old hermit, Robert or as we called him Bob. He was a gentle old man that stayed out here alone. We had befriended him when we first moved here. He was out in the wood collecting the traps that he had set and had got caught by another trappers trap. His ankle was broken and he was screaming for help. Jace and I could hear his screams and come to the rescue. After that, he has been friendly and brings us furs and meat from his catches.

Bob had done some amazing things in his life and all of us loved listening to his stories. He had served in the military during the Second World War. He had traveled all over the world and been with some of the most beautiful women you had ever seen. Then when he met his wife it was love at first sight. They had married very quickly and stayed together until her death two years ago. He always would tell us that he couldn't wait to join her in paradise, but believed that it just wasn't time for him to go yet. He really was a good man, who would help anyone in need. I had asked him why he lived out in the woods alone one time. He just simply responded that his wife had loved the serenity and peacefulness of the wilderness so that was where he stayed.

I started to climb the hill that separated our cabins and caught the scent of the old man. I wonder what he is doing out this late. I thought to myself. I didn't want to scare him so I shifted back to my human form and found some clothes that I had hidden nearby. I finished climbing the hill and saw the old man lying on the ground. "Bob!" I hollered out and started to run to him. As I approached him I could see that he was gone and had been for a few hours. The snow had lightly covered his body, but not enough to where I couldn't see him. I bent down next to him and saw a look of pure fright on his face. The poor old man had been all alone out here, no wonder he had looked scared. I gently picked his fragile body up and carried him back down to the cabin. I hollered out. "Jace open the door!" The door opened and Jace stood there wide-eyed as I carried Bob into the house.

"What happened? Is he?" Jace started to mumble.

“Yes, I think he had a heart attack." I laid him down on the couch gently. His body was so cold and stiff.

“Should we call it in?" I heard Jace ask from behind me. I thought about it for a minute. He did live out here alone, but I remembered he had shown me a grave once. It was behind his cabin under a big pine tree. He had told me that his sweet wife, Gretchen, was buried there.

“No, I don't even think anyone knows he is out here. We will bury him next to his wife." Jace nodded and went to grab a shovel. I closed his eyes and wrapped him in a blanket. I picked him up and carried him back to his cabin with Jace by my side. We both walked in silence until we came to Bob's cabin. Immediately I knew something wasn't right, as we approached the cabin. The front door was standing wide open and it looked as if there had been a fight. I turned to Jace and saw the confusion in his eyes.

“What the hell happened here?" He asked.

“I'm not sure. Let's go put Bob's body by his wife's grave and then we will check it out."

He nodded in agreement and we walked behind the cabin and placed Bob's body down under the big pine tree. We both stripped down and set our clothes by his body then shifted into our wolf forms. Once we had shifted I immediately caught a familiar scent. There was no way through, he was dead. "You go in through the back door and I will go around front," I said to Jace.

“Ok. Be careful brother. I have a bad feeling about this. Did you catch the scent?" He said to me.

“Yes, but it's impossible. He was dead when I left him." I started walking to the front with caution.

“You don't know for sure. You never buried him or checked to make sure. Maybe he was badly hurt." He did have a point. I had just assumed that he was dead, I never made sure. I approached the front door and walked in looking around the living room.

“I'm in. So far no sign of anything, but the place is torn up." I said. There were Bob's personal belongings thrown everywhere and furniture was overturned and slashed with claw marks.

Ryker's scent got stronger as I approached the back bedroom. Jace was already waiting for me by the door. The door was closed and the scent was the strongest here. "Are you ready?" I asked and Jace nodded. I backed up and charged the door crashing it open. I ran in first with Jace right behind me, but there was no one in the room. There were bloody bandages on the bed and when I sniffed them they stunk of Ryker. "It looks like Bob must have found Ryker's body and brought him here to care for him. I can't tell what happened, but something tells me that Ryker is what Bob was running from." I said to Jace.

“I swear I will kill him when we replace him. Bob never hurt anyone." Jace said as we walked back out to bury Bob.

“I know brother." Then it hit me hard. The realization that Ryker wasn't dead meant that Kendra was still in danger. We shifted back and put our clothes on.

I knew that Jace already knew what I was thinking. I started to pace thinking about what I should do. I didn't even know where Ryker was. Could he already be back in Spokane going after her? Jace started to dig the grave for Bob then turned to me. "You have to go to her or at least call her. Do something though because you are already driving me crazy." I stopped pacing and laughed a little.

"Ok. I will stop worrying and call her when we get back to the house. Let's give Bob his proper burial." I went and found another shovel and helped Jace finish the grave. We finished burying Bob and then I looked down at his grave. "Don't worry Bob. I swear to you I will take care of that monster for you. Be at peace our brother, live on with your beautiful wife in eternity."

When Jace and I got back to the cabin I grabbed my phone and tried to call Kendra. It went straight to voicemail and then I realized it was like three in the morning there. I left her a message asking her to call me as soon as she could. I decided to try and get some sleep. There was nothing I could do right now, at least not until I heard from Kendra. I walked out into the living room and said good night to Jace. "I'll see you in the morning, Jace." He looked up at me from the couch.

“Any luck on getting ahold of Kendra?" I shook my head.

“No, but it is like three in the morning there. She is probably asleep. I left her a message though. So she should call me back in the morning." He nodded and I went back into my room. I set my phone on the nightstand and drifted off to sleep.

I slept worse than normal. I kept having nightmares of Kendra dead in front of me and Ryker standing over her body. I awoke to my phone ringing. I picked it up. "Kendra, is that you?" I heard her sweet voice and a wave of relief rushed over me.

“Yes, Matto. It's me. What is wrong? You sounded very worried when you called." I took a deep breath and told her what happened last night. "So you think Ryker is still alive?" She asked me.

“Yes, I'm sorry. I should have check him better that night, but I was worried about you." I said in remorse.

“Don't be sorry. I am fine right now and next week I will be back with you. I'm sure that he probably has giving up by now." Her voice was calm and collected and it made me believe that everything was going to be alright.

“Ok, Kendra. I will just feel better when you get here. Please be careful and I will see you next week." I could hear the smile in her voice.

“I will be. Goodbye Matto." I said goodbye back and hung up the phone. I felt better now and fell back asleep. This time I dreamed of her being back home with me.