Chapter 82: Footprints in the Forest
[Margaret’s Perspective]
“I know,” I forced myself to say.
“Your people are really strange. Why would they let you patrol alone? The forest is very dangerous now,” Chris muttered to himself.
I felt embarrassed. Compared to him, I really didn’t look like a patrol warrior.
“Alright, remember to report directly to the system if anything happens.”
System, what system?
I was about to ask him when I saw Chris walk away.
Now I was alone here.
I turned my gaze to the dark forest and inevitably felt some fear.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtDon’t be afraid. It’s just a patrol. There are so many people patrolling the forest. You can do it.
I mentally encouraged myself. I identified the route of the map and headed into the forest.
The trees here had grown for many years, and the dense canopy blocked the moonlight. Even with my werewolf vision, I could only see ten meters in front of me.
The night wind rustled the leaves, and I had to pay full attention to my surroundings.
The deeper I went into the forest, the more I could hear rustling sounds around me. I stopped several times to observe my surroundings, but I didn’t find anything unusual.
I looked down at the map in my hand and estimated that I had covered most of the patrol route. According to its instructions, I only had to turn around twice before returning to where I had started.
I pulled myself together and continued to patrol along the route on the map. I got used to the dark environment, and I didn’t feel as scared as I did at the beginning. As it turned out, I could make this work.
Just as I heaved a sigh of relief, I saw something on the ground in front of me. I quickly walked up and saw a huge wolf claw mark on the ground.
Someone was here!
All at once my nerves stiffened again. Instinctively, I transformed into wolf form.
The wolf form could improve my vision and perception at the same time. I felt that the rustling sound beside me was clearer now. I could also feel the direction of the wind.
I thought about Chris’s wolf form when I first met him and realized that I should have done this a long time ago. It was most comfortable to travel through the forest in wolf form when I was patrolling.
I used my claws to match the footprints on the ground.
Its outline was larger than mine. I thought back to Donald and Elliot in their wolf forms and deduced that the man who had left these footprints was not as burly as a Lycan.
So, could it be an ordinary werewolf? Could it be someone from our patrol?
I sniffed tentatively. The other party had left no trace of smell. I couldn’t do any tracking using scent.
Doubts welled up in me. There was no need for the patrol people to hide their scent. We would even take the initiative to leave our scent so that our companions could find us better. The appearance of these footprints was unusual. I immediately realized that I should tell the others about this.
Then I discovered a very awkward situation. Since I didn’t know what the “system” Chris was talking about was, and no one had told me what to do, I had no way of contacting anyone at all.
The only people I could contact through my mind were Donald and the others, but once I contacted them, it meant that my secret escape would be discovered.
I looked at the footprints on the ground and was momentarily caught in a dilemma.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter hesitating for a few seconds, I decided to contact him. I couldn’t ignore an important clue that might affect the safety of our pack just because I was afraid of being discovered by Donald. Even if it turned out that there was nothing wrong with these footprints and it was just a mistake, I wouldn’t regret doing this. It was my responsibility.
However, after weighing the pros and cons in my heart, I sent a message to Armstrong.
I still felt a little guilty about admitting to Donald that I had sneaked out. If I contacted Elliot, it would be no different from contacting Donald directly. It might make Donald even more unhappy. Moreover, this was our pack’s matter. It was understandable for me to contact Armstrong.
[Armstrong, I found unknown footprints while patrolling the forest. Come quickly.]
After delivering the news, I was about to lean closer to the footprints to take a closer look when I suddenly felt the wind change around me. The huge airflow formed tiny whirls around me.
I was looking up in that direction when I saw a huge black shadow pouncing on me.
“What is this!?”
I only had time to turn sideways before I saw a pair of huge curved claws stop in front of my throat.
I looked up and saw a pair of blood-red eyes. The white pupils seemed to be infinitely dilated, making me feel shocked. He pressed down on me with a stench. He was much heavier than me, and I couldn’t move at all.
I could only fall back hard. At this angle, I couldn’t even turn over. If he moved his claws an inch forward, he could cut my throat.
Help! Donald!!!
I closed my eyes in despair.