Lay knew.

He noticed Tao’s exchange with Sehun. He knew their eyes moved with meaning and thought.

He heard their silent countdown, but he ignored it.

Even as their paws halted to a stop, he kept running.

He kept running into the forest, further and further away from the pair.

Lay knew he wasn’t going to get it easy from Kris. Maybe he would even be exiled, but the thought didn’t scare him for some reason. He had been use to being alone for half his life, his life without a pack had been lonely but it had also been calm, quiet and relaxing. Lay slowed down to a stop. He had no idea what to do. Would he run? Would he go back? He didn't know.

He stood in the silence for a while. The light trickled around his paws, soothing the unease in his heart.

However this time the silence was different to how he remembered it. Lay knew that he had always longed to be a lone wolf again, doing things his way, taking life as it came. But in his mind, the silence of his past was a lot sweeter than how it sounded now. Right now it just sounded empty.

Lay laughed.

He turned around to go get Tao and Sehun back.

Lay was going to get them back for Kris.

At least they got a head start.

They were going home.

Tao’s excitement masked the despair of leaving Kris. He pushed down the feelings of betrayal and held on to the thought of Luhan, D.O and Baekhyun. The smaller wolf that flanked him seemed to be deep in thought but still kept up his pace. It was too late to turn back now. They had made their decision and needed to keep going.  With each rock, tree and bush they passed, their packs scent was only growing stronger and stronger. Tao watch the edge of the forest get closer with every step they took away from Kris and his pack.

“I think we’re getting closer to the borderline” Tao informed Sehun.

Sehun only grunted back in reply, too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Tracks became apparent in the dirt path, three wolves to be exact. Tao stopped to sniff them closer, hoping that it wasn't the trio that left before them. He recognised the scent straight away on closer inspection. It wasn’t apparent to his pack members, but Tao had always been able to pick up the natural scents of other wolves that they couldn't pick up themselves. Luhan’s sweet scent of musk and magnolia that melted in with sea salt, D.O’s fragrance of autumn leaves that always smelt like it was covered with a thin layer of ash and Baekhyun’s aroma of freshwater laced with honey. Tao didn’t exactly know what water smelt like, but somehow he got the image inside his head. All the scents intoxicated him and filled him with exhilaration as he called out to his pack mates, knowing that they would be close enough to hear. Sehun joined in in enthusiasm. Both of them were blinded by the hope of seeing Luhan, D.O and Baekhyun again that they ignored their mistake.

Luhan, D.O and Baekhyun heard.

But they weren’t the only ones.

Kris had picked up on their calls and knew immediately what had happened. The sunlight became too bright all of a sudden and made him grimace in pain. A pang of guilt shook him first, then betrayal, and then rage. Kai had heard it too but was too focused on reading Kris’s face to think about his own feelings. The alpha had stopped and gone silent.

“Let’s go.”

His words were short, intertwined with a suppressed anger that both Chanyeol and Kai picked up on. They wearily eyed each other but followed Kris down towards the borderline.

I just found you Tao. You’re not going anywhere.

You’re mine.

Luhan had heard it too and it sounded closer than he thought they would be. They had been tracing the tree lines, standing on the threshold between the dark green of the forest and the light green meadow. Tao’s call resonated through the clearing and across the tall grass. D.O squinted his eyes a little and watched the other side of the meadow, the bushes rustled with harsh movements. Out from the murky green came two balls of fur that sprinted in their direction. The three broke out running towards the distant blobs of colour, getting closer and closer as they ran across the long grass that at their joints.

They all howled in unison.

Tao forgot everything in that moment, the only thing he could think about were the approaching wolves that he had been separated from days ago. The pack had been separated for longer than that before but something was different. It was the pure joy of reuniting that them that made him forget the past few days and the things he had been through.

The moment was cut short.

The snarl that ripped through their howls came from his right.

Another set of wolves had begun approaching them. A silver grey that bore his eyes right through Tao and into Sehun, an orange that watched Baekhyun with an unsated hunger and a golden blonde that charged straight towards the image of the black and red wolf.

Unfortunately or luckily for everyone, the meadow spaned out to be considerably large.  

The race had begun.

YAYYYYYY ANOTHER CHAPTER :DDD

Thank you to everyone that subscribed and commented

I really do read each and everyone of those comments and thank you for your encouragments 

Please continue to voice your opinions and thoughts on the story

Please subscribe and comment 

Thank you :D ^-^

exotichime