章節 12: The Trials Begin
Emilia stops to catch her breath at the Snow territory border. This was a huge step for her as she had never left the territory before. And she wasn't just leaving the territory, she was starting a new life and ending an old one. Goodbye Emilia Snow, clueless and sheltered daughter of Alpha Snow. Hello Emilia Rose, daughter of King and Queen of the Southern Pack.
She waits for Dietrich to lead the way, but he shifts back instead. "Take a break Emilia. You're not used to traveling this much nor is your wolf." He says. Emilia growls and stubbornly refuses to shift back. Dietrich sighs but returns to his wolf form and leads the way once again. He keeps a close eye on Emilia to make sure she isn't pushing herself too much. 'She's a stubborn one, that's for sure.' He thinks to himself.
They continue running for another two hours before Emilia finally gives in and stops to rest. Dietrich laughs with amusement at her ragged form. "I told you to be careful. We have a long way to go and you're not going to make it if you keep rushing like this." He chuckles. Emilia glares and kicks his leg. "Hey! That was uncalled for." He feigns hurt as he laughs.
"How long til we get there?" Emilia asks, but doesn't have time to receive an answer as a large grizzly comes crashing into her direction. Dietrich acts quickly as he lifts Emilia into his arms and jumps out of the bear's reach.
The large grizzly crashes into a tree trunk and snarls wildly. "You really are like a bear magnet, it appears." Dietrich laughs as he sets her down and shifts. "Tell me about it.. " She sighs and shifts as well.
The two wolves circle the bear, trying to intimidate it. Their plan doesn't seem to work as the grizzly charges into Emilia's direction. She was prepared this time and easily launched herself into the air, landing on the back of the bear. Dietrich snorts in disapproval at Emilia's technique. She simply ignores him and digs her claws into the animal's sides.
It only took one big shake and then Emilia was flung off. Dietrich moves quickly as he sinks his canines into the bear's hind leg and then jumps out of range. The difference in skill and experience between the two wolves was too obvious to Emilia as she watches Dietrich quickly and efficiently get hit after hit after hit on the large creature while dodging its attacks at the same time.
While watching the fight before her, Emilia notices something off about the bear's appearance. There was green and red drool oozing out of its mouth. She shudders and shifts to tell Dietrich. "Diet! Be careful! Something is seriously wrong with this thing, look at its mouth!" She shouts urgently.
The wolf backs away to get a clear view of what she was referring to. His eyes widen in shock and he quickly turn into Emilia's direction. He uses his strength and momentum to lift her onto his shoulders and takes off as fast as his legs will carry him.
With the bear still hot on his tail, Dietrich howls loudly and pushes himself to run faster. He looks at Emilia and signals for her to shift. She nods in understanding and does as instructed.
Once shifted, Emilia hops off of Dietrich's back and takes off towards the road. She takes the most difficult path she can find in an attempt to slow the bear. Dietrich stuck close to her but also stayed slightly behind at the same time. They didn't have much time as the grizzly was soon joined by two more of equal size, both with the same grotesque drool as the first.
Desperate for an escape and running low on stamina, Emilia makes a rash decision as she skids to a halt. She turns toward the bears and uses every ounce of strength she has to dash in their direction. She had only ever used this technique one time before so she had little faith in it actually working but she didn't have much choice.
Looking as though she was going to crash into the three bears, Emilia shifts and launches herself into the air before landing in a nearby tree. The bears crashed into the trunk, unable to react fast enough. Emilia uses their confusion to her advantage as she jumps back down, shifts, and runs to catch up with Dietrich.
He gives an annoyed grunt and they continue running. Finally, they reach the road. Emilia sighs with relief as she spots Dietrich's car just a few feet ahead of their current position. An angry snarl cuts her relief short as she looks back and sees that the bears had caught up to them.
Luck was on Emilia's side for once. Three very familiar tan wolves stopped the bears at the last moment, giving Emilia and Dietrich the time they needed to get into the car and escape their pursuers. Emilia sighs and leans back in her seat. "What was that stuff coming from their mouths?" She asks.
Dietrich can tell by the sound of Emilia's voice that she was completely exhausted and at her limit. He also knows that she is the type who won't allow herself to relax without getting some answers first. "I'm not too sure honestly. We will need to ask the elders about it when we get to my pack. Don't worry though, we are taking you to your own pack, just going to take a break at mine to regain our energy." He adds the last bit after seeing Emilia tense up. Feeling reassured, Emilia closes her eyes and falls asleep for the remainder of the drive.
A five hour car ride later, Emilia wakes up to the sound of the vehicle pulling into a garage. She opens her eyes and groggily looks around, scanning her surroundings. Dietrich opens the car door for her and offers his hand. She simply stands on her own and walks past him. He chuckles at her indifference and leads the way out of the garage and into the courtyard. Emilia feels her jaw drop while looking at the giant manor in front of her. "This is your pack house?" She asks in disbelief. Dietrich guffaws, "No, this is MY house. The pack house is twice this size."
Emilia nearly faints. 'Twice this size?! What is this? An alternate universe where everyone lives in castles??' She thinks to herself. She looks around and admires her surroundings. Giant fountains, green grass as far as the eye can see, large fancy gates surrounding the entirety of the land, and vast fields of intricately colored flowers. There's no way this is normal, not even royals should be living this well. Then again… who was she to think something like that? Emilia had no experience or knowledge of the world outside Alpha Snow's pack territory. For all she knew, all packs lived like this and only her old pack was the exception.
Dietrich taps her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze, and points her to the house. "Let's go in and get some food in our stomachs. Training starts after dinner." He says with an evil glint in his eyes. Emilia gulps and pushes back the fear she felt towards his strange expression. 'I have to learn. No matter what, I have to do this.' She thought to herself as she follows Dietrich inside.
Once in the house, Emilia and Dietrich are welcomed by forty or fifty servants. The head butler gives her a hopeful and delighted stare as he bows and leads her to a guest room to get changed for supper. She looks around and wonders why one family would need so many servants. Shouldn't four or five be enough?
A group of three maids enter the room and bow before speaking. "Hello, we have come to help the madam with her preparations. The master has informed us that you are unaccustomed to the traditions and etiquette of the royal household. Please allow us to assist you." An older woman with grey hair and red eyes says in an overly polite tone.
Emilia tilts her head. "What exactly do I need help with? I'm just changing my clothes and washing my hands, aren't I?" She asks. The maids all giggle at her ignorance and get to work. The red eyed maid draws a bath for Emilia while the other two begin sifting through the closet to search for a suitable and appropriate outfit for her. Once satisfied the maids offer their assistance with Emilia's bath but she insists she can bathe on her own so they simply stand back and wait in the bedroom for her to finish up. Then the maids help her get dressed and lead the way out to the dining room.
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