Chapter 17: Ferocious *Asher*

Aliana was looking at me like a deer had its life flash in its brain before dying. Maybe she did see something; I just watched her look at the pool and then suddenly move like something had pushed her. I was still eyeing the valcore, not being able to trust her. Then Aliana spoke, "The knowledge of our past was silently taken from us." She was staring back into the pool with disbelief clouding her eyes. "I…don't understand, Aliana?" Then she looked back at me and began to pace towards the walls, examining them carefully, "This is the story of the first and second destruction, is it not?" She looked at the valcore questioningly, though as if she had already known the answer. The valcore nodded her massive head slowly. "Then read it to me…show me." Aliana, being shy in the beginning and slightly scared was now being bold with her questions and wanting to know everything; she was no longer holding back.

"Aliana…that is…for…my clans…knowing." The valcore hesitated on her name, as if she heard it before. Aliana looked sternly at her. "But it involves my whole race as well, and there is no one left that knows to teach me."

Aliana began to walk away, but then turned back, "I don't expect your people to help…but I know I have to do something. The humans are using other animals genetics for something…and I want to know what for." The valcore looked at her. "I cannot…endanger my people…but these…humans…have tried taking…us as well. Luckily, we…are not…so friendly with…new species. I will…help, but…only I."

As Aliana turned towards the caves exit, I could not seem to register what was going on between the two of them, so I just followed Aliana out. The valcore called after Aliana, "Remember… only I…will be a friend…to the two…of you. The others…will not…hesitate to…kill you." Aliana nodded her head and then proceeded. "What do you mean Aliana? How do you know the humans are toying with our genetics…is that even possible?" She just looked at me with a strong look of determination in her eyes, "The Guardians Asher." Then she shifted into her feral form with ease and took off towards the river. I just sat there puzzled, watching as she took off. What did she mean by the guardians?

Once I caught up to Aliana, she was sitting by the river staring into the blank clear water. "Aliana? Whatever you are going to do, I'm going to be right by your side." She looked up at me and sat closer to me…she leaned her head into my chest, and I swore she stole my heart at that moment; I was not going to let anything happen to this girl.

Then she suddenly transformed once more and took off towards the west. All I did was follow her as she ran through the trees with a furious look in her face.

About halfway from the river the trees began to thin out already, much sooner than they had on my territory. There were fallen trees littering the ground and it only got thinner as we went further. No doubt the humans were getting closer to the kingdom than to the rogues.

Aliana kept glancing at the trees and began to slightly slow down. She stuck her nose in the air and inhaled. I noticed the same tinged burnt smell of trees and animals when I had saved Lerina. I looked at Aliana as she sat there, thinking of what she was going to do next. "Aliana, we need to inform our clans about this." She slowly looked at me with a sadness forming in her eyes, "They already know about the humans, they have known. The problem is, they do not know what to do. Besides, my mother would lock me in my room till I got old and died if I told her what I have been up to." I slightly smiled at her, and then thought of what my uncle would think if I told him. I would think he would want to do something about it. Does he already know?

"Well, what are we supposed to do about it then?" I questioned her. I sure could not think of anything. She just looked at me and smiled then went into her feral form and stalked towards the smell coming from the human camp.

My nerves were running all over the place, like they did not know any sense of control. I held my head high and was brave for Aliana…I had to protect her at all costs. We suddenly got closer to where we could hear voices of the human's shouting commands at each other. Aliana was low on her stomach, like she was hunting prey; ears perked, and eyes set forward. It was a perfect hunting position that I have not seen her do. Then she looked at me with those big beautiful dark glacial eyes, the yellow in them sparking like lightning. She nudged me, and I blinked, and we both looked back. There was a man tied up…not like how Lerina was. He was panting, sweating, and was oddly disfigured for a human. His fingers were longer than average, hip bones sticking out more, his muscles were extremely bulky, and his jaw was coming out almost like an animal's. Then I noticed something all too familiar…his body was convulsing.

I widened my eyes and stared in disbelief at the mutant werewolf. How could such a thing be happening? I looked to Aliana and noticed that she had moved closer, right on the borderline of the trees, slowly concealing herself. My heart raced at an uncontrollable speed; I was worried she would be spotted. Being a white wolf is not that easy to hide in dark willows. No one said a thing, no one screamed at her…nothing. She was as invisible to them as air in the sky. I stayed exactly two paw steps behind her.

We sat there watching the humans for what seemed like a decade. Aliana never dropped her intense stare; it was as if her brain was recording every single detail that was happening. I tried to do the same, but all the humans were doing was the same things, chopping wood, eating, drinking, talking, and just usual duties. At one point I noticed two men examining the mutant and injecting certain things into his arms, but nothing was happening to him. As the colors in the sky began to become dim, Aliana suddenly jumped and crawled back away, transforming herself, "I can't believe I'm going to be late, mother will never let me leave the village again!" I just looked at her tilting my head in confusion. "Terial, one of the boys in my clan has a ceremony tonight and I won't be back until even later." I slightly chuckled that she was getting so upset over it. Sure, the transformation is very important in our clan as well, but not everyone has to be there. She gave me a glare but then it quickly softened, "I 'am the Princess…I have to be there for every single ceremony."

Then towards the human camp shot out a low vicious snarl that turned into a howl. Aliana and I both instantly transformed and peeked out of the willows covering. The two men were back, examining the mutated thing. This time its size was convulsing more, and it looked like he was in too much pain to be bearable. His jawbone was slowly increasing forward; blood dribbled out of his mouth and his howling was mixed with a mans scream. Aliana looked at me in horror at the sight that was unfolding before us.