I'm sorry, I don't know

Triple Changer Oz, Theta Wolf Azeil, and I exchanged strange looks, unsure if it was a compliment to the Vanara Pack's cunning or a sign of hatred toward the Gravefur Pack.

"Well, I was thinking we should go and see the Nagosia forest one last time," I said, ignoring Beta Geri.

"Alright," Azeil responded, getting up. Geri started to follow him, but I stopped him. "You stay here with Alpha Lowell. I, Triple Changer Oz, and Theta Wolf Azeil are going."

"Okay," Geri said, getting up to sit by Alpha Lowell's bed.

"You go to that side, Azeil," I ordered as we reached the forest. "And Triple Changer Oz, you look over there."

"Okay," Oz replied, shifting into his werecat form. At night, his cat eyes scanned the forest for the bottle of virus sample. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, and I marveled at the stars above us, the moonlight hidden from view. As he observed, something caught his attention: human voices coming from the nearby bushes.

Azeil nodded, his piercing brown eyes scanning the area for signs of the bottle. "We need to be careful," he said, his voice low and serious. "There could be others looking for it as well."

I nodded, my own eyes alert. "Agreed. We need to move quickly and quietly."

We set off, our powerful legs propelling us swiftly through the forest. We moved with the grace and speed unique to werewolves, our heightened senses searching for clues that might lead us to the bottle.

As we ran, I could hear distant human voices. We knew we weren't alone in the forest, but we were determined to find the bottle first, no matter the risk. We stayed on high alert, aware that many enemies could be lurking in the bushes.

"What are humans doing here at this hour?" Azeil asked, glancing at me, unsure of what we were facing.

I shook my head and strained to listen. There were eight people—five men and three women—talking among themselves. They sounded terrified, their breath visible in the chilly air. They shivered as if they might break apart from the cold. The four men looked like they could be brothers or cousins, dressed in long cloaks that covered them from head to foot. The woman, however, wore a cloak adorned with intricate embroidery.

As we peeked through the bushes, we saw that they were all locked in a buggy wrapped in chains, being led away like prisoners. It was difficult to tell who was taking them. They looked so worn and ghostly, as if it had been ages since they last spoke with a human.

"Are they all from the same family?" Azeil asked, looking at the four men.

"I don't know," I replied, feeling a growing unease.

"They are the prisoners of the Strigoi Grave Risen Coven," Oz said, easily spotting them in the darkness with his cat-like vision. He came closer and sat down.

"Why are they relocating here now?" Azeil asked, concern in his voice.

"How should I know?" Oz replied, sitting next to them.

"What do they want with these humans?" Azeil pressed again.

"Same as we are doing," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "But I think it's time to leave; the bottle isn’t here." We all agreed, but none of us moved. Instead, we waited, intrigued. We wanted to know what the Strigoi had planned for these humans. It felt like a new threat was unfolding, one that none of us had anticipated.

As if reading our minds, Oz jumped into action. "We can get more information when we confront them."

"What about you, Oz?" I asked, pointing at the chain around his neck. "Do you want to help them out or what?"

His fur bristled. His teeth clenched in irritation. “Of course! But that doesn't change anything. We have work to do.”

"You’re right," I said, sighing as Azeil joined our conversation.

"Let’s rescue them first," Azeil proposed, smiling slyly. He rose and motioned towards the captives. "After all, they can’t help us if we take their keys and run off. And we could use some extra firepower for that kind of mission. Maybe we should try to capture one of them…"

Oz and I rolled our eyes in unison, but nevertheless obliged. After all, I wanted answers just as much as they did. I glanced over at my sister—my sister who was still unconscious. I wondered how long she'd survive the night.

A few hours later, my stomach rumbled. Oz glanced over at me. "Have you eaten today?"

I shook my head. "Not yet."

He frowned. "We should bring them something to eat. We'll need energy to get back to the village."

"Yeah, but they probably won't wake up," I replied, gesturing vaguely.

Oz's gaze softened, understanding filling his green eyes. He turned to his siblings, "Can you two please carry our friend here?" they both nodded and carefully placed Harper onto their shoulders. I stared at them, my mouth agape. Did they really just kidnap another person? What's wrong with us? Azeil took Harper's hand, leading the way back to our village. The other wolves followed, staying close behind us as we walked through the dark streets of Erythmir. Once we made it back home, Oz laid Harper on the couch while I prepared them all a plate of food.

Once everyone was seated, Oz brought the forkful of meat to his lips and chewed slowly, giving them a momentary pause before continuing on, seemingly unaffected by the gruel in front of him. He then swallowed. "So what happened exactly? Why were those creatures attacking you guys?"

My heart sunk at the memory. I had to force the memories down. This wasn’t important anymore—Harper was safe and unharmed. Focus, Az. "They were tracking someone,” I replied. “Someone they thought they couldn't reach and wanted us to get rid of."

"Who was it?" Oz asked, his voice low.

"I... don't know." My voice trembled slightly as I recalled my failure. I felt a lump form in my throat.

My sister looked at me, her brow creased in concern. "Don't beat yourself up about it, sister, you couldn't have known."

I shrugged, forcing a smile to appear. "I guess so."

"What makes you say they were tracking someone?" Oz asked.

"Their clothes..." I trailed off, staring at my brother with a strange look in my eyes, almost as if I could hear the voice that told me not to say anything.

Azeil glanced at me in confusion. "Our clothes? Do you mean that they're actually alive?" he asked softly, his eyes widening in shock.

"I'm sorry, I don't know."