'Come on, Magnus, please play hide and seek with me,' Nina pleads, her large, brown, doe-like eyes begging me.
I stride towards her with a sly grin, my steps slow and daunting, causing Nina uncertainty about my intentions. Nina cautiously takes steps backwards until her back meets the cold bluestone wall. The air between us intensifies as I loom over her, every inch of me towering over her small frame. My green eyes pierce into hers with fascination. I wonder if I'll ever figure Nina and her intentions out.
Compared to the average she-wolf, Nina is petite and shorter than others her age. My mother, Astrid, the Luna of Shadow Crest, would often tell me the tale of my birth, describing me as the largest wolf pup anyone had ever seen. Even now, I'm a giant at ten years old. I stand head and shoulders above my friends.
With my gaze fixed on Nina, I let out a theatrical huff. ‘I’m still mad at you for tricking me into putting salt on my cereal this morning instead of sugar,’ I tell her disgruntledly.
Nina can't contain her amusement, and a radiant smile spreads across her face. 'But your reaction when you took that first bite,' she giggles.
My eyes narrow. ‘Why do you always enjoy making me the laughing stock of the family? Do you hate me that much?’ I ask her in a sorrowful tone.
Nina gazes at me, her eyes wide with surprise, and replies with genuine sincerity. 'It's not like that, Magnus. You're my best friend, now and forever. It's just a bit of fun,' she reassures me.
‘Fun!’ I scowl. ‘You’re not the one who gets into trouble for your little pranks and silly games. No one will ever take me seriously when I become the Alpha if everyone thinks I’m a joke,’ I tell her.
Nina shakes her head, her expression turning serious. 'Everyone will take you seriously, Magnus. You're overthinking it,' she assures me, her shoulders slumping in genuine concern. 'Look, I'm sorry about this morning. Please, play hide and seek with me?' She pleads, her eyelids batting.
Reluctance gnaws at me. As much as I’d like to say no, I’m struggling to do so.
Defeated, I sigh. ‘Fine,’ I agree.
'Yay!' Nina exclaims, with enthusiasm as she tugs me toward the walled dam. 'But this time, Magnus, it won't be boring. I've got a surprise,' she teases, producing a blindfold from her pocket and waving it in front of me like a victory flag.
'A blindfold?' I quirk an eyebrow. My instincts warn me to back out, but curiosity gets the better of me.
'Yes,' she replies with a glint in her eyes. 'You always peek, Magnus. That's how you find me so easily,' she accuses, her lips curving into a sly smile.
I can't help but crack a grin; she wasn't wrong. I'd always keep one eye open to track her movements.
Nina taps her foot impatiently, her gaze shifting between me and the ground. In response, I kneel gracefully on the grass, offering her the perfect height to blindfold me. She deftly ties the blindfold in place. Her touch is gentle.
Nina takes my hand and guides me where she wants me to stand. 'Okay, you can start counting now,' she says with a mischievous giggle that makes me think she is up to something.
'Nina,' I warn with worry, 'this had better not be another one of your pranks?' I warn as she runs away, but she doesn’t reply.
Sighing deeply, I start to count. When I reach twenty, a mysterious vibration pulses through the ground, growing stronger with each passing second. An instinctual unease fills me, my consciousness scolding me. I should have listened to it before. Without hesitation, I yank off the blindfold and find myself standing in the heart of an empty creek. This narrow channel carries water from the dam downstream to the river, and I'm positioned roughly fifty meters away from the dam's gate.
It's then that it dawns on me - the pack warriors open the gate to release water from the dam when it’s close to overflowing, which happens to be right now. My eyes widen in disbelief as a surge of water cascades down the creek, hurtling toward me at an alarming pace.
I barely have time to process what's happening before the raging rapids sweep me off my feet. Panic surges through me as I'm tossed and turned in the tumultuous waters, struggling to keep my head above the churning current.
'Nina!' I shout, my voice filled with anger and desperation, waterlogged coughs punctuating my shouts.
As the roaring water carries me away, Nina runs alongside the stream, laughing.
'Enjoying your bath?' She shouts over the deafening rush of the water with clear amusement.
In a desperate bid for safety, I reach out and grasp a low-hanging branch from a nearby tree, fighting against the relentless pull of the water to haul myself to the relative safety of the bank. My sopping wet clothes cling uncomfortably to my skin as I catch my breath.
'Nina! What was that for?' I growl with anger and frustration while I squeeze the water from my drenched shirt.
Nina glances at me with an innocent expression. 'Oh, don't be so mad, Magnus. You looked like you were having fun,' she giggles, her laughter echoing through the trees.
My temper flares, and I stomp toward her. Nina yelps in surprise and quickly turns on her heels, fleeing toward the Shadow Crest packhouse.
'I will get you back one of these days, Nina,' I warn through gritted teeth as I give chase.
Despite my determination, Nina beats me back to the packhouse, her petite figure darting through the woods with effortless elegance. She's always been swift, known as the fastest runner in our pack, capable of outpacing even our strongest warriors. It's no surprise she can also outrun me.
Entering the packhouse, I am met with my very unimpressed mother. Her eyes narrow at the sight of me, dripping wet and covered in mud, while a conspicuous trail of muck follows my every step.
‘Magnus! You are wet and muddy, and you’ve left a mud trail behind you,’ she growls. She gestures sternly at the mess I've unwittingly created.
I quickly attempt to deflect the blame. 'It was Nina's fault,' I protest, pointing a finger toward Nina. She sits at the table, the picture of innocence.