The shipping container’s
barely familiar
metal walls greeted me in the dark. Shifting back to human form, I retrieved my phone and
power bank
from the backpack. I apparently woke up to pre-dawn, according to the clock, with a restless amount of energy.
The device’s battery had drained significantly, so I connected it to charge while laying back down and opening the
hunter’s forum app
. The blanket I’d lain on all night retained some warmth from my wolf’s
body heat
, at least.
But the air inside felt
stale and confined
despite being quite cool. I navigated to the [Equipment Reviews]. Seeing what I could find about the frequency emitters. The information I found was reassuring and also
concerning
at the same time.
Multiple posts confirmed that werewolves,
at least Omegas
, could safely wear the devices if they understood how to activate them properly. Some of our kind
without wolves
apparently... ’moonlighted’.
The emitters had a
directional setting
and worn correctly, they could create a ’cone’ of the disorienting pitch extending outward. Several hunters praised them as [game changers] for controlling
aggressive
werewolves without risking permanent harm.
One post also suggested that gradual exposure... starting with low volume frequencies and
building tolerance over time
was possible, so they advised not to trust effectiveness in all cases. I’m sure the council members and Alphas make use of that,
if it’s true
.
"I can torture myself to grow immune. That sounds like fun. Like the courses of poison ingestion some varieties of shifters were said to do with their royals."
Vrika whined at my words, wondering why anyone would eat anything like that knowingly. The answer is
obvious
of course. They didn’t want to die, so they
accepted the necessity of it
to avoid assassinations.
> I’ve done lots of interesting things to avoid those too. Maybe I’ll tell you about them sometime. Maybe on the way to the next cache, we can find something to hunt. Fresh protein would be good for both me and the baby. This is harder than it looks. What would she think if she saw something like this? Yes, I’m probably going to disrobe to travel in a bit, but I really need to be clothed now. Leave me alone! <
⧖
☾ ❄ ☽
⧖
Outside, the first grey light of dawn was finally beginning to filter through the quiet
forest canopy
. I consulted the system map for
Cache #3’s location
as I pulled the whole shipping container into the... | Single Parent Stash |.
The journal mentioned this was a
ravine
. He’d described burying supplies [beneath the twisted oak that grows sideways from the slope] and also mentioned some
unstable-looking terrain
. The sketch made it seem like it had very steep sides.
My stomach growled as I shifted into the hybrid form and slung the backpack on my shoulder. If we encountered hints of any
suitable prey
on the way to the ravine, I’d take the opportunity to hunt.
With any luck, I’d have fresh meat for breakfast and retrieve
every cache
before the day grew warm. Then I could finally return to the city and figure out whatever that BoundaryKeeper
wanted
with that message.
And what I was going to do about the complications of
my choice
to live in Vossden. Simplifying it as much as possible by getting my own money and
giving back this card
is step one. Not owing anyone anything will help me navigate the treacherous waters of werewolf politics there.
And allow me to reassess... whether
all
she sees is a Fated Mate bond.