That would be exactly what it looked like. Ylfa, the human sympathizer, teaming up with humans...
Brianna seems to catch on, rolling her eyes. “If you tie us up again, you can say we’re your hostages.”
I don’t want to do that. By removing their binds, we showed them that we’re prepared to trust them and give them their freedom.
But it may be our best bet. The trees are growing thinner, and I think we are entering one of those famous human cities I’ve heard so much about.
Of course now it will be in ruins. I suppose the shifters who live there will have maintained some of its old structure, but not much.
Wolves abhor anything man-made. They will have trashed most of the place by now. It’s almost sad when you think about it.
This pack must be a lesser group of wolves in that regard. Large, conifer forests are prime real estate in the shifter world, and we’d choose it over any abandoned city or town.
We love the woods and nature, after all. An abandoned city made by deceased humans makes us extremely uncomfortable. It’s as if we can sense the ghosts of the humans who once lived there watching us, and there’s one thing we wolves are afraid of the most—ghost stories.
Nature may have reclaimed most of the city by now, but not enough of it. It’s only been a hundred years since humans disappeared to Luna knows where.
Still, if I’m recognized by the shifters who live there, then we can kiss any plans of peace we have goodbye.
However, when I look at Patrick, I know what we have to do. We have to take the risk. The male lives for anything human, and that city will be steeped in history and knowledge.
It must be like visiting an ancient temple. He’s like Indiana Jones...
Well, I guess I’ve already made up my mind.
...
Crumbling buildings tower above us like concrete giants, and I finally understand why most wolves stay clear. If any of those decaying structures came crashing down on us, then we’d be dead. Crushed.
Tiffany takes the lead, walking around a large piece of reinforced concrete with a steel frame. It appears to have fallen from a nearby skyscraper. There’s smashed glass on the ground, and my heart drops to my stomach when I spy the distance it fell.
Looking up at the skyscraper in question, there’s no mistaking that gaping hole. I can see into the room beyond, spying a group of pigeons flapping around the interior. I think I even spy a cat licking its paws on a steel frame, and holy moly.
These buildings truly are high. I can’t believe humans were capable of such feats. How these buildings are still standing, even after a hundred years. Most of the glass has long since shattered, but their steel structures remain, and it truly is marvelous.
As amazing as this place is, it’s also really, really creepy. We’re being watched. Not by shifters, or the ghosts of human souls. But by strays, and I shiver.
It’s mostly cats, and they stink...
They must have stuck around after the humans left, creating their own little feline society. They hiss as we pass, disappearing into alleyways, and I roll my eyes. They’re not the only animals here either. A herd of deer scampers away as we trudge through the overgrown streets, and birds stop singing.
There are wild dogs present too. Just like the cats, they’re descended from the pets that the humans abandoned when they fled this city.
It seems the cats far outnumber the dogs, though, and I guess cats truly are superior. As the thought crosses my mind, I spy a cat chasing away a group of curious dogs, and the pups squeal with their tails between their legs.
The population of wild dogs here have regained their wolf-like traits as a result of being abandoned—erect ears, longer snouts, and wolfish markings.
I bet some have interbred with wolves, too.
A medium-sized dog with black and tan markings stops dead in its tracks when we approach, and I study it carefully.
I wonder what breed it is descended from. It’s hard to tell. A hundred years have passed. It could be collie, a shepherd mix, who knows.
Patrick kneels next, calling the dog over to us. “Here, girl...”
We can tell it’s female by its scent. The humans, not so much. In fact, they look at Patrick as if he’s insane. The dog shouldn’t give us wolves rabies, but it still wouldn’t be pleasant if it decided to bite us.
The bitch whimpers, scampering away from the human who smells a little too wolf-like, and Patrick sighs.