"That's okay." He kissed her forehead sweetly. "Let's head back and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day, too."
***
On the second day of their run, Beth took the pace much slower. She knew they were getting close to the spot she'd seen the hive at, and she didn't want to miss it. She took her time roaming through the trees, trying to piece together reality with the map left to her by her fragmented memories.
Everything seemed so different than it had fourteen years ago, but there were details she spotted every now and then that were the same. Big boulders that stood the test of time, ancient trees that challenged wildlife with their imposing trunks. And most importantly, the mountains.
She stopped when she got to a small opening in the woods and stared up at them. They were so vast and intimidating, but they were also home. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, centering herself before she continued on.
Ken stayed close to her side, his wolf form alert and watchful as he scanned the area for any sign of danger. Beth appreciated having him there with her, especially since she knew he was just as capable as she was when it came to dealing with the goblins.
She remembered the first time she'd seen the goblins; she and her parents had been on a hike. It was one of the few times her father had taken them out together as a family, and Beth cherished the memory. They'd picnicked at the top of a hill, and her father had pointed out all of the different mountain ranges in the distance. Beth had been in awe, and she could still remember the way her mother had looked at him with love and admiration.
"One day," her father had told her, "you'll be able to see all of this from your own home."
They'd spotted the goblins just over the ridge, scurrying between rocky ledges and keeping hidden close to the earth. At the time, about thirty years ago, this had been a perfectly natural sight. The goblins and the wolves hadn't been at war then, and they cohabitated the forests and mountains uninhabited by the humans who usually preferred their big cities and skyscrapers.
As Beth came to a part of the forest that thinned near the rocky hills, she smelled a wrongness in the air. A sourness, as if evil had taken on a tangibility to the senses. Glancing at the other wolves to her sides, she saw that they felt it, too. The evil.
This was the spot, she knew it in her bones.
Lily, too, had lost her aloofness and looked serious and alert. Not afraid, though, and Beth gave her credit for that, even if she didn't like Lily personally.
A twig snapped behind Beth. She was so on edge that she practically jumped when she turned around to check if anything was there. All she saw were trees.
And then she heard it again, this time accompanied by a soft rustling noise.
Something was definitely there, lurking just beyond her line of sight.
She stalked forward, hackles raised as her wolf senses went into high alert. But even her fine-tuned animalistic senses were confused by the unnatural scents in the air; she couldn't pinpoint any creatures in particular, or in any specific direction.
The other wolves stayed nearby, circling around the source of the noise. The closer Beth went, the more certain she was that something waited for her in the shadows.
A creature hissed from within. Beth stopped in her tracks when she spotted a single, lone goblin perched on top of a fallen log. "We've been expecting you, wolves."
Chapter 11 - Ken
The goblin's voice was like nails on a chalkboard, grating and high-pitched. It sent a shiver down Ken's spine, and the fur along his body rippled as his tail shot outward. He came up to Beth's side and snarled at the goblin; he refused to back down. This was their territory, and he would defend it with his life if necessary.
Rick and Finn launched themselves at the goblin, growling and snapping. They came within inches of tearing out the ugly creature's warty face when spears whizzed from the tops of the trees, impaling the earth between the rampaging wolves and the goblin.
Hearing the spears fly, Rick clawed the earth to slow himself just before he ran into the large pole. Finn wasn't so lucky and ran face-first into the wood with a yelp. Behind the spears, the goblin cackled. The ugly creature hadn't moved an inch in face of the wolves eager to eviscerate their enemy.
"Stupid wolves," the goblin snarled. "Running into battle without so much as checking your surroundings. You think someone as small and weak as I would present myself to you savages unless my safety was ensured?"
Finn growled at the goblin, but it seemed like his pride was hurt more than anything. He glanced nervously at the trees above, which were all shadowy. Ken couldn't see anything in the darkness so thick it seemed supernatural. This whole place stank of evil and filth, the goblins' scent.
Like the others, Ken's instincts were to kill the goblin. But that was only second to defending his mate, and so long as she was right here, he wasn't leaving her side.
Neither did Ryel move to attack the goblin. He stayed behind Ken and Beth, his intelligent eyes assessing the landscape and their situation. Ken figured that Ryel was probably thinking the same thing: if there was one goblin, there would be more.
They'd stumbled onto a dangerous situation by mistake. None of them save Beth had truly expected to find any goblins out in these woods, and they'd made the grave mistake of losing the advantage of surprise. How had the goblins known they were coming? Were they just that loud as they searched the forest?
Or did they have sentries? Had they walked right past the goblins without noticing? Ken hadn't thought to look in the trees; he'd never seen them there before.
Ryel snapped a bark, commanding Rick and Finn back to his side. The two looked warily at the goblins hiding in the trees, but they obeyed. They were outnumbered, and worse, they didn't know by how much. It was better to play it safe.
Once the two aggressive wolves were by Ryel, the goblin sneered. "Good doggies go back to your master. As far as I'm concerned, you should have been killed on sight, but no, the goblin prince has other plans for you. You'll be coming with us as our much-honored guests, assuming you want to live."