Lila’s POV
He took my hand and led toward the leeward side of a massive sand dune not far away. The ground there was relatively stable and sheltered from the wind.
"Wait for here," he said, before starting to dig into the sand like a swift leopard.
I watched his busy form, my heart filled with both gratitude and a tender ache. The great Wolf King of the Hale family was digging a pit in the sand with his bare hands, all to create a shelter for . In just over ten minutes, he had dug out a hollow large enough for two and fashioned a simple ’roof’ with so broken tal struts and a waterproof tarp he’d gathered.
"Get in," he beckoned to .
I crawled into this crude yet warm "den," and Jasper followed, pulling tightly into his arms. The wind howled outside, but in our little sanctuary, it was as warm as a spring day.
"Eat sothing," he said, taking out the compressed ration bar and breaking it in half for .
The ration was hard and the taste was bland, but in this situation, it tasted exceptionally delicious. We shared the small amount of food and sipped a little water.
"Get so sleep," Jasper said, gently patting my back. "I’ll keep watch."
I leaned against his solid chest, listening to the steady, powerful beat of his heart as my eyelids grew heavy. Even though we were in a desolate desert, separated from our guards, and still had to hunt for that dangerous traitor, at this mont, I felt an unprecedented sense of peace and contentnt.
This was the sense of security Jasper gave .
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I suddenly felt Jasper’s body tense slightly.
"What is it?" I asked, my eyes snapping open in alarm.
"Shh." He put a finger to his lips, his gaze sharp as he stared into the deep darkness outside our "cave’s" entrance.
I held my breath and strained my ears. Mixed in with the howling wind, there seed to be a faint, yet strangely eerie sound—the heavy tread of footsteps, slowly approaching our position.
Jasper silently moved in front of . His golden pupils constricted into pinpricks in the darkness, and a dangerous, murderous aura radiated from him.
"Don’t be afraid," he whispered to . "Whatever it is, if it dares to co here, I’ll make sure it never leaves."
I squeezed his hand, the power of the Moon Priestess beginning to slowly gather within . ’So, a desert night isn’t just romantic after all.’ It seed an unknown danger had already found us.
The footsteps grew closer, heavy and slow, each one feeling like it was stomping on my heart. Jasper’s fingers had already curled slightly, transforming into semi-bestial claws, ready to strike at any mont.
Suddenly, the wind shifted. A strange scent drifted into our "shelter" on the breeze.
It was not the scent of a beast, nor of a human. It was a mixture of ancient spices, the sll of sand, and... the bloody stench of so kind of primitive totem.
"Jasper," I said, gripping his arm tightly, "this sll... it’s strange."
"Stay inside," he commanded in a low voice, then shot out from our hiding place like a black bolt of lightning, lunging straight for the unknown visitor.
Imdiately after, a dull thud echoed from outside, followed by a gruff, heavily accented shout: "Who goes there!"
Jasper didn’t answer. There was only the sound of fists whistling through the air.
My heart leaped in alarm, and I rushed outside. In the faint starlight, I saw Jasper grappling with a tall, burly man dressed in animal hides and ragged cloth. The man was incredibly strong; he had actually traded a blow with Jasper head-on and hadn’t lost ground.
"Stop!" I yelled.
Hearing my voice, Jasper faltered for a fraction of a second. The burly man seized the opportunity, pulling a scimitar from his waist and thrusting its cold gleam straight at Jasper’s throat!
"Look out!" I cried, instinctively raising my hand. A silvery barrier of moonlight instantly materialized in front of Jasper.
CLANG! The scimitar struck the barrier, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
The burly man was clearly stunned by this sudden, magical sight. He stumbled back several steps, his eyes wide as he stared at , then at Jasper, a look of shock and... a flicker of disbelieving fanaticism in his eyes.
Jasper seized the opening, darting forward and pressing his claws to the man’s throat. "Who are you?" he asked coldly. "Why are you here?"
The man showed little fear. Instead, he sheathed his scimitar and dropped to one knee in the sand. With his head bowed, he spoke in an extrely respectful, even trembling voice, "I... I am from the Sand Sea Tribe. I felt the radiance of the ’Moon Goddess’... so I ca."
Jasper and I exchanged a look, both of us clearly confused.
"The Moon Goddess?" Jasper snorted, clearly unconvinced. "Cut the crap."
"It’s true!" The man looked up, his weathered face filled with sincerity. "A miracle of moonlight hasn’t appeared in this desert for a very long ti. Just now, I saw the sand here glowing, and I knew the prophecy was true... The Goddess has descended and will lead us out of the darkness..."
’Perhaps this unexpected stranger can answer our questions about this desert.’ I looked into his eyes, which were filled with hope, and my heart stirred.
"Jasper," I said, gently tugging the corner of his shirt. "Don’t kill him yet."
Jasper glanced at , then at the burly man. He finally retracted his claws but remained on guard. "Keep talking. If you dare lie to , I’ll show you what true darkness is."
The man swallowed hard, clearly intimidated by Jasper’s presence. He pointed toward a blurry silhouette in the darkness. "Our tribe is just ahead. The black sandstorm earlier... it destroyed our backup water supply. I was out searching for a new source when I ran into you."
"Your tribe?" Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Then do you know anyone around here nad Derek?"
The man paused, apparently unfamiliar with the na. He shook his head. "I don’t know the person you’re talking about. But... recently, there was a black wolf reeking of decay. It snuck through our territory and headed toward Death Canyon."
Jasper’s and my eyes lit up at the sa ti.
A trail to Derek!
"Take us to your tribe," Jasper decided instantly. "If what you say is true, I’ll make sure your tribe never wants for anything again."
The man hesitated for a mont, as if weighing his options, but finally nodded. "Alright. Please, follow ."
I walked over to Jasper and asked in a low voice, "Do you trust him?"
Jasper raised an eyebrow, a roguish smile playing on his lips. "Whether I trust him or not is irrelevant. What’s important is that he can lead us to Derek and give us a place to rest. It’d be a waste not to take a ’free ride’ like this."
He took my hand, lacing our fingers together. "Let’s go, my Priestess. It looks like our ’honeymoon’ is about to get a little more interesting."
I smiled and shook my head, following him into the desert night. Though the path ahead was still unknown, as long as we were together, there was nothing to fear.
But what happened next was still beyond anything I could have imagined...
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