Freed Wolf

34 Trade

Something feels off; a mounting sense of dread, but I can't pinpoint anything. By all accounts things are actually looking up. The few battles we've had went our way with minimal casualties. There's no shortage of supplies, training is on point, the packs are blending and functioning better than expected. Everything is on track and yet this dark cloud has been growing ever since I woke up this morning.

"Are you okay Luna?" Doc asks, flocking to me like a mother hen. "Alpha says he's concerned?" His cold fingers wrap around my wrist, taking my pulse before I can say anything.

"Yeah, he just wanted me to get checked out because I've been feeling run down lately," I admit with a shrug. I can't deny it, non stop training has taken its toll.

"I imagine you're just struggling to adjust to the new training routine?" He asks as he continues with his examination. 

"Yeah I feel like all I do is train. I've been anemic on and off too-"

"Oh, that'll do it," he drawls, cutting me off. "Your blood pressure, pulse, temperature, lungs... everything else is good," he says, smiling. "I'll take a blood sample and run it to check for anemia, I'll have some iron pills for you by dinner."

"Thanks Doc," I say as he draws some blood from my arm before dismissing me for breakfast. 

'Doc says I'm fine, probably just anemic,' I link Chris on my way to the dining room.

'Well, I'm glad it's nothing important, I just worry about you,' he admits, the relief clear in his voice.

'I know, and thank you, but now you can relax,' I link back with a smile. The man could be bleeding to death and will still fuss if I have a hangnail.

One ray of sunshine today is the mouth watering scent of cinnamon french toast that greets me as I enter the dining hall. I can eat this three times a day! I load up my plate and take a seat with Jace and Jude.

"Everything ok?" Jace asks as we eat breakfast. He's his normal chipper self; unruly golden brown hair cascading over his forehead as his grey eyes are locked on me.

"Yeah, just woke up with a strange feeling I can't seem to shake," I mumble.

"Anything to worry about? Dreams?" Jude presses on, not letting me off so easily.

"No dreams, I don't know what it's about, it's probably nothing, just woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I didn't really know what else to say, there isn't anything tangible, no urge for action or direction, just my own personal doom and gloom while everyone else is surprisingly upbeat.

"You know what chases away the blues? Training," Mack says, sitting down with Dex, I can't help but frown at that. "Don't look at me like that, you took yesterday off."

"Really Mack? You guys beat the crap out of me day in and day out, it has to be getting boring for you," I grumble. Her spreading grin however, says otherwise.

"You're coming along very well," she chides. "If we didn't have the upper hand, there would be a problem, we've been training at this level for years. Besides, you may not be able to beat us like you do the trainees, but we have to work for every strike. Jess, give yourself some credit, you've come so far, so fast."

"Not fast enough," I mumble.

"Eat up," Mack says with a dangerous edge. I look at her suspiciously but there's no changing that woman's mind when it's made up, so I finish my plate and follow her lead. 

Because of the nature of the Guardians combat style they train separately from the rest of the warriors. Guardians are not only highly skilled in their wild form, they are equally deadly in their human form and many are very skilled with weapons. I joined the game very late in life but having started off 'human' the Guardians have been guiding much of my training.