The Claiming By Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper (Jara & Mason)

Chapter 69

Jara

On the morning of Day 4, I wake up hungry again. Perhaps today I can find a food source that won’t require me to eat raw meat. There have to be nuts and berries around here somewhere. Just as I think it, I see a chipmunk running through a tree a couple over from where I am. Even from here, I can see his cheeks are full of some sort of food.

Good.

Title of the document

I begin to carefully make my way through the trees moving toward the back of the territory. From up here, I can see most of what is going on below me. I periodically have to stop when wolves or men come crashing through the forest. Sometimes I hear the sounds of fighting, sometimes I hear howling, as if someone has caught my scent and sometimes, I hear the sounds of dying.

Occasionally, those beneath me actually do catch my scent and I have to stay absolutely still until they give up and move on.

It’s mid-afternoon before I finally get to a spot I haven’t been before. On the first day, I passed several of these small cliff faces without taking the time to climb them. Today, I find myself close to one that I haven’t been on top of yet.

the cliff, pulling himself to the top. I couldn’t see him from where I am crouched on my tree limb, and I

the cliff, looking out over the land, presumably looking for me. He’s patient, like Mason, surveying the landscape below us. I see him smile and I wonder if he sees Mason, or maybe one of his pack mates. I wonder where Mason is,

close. When the wind shifts, I can smell you.” He says,

much for me

I see Typhon’s Beta quietly climb over the top of the cliff behind Elijah. Elijah is too busy searching for me to realize that he’s about

crouches to attack, I shout the

at my outburst. He

at the other. As I watch, the Beta pins Elijah to the ground, but Elijah bites into his

Beta in the face, the force causing them to roll. Elijah takes advantage and gets on top of the Beta. He begins punching and clawing at the Beta like a man possessed. The Beta, however, is strong and

slashing at each other, leaving gaping wounds. The sweat and blood from their fight is splattering all over the ground, making it slippery on the stony surface. When Elijah loses his

around the Beta’s neck, while my left hand punches into his back. As I wrap my

ear. “How do you like

pain and the realization of his pending death. Before his heart finishes its last beat, I rip it from his body, letting him collapse

jump back, tossing

Elijah

moment before putting his head back on the ground, closing his