The Claiming By Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper (Jara & Mason)

Chapter 72

Jara

After leaving Elijah, I skirted around the territory, staying in the trees. I have food now, thanks to Elijah and based on what he told me, things are going to get increasingly worse in these last few days.

As I’m skirting the edge of the territory in the trees, I find another cliff. This one has a small watering hole in it. It’s probably meant to be drinking water, which I need, but I also need to wash this blood off of me.

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I’m careful this time, checking all sides of the cliff before leaping from my tree to the top. I turn and immediately crouch to see what is going on below me. From here, I have a better view of the chaos on the forest floor. Every where I look, there are wolves fighting, running, hiding. It’s terrible. There are very few that are still in groups now, they all seem to be on their own.

look down at Mason’s shirt and realize that once again, it is also covered in blood. I check

but on this cliff, it is still shining down, keeping me warm in my nakedness. I lay the shirt down on a rock, letting the heat and sun dry it before I have

what is happening below and eat another piece of meat. Everywhere I look, wolves are sniffing the ground, hunting for me. And everywhere I look, there are only wolves. No one seems to be in their human form anymore. It must be because of the claiming haze, in our wolf form, our senses are heightened

stay in the trees for as long as I can. But knowing that my claimants would have to get out of the haze long enough to realize they need to shift to catch me just confirms that decision. Because, even if I’m marked

I like it up here, especially since there is water. I take a couple more

that he was not only looking for me, he climbed my tree to get to me. I sniff the air

meat. He left me food. I can’t help but smile. He will make

no longer safe, so I tie a knot into the shirt and put the strips of meat inside

on the verge of stopping and settling in for the night when I hear the howl of the hunt. I’ve been hearing them for days now, so I’ve become accustomed to ignoring them.

actually hunting me. The only choice I have is to

and unable to protect myself. But if I don’t, every remaining wolf in the territory will be under these trees very

dark, as can all wolves. Mason’s shirt which was once white, is now so stained with blood