The smell of pancakes and bacon woke Vianna up with a smile. She knew exactly what that meant. She rushed to go freshen up and ran downstairs.
"Dad!" she screamed as she ran towards her dad, jumping into his arms hugging him.
"Hey kiddo! I am sorry I missed you last night." He said.
Her father was in the kitchen cooking his specialty. She loved her dad's pancakes. He always cooked breakfast on Saturday mornings. Especially after an argument with her mom. He would then make her tea and take her out into the garden and read stories to her. She would forget why she was upset with him.
Vianna's mother walked into the kitchen looking refreshed and beautiful as always. She walked by the Beta as he grabbed her by her waist, pulling her close. He placed his hand behind her head and kissed her forehead.
"I love you so much, Catelyn." He whispered. She lifted her head and gazed into his dark eyes as tears began to form. "I know, Harold." She replied, blinking her eyes so the tears wouldn't fall.
He lifted her chin, kissing her lips softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Vianna stared at them wishing they could always be like this.
Normally, she would tease her parents if they kissed, but she decided to stay quiet after last night. She just wanted to see them happy.
After stuffing her face and having her fill of pancakes, Vianna got dressed and went to look for her mother. Catelyn was already dressed to go out into the garden when Vianna found her.
"Mom, can I go outside and play?" She asked eagerly. "Alright, but you have to be careful. Stay out of the forest. Alaric isn't with you, so you have to stay close to the house." Her mother warned.
"Ok mom, bye!" Vianna shouted as she ran outside before her mother could finish speaking.
The sky was bright with not a cloud in sight. Vianna could smell her mother's garden nearby. It was a calming scent.
After about ten minutes of wandering around the yard, bored, she decided to make her way to the forest. She ran all the way to the end of her yard as fast as she could and stopped right before the forest began.
Breathing heavily, she entered the forest to look for the cave. Vianna wandered around the forest and realized she was lost. She began to feel frightened. She was alone and she couldn't find the cave. She looked around in a circle, looking at trees that appeared to be the same.
There was no pathway out and nothing that looked familiar.
Vianna tried to look back to where she came from but there was no trail left behind. "Where is Alaric when you need him." She whispered. He was definitely better with directions than she was.
Her heartbeat hastened as time passed by. She stood in the forest frozen and afraid as a fog circulated the air making it hard to see clearly.
Suddenly, she began hearing growls coming from every direction. She couldn't see where it came from, but the growls grew closer.
"Go away, please!" She shouted as tears filled her eyes.
An image emerged from the mist, moving towards her as a pungent stench filled the air.
"Rogues." She whispered as her body trembled.
Her father had warned her about rogues. They were mindless, angry, and needed no real reason to kill. They answered to no one.
Instantly, three more rogues became visible. Vianna gasped as she fell backward stumbling over the rough terrain. The rogues lunged towards her as she scrambled to her feet.
There was no way she would be able to outrun four rogues. She climbed over and under trees and rocks as the rogues followed her, tormenting her. It wasn't long before she was surrounded by all four of them.
Vianna reached for a large stick and held it in front of her. "Leave me alone!" She said, breathlessly as she swung the stick to keep the rogues at bay. She swung again, hitting one of them as it snapped its teeth at her.
The rogue yelped and staggered away to regain its balance.
Vianna swung the stick again, as a smaller rogue caught the stick in its mouth, throwing it off into the forest as she stumbled forward. Looking around her, she felt hopeless.
This was a battle she couldn't win.
Another rogue attacked Vianna but was grabbed mid-air and thrown against a tree, snapping its spine as it hit the floor, motionless.
A large black wolf stood in front of Vianna, barricading her from the rogues. The wolf fixed its gaze on the filthy creatures, growling and glaring at them with bright red eyes.
"Dad!" She cried as her father attacked the three remaining rogues as they bit him from every angle. He sank his teeth into one of the rogue's necks, ripping it open as it yelped before falling to the ground, while thick blood poured out of it.
Vianna looked for a hiding place and stayed there looking at her father in his wolf form. She was always amazed at the beautiful beast.
The final two rogues attacked from both angles, one biting the Beta in his chest as he clawed the creature until he found its neck and sliced it with his sharp teeth. He held onto its neck throwing it against a stone pile.
The remaining rogue ran away whimpering as the Beta stumbled back, completely fatigued.
"Dad!" Vianna cried out, running towards her father, still in wolf form. She looked into his eyes and could see he was hurt. She followed him out of the forest as blood dripped out of his chest from his wounds.
"Mom!" Vianna shouted as soon as they exited the forest. Catelyn had already begun to make her way to the forest when Harold did not come back immediately. She was beginning to panic.
She ran over to Harold as he shifted back into human form and passed out in her arms, right in front of their home.
"Sweetheart, go and get me a blanket and my phone. Hurry!" She instructed, trying to remain as calm as possible. Catelyn quickly ripped off the bottom of her dress, using the cloth to apply pressure to Harold's chest to stop the bleeding.
He should have begun to heal by now, but he wasn't healing. Something was wrong.
Vianna returned with everything her mother asked for, almost as quick as she left. "Ok, I need you to look for the Alpha's phone number and dial it for me on speaker." She said.
Vianna scrambled through her mother's phone to find the Apha's phone number. She dialed it as soon as she saw it.
While the phone rang, Vianna placed it on the floor and quickly covered her father with the blanket. She picked the phone back up and held it close enough for her mother to hear.
"Hello Catelyn. How are you? Is everything ok?" I am sorry for calling you so suddenly, but I need your help. Harold has been hurt and he isn't healing." She said, as her voice cracked.
"What do you mean? What happened Catelyn?"
"Rogues!" Vianna shouted with tears bursting from her eyes.
"What! Rogues? How? He said. "I don't know." Catelyn replied, not able to hold back the tears any longer. She kept applying pressure to Harold's wound as she spoke.
"Stay there. I am sending the closest medical help I can find. I will be right there as well. Stay with him. He will be alright." The Alpha said reassuringly as he hung up the phone.
Vianna dropped her mother's phone and fell to her knees as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Dad. You're going to be ok. I promise." She said as she reached for his hand and held it firmly, never taking her eyes away from him.