Chronicles of Rohan: The Birth of the True Alpha

Chapter 5: The Fear Within

"Found him."

The words came like a knife through silence.

Lucas didn’t move. His back was pressed against the wall.

Dylan crouched low, hand already gripping the hunting knife at his ankle.

"You sure it’s him?" a voice muttered outside the cabin.

"You think I forgot the scent?" another replied, darker, closer.

"It’s him. He’s inside. I can feel it."

Lucas tensed.

Dylan whispered, barely audible, "Five of them. One’s lighter. Tracker."

"You hear their footsteps?"

Lucas nodded. Barely. His pulse roared in his ears.

"When they come in, don’t think, move," Dylan said. "I’ll distract them and you crawl. Go under there" Dylan said pointing towards a trapdoor.

Lucas hissed, "What if they shoot?"

"Then pray I get to them first."

Footsteps stopped just outside the door.

A cold voice cut through the air.

"Step out now, and we end it clean. Keep hiding, and we start pulling fingers."

Lucas inhaled through his teeth. "They're not bluffing."

Dylan’s voice sharpened. "Neither am I."

A shadow passed the window. A creak.

Lucas’s head whipped to the side. His breath caught.

"I’ll take left. You take the floorboard. Crawl fast, don’t stop. Even if you hear me scream.."

"Don’t say that."

"You need to hear it." Dylan’s voice was steel. "I slow them down, you survive. That’s the deal."

The doorknob began to turn.

Lucas whispered, "I can fight."

"Not like this. You’re still changing. You can’t control it."

"You don’t know that..."

"I do" Dylan’s tone left no room. Dylan grabbed the lantern and shattered it on the floor.

Glass exploded. The cabin went dark.

"Move!" Dylan shouted.

Lucas didn’t argue. He hit the floor and crawled fast. He found the narrow trapdoor Dylan had shown him earlier. He flung it open and dove into the dark crawlspace below.

"Go!" Dylan yelled holding them, trying to buy time for Lucas to crawl out.

The tunnel was tight, forcing Lucas on his belly. He followed the rope Dylan had left along the wall, a guide in case of an ambush. The rope led him forward, away from the cabin, deeper into the woods.

Lucas crawled through the narrow tunnel, breath tight, dirt filling his nose and mouth. His fingers followed the rope Dylan had tied along the wall.

“Come on,” he muttered to himself. “Just a little further…”

Something creaked behind him. Not close… but not far either.

“Don’t stop,” he whispered to himself.

He reached the end of the tunnel and pushed against the hatch. It gave way, and he clawed his way out from beneath the twisted roots of a tree.

Lucas staggered to his feet, coughing hard.

His shirt was in shreds. His skin scraped raw. But he was standing.

“Okay,” he breathed. “Still breathing. It's a good sign.”

He turned to glance back, toward the hill where the cabin sat hidden.

A haze curled into the sky.

Not flames. Not yet. But smoke. A thick, low warning.

“Dylan...” he whispered.

His legs shifted like they wanted to run back.

But he didn’t move.

“Don’t be stupid,” he told himself. “He made the call. He gave you time.”

So he chose to run downhill Into the woods.

Branches slapped at his arms. Thorns tore at his jeans. Every breath burned, but Dylan’s voice echoed in his memory: "Get to the ridge. Find the black stones. Follow them. When you see the tower, you’re close."

Lucas’s legs pumped harder. His heart thudded loud in his ears.

He tripped once caught himself.

“Come on, come on...” he amidst fear

The trees thinned. A silver glow cut through the canopy. He stopped, panting trying to catch his breathe.

Black stones gleamed beneath the moonlight, nestled in the grass like an ancient trail.

A sharp laugh escaped his throat. “Thank God.”

He slumped against a tree, gasping.

His palms were scratched. His knees throbbed. But the claws were gone.

And for a moment he felt normal and safe.

Then a voice jolted him back to reality.

"You run like you just met death."

Lucas spun around.

A figure stood at the edge of the tree line. Not one of the men from before. This one was shorter, hooded and calm.

Lucas didn’t reply but the figure stepped forward.

"They won’t stop hunting you. You know that, right?"

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

The hood came down. It wasn’t a man. It was a girl.

Pale eyes. Dark hair. Young, but not soft. Her stare was sharp.

"I’m not your enemy," she said.

Lucas didn’t move. "That line’s getting old."

She smiled faintly. "Fair. But I’m not lying. I know you were the ine they're looking for."

Lucas flinched. "You were at the woods?"

"I was nearby."

He stepped back. "Then you know what happened to me."

She nodded. "And what you’re becoming. Which means you’ll need help."

Lucas’s fists clenched. "I have help."

"You had help. Dylan won’t hold them long. And if they captured him..."

She didn’t finish as she gestured luvas to follow her.

"Come with me," she said. "Before they pick up your trail again."

Lucas felt his stomach twist and he hesitated.

"Why should I trust you?"

Her eyes darkened. "Because the people hunting you aren’t the only ones watching. Others are coming and they are sronger and meaner. You don’t have time to argue."

Lucas looked toward the ridge. Then back at her. She turned and started walking.

"Follow or don’t. Your choice."

Lucas exhaled and simply followed her. But he kept his distance. They walked in silence for minutes.

Until the girl finally said, "Your name is Lucas, right?"

He glanced at her. "How do you know that?"

She didn’t answer. They reached a clearing.

A run-down train yard stretched ahead, rusted and forgotten.

She pointed. "We rest there." She didn't bath an eye on lucas as she quickly sat down.

Lucas slowed down standing on his guard

"You still haven’t told me your name."

She looked back, her eyes unreadable.

"Skylar," she said. "Skylar Spears."