Hell Hounds
Chapter 45: Not so Hide and Seek

Yolanda lay down on her bunk within the enforcer bunkhouse along with the others going into the Dream Realm for guard duty, etc. Tonight there would be more than normal. As there would be those hunting for the Fae.

Sleep was slow in coming for her, and that always annoyed her. She already missed having lan around. How did she end up with the luck of having the only human for a mate? She needed to concentrate and get to work. She must get into the Dream Realm because she was the leader in this. Last time she was babysitting the Luna. Yolanda believed that's where she should be now. But nope. She's here. Trying to sleep so that she can head up the search for the Fae. No pressure.

What the hell? She wasn't a leader, she'd said as much when Aricka made her head of the Hell Hounds. Yolanda wanted to be in the armoury. Controlling the weapons. The gods only knew what the Fianna were messing with down there. She'd seen them heading to the armoury on her way through to the Enforcers bunkhouse.

It took a while, but she faded out of the physical realm and into the Dream Realm. Her body wasn't there, it's tucked away of course that in the Enforcers Bunkhouse. Now she must stay alert.

The Dream Realm wasn't a cute and carefree place, as many humans believed. This was the realm nightmares came from. The rules were different here. Hiding out from human society didn't matter here. Many creatures that weren't as ethical hunted within the Dream Realm, and humans weren't the only creatures on their menu.

Mages could enter the Dream Realm as could Druids. Fianna existed with a rule that only a select few could be part of their fighting force. Yolanda couldn't remember if it was 100 or 500 strong. But the number didn't matter beyond, there were never any more or less. Their fighting force somehow gained abilities that made them excellent hunters and weapons smiths. Their fighting force was the only Fianna that could enter the Dream Realm. When people spoke of the Fianna. They treated them like a species all their own. But they were a magical human family. Those not in their fighting force were as human as any other human. Yolanda was a little jealous of them, though. If they survived to a ripe old age, they got to retire, and another family member took their place.

Now within the hazy, darkened version of the physical realm. Yolanda watched the shadows for anything out of place. There wasn't a day or night within this realm. It was always a hazy, twilight. She'd always wondered if the Dream Realm influenced the atmosphere of many black and white horror movies. With the barren trees, mists wafting about in the air without out the wind's benefit. It was gray and dingy. No moon hung in the air here. She suspected the Fae created this place before the moon was in orbit in the physical realm. They'd made it look like the physical realm. But they didn't quite get it right. Yes, things resembled the physical realm. But there were no birds, small animals, bugs, or wind. It was silent, bone chillingly silent.

Shifting into her wolf form she started moving. Even movement didn't happen the same way. You could move an inch or a mile at a thought. No fears of exhaustion or fatigue. The fear was in what lurked in the darkness, and whether you could get back to your body faster than whatever was chasing you caught up.

With no moon in the sky it one needed to see by the stars and the ethereal glow of everything within the realm. The packages contained the routes and regions to search or guard. So, it should be a little safer as others would never be that far away. With distance not being an issue. Geez where was her partner? Catherine should be near by now.

Catherine was another Hell Hound and the last one she'd pull off guarding the Luna. She added three new Hell Hounds so they would have enough guards for Aricka and Evan. The mini pack needed multiple guards just to protect themselves from themselves. "Hey, Red. Where are you?" Another thing with the Dream Realm was the perk that packs could use telepathy between their members. It was a nice perk. Catherine Windsor was a transplant from across the pond. She was as British as you could get. "Bloody Hell. You yell when you think too? How do you not give yourself a migraine?"

Yolanda laughed through the link. "I wasn't aware that I was yelling. So, what have we got here?"

"There's a few shifters around, but no one's seen anything. I wish we knew what we were looking for. It's one thing to know what something looks like from a drawing. It's another knowing what they look like for real. How would I know if we meet up with some Fae that can change shape?"

"Doppel gangers are a form of demon, not a Fae. But that's now a fear I have now. Thanks." Yolanda fell into step with Catherine, and they continued their search through the gloom.

"I swear it's quieter than it is. I mean it's quiet but creepy. This is different. Startle you out of your skin creepy."

"Yeah, think the realm itself is responding to the Fae returning?"

"This place is weird and if you look too, it just becomes more peculiar. So, I'm not surprised if it did. Now if that's the case. Is it welcoming the Fae or hiding from them?"

"That's the million-dollar question." They rounded the bend in a road that no longer existed in the physical realm for a long time. This is one of many slight differences that could make things creepy. At the end of this road was a graveyard. If they didn't see them within the Dream Realm, it would have stayed long forgotten. It like so many others was a family's graveyard from the early eighteen hundreds. Even within the Dream Realm time lost their names beyond their last name, Colton.

Catherine dodged into Yolanda to stop her forward momentum and get her attention. Before them stood a monstrous doglike nightmare. It'd not seen them, it was busy digging up a grave in the far corner of the graveyard.

The two wolf shifters backed up and in unison. They'd found a Fae minion. A member of the hunt. It was twice the size of the two shifters put together. They were not strong enough for a face-to-face confrontation.

Without the wind scents wouldn't work within the realm, and with their bodies still in the physical realm they could make it out of there. If they played it smart.

The creature so enthralled in what it was doing. Yolanda could only believe it looked for a spiritual version of a bone. A human bone... Gag.

Looking at Catherine, they nodded to each other and turned running back the way they had. As quietly as they could. Once far enough away

Opening their link to as many pack as they could within the area. "Barghest in the Colton's Graveyard! I repeat Barghest in the Colton's Graveyard. It's huge! We need back up! Now!" With their hearts pumping Yolanda and Catherine kept watch around them. The Barghest wouldn't be alone. These were pets of more powerful Fae. A Shining One if they were unlucky owned it.

Paranoia or survival instinct. "Someone respond tell me you hear me." They could hear the Barghest still digging but not see it.

"We're on our way. Be there in a few minutes. Just keep your heads down and stay quiet." It was David the fighting instructor and Farah another enforcer. She was young and that's why Yolanda grouped her with David.

"We're right behind them be there in a second." It was Gus and his 'we' meant his partner were coming with him, Bill, and Franklin. They were the pack investigators and interrogators. They did most of the sleezy jobs.

Time crawled to a snail's pace. Struggling to stay calm knowing other pack members were on the way. Eyes peeled for danger. Side to side with Catherine.

Catherine opened the communication link again. "Remind me if we get out of this to return your black Levi's to you and buy my own."

"Is that where they went? I wanted to take them with me. Why do you have them? Why didn't you ask first?"

"Because they make my butt look great and Peter is on my tail again. This time I want to keep it that way, and I knew if I asked you, you'd say no." If a wolf could pout Catherine would be doing it. She'd been trying to get Peter to notice her for the longest time. It's common consensus that they were mates. But Catherine did something stupid and Peter had walked away. Now they were both suffering, and something had to give. But did it have to be her favourite jeans? Who brings things like this up at a time like this?

The sound of many paws were now coming from over the rise. They're muted on the dry grasses as they approached. Backup was here and now they could track this Barghest back to the Host. Get the information they need, and slip away as quietly as they followed. That was the best-case scenario.

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