The animal seemed to tense up and become nervous again.
Luz knew it would be difficult to open the trap to free the animal. She wasn't weak, but she wasn't very strong either, and the process of freeing it would be more painful than if someone stronger had pulled the trap open with one quick tug. That's why she spoke to the animal again, saying, "This will probably be painful, but I'll do my best to be quick and free you from this terrible trap."
Her prediction was accurate. It took her a long time to open it, and several times she loosened it, but due to lack of strength, it closed again, digging into the animal's flesh, which cried and whimpered with each unsuccessful attempt. Despite this, the dog did not bite her; somehow it understood that the human wanted to help.
Finally, after an exhausting struggle, she managed to open the trap enough for the animal to free its paw. It cried for a minute, licked its wounds, and as soon as it saw Luz approaching to pick it up, it gave a short growl and ran off at full speed, deeper into the forest.
"Wait, you're hurt, don't run, let me help you heal your wounds! I'll take you to the vet!"
The puppy stopped for a moment, turned to look at her, and then continued running away from her at full speed.
Luz ran after her, thinking that if she didn't catch up with her, the wound on her paw would become infected and the animal would die an agonizing death. Of course, that wasn't what she wanted; she definitely couldn't forgive herself for that.
The animal was faster, but she didn't want to give up. She kept running and calling the puppy. In her desperation to catch up with it, she focused only on the animal in front of her and didn't see the danger approaching her feet. She felt something slippery and, with the momentum of her body, her feet moved back and forth and her hands flailed like a bird trying to fly, unsuccessfully trying to maintain her balance. Finally, she slipped into a large puddle of soft, sticky mud with a slight putrid smell. The scene was just like in a comic strip. Her right foot slid forward quickly and was lifted into the air, while her buttocks and back hit the mud hard. As the scene unfolded, Luz said, "Oh, no, no, no! #Paf#.
The creature heard the thud and stopped, looking at Luz as she tried to get back on her feet. She slipped again and fell face first, unable to protect her face, landing flat in the muddy sludge. The creature found this amusing, tilting its head and ears from side to side while wagging its tongue with the excitement of the chase. Luz looked into its eyes and for a moment thought she had caught the puppy's attention. She got up again, more carefully so as not to fall. She managed to take three steps out of the puddle, her body and clothes covered in mud, when a strange sound appeared. The puppy looked up at the sky and saw a large branch falling quickly, hitting Luz squarely on the head. She didn't even have time to protect herself. She didn't realize what had happened because it all happened so fast. The blow clouded her vision, and she fell to the ground unconscious.
Behind the puppy, she heard growls approaching. It was four huge wolves that approached the puppy and transformed into their human form.
"We finally found you, Aliana! You had everyone in the pack worried, especially your brother. The Alpha would have torn our heads off if anything bad had happened to you," said Xioma, the Beta of the Blue Moon pack and second in command. "Ever since you awakened your wolf six months ago, you've been running away from the pack and venturing into the forest alone. You give us no respite, knowing how dangerous it is."
"Will you forgive me, Xioma?" she asked through their mental link, her tone somewhere between pleading and mischievous.
Since her fifteenth birthday, Aliana has been able to transform into the wolf she has longed to be since she was a child. She has been so happy that she runs away from the pack almost every day, exploring the surrounding forest, taking care never to venture too far in, lest she encounter dangerous creatures, which are found deeper in the dense forest. In her intrepid teenage mind, she considered Xioma's warnings to be an exaggeration.
Xioma, Aliana, and the other wolves were communicating only through their mental link, as in her wolf state she could not articulate words. Although it was considered completely normal to see a naked werewolf, it was very different and unfair for females, who were only allowed to be naked in their wolf form, but under no circumstances could they do so in their human form.
While holding Aliana in his arms, the Beta noticed the blood on the puppy's hind leg and could sense her pain when she pulled her leg back as he examined it.
"What happened?" the Beta asked the puppy still in his arms.
Werewolves have an incredible ability to heal, and he was concerned to see that despite all the time they had been talking, she had not yet healed. "Your wounds should have healed by now!" he added.
Aliana sadly explained that she had gone running in the forest, staying only in the safe zone, but without realizing it, her paw had fallen into a trap. It was made of silver, and she felt overwhelming pain. Being made of silver, a shapeshifter is blocked and cannot transform. In this case, she couldn't change from a wolf to a woman. She had no hands, only paws, and with these it was impossible for her to open it.
Aliana had not yet finished recounting the events when one of the warriors shouted:
"Beta, I see a monster or witch around here."