He wrapped the raspberries and put them in his knapsack, including clothes and the little wolf plush. He never brought it out of his cubby, but he felt like he needed his dad with him spiritually. Maybe it would bring good luck.

Teru didn't bother packing a coat since he preferred the colder weather. Summer was his least favorite time of the year and he was glad it was mainly over. Ever since he hit puberty, his body would get heavier and heavier each summer season, like he wanted to sleep forever. Sometimes he couldn't crawl out of his cubby to go hunting, so his mom had to make an excuse to the hunting leader.

He hated being in the cave, but the coolness felt nice.

Being a hunter helped him be as quiet as a mouse. He climbed down the ladder, carefully stepping on the spots that he knew wouldn't squeak. Teru then tiptoed past his family's cubby holes. His mom was snoring, surrounded by piles of books; books his father collected while scavenging even though he couldn't read them. Keeping the novels there was her way to cope.

Hina was watching him from her bed. He froze, thinking she might wake up Mom. Instead, she pulled her scratchy blanket over her head and ignored him. She was letting him go.

Towards the entrance of their hole space, Teru saw a woven basket with bread, a rare delicacy since it was hard to make, red jelly, and other varieties of fruits. For a second, he was unsure to leave because of how his mother would react.

No. He had to do this. Who knows how long he'd be free when he returned? There's no way Nolan would let him leave the camp if they became partners.

Teru walked past the other cave compartments which housed other families. Most were sleeping, others were getting ready to go on the trip. Once outside, he mentally put on his inner mask before meeting up with Lucas. He had to be strong despite wanting to break down.

"Yo," Lucas yawned. "Ready?"

Teru smiled warmly. "Always."

They joined the scavengers, who sat around some firepits that were still lit from the evening prior. This operation had twenty members this time, including the five volunteers.

Josy called the volunteers over to her. Lucas and Teru stood in line. The other three were two alpha men and one beta woman. The captain walked up and down in front of the line like this was the military. "Alright, yeh pussywillows. Only one of five of you's have experience with scavenging. For this mission, it will take five days to walk there. It's longer than most scavenging trips, so if yeh think yeh can't make it, drop out now."

She waited for anyone to quit. It didn't come.

"Good. At least yeh have some balls. The order will go like this: riflemen will be on the flanks in case of a threat. A runner will remain ahead of us and behind as our lookouts. The rest of you's will be in the center with silver knives. Once we're there, we will raid each house for anything useful. We can take a few heavy items since there are two carts, so if yeh find a big one that could be useful, find me. Take anything that's small. Cans of food, weapons, etc."

Josy held up her hand. "These are the signals for when we need to be quiet." She promptly showed different signals for go, stop, follow me, all clear, danger, and more. "Is that clear?"

"Yes," the five said.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Grab your gear and let's head out. Food will be distributed along the way."

Lucas went over to the knives while Teru inspected the guns laying on the ground. Some were pistols, handguns, and revolvers. His eyes saw the brown and gold rifle with a silencer at the very end of the pile. It was older than the others. He chose it because it was a Winchester, his favorite brand. Teru liked shooting the old-fashioned way with his own vision, not the black, metal rifles with magnifying glass attachments.

As he picked it up, another rifleman asked, "Are you sure you want that one? There are better rifles. Ones that are easier to aim. Don't you need a coat, too?"

"Nah, I'm good. I also prefer these types of guns."

The guy shrugged, "If you say so. Here." He handed Teru a small but heavy sack. "For the bloodsuckers."

The omega opened the bag. Dozens of silver bullets were inside. The sculptors tediously carved them. Mom probably made some of these. If only she knew she'd be making the fatal marbles for him. She would've had a heart attack.

Seeing the shiny balls smacked him into reality. This was really happening. He was leaving the pack's territory for the first time ever. Even though he wanted to kill some vampires himself, he's never seen one in person. He could die on this rebellious trip.

His hesitant thoughts were interrupted when Lucas traced small circles on his arm. "I'm nervous, too."

"Who said I was nervous?" Teru said with faltering confidence.

"You're rubbing your nape." Lucas grabbed the hand that was doing the gesture and held it up to Teru's face.

"We can do this. If you feel tired, I'll carry you. Nothing bad will happen to you while I'm around!" Lucas's ocean-blue eyes shimmered. The color was much more pretty than Nolan's icy hue.

"You're right. Nothing EVER happens when you're here," Teru teased. "No wonder it's always boring."

Lucas didn't like that, so he licked Teru's hand from his palm to fingertips. He excreted extra saliva for good measure. The smaller human shuddered. He wasn't a fan of body juices. Lucas knew that.

The bastard alpha ran off to join the scavenger group. They were getting into position to leave.

"EW!" Teru shouted and shook off the spit. Disgusting. "I'm gonna let the vamps get you first if they come!"

Lucas pulled down the skin under his right eye and stuck out his tongue.

Just when everyone got in position, the sky was turning purple. Sunrise was coming soon. Josy yelled, "Roll out!"

They left the camp and disappeared into the thick brush.