by Forest Wells
“Luna?” Estrella whispered. “What’s wrong?”
“We don’t have as much information as I expected,” I said. “I can’t find all of their pack, and I didn’t think about them sleeping in their dens. Our plan may not work as well.”
Tilhack squeaked while holding in a chuckle. “How well do you think after you just woke up? I think now is the best time to get our point across. They’ll be so droopy, they’ll come out of their dens to find our fangs dripping into their eyes. They’ll be so panicked, they won’t be able to realize how small a pack we are. Should be quite entertaining.”
I ticked my ears forward in approval. That it would. “What about the missing members?”
“Humans aren’t like most animals. They often don’t have members watching for danger. I don’t see or hear any sign of one, so at worst, there might be one sentry that has his guard down. If we see one, we go for him first, scaring the others in the process just as we’ve planned. Trust me, Luna. We’ll be fine.”
I hope so. I wasn’t convinced, but his argument was enough for me to risk proceeding.
I tossed my head forward, and we continued, moving as one unified pack. Each step brought a thunder within my chest, but years of hunting kept my legs from becoming knots of anxiety. Confidence kept my movements fluid, while wisdom kept my eyes dancing between each den, as well as the now dozing pet wolves.
My pack approached the meeting area without changing pace. The humans could see us now if they looked, and our scents would be on the wind, assuming any pets were awake to catch them. I could only imagine what the humans were doing, for I couldn’t see any of them. All I knew was my pack was able to walk right up to the humans’ dens without a sound from either pack. I glanced between my members asking for ideas. When none offered any, I went with my first hunting lesson.
With quiet ruffs, I had Jinta and Folar prepare to engage the pets. I then had Lonate and Estrella stand to the sides of where I’d seen the humans enter this particular den. I went to the opposite side of the den, with Tilhack standing just behind. They weren’t rabbits, but I was sure they’d scare just the same.
When Estrella and Lonate were ready, I shattered the silence by digging at the humans’ den. The sides of the den felt more like super thin fur or deer hide as I dug at it. My paws squeaked with each stroke, while my claws often caught on it much like they would on tree bark. Yet despite several strokes, I never broke through. After a short burst of digging, I stopped, too confused to continue.
I jumped back when the side of the den fell away with an odd buzzing sound. My surprise was replaced by a glare Tilhack echoed when we saw two humans sitting inside. Neither one had more than a thin layer of their strange hides, and their bottom paws were completely bare. Both of us growled, daring them to make a move. The humans were like stones that stank of fear. One of them soon stank of urine too.
A bark from behind sent everything ablaze. The pet wolves had found us. The other dens opened all at once, cries and barks from the humans erupting from everywhere. One of the humans in front of me grabbed a thunder stick. He aimed it forward, except I wasn’t there anymore. By the time the human leveled it, my paws were on his chest. I kept going, planting my jaws on the human’s neck before he could make a sound. A blur, crack, and gargle beside me announced Tilhack had taken care of the other human.
CRAACKCRAACK CSHOOSHOO shooshoo shoo
Whimpers followed. My heart stopped, but only for a moment. I couldn’t let myself think. I could only act now, to save what I could.
Tilhack and I burst from the den, right into the fray. Estrella had a human on his back, trying desperately to keep her fangs away from him. Lonate vanished behind a den, right in front of another thunder stick as it went off. The blast rang in my ears, but I knew it was too late to harm the pup sitter.
The human shifted his stick toward me, only to drop it so he could try and fend off a pair of rasping mockingbirds, both pecking at his eyes. About time he did something useful with his beak. I was already advancing toward him. By the time he chased the birds off, I was in the air. His eyes doubled in size right before my jaws hit his neck. He died the moment we hit the ground.
I had yet to see any sign of Jinta or Folar since the beginning of the fight. I heard whimpers and barks, some human, but I couldn’t tell who was making which, or what any of them meant. That is, except for a pair of snarls I had no trouble identifying. I found two of the pet wolves charging toward me, intent on ripping me and Tilhack apart.
One rolled on the ground with Tilhack, both trading snaps. The female, Marron, tried to do the same with me. Turned out her snarl didn’t fit her fangs, for she didn’t place her attack well. Her first bite would have caught scruff at best, assuming it got past my nose. I sent my fangs straight into her, forcing her to recoil to avoid a return bite. Even then, I managed an impressive cut on her muzzle.
She and I snarled death at each other, dancing around one another as we traded glancing blows that meant nothing. My strikes drew blood more than hers, but we never quite got into a full tussle. Marron couldn’t find a way to get in to me, and I didn’t dare forget my surroundings, lest a human catch me off guard.
“I’m sorry this happened,” Marron said. “I wanted to see you after we had our hunt. Would have been so much sweeter.”
Sheesh. Rajor, Folar, now Marron? Are there any wolves out here that don’t hate me? “Your hunt ends here,” I said aloud. “You’ll not threaten my pack ever again.”
“Too late for that, whelp. Even now, your pack feels the sting of our power. Your black alpha will die first, then his two pups, then all who remain. They’ll pay for what you did to the human I loved.”
Pups? My pack had no pups. And why such an exact number? No wolf would assume I had such a small litter. Not unless they’d seen...
My heart stopped solid this time. Two pups? Black alpha?
“Rajor.”
Only then did I realize a pet wolf was still missing. That meant a human or two was likely with him, which meant someone was hunting Rajor even now. He’ll never survive. He doesn’t know humans like I do. They’ll kill him before he has the chance to defend himself.
I was so appalled, I missed Marron’s advance. My mockingbird, however, didn’t. He descended from the skies, fluttering and rasping in her face. One peck nearly caught her eye, forcing her to slow so she could snap at him. Unlike me, she missed entirely. Then Lonate came from nowhere to tackle her from the side, his snarl loud enough to snap me out of my trance. I noticed Tilhack behind him, bloodied but still breathing, while the pet he’d been fighting lay to the side. The pet was covered in blood, with his head at an angle that made it clear he wouldn’t be a threat anymore. Between two dens, I also saw Folar locked in combat with the remaining pet. Both their coats were marred in wounds, though thank Wolfor, Folar’s previous wound hadn’t reopened yet.
A blast of thunder rattled me again. While I didn’t see who was hit, if anyone, I thought of how Rajor wouldn’t fair as well. At best, he’d scare the humans a little before they killed him. The pack would likely follow. Would there be a Lonate this time, or would they all die?
Panic set in like I had felt only once before. The first time, I had been running from a father who’d just banished me. Now, I tore through the human dens, mostly forgetting the ongoing battle. Someone called after me, but thunder drowned it out. I never really heard either. I refused to let the pack suffer, no matter what the cost. No matter their crime.
I ran faster than I ever had. I blew through the forest, totally ignoring Rajor’s scent marker. I couldn’t let it happen. If anyone was going to kill Rajor, it would be me or old age, and I had already refused the chance. I went for the den area. The top of the hillside rushed toward me in a blur. There I saw the pet wolf Harso and a crouching human, thunder stick in his paws.
I pushed my legs for everything they had left. Harso turned to see what the noise was, but he didn’t have time to recognize the threat. I blew past him,
reaching for the human’s neck and shoulder.
CRAACK CSHOO cshoo shoo
My fangs had hit him just as the stick went off. The thunder rang in my ears, too loudly to know if I heard whines or just imagined it. I knew my bites never found skin, or at least, I never found blood. I tore through some kind of thick pelt, but it was more fluff than flesh, and it never bled. The human fell to the ground, grunting more surprise than pain, while his thunder stick clattered out of his reach in the dirt.
I recoiled for a better bite at his neck, but felt someone else bite on my shoulder before I could try. I’d forgotten Harso. I yelped in pain, then it became a snarl as I turned to face the pet wolf. Blood stained my leg, pain warned of damage, but the snarl of the other wolf wouldn’t let me heed it.
Harso recoiled, then charged. My sprint and injury allowed Harso to push me onto my back, but after so many fights with Rajor and others, I was not about to die that easily. I bit the side of Harso’s neck before he could get to mine. The strikes slowed him enough for me to get back on my paws and meet him fang-to-fang.
Our jaws locked with each other in a stalemate. We would push each other to the ground, but neither could do any real damage to the other. Both muzzles, heads, and legs still bled as our fangs dripped with the blood of the other. Dust from our fight covered us like a fog. My shoulder screamed, but I ignored it. I would not lose to a pet. Toltan would never forgive me for it.
He pushed me to the ground again. When Harso tried for a final bite, my good paw came up and snapped his jaw shut. As he shook his head, I rolled onto my paws and lunged. Harso defended his neck, except I wasn’t going there. My fangs hit right where I wanted: dead center of the left eye. Harso yelped and retreated as my fang punctured the eyeball. He pawed at his eye, still whimpering, giving me the chance I’d planned for. I knocked Harso over onto his side, and with him still whining in pain, I landed a lethal bite on his throat. He wasn’t whining much longer after that.
I turned to face the human, then froze when I saw him standing there, still as a stone, with his thunder stick pointed right at me. My wounds were too serious too ignore any longer. I knew I’d never get to him in time. The human had a perfect chance, leaving me only to snarl, furious that I’d lose my life to this whelp with little fur and no fangs.
The human pushed the thunder stick into his shoulder. The end remained pointed at me, and I waited for it.
CRECRAACK CRESHOO shoo sho
There was some kind of flash near the middle of the thunder stick. The human immediately dropped it, yelping pain as he held one paw in the other. I was too busy trying to understand why I wasn’t dead to react. Surely he hadn’t missed. Had Wolfor somehow protected me from the blast? Had something gone wrong? Was I dead and just didn’t know it?
Before I could find an answer, a streak of black fur flew in from the side. Rajor. He leapt into the human’s chest and planted him in the ground. My brother tore the human apart before he could finish a yelp.
Rajor stood over the human, growling with each heavy breath. It was only then I noticed his left ear was bleeding. Upon closer inspection, I realized a nick was missing where his ear pocket should be. Too clean for any bite wound or hunting injury. That’s when the last few minutes returned to my mind. The human had missed a kill by that much. Then I remembered the battle I left. Estrella? My pack!
I turned to run, then yelped as my shoulder made it clear it had nothing left to give. I fell onto my side, which only made it hurt worse. With one shoulder ruined, and another leg full of bite marks, it became a battle in and of itself just to find my footing. It didn’t matter. I had to find a way. I couldn’t stay there, not when they might need me.
A sharp voice knocked me down from behind. “Hey, cut it out. You’ll only make it worse.”
I looked back to snarl, only to have it lodge in my throat. I couldn’t hide my fear when I saw Rajor standing there, alone. Now he had all the right. I’d been warned twice, yet here I was, a lone wolf, violating the territory of my former pack, too injured to run or defend myself. I managed a convincing glare, but I couldn’t stop myself from shaking. Half from fear, half from anger. To think, after everything, this is how it ends.
Rajor’s ears pulled back, not without a cringe, yet his lips never curled. “Don’t. You have nothing to—”
“Don’t you dare, Rajor!”
Both he and I turned straight eared toward the voice. I knew it better than Rajor long before I saw its owner. Estrella appeared like a spirit screaming our way, except she was very real, very alive, and very, very angry.
Estrella planted herself between me and Rajor, every hair on end, her fangs dripping with fresh blood, as did her fur from her wounds. It wasn’t until a moment later that I noticed Lonate had come only a few steps behind her. He looked less injured than her, but no less fierce. Why am I not surprised?
“Don’t you dare touch him, Rajor,” Estrella snarled. “I don’t care what the law says. He just saved your neck. You owe him.”
Rajor’s pack gathered on the hillside behind him. Even the pups were there, if at a safe distance. Rajor glanced back at them all, then stared at me, as best he could through Estrella, for a long time. Long enough for me to feel the blood run from my wounds.
Rajor’s ears fell for a moment. When they rose, he addressed Estrella first.
“Please, let me talk to him.”
My ears perked straight. A respectful request? From Rajor? What next? Estrella gets pessimistic?
“What could you possibly have to say to him?” Estrella said.
What indeed? I couldn’t leave without knowing. At the very least, I had to make sure this was really my brother who was saying these things.
“Let him speak, Estrella,” I said.
When Estrella glared at me, I returned it with a forward ear tick. She sighed, pulled back her ears, then stepped behind me.
“I’m watching you, Rajor,” she said.
She licked my shoulder while Rajor took deep breaths first. Even then, he kept swallowing as if he had a pinecone in his throat. At times, I wondered if he was going to faint, while others, I expected him to start snarling. Not once did I see the Rajor I’d grown up with.
“Luna,” he said. “Luna, I have to know something.”
This should be interesting. “What could I tell you?”
“Why did you never kill me?”
That got everyone’s attention. Even Estrella stopped mid-lick to stare at him. I tilted my head, not quite sure I heard right.
“What?” I said. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve had the chance. As pups, you had the chance before you knew the law. As adults, you had more chances. Last fall, you had the chance, and all the right, to kill me. You never did. Why?”
Like you care about my reasoning. I couldn’t get past the old bully I knew as a pup. I rose despite great pain and tried to look as proud as I could.
“You wouldn’t understand,” I said. “It’s a concept beyond you.”
“Luna!” Rajor said. He was almost whimpering. “Please! I need to know.”
I almost left him to wonder. I almost left to exact the only revenge I could. Folar stopped me. Or rather, his near-miss stopped me. So much rage after all that time, and he’d had every right, as I did now. Except Folar’s rage had almost cost him his life. What would mine cost? My life I could handle, but Tilhack? Lonate? Estrella? How many of them would pay for my rage? Did I have that right?
Then there was Rajor himself. Jinta said he wasn’t the same wolf, and more and more, I agreed. Ever since the winter, he’d yet to try for even the smallest of insults or slights toward me. Now he stood there, so desperate for an answer, he was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Nothing like the brother I knew, just as I was nothing like the pup that drove Folar away. Yet despite my best efforts to prove that, Folar had refused to forgive me. Just as I didn’t want to forgive Rajor. To say nothing of Toltan, whom I never forgave until I saw the pain he carried.
&nb
sp; Finally, there was Marron. Her rage had ruined her ability to fight. Only our surroundings had kept me from tossing her aside and ending her. She wanted revenge, even after so much time had passed. Here I had a chance to exact some of my own. Were we so different in that desire?
I looked at my brother, trying to see the bully. I wanted to see the evil thing that had cursed me, gotten me banished for a crime I didn’t commit. I tried hard. I used every lie. Instead, I saw the blood from Rajor’s ear. How close he’d come. How close Folar had come. How much it had cost Marron. I couldn’t let that happen again.
Not to myself, or Rajor, or anyone.
“You’re my brother,” I said at last. “Despite all you’ve done, you’ve never changed that. We share the same blood, as does much of this pack. I could no more kill you than I could kill my own pups. It was all I had left when I was banished.” I rubbed against Estrella. “Turns out, that’s all I ever needed.”
Rajor had a hard time finding words at first. He still appeared to be in pain after he’d found enough to work with. “Then... then you... you came for me? You fought to... to save me?”
“You, them, my blood, my pack, they’re worth dying for. They always have been.”
Rajor stood frozen and silent. His pack looked amongst themselves, unsure what to do. I watched them all, praying my death might yet be avoided.
“Come on,” Estrella said. “The others are wounded, but alive. Even the birds made it out in one piece. They’ll perk up a lot when they see you.”
“What of the humans?” I asked.
“Dead,” Lonate said. “We had to kill them all. They insisted on fighting instead of running.”
My ears slowly turned back. Foolish creatures. What a waste. “No one said they were the smartest of beings. Well, at least it’s over. Time we went home with the rest of the pack.”