by Jane H Wood
The rangers nodded their understanding, each acknowledging what was at stake.
27
It was early morning and overcast skies hung over Joel and his family. A cool breeze ruffled the alpha male’s fur, and he ambled to the top of the rise to stare out over the terrain of thinning forest and grasslands.
Mira shifted restlessly, feeling her mate leave her side. She lifted her eyes to follow his progress up the slope. She knew Joel was concerned for Kegg’s well-being, because she too was desperate to find her son. Quietly she got to her paws, leaving the safety of their shallow scrape, and wandered over to him.
The subtle loss of warmth awoke Skeena and Pepper from their slumber among the twigs and leaf litter. The young pup poked his head through the dry stemmed grasses, his curiosity getting the better of him as he watched his adopted parents standing a few yards away, their heads almost touching, as if in quiet conversation.
Over by a clump of bushes, the smell of wolf drifted on the wind. Tuke was standing a little way off, on guard duty. He gazed meaningfully at his father and mother, wondering if they’d caught the scent, but their attention was fixed far away. Their concern for Kegg was consuming them, their minds unable to think of anything else.
Almost comically, a grey head peered through the bushes and stared nervously at Tuke. Then another wolf, a female, appeared beside him, her expressive eyes displaying a certain wariness and the wide-eyed fear of a chased rabbit.
Tuke’s fur rippled at the sight of them. He changed his stance, ready to fight if necessary. Drawing himself to his full height, he took a step forward.
‘Who are you, and what do you want?’ he asked, standing squarely in front of them.
The male wolf crept out into the open, keeping his head low, although his eyes didn’t stray from Tuke’s face. Behind him, the female hesitated nervously before stepping forward in the same uneasy manner.
‘My name is Brack, and this is Lantern. You may not remember us,’ he started to say, pausing to lick his mouth. ‘You and your siblings were just pups. But we belonged to the same pack. Joel, your father, was our leader,’ he answered, and bowed low, adopting a submissive posture in front of Tuke.
Tuke waited uncertainly, taking in their run-down bedraggled appearance. Slowly, Brack lifted his head, his golden eyes focusing on the top of the rise, keenly watching the two alpha wolves.
‘What do you want?’ prompted Tuke again, his voice deepening aggressively.
Skeena felt her brother’s anxieties and trotted to his side. She had recognised the wolves for the traitors they were, having sided with Gower in their complacency and meekly watched as her family was forced out.
‘We have escaped Gower’s insane leadership; his pack is no more. We are repentant and only wish to join you,’ pleaded Brack, licking his mouth in anxiety.
Lantern stepped forward and spoke, her voice soft and unaggressive.
‘Tuke, you are going to be a great leader one day, for your father is the greatest wolf I know. Born in you is the power of understanding and great compassion; please see that we are truly sorry for our actions.’ Lantern crouched low and closed her eyes. She had spoken from her heart; they would either be accepted or attacked.
Tuke turned to Skeena, searching for any kind of guidance, but she was at a loss as to what to say.
Joel and Mira had been observing the newcomers from their advantageous position atop the rise. They’d listened to the conversation between them and their firstborn son, and Joel wasn’t going to interfere with Tuke’s decision. He knew these wolves well; they weren’t really bad but they had been disloyal. He was interested to see how Tuke was going to handle the situation.
The young wolf wasn’t sure what was expected of him and faced his father, hoping he would release him from his dilemma.
‘Father!’ he called, his tone pleading.
Joel relented and took a couple of steps forward.
‘The pack is only strongest when everyone knows their place,’ he said, tilting his head over to one side in a slight nod.
Finally, Tuke understood what he had to do. These wolves had stood idly by and done nothing to intervene or prevent what followed. He would punish them for their indolence.
Brack only had a moment’s warning; the stance, the flattened ears and the snarl all came at once as Tuke lunged for the wolf’s flank, sinking his teeth firmly into his haunch. He squealed in pain and immediately rolled onto his back, exposing his underbelly, refusing to fight back. Lantern received the same chastisement and adopted the same submissive posture.
Joel surveyed the scene impassively, then finally left his lookout point and joined his son. The young wolf had done well, just enough to reinstate the hierarchy within the pack, proving himself to be a worthy member. But there was one final thing he must do to reinstate his own dominance as leader. With aggression but restraint, Joel stood straddling the cowering figure of Brack as he lay trembling on his back.
‘I will allow you both to join us, but only if you tell me where Gower has taken my son,’ he growled, staring into the frightened eyes of the subordinate wolf.
‘Yes, yes, my leader, I, I will try to remember,’ stuttered the wolf, his eyes darting this way and that, desperately looking for an escape route.
Joel didn’t move, his teeth just inches from Brack’s face.
‘Well? Speak now, or I will finish you myself,’ he said through clenched teeth.
‘Towards the blue mountains. That’s where they were leading young Kegg, I’m sure of it!’ wailed Brack, looking at Lantern for her support.
She was crouching low just a short distance away, her eyes wide open in fear. Joel swivelled towards the female, searching for confirmation.
‘Yes… yes, my leader,’ she stuttered. ‘Brack speaks true, for I saw it myself.’
Joel moved a few paces away from the frightened wolves.
‘Come! We will travel to the blue mountains. But be warned, if I see any sign of treachery, you will both die,’ he said contemptuously.
With a reproving glance at his old pack members, he resumed their journey westwards. Mira stayed at his shoulder, while Tuke, Skeena and Pepper trotted either side of them.
No one spoke as they travelled. Joel knew he had been lenient with the traitors; if it had been any other wolves than these two, who had served him loyally in the past, they would be dead by now. The female had also proved her worth by staying to face her punishment and displaying loyalty towards the male wolf Brack.
But they’d better not be lying, or he would kill them by nightfall, he thought to himself. He was feeling bitter and hopeful at the same time. He hated to be made a fool of, or to appear weak in front of his mate and offspring, but this could lead to Kegg. He had to trust them.
In accordance with their lowly status Brack and Lantern tagged along behind the family. They had succeeded in gaining Joel’s trust and in return had been reinstated as pack members. They were feeling relieved because now they had the security of numbers again, belonging to a pack which contained six strong adult wolves.
After travelling most of the day the landscape changed from green pasturelands to dwindling forests and dry rocky wilderness.
‘How much further?’ asked Joel, glancing at Brack and Lantern.
The female appeared uneasy and her demeanour made Joel feel suspicious. Perhaps they were walking into a trap and Gower was just a short distance ahead waiting for them.
Brack darted a glance to his left and right nervously, for he didn’t really know where Gower had gone. He had only seen the rough direction in which they’d fled. It was possible they might have deviated somewhere else entirely.
‘Um, the mountains are just there, my leader. We are heading on a true course,’ he said hesitantly.
Joel wasn’t stupid, he could see the mountains in front of them. Brack’s failure to answer the
question, knowing full well what he meant, made the fur on his back bristle in annoyance. The alpha wolf stepped closer so that he was staring into his frightened eyes and spoke in a harsh whisper.
‘You and Lantern will lead the way, and any sign or disturbance I don’t like, well, you know what I’m capable of,’ he snarled. Without a word, the two subordinate wolves assumed the lead.
The last of the day’s light was fading fast. They hadn’t eaten all day and Joel knew that soon the need to hunt would be irresistible. He had spotted many burrows on their approach to the water pool, indicating small mammals, like hares and mink, were in the vicinity. It would be a paltry meal, but at least it would sustain them for a while.
As they drew closer, a fear, tangible and clammy, hung in the air. The birds had left this area long ago, the herds too. The only constant was the sound of the wind howling through the mountains’ jagged pathways.
***
‘When are you going to do it, my leader?’ asked Borrin, licking his mouth in excited anticipation.
Gower had been pacing back and forth along the dusty cave floor. His eyes were on Kegg, sitting in the corner apparently oblivious to his impending fate. In truth, he felt frightened of the strange-looking wolf.
The three of them had been holed up in the shallow cave since the morning. It was there, in the gloom, that Kegg finally understood the confusing visions in his daydreams. He had reached the age of fourteen months, and adulthood, although still a young adult with a lot to learn, but everything made more sense now.
The little voice laughed, because at last his brother could hear him clearly. Kegg listened to Glyth’s soft gentle voice speaking, warning him of what was to come. A hazy shadow formed in Kegg’s mind, showing him, urging him to follow and lead them to safety. Unaware of his captors, he began speaking out loud, answering his brother.
‘He is from the devil’s flesh, an evil presence, my leader! He must die!’ wailed Borrin, wide-eyed with fear, transfixed on Kegg.
Both Borrin and Gower had taken it in turns to try and kill the mutant wolf, but every time one of them approached to commit the dreaded deed, Kegg would gaze at them with such benevolence and understanding that the perpetrator would cower away in shame.
‘He has accepted his fate, my leader, and will not fight back. Perhaps together we can kill him… if we don’t look into his eyes,’ snivelled Borrin.
Gower studied Kegg. Everything about him was strange, almost unearthly. Then something sparked in his memories concerning his mother, dead many moons ago. She knew about the ancient legends and myths, the stories once told to every pup that was born. Gower’s mind slowly brought him to the only conclusion possible.
‘He’s a seer! That’s what he is… He, he has a link with our ancestors! He knows what is to come!’ gasped Gower, his eyes almost popping out of his skull at this monumental discovery.
Kegg took no notice of his outburst and pulled himself up onto his paws and wandered over to the opening. He stood there unchallenged, high on the ledge, wondering if he’d imagined the familiar voice drifting on the wind.
Gazing with a new-found stillness, he watched the shifting skies. The sun was a golden orb lingering on the horizon, its radiance soft, and dimming with each passing second, as early evening shadows swept across the valley floor beneath him.
It was almost time, and he felt his heart quicken as the last of the sun dipped out of sight. Within seconds, the moon appeared, draping an eerie silvery light over everything. It was beautiful. Kegg was excited, and yet afraid too.
‘I will help you. Trust me to the end, my beloved brother, for a new dawn will soon be here,’ whispered Glyth.
Kegg waited, his paws teetering on the edge of the ledge, surveying their beautiful lands, the plains and green forests in the distance. A scent on the wind filled his nostrils. My family will soon be here, he thought, with a sigh of contentment.
An overwhelming urge gripped him, compelled him, like the stars have to shine in the night sky. He let the feeling take him, and he howled long and loud, calling a greeting of welcome.
A wolf was howling in the distance. Joel and Mira pricked up their ears and listened. Tuke spoke first for he knew his brother’s voice.
‘Kegg…! Father, Mother, it’s Kegg, I know it!’ And without a thought for his own safety he raced off to find him.
‘Wait!’ yelped Joel, and with a flash of paws sprinted after him.
Mira heard the apprehension in her mate’s voice and set off at speed. Caught up in the excitement of finding her brother, Skeena didn’t wait to be told – she was already on the move, with Pepper racing to catch her.
Brack and Lantern held back, reluctant to encounter Gower again.
Tuke was oblivious to everything else around him, except the sound of Kegg’s howling. It was an uplifting rallying call to all wolves. A call that echoed across the wilderness, and through the mountains. A voice louder than just one voice, as echo rebounded off echo, spiralling outwards across the vast open plains and onwards through the surrounding boreal forests.
The young wolf howled back in response, caught up in the frenzy of the night, the moonlight creating an ethereal world, where fantasy and things forgotten were reborn. Every wolf who heard the call felt empowered and was drawn towards the voice of the one.
Thorn and his pack were galloping westwards and also heard the call. It meant something to them, the voice was summoning them, and drawn like a magnet they hastened towards it.
Panting hard, Tuke arrived at the foot of an impressive wall of jagged rock. He stopped and gazed upwards. High up the mountainside, standing on a ledge, was Kegg, seemingly oblivious to the knowledge that his family had arrived, so wrapped up was he in his song, howling at the moon. A long mournful song of sadness, and yet hope.
But Tuke didn’t feel sad; the song his brother sang was enchanting him, drawing him in. He climbed steadily up the rocky trail, eager to reach him.
Meanwhile, Joel and Mira had reached the mountain, and following keenly were Skeena and little Pepper.
‘Tuke! Slow down!’ howled Joel as loudly as he could.
But Tuke couldn’t hear his father; so focused on reaching his brother, he was deaf to all else.
Gower had crept through a linking passageway and emerged overlooking Kegg. He stared down at the mutant wolf standing precariously close to the edge of the narrow ledge. It was now or never, he thought, preparing to jump, calculating when Joel would arrive at the spot.
Far below, the wolf was weaving its way up the rocky trail. Gower guessed he had perhaps half a minute before Joel would be directly beneath him and standing alongside the golden-haired freak.
Then he would launch himself, landing squarely in the middle of their backs and knocking both wolves off the ledge and to their deaths. He chuckled to himself as he visualised his two enemies tumbling down the mountainside. Spittle dribbled from his mouth in mounting excitement, and he licked it away absent-mindedly, continuing to watch Joel’s dark mottled body climbing up the trail.
He was almost there. Panting with elation that he was finally going to do it, Gower launched himself.
Suddenly he was flying through the air, aiming at the two unsuspecting wolves on the ledge beneath him. Almost immediately he landed with a sickening thud, feeling their bodies collapse under his weight and fall sideways.
The still evening air erupted in a heartfelt squealing of pain as Tuke and Kegg succumbed to the impact of Gower landing on top of them.
Gower regained his balance first, brutally seizing Joel by his throat.
Tuke was held in a precarious position on the narrow ledge with Gower bearing down on his windpipe. With unyielding strength the young wolf twisted his body, trying to break free, and in the tussle all three wolves lost their footing and toppled off the ledge.
In a tangle of bodies they fell, tumbling off rocks, br
inging scree and dirt careering downhill with them. Until, in a chorus of breaking twigs and clattering stones, the three wolves landed heavily among a group of dry shrubs.
Joel had climbed halfway up the mountain trail before witnessing the cowardly attack on his sons. He was too far away and powerless to help; he could only watch as they fell off the ledge.
Cold fury made him turn and hurtle himself back down the trail.
Among the shattered remains of the bushes, Gower lifted his head and stared wide-eyed at the wolf next to him.
‘You! You are not Joel!’ he snarled. ‘But I’ll kill you anyway!’ And he pounced, sinking his teeth into the side of Tuke’s throat.
The young adult was defenceless on his back with Gower standing over him, shaking him violently. Tuke struggled, bringing his hind legs up, and with all his strength pushed them against Gower’s stomach and groin, forcing the wolf to disengage. In a scramble, the wolves clashed again, each trying to gain dominance over the other.
Bewildered, Kegg regained his paws and shook his head, gradually feeling his mind clearing.
Within a few blistering seconds Joel had descended the mountainside and charged into Gower’s shoulder, the momentum sending them both somersaulting backwards. Joel rolled onto his paws and with distaste spat out the fur and flesh he’d ripped from this cowardly wolf’s body. He stood panting, surveying the wolf lying there, stunned by his ferocious attack. So incensed was he by Gower’s audacity to steal his son in the first place, then to try and kill him and his brother right before his eyes, he was spiked with an overpowering urge to kill him. Joel’s eyes bore into Gower’s as he slowly advanced.
Mira hated to see wolves killing each other.
‘Stop! No more, Joel. He’s had enough, can’t you see?’ she pleaded, her heart pounding with fear as she watched her mate fighting to remain in control of his anger.
Seconds passed and finally Joel’s temper was under control.