Robert nodded, turned and watched Sharlia walk up behind them.
She stayed in the shadows of the trees. She hated the sun. It would not hurt her but it just felt wrong to her. Being in it was just not her time of day. When she reached them, hearing what they said and feeling what they felt, she wished she had not. She wished she stayed to the trees. If she did not have to say what she did, she would have done just that. “My friends? We need rest. My people need to sleep.” She gave both of them a nod. She also swallowed shallowly.
Robert returned the nod, thankful for the interruption. Anymore of this, this pain, he knew that he would break down. He had to do something to stop it.
Kenar could not agree more. “Yes. We all need rest.” He turned back to Rochie. “We will head back to the cabin. We will rest, and wait for Kalima.”
Robert nodded. The images faded some, but stayed. He just acknowledged them, and turned back to Sharlia.
The three of them left the tree line and followed a small path through the trees. They headed back to a small log built cabin inside the trees only an hour from the field.
There they would wait for Kalima to come back home.
17
“Where are we going?” Sasha asked as they made it north from Glasgow. Deep green fields stood all around them. Some of her felt fascinated by everything. She had never been to Scotland before, and found her eyes wandering, but another part of her felt trepidation. They were moving closer to the fight that she knew was coming. It was a tough mix for her, seeing the magical area, but knowing how dangerous it really was. Not knowing where they were going also made her feel concerned. Ever since leaving the plane, Jimmy had been acting strange. He seemed lost, but yet, at the same time, he seemed found. He seemed almost like he had come home, but did not like it that he was. Everything she felt from him felt strange beyond her years. She just did not know what to think about any of it.
Cassandra walked right beside her. As far as she was concerned, they were home. The land looked like a calming breath of air that was hard to explain. It felt comfortable. It just felt right. “We are heading to meet the others.” She felt them almost there. Her pack was just beyond the hill. She could feel them, and she could not wait to see them again.
Jimmy walked just ahead of everyone. He looked around and knew the area. It not only looked familiar, but he did remember it. “This feels so weird.” He kept his eyes forward, as he walked with strength. He knew every patch of ground. He knew the air. He knew this place like the back of his hand. I found this area a few centuries ago, just before I went to Ireland. He thought about Collins. He thought back to why he found it. I found this place to keep to the area. I needed it to gather everyone together. It felt right. It felt justified, and with everything that happened, he was right. It was not just justified; it was downright prudent to say the least.
“What does?” Sasha had to ask him. “What feels weird?”
Jimmy laughed some before he answered her. “The ground, the air, everything feels so right to me.” He took a deep breath and could smell a deep must heavily on the air. He could now smell all of them. “I can see why I chose it.” He was right. Their scents carried perfectly to him from the trees. With it, he could follow them perfectly. This was the best place to find them again. It was the perfect choice.
They came to the top of the hill and there they stopped. A stand of trees now stood in front of them, and there, just before the trees, more than a dozen other people stood there waiting for them.
Seeing them, Sasha gasped. “How many are we?” She too could smell their scents. She too could breathe them in. She knew there were some of them, but with seeing how many there were the sight almost blew her mind. There were more of them than she thought there would be. She truly didn’t know how to contain what she felt. Seeing them, smelling them, feeling them, she felt like she had finally come home. In fact, she now knew she was.
“There are twenty of us. They are the four packs.” Cassandra waved her right arm to all of them and watched as they waved back. She felt proud. She felt completely content.
Sasha heard this and turned back to Jimmy, who was now standing beside her, and gave him a smile. “You have been busy, haven’t you?” She chuckled some under her breath. She felt marveled by everything all at once.
Jimmy only nodded. “I guess I know why I ran now.” He could not take his eyes off them. He could not have believed about how many there really were. It was just downright amazing to see right.
Sasha felt surprised by this. “Ran?” She looked back to the group. “What does that mean?” she had to ask.
He chuckled some. “I ran around the world. I ran to find them.” He motioned down the hill. “I knew what I was doing, after all.” He looked at her, saw her wide eyes, and chuckled again. Thinking back, he saw it all. He told them to build him an army, and now seeing that army standing just before the trees, he truly felt confidence boiling up inside his chest. He was also simply overjoyed to say the least.
Sasha just shrugged. “Whatever you say Jimmy.” She smiled, and turned to Cassandra as she watched her smile.
Cassandra turned to both of them as she took one-step down the hillside. “They are all here.” She nodded. “As you can see, we did what you asked. We made as many as we could without being noticed.”
He laughed with this. “I see you did.” He gave her a nod, and together, he and Sasha followed her down the hill. Before long, they joined the group just before the trees.
A man, tall and large, as large as a tree was, greeted Cassandra first. “Cassandra?” He hugged her quickly. He released her just as fast. He saw Jimmy first. “Who’s this?”
Jimmy and Sasha stopped directly behind Cassandra.
She turned from him and looked back to Jimmy. “Dandridge, this is Kalima.” She held out her left arm to Jimmy and dropped it again. “The young one is Sasha.” She waved the same arm to her. She then turned back to the man. “They are the same as we.”
Jimmy watched him closely. He looked at his baldhead. He looked at his dark eyes. He looked at his bold chin. He did not recognize him at all. Hearing his name, he gave him a nod, and tipped his head. “Dandridge.” He now prepared himself for what he knew was about to come next. They did not disappoint him in the least.
“This is Kalima?” Dandridge, a man in his mid-twenties easily, pointed at him with a slight of hand.
Jimmy recognized his gesture. He heard the doubt within his voice. He knew what it meant. He doesn’t believe her. He doesn’t believe that I’m Kalima. That looked said. “I am Kalima.” He looked around at the group. They all looked different. They all looked young. They all looked just like all of them always had. In the end, they all looked perfect too.
Dandridge stepped up to him until they were face to face. He then took a deep and heavy breath. When he finished it, he smiled. “This is the great and mighty wolf, huh?” He then let out a huge and magnificent laugh.
The others in front of the trees all laughed too.
Jimmy had to admit, he did not expect this, but he did understand it. They expected someone a little bigger—maybe a little stronger looking too. He passed them all a very bashful little smile
Cassandra laughed too.
Sasha felt like Jimmy, except she did not understand any of this. “What’s with the laughing?” She had to ask.
Cassandra was about to answer her, but Dandridge cut her off.
“I expected someone a little—well—bigger.” He laughed again.
As he did, Cassandra now had the chance to answer her. “They expected someone, well, huge.” She looked at Jimmy and saw the look of bewilderment on his face, so she continued. “Our stories about you preceded your return.” She kept the smile. “You were larger than life. You looked just as large.”
Jimmy nodded. “Whatever.” He shrugged and took off his shirt. If they want more, than I’ll give them what they want.
Sasha watched him doing it. “What are you doing?” she just
had to ask. She had no idea what he was thinking.
He dropped the shirt at his feet. “If they want to test me, they can.” He slid off his shoes from his feet.
Dandridge’s eyes widened. He did not expect this move, and because of it, he was not sure of what to do about it. Instead, he just stood there and stared.
The others behind him did the same thing. They just stood there and looked at each other.
Cassandra stepped up to Jimmy. “He didn’t challenge you Kalima. He was just kidding.” She could feel his heart racing. He could feel the air flushing through his chest. Feeling everything, seeing his shirt hit the ground, she expected the worst.
She truly looked concerned and because of it, Jimmy undid the button on his jeans. “He doesn’t think I’m worthy.” He pulled down his pants. He knew what was going on. He was not being challenged per say, but he was being diminished. For a wolf, this was worse than being challenged. It was the sign of a lack of respect, and because of this, he knew that he had to stand his ground. He had to prove that he was what he was.
Cassandra watched him and turned back to Dandridge. She did not know what to do about this, but did know that she had to get out of the way. She did just this, and stepped back.
Sasha nodded, did the same thing, and joined Cassandra’s side.
Dandridge nodded. He of course understood this too, so he removed his clothes. Once he was naked, he called on the eyes at the back of his mind.
They all watched his skin turn instantly ashen black, and watched as his black fur oozed out of his body. He grew tall on his hind back paws, just as his large long snout pushed out from his face.
Jimmy watched him change. He admired seeing it. He respected a wolf that would battle for what they believed in, and besides, they had to do this. He had to. He had to win their respect. He needed their help for the upcoming fight.
He called on the eyes at the back of his mind.
Dandridge now fully formed, rushed him just as fast.
He met him just as Kalima formed.
Their bodies crashed in to each other’s with such force that Cassandra and Sasha could feel the air break just in front of their faces. It was an awesome feeling, as the wind smacked their cheeks. It was a powerful sight as two seven-foot tall beasts came together in a mash of muscle and fur.
Dandridge could not even get his arms wrapped around Kalima, because just as he reached him, he had his clawed hands brought up over his head.
Grasping them with his own powerful claws, Kalima pulled him straight off his pawed feet and lifted him up over his head.
He roared.
He bellowed.
He howled as he showed everyone his strength.
With one graceful motion, and with utmost power, he then flung the large wolf over him towards the trees.
He hit the first one there, and with such a powerful force, and with an overwhelming crash, his body broke the tree’s trunk in two.
The top of the tree tumbled to its like behind it, as the Dandridge wolf flew to the ground. He rolled over as the dirt beneath him rebounded in to a cratered mesh of dirt and twigs.
Kalima roared again. It sounded like thunder rolling over the hills. It sounded like all of the great beasts in the world called out at the very same moment. It even shook the ground.
Feeling pain rush through his body, Dandridge formed back into his human form. A massive gash of torn flesh stretched out along his left side. Blood covered his chest. With it, feeling the gash with his right hand, and seeing the blood, he laughed.
The others watched all of this with complete wonder. They watched it with awe. They, to a man and to a woman, admired the show.
Kalima walked to the area of what was left of the tree, and once there, saw Dandridge lying on the ground by the trunk. Standing over him, looking down at him, he stood proud.
Dandridge watched him step over him, and gasped. He also stopped laughing. He also winced. “You are truly him.” He smiled. “By God, you’re stronger than you look.”
Kalima took a huge and powerful breath.
Sasha left Cassandra and joined Kalima’s side. “Do you doubt him now?” She of course never doubted Jimmy, or anything that he could do. She never did once, and because of this, she stood there with him, full of pride.
The others around them now all circled around the beast. Kalima turned and watched them form. He then watched them as they all went down to both of their knees.
Calling on his human side, he slid back to his human form. He then turned back to Dandridge. “I am Kalima.”
Dandridge, still full of shocked pain, winced as he climbed to his knees. “You bested me without so much of an effort.” He could not believe it. He could not argue with it either. He completely understood it—understood him.
Jimmy bowed his head to him and nodded. “You are a great wolf, Dandridge.” He turned to the others, and met their eyes, one at a time. “You are all great wolves.” He looked back to Sasha. “You are all of my children. You are all of my kin. I will fight with all of you. I will stand by your sides. I will cherish and need your strength.”
A young female wolf listened and lifted her head. “What do you wish of us?”
Her voice sounded even younger than Sasha’s voice ever did. He looked down at her and smiled. “There is a fight coming. There is a great battle coming that must be fought. You will fight with me. You may die with me, but it will be one hell of a fight.”
All of the others now stood up. Each of them began to grunt out a muddled moan. It sounded low. It sounded almost like a chant.
Jimmy knew what it meant. His pack was with him. They were ready to follow him to the fight. With it, he knew he was ready. “Now, we must hunt.” He looked back to Sasha, and smiled. “I would be honored to hunt with my family.”
She returned the smile. Seeing him like this, hearing him this way, she finally felt like he was a part of her. He finally felt like her father. He felt like her everything, and now, she loved him more than ever.
He turned to all of them with his eyes flaring to a bright golden yellow. “Let’s hunt!”
They all yelled. They cheered. They each tore off their clothes, as they all called on their eyes.
The entire group turned. All of their black fur sparkled in the setting sun. Twenty-two powerful black wolves now stood in the trees. Even Dandridge managed to turn; being his wounds had already started to heal.
Together, they each lifted their heads and howled.
The sound boomed. It roared. It bellowed through the trees.
The sound even shook the ground.
The pack was now ready for the hunt.
18
She cried for hours, holding her father in her arms. He had not moved since being stabbed through his chest. His face went completely white with all of his blood now lying on the floor around him. His eyes even looked white. His mouth was open, but no breath came from inside his chest. Lifeless and still, he was gone.
“Oh Papa.” Rana cradled him to her chest. She held her father’s hands in her left. She could not believe what they had done. “Why did you leave me? Why did you have to die?” Tears strolled down her face and wet her chin. “Papa?”
Standing around her, those that killed him watched. Three of them did not move. They just locked in place and stared. They did not know how to act. They were not even sure if they should do anything at all.
“Rana?” Rochie stepped between two of them and saw her on the floor. He saw his father lying on her lap. He saw her tears. He saw her crying for him. “Rana?” He felt for her. He feared for her too.
She did move. She moved her left hand to his face. She then caressed both of his cheeks with the back of her hand.
“Rana, we have to go. We have to leave here.” Rochie bent down to his sister’s left side and touched her left shoulder with a soft hand. He truly did not want to force her to move, but they had to leave. He did not have the choice. His people outside told him that more walkers were
on the way. They would be there in a few moments. If they found them there, they would not hesitate to kill all of them in the room. They would not stop for her. They would not stop until all of them—those who killed their friend—were avenged for doing it. They would kill her too.
She held firm. She just cried. She just held on to his body.
He realized this, so he stood back up. “Bring her with us.” He turned to the men—the humans—behind him, and nodded. If he could not move her, someone had to. Again, he did not have the choice. “Force her if she doesn’t come on her own.” He said nothing else. He turned and headed back to the only door to the room.
The humans—two of them, reached down and took her by both arms.
“No!” She fought them. She tried.
They picked her up, kicking and screaming, and pulled her to the door.
She didn’t have the chance. With her mind unfocused for what she saw, for what she felt, she could not do anything. She went with them as they dragged her through the door, and pulled her back outside.
Rochie waited for her as the two men carrying her through her on his horse. He held her in front of him as they then rode off.
They rode for a while until they reached the bank of a river out in the trees. Once they arrived there, they stopped. Rochie hopped off the horse first.
Rana stayed where she was.
Seeing her, he walked over to her and touched her knee. “Rana?” She had to understand why he did what he did. She had to believe him. He had to do something, anything, to make her understand.
She tried not to hear him. She tried not to turn. She kept her eyes forward and did not move.
“Rana?” He dropped his arm. “We had to do it Rana. He had to be stopped.”
Hearing this, she did turn. “How dare you?” Her eyes blared to a deep and bright blue. She blared them to him.
He saw her eyes, and suddenly—and not surprisingly, he could not move. Her power locked him in place before he could even blink. “Rana, please?” He could not stop her from taking him over like this, but even so, he did not fight her. He could never do that. “You know I’m right.” He pleaded with her instead. “You know why I had to do what I did.”
A Werewolf's Saga Books 4, 5, & 6 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets Book 2) Page 51