by T. L Smith
Joe smiled to himself with these thoughts. He knew that George would be very proud of his daughter. Following in his footsteps to become a ranger was one thing. The fact she did her job so thoroughly ... Yup, George would be proud.
Joe was pulled from his thoughts when Roger called out, "Got something!". Both Joe and Julie converged on Rogers location to see what he'd found. "Whatcha got?" asked Joe.
Roger seemed baffled by what he was looking at. "It's some unusual footprints", he said. "I was studying the footprints around the crime scene and most seemed to walk circles around the area. It makes sense that they would be searching the area and were also looking for anything that would lead away from the crime scene. The hiker prints were of a sneaker kind and the police had either a smooth surface from a Patten leather shoe or an army boot type print. But here's the thing," . . . Roger hesitated as he looked again to affirm his initial thoughts. "I found this print dotted sparsely around the crime scene. It's a human footprint, but ends just after the ball of the foot. It's like they were only walking on the front parts of their foot. Who does that? And how can one fight in that sort of stance?" Roger kept glancing back and forth among the obvious prints on the ground. "Most prints would leave a fairly consistent footprint with a connection from heel to toe. These don't. In fact, I haven't found a heel imprint around any of these strange prints. But what is stranger still - is the large paw prints that seem to be dotted in the same areas, right in front of the foot print in fact. Could it be a coincidence? Like maybe wolves had run through here at one time? I guess it could, but I would think the wolf prints would have faded from wind and weather or at least gotten messed up in the scuffle of the battle that had to have happened. As you can see, the paw prints seem to be as clear as the rest of the prints."
Roger stopped talking so Joe and Julie could process what he had told them. They moved through the bush very carefully to be sure they didn't interfere with the evidence. Joe's rule of thumb was to always be thorough, rule out what could be, before settling on what you thought it was. You could tell by the curiosity and confusion passing over their faces that they agreed with Roger. These were definitely very strange prints.
"Guys, have you noticed the size of these paw prints? Have we had any sightings or reports of any extraordinarily large wolves in the park?" asked Julie.
"No, not that I remember", replied Joe while Roger just shook his head. "I'd better tell team four that we won't be arriving at the border on time", Joe mumbled. Stepping away from the area being searched by Roger and Julie, Joe pulled out his radio. "Sector 4, come in." Joe looked around as he waited for their reply. "Sector 4, come in please", he repeated.
"This is Steve in Sector 4, go ahead". "Steve, this is Ranger Warner in Sector 3, we won't be able to get to the rendezvous location by the time agreed. We've found some prints that warrant further examination. You can either continue your scan and wait at the border or hold your current position until further notified. Please advise you decision", Roger said, releasing the button to await their response. "10-4, Ranger Warner. Be advised that we will hold at our present location and wait for word to continue. Sector 4 out". "10-4 Steve, Warner out", said Joe, putting his radio back on its clip and returning to his team. "Now let's see if we can track
us a killer", said Joe.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Luke slowly began releasing pressure on Levi's neck. He felt fairly sure that he had finally submitted, but didn't want to take any chances that he would change his mind once freedom became a possibility. As he pulled his muzzle away, he took a step back to give room for whatever may happen. Levi lay motionless, panting and showing no desire to move. His eyes darted around a bit but whether it was searching for an escape path or to re-orient himself with his surroundings wasn't clear yet.
"Levi, my brother, I don't want to end you. You have lived a lonely, violent and confusing existence, but I'm here to say that you don't have to any longer. It was unfortunate that you were without the pack upon your awakening, but we are here for you now, if only you'll accept it and join us", Luke spoke thru the mental bond. "There are others such as yourself and they have all learned to fit into the pack. We want to welcome you in as well, if you'll let us."
Levi raised his head and rolled over onto his belly from his side where he had dropped from Luke's mouth. His breathing was beginning to slow and heart rate returning to normal. The pain in his neck was slowly dissipating from the fast healing that his body had taken on after the awakening. He shook his head to shake off the remaining stiffness and slowly raised his eyes to the powerful wolf before him. Luke could see the confusion in Levi's eyes. He knew that it would take a bit before Levi could understand what was happening.
"The confusion you are feeling is normal. When the brain begins its shift from the human realm to wolf, it can feel very disorienting. New ways of thinking, new rules, ways of living, it can be a bit overwhelming; but it won't last and it will all become easier to understand and accept as time passes. This would have happened more quickly if you'd have had a pack mate with you when you changed. Now, because of the years that have passed, it may take a while longer before you will forget all that has been normal for you up until now, compared to what it should have been and must now be. Are you willing to accept the pack as your family and return with me so that you may begin your life as it was meant to be?" Luke asked while still holding his posture of power and control over Levi. "You must know, however, that should you choose to deny our invitation, the only other choice to you is death." With that, Luke straightened his stance to solid footing and waited for Levi's response.
With the battle over and Luke seeming to wait patiently for his decision, Levi's brain had calmed enough to allow the man within him to be felt. He didn't have to have control to have a voice, only the suppression of the power that the beast had forced upon him. The man within him was now rejoicing. After being forced to be a part of the murder of many people over the years, he was now overjoyed to have that rein of terror ended. Though there didn't seem to be a conscience within the beast, there was within the man and it had been hell living with what they had done.
Now that his transformation had completed within his brain, the beast was also beginning to see an alternative to the way he'd been existing. The fury he'd been feeling seemed to be slowly dissipating. Though he was a strong wolf, instinctually he knew that he wasn't stronger than Luke, and therefore must submit to the rules laid down before him. Even now, as his body and soul began to accept the coming changes, he could feel a connection to a pack that he had longed for from the beginning. There was still a feeling of confusion that hung around him but Luke had assured him that it wouldn't last, so he began to feel a sense of hope.
Tentatively, Levi reached out with his mind to see if he could speak with Luke as he had done to him. "You say your name is Luke. Are you the leader of the pack?"
Lowering his head a bit to look down to Levi, Luke said, "I am not, but I am the leader's Second in command. That is the reason I am able to use the alpha power."
"What is this "alpha power" you speak of?" asked Levi.
"It is a power that only the Alpha of the pack or his Second, can use and is wielded upon the pack to bring obedience. But with this power that he carries, it also offers protection and love. It offers a place of belonging to those who accept him as their leader. It offers a home and a family to all, so that you never have to be alone again", replied Luke.
Levi dropped his head, nodding in acceptance of what was said. The insanity that he had lived with for many years had left him cold and alone, which only seemed to fuel the fury he felt. He never understood how he came into existence and why he was alone, but over time, the fury consumed these questions along with the desire to have a family or love in his life. Only hate, anger and bloodlust had remained. Now, with the introduction of this powerful wolf and the offer of belonging to a pack of others like himself, Levi's mind calmed in a way that it hadn't from the beginning. And wit
h this calm, the man was able to come forth. His muscles shifted, his spine straightened, claws and fur withdrew and before Luke now stood Levi, the man, and the beast could finally rest.
Luke shifted back to his human form and stepped forward, with hand extended. "Welcome to the family", he said, shaking Levi's hand. "Welcome home".
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Joe's team steadily worked the crime scene area, marking next to the odd footprints with bright florescent spray paint. It seemed strange that the police hadn't made a point of marking the spots. He guessed they were looking for signs of a human perpetrator and just disregarded the paw prints. Since the rangers were trained to consider both man and animal in their investigations, it just came second nature to bring them into evidence.
As they studied the scene, eventually a pattern appeared and they got a better picture of what happened. There were no prints leading into the area which confirmed the perp must have dropped in from the trees. This of course fit the description of how these murders happened in the past cases leading them to believe that they were in fact chasing the same person. When Julie's family was killed long ago it was surmised that it was a fully grown person. That person would be 17 years older now and with the life style they would have been leading, it would only seem right to think that they would have aged roughly and by now would be weakening. "Maybe I'm just reaching for straws", thought Joe to himself. No matter how he tried to rationalize this, it was all very strange and very wrong!
"Guys! Over here!", Julie called. Both men hurried over to Julie to see what she'd found. "I don't know how to explain this but, I'm starting to wonder if this crime scene was done by a man and an animal... his own dog maybe?" Julie said.
Joe could see the old Julie standing before him. He was always amazed by her skills to process the evidence and make sense of it. She was animatedly talking about what she'd found and though it was an awful case, he enjoyed watching her work.
"Let me explain how I came to that. We don't see any footprints leading into the area thereby proving that he must have traveled through the trees so as to not leave any footprints. Now, though I don't see a path of paw prints, it seems as though the dog joined in once he had dropped in. Maybe he had carried him in with a harness! You know the kind that the military men overseas use to carry their bomb dogs with!? Anyway, as best as I can figure, this dog was so well trained to stay with his master that, as I've seen in working dog videos, it seems he stayed between his legs and just in front of his master!"
Both men were looking at Julie like she was crazy - or maybe that the scenario she was explaining was crazy. Either way, it was hard to grasp that a man and his dog would work so closely together in the effort to murder multiple people! Roger jumped in first saying, "HOW in the world would the two stay that close together, since clearly with as consistent as the patterns are, they had to have never separated. HOW would you keep the dog front and center all while hacking multiple people into pieces?"
"I KNOW!", cried Julie, caught up in the excitement of it all. "It's CRAZY, isn't it!"
Joe was just standing there staring at his people, at the scene and through the trees, all while trying to figure out if he thought it could be possible. "I don't know Julie, it seems a bit far fetched to me. To what purpose would anyone have to go to such lengths?" he asked.
"I know Joe, but can you come up with any alternatives as to how these types of foot prints could be made? I think my hypothesis at least seems possible, crazy as it is!" said Julie.
Roger stepped forward saying, "It does seem crazy on why anyone would go to such lengths, but the why could simply be that it was one HELL of a way to throw the law off the trail! I mean, think about it. Do you think anyone else would even be able to think of this possibility? I mean, leaving a part human, part animal print trail? That's just crazy! Crazy like a FOX, perhaps!", Roger chuckled.
"Ok", said Joe, "Let's go with it for the sake of argument. If it really happened like that, then there must be a trail leading out, since I don't see an easy way to get back up in the trees, so we need to find it!" They carefully stepped to the inner circle of the crime scene and looked for the odd prints. They slowly worked their way outward until there didn't seem to be a circle of engagement any longer. Now all three had to spread out looking for the print that would tell the direction of departure. This outer area was going to be much more difficult as it was also the area in which law enforcement and any other investigators would have traveled through. They definitely had their work cut out for them!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
In Sector 4, Steve and Robin were slowly walking the outer perimeter of the hiking trail as they searched for clues on locating the murderer. They had been wondering about what kind of evidence Team 3 had found, how long it would be before anyone would know if it was legit, and whether it would lead them to who was killing people, or not. With each being on opposite sides of the trail, neither were being very quiet. Little did they realize just how much their voices carried and just how close the were to the very person they were seeking.
* * * *
When Levi had begun to run to put distance between himself and those he knew were nearby, he had made it into Sector 4 before the beast took over. After traveling to the small stream nearby, he had encountered Luke. Now, as the two stood discussing what it meant for Levi to integrate into the pack, both became aware of the approaching voices. Luke's head snapped up and he seemed to be focusing on the direction the voices were coming from.
"We need to get going before the rangers catch up to us. It is not time for questions right now. I'm not sure you're stable enough to be handling confrontation with humans just yet, and keeping what we are a secret is the number one rule for our kind. Break that rule and you are pretty much signing your own death warrant", explained Luke. "How do you feel right now? Has your strength returned and do you think you can move at a high rate of speed? We have a long way to go to get back to the pack and with everything being new to you, you may not be able to run the whole way. We can take a break once we get out of this county, if not state".
Luke studied Levi's eyes to see how he was handling everything up to this point. The eyes weren't just for dominating or submitting, they relayed a lot about the status or condition of the wolf. Levi turned a steady gaze to Luke and stood a bit taller as he began to answer his questions. "I feel great, actually. I feel as strong as I've ever felt, but I've never run any great distance under pressure. I think I can hold my own for a while; at least to get us a safe distance from here. I'm game to shoot for another state!"
"GREAT!" Luke smiled as he turned in the direction they were going to head. "I think you're going to become a wonderful addition to our pack with your willingness to push yourself to be better!" With that he signaled to Levi to shift to his wolf and to follow him, then they began running.
Luke watched Levi's progress as they went, and when he saw that he wasn't tiring yet, he increased their speed. He hoped to get him up to his top speed as soon as possible. This would help expend the energy Luke knew Levi must usually carry. Energy that could be a problem once they rejoined the pack. Having that many wolves around after never having to deal with the jockeying for position that most pack mates handled on a daily basis, could reignite the fury that once ruled Levi. If that were to happen, it could be disastrous for the pack.
Leaving the voices far behind, Luke relaxed into the run and enjoyed letting his wolf run free. He could tell the freedom was being enjoyed by Levi as well. They had developed a steady running pace and the tension he'd seen on Levi earlier seemed to have left him. What he saw before him was a happy and relaxed wolf that seemed to be happy in the world he was in. Whether he had turned the corner away from the fury forever, Luke didn't know. He hoped so, for everyone's sake.
Meeting Levi the man proved to be good for them both. Luke could tell that he had been a good man, was in fact still a good man. It would benefit everyone if this turn around was permanent. Unfortunately, Levi had
spent many years being controlled by a crazed wolf. Only time would tell if that had done any permanent damage. The fact that the man in him had fought to stay connected and had never given up was a very good sign that, though it appeared the wolf was stronger by taking control so much of the time, the man was strong enough to resist being destroyed. For the length of time the man had fought to stay alive, it spoke of unspeakable strength.
Luke was looking forward to working with Levi, showing him the ways of his new family and helping to change his past behavior into one that flowed smoothly with the pack. However, it would have to wait until after Julie's transformation was finished and they returned home together. Luke just needed to quickly get Levi back home to Adam. Adam's alpha power would be able to keep him under control while they waited for Luke and Julie to return. Hopefully, most of the integration would be done by the time they got back. It would make Julie's integration much easier if the energies of the pack weren't split between two newly turned wolves. It was hard on all of the wolves since the pack could feel the tension and confusion that the new ones experienced upon entering a new pack. It could be very taxing if it took too long or was too intensified by multiple wolves coming in. Though it can and has been done, it would just be a much easier undertaking if it only involved one wolf at a time.