I recognized the pup from my own camp and sauntered up to the cage to press my nose through one of the small barred openings. He quickly nuzzled against the side of my face and licked my face in silent apology. There would be time for chastising him later.
Twenty in all I counted before I went to work on the cage doors. They weren't difficult to get open, and I was glad the bears hadn't the sense to put padlocks on any of them or else this rescue would have been a lot more difficult. I managed to work my paws and teeth in unison to get them open, and the cage doors banged against the walls in an explosion of pups. They all scrambled out and stretched their little bodies, glad to be out of the cramped space. Now that they were out, the cages smelled absolutely terrible. I was sure the bear shifters barely let them out to do their business. The pups were covered in filth, but that could be cleared up once we were out of there.
I inspected them one by one and found no major wounds on any of them. Which was great because that meant they could head home by themselves. I looked for a pup that seemed to be the oldest and pointed him in the direction of the large settlement we had come from. I nudged my head against his side, and the others understood, following him to the back door in a neat line as he headed outside. I took up the rear and kept an eye on the front door in case someone returned. We were still in the clear, even as we padded our way up the snow-covered hill. I re-counted their numbers and, satisfied that no one was missing, touched my nose to the eldest pup's to wish him good luck, and sprinted back down the hill to join the rest of the pack. Wolf pups are a pretty tightknit group, now that they were out, they would look out for each other as they headed back to the homestead.
I waited, my gaze fixed on the cabin door to see if anyone else came out. I breathed a sigh of relief when no one did after five minutes because that meant the bears weren't aware that their plan would no longer work. There would be no negotiating, no trading of supplies for children. The only thing waiting for them was death.
The pups were already half-way home. A yelp drew my attention back to the matter at hand, and I sprinted off towards the rest of the pack.
By the time I got to them, the fight was well underway. Fourteen wolves to seven bears was an even fight, and they had all been split up to keep the bears separate so that no one was being ganged up on.
Save for one. Henry. He was standing over another wolf that wasn't moving, snarling like his life depended on it. The bear roared in his face and swung one of its mighty paws at him. It caught him square in the jaw and sent him spinning across the snow. I watched in abject horror, my heart stuck in my throat as I felt the sense of deja-vu wash over me.
Before I could think, I was off in a sprint, my feet digging into the snow and dirt, my lips curled into a sneer. I wasn't going to let anyone else die on my watch, never again, and not one of the brothers who had saved my butt. They had come to mean too much to me. I wasn't about to lose them now.
I caught the bear unaware as my teeth sank into the meat of his neck, and I swore I felt them connect with bone. But it swatted at me and shook its great big head to get me off. It was hard to keep my grip, with how slick and wet the bear's fur was. But with me on one side and Henry and the downed wolf on the other, the bear was going to have to make a choice as to who it went after next. I was the one who had freshly wounded it, but if it could get his paws on the unconscious pack member and tear him apart before us, our morale would greatly suffer and that would inspire the bears into a killing frenzy that would be too much for just thirteen of us to handle.
Henry and I, however, weren't going to let that happen.
It backed up, but we kept pace with it, remaining on either side of it instead of being at its front. There was nothing to keep it from bolting save for the blood loss and wasting the energy in its run when it could be spending it fighting us instead. It swayed in its steps and shook its great head to keep the dizziness away. Blood still poured from its neck and it wasn't going to have much fight left at this pace.
In a last desperate attempt, it took a swing at me that fell short. I backed up, only to realize too late that it was a feigned attack as the creature headed right towards the down wolf. It picked up speed in its dazed gallop, and Henry and I both knew that it would be difficult to stop it at its current pace.
Henry darted ahead of it, grabbed the wolf by the scruff of the neck, and dragged it out of the way. I threw myself against the bear's shoulder, which was enough to knock it off its course. It gave up on trying to remain upright and fell to its side, skidding the rest of the way to where the wolf once lay. I leaped atop its side and let out a triumphant howl before sinking my teeth into its neck once more.
There was barely a gurgle from it as it collapsed to the ground. Blood was already pooling out of its mouth, its eyes staring blankly up at the sky. But I wouldn't let go, not until I was sure that it was really dead. My jaws ached with the pressure of my bite, and I clenched down even harder, afraid that if I let go, it would spring to life again and end me.
I shut my eyes; anger and sadness and the need for revenge washed over me. If only I'd been this strong back then, Jacob, Nate, and Taylor would still be alive...
The pain of my jaws erupted in waves throughout my head, and I gave the bear's neck a shake for good measure. I knew it was dead and felt a sense of triumph in what I had accomplished.
A touch to my side startled me and I whirled on this new opponent, my bared teeth dripping with blood. I lunged without thinking, and Henry deftly leapt out of the way, his ears pinned back in fright. His hackles were up and his tail swayed in abrupt wags that spoke of fear instead of friendliness, and he lowered himself in a submissive gesture to convince me he was not the enemy.
I saw my mistake and quickly ran up to his side to bury my muzzle against the side of his neck in an apology. He stiffened at my touch but soon relaxed when he realized he wasn't in any danger. He whimpered quietly against my ear and sniffed the side of my face before trotting over to the downed wolf. I followed, my heart sinking the closer we got. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing, and my worst fears came true. We both pawed at his side to make sure and licked his ears in passing; we would come back to him once the fight was over.
The others were shoulder deep in fights of their own. Several were already injured, but so were a good number of the bears. Jack and Nikolai were facing off one on their own, while Zack and two other wolves were finishing off another one. The rest were scattered about in semi-circles around the enemy, trying to keep them distracted enough so that they would present an opening for an attack. I joined a wolf who was by his lonesome while Henry tended to another
My opponent's back was to me, and I lunged right for the back of its leg. The bear jerked and dropped to one knee with the severing of the tendons and nerves. It tried to make the leg work but couldn't, and its anger doubled as it swung blindly at the pack member to keep it away. That proved to be a fatal mistake, as I did the same to the other hind leg. That left it with no means of escape and made it an even easier target for us to take down.
A few bites to its side and a fatal one to the neck brought it down within minutes, its blood staining the snow in an ever-growing pool. I huffed and kicked snow onto its face before moving on to the next one.
A sudden yelp drew my attention, and I saw Nikolai go down and skid across the ground. My heart stopped, and I was frozen. Those few seconds drew to a crawl as I tried to figure out what to do next. I was too far away to help and could only hope that Jack would intervene.
But it was Henry who came to the rescue. He grabbed a healthy mouthful of the bear's flank and tugged and shook at it until the bear finally whirled around at him. With the creature distracted, Jack lunged at the bear's front leg and sank his teeth there as well. That gave me the time I needed to sprint down to Nikolai and check on him.
His eyes were rolling around in his head and I nudged him softly on his cheek to rouse him. I was relieved to see he was still alive and breathing, but there was no t
ime to celebrate. I pawed at his face some more until he came to and helped him up to his feet. He stumbled every few steps and I couldn't be sure if he was still capable of being in the fight. Not wanting to take any chances, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him and nudged him out of the way, towards a cluster of trees where he could recover.
That left eleven against five; not bad odds.
Nikolai grumbled with discontent as he slumped back to his haunches, his head hanging limply. I didn't want to count him out but I didn't want to risk him going back in before he was ready.
The lower his head drooped, the more he started to lose his shift. Fur gave way to exposed skin, and his muzzle retreated into his face to make way for a nose and proper mouth, where hot plumes of fog escaped. He was in a bad way, and exposure would take him quickly. I whimpered and pressed myself to him to provide some amount of warmth, but he sloppily shoved me away.
"You don't have to stay with me," he slurred, his eyes still unfocused. "I'll be fine."
I gave him a slapping lick to his cheek and a play bite on his arm, both to keep him awake and for his comment. I wasn't about to let him follow in his brother's footsteps.
I shook myself free of my wolf form and grabbed his arm. I pulled him to his feet and, though he was much taller than me, I managed to get most of his weight across my shoulders as I escorted him back to the row of cabins. It was difficult as he kept dragging his feet and swaying in and out of consciousness before we finally got inside.
I fell with Nikolai onto the nearest couch and helped to get his feet off the ground. I tried to stay focused instead of surveying his body, to see just how much he had in common with his deceased brother. Another groan, another grasping for something that wasn't there. I grabbed his hand and returned it to his chest and searched for a blanket to cover him.
I stole one from the abandoned bed deeper inside the cabin and tucked the edges under Nikolai to help raise his temperature and keep him situated.
"I'm going to come back for you, all right? Once this is all over. Just rest now." I drew the blanket up to his chin and pressed a kiss to his temple. It felt unfair to leave him here, but he needed to rest inside.
I double-checked to ensure that there were no other bears nearby. The smell of them was lacking when I shifted back, so I deemed it safe to head back to the others. They were still holding them off well enough on their own. But I didn't want to take any chances.
One bear deemed the fight too much and turned tail, sprinting towards the woods like a coward. We decided to let him go; the others of his kind would see to his desertion and punish him for it. Chasing him would also lessen our numbers and leave us open for the others to attack from behind. With only four left, it was going to be a lot easier to take care of them.
They growled and snorted, digging at the ground and leaving large trenches behind with their killing claws. We had them pinned down in a circle, and the pack snarled back. A few even darted in with feigned attacks to test their mettle.
All I could think about as we took them down was how Jacob, Nate, and Taylor would have enjoyed this. They would have relished in the fact that we had caught the ones responsible and they would never be able to harm any of our kind ever again. They would have celebrated our victory, though Jacob would have done so quietly, and there would have been an uproar in our tiny camp when we returned with the pup.
The drinks we could have raised and the songs we could have sung, as I took down a bear with Jack and Henry at my side.
The peaceful night of sleep we would have had afterward as I heard another go down to my left.
How Jacob and I could have stayed up talking all night with the adrenaline still coursing through us. Another yelp and a third was down.
Things could have ended so much differently. I couldn't change any of it now. I could only move on from here and do the best with what I had. The three brothers were definitely helping me to cope, too.
It wasn't long before there was a bloodbath and four reduced bodies were before us in a pile. The bears' eyes were dead and glazed over, their heavy tongues hanging out of their mouths, and they were slumped to their sides, unmoving. We were all out of breath, but we found enough energy to sing one long note in unison, our voices rising to the sky and signifying our victory.
Nikolai had also rejoined us at some point, sauntering weakly back towards the pack. The others gathered around him, comforting him with licks and nudges to his face and shoulders. He huffed a weak bark out of slight annoyance, but I could tell he was liking the attention. He surveyed our dead enemies and raised his nose to the air. It twitched with fervor and he turned slowly to head back to the settlement. The rest took his lead and followed; I lingered behind for a second. I didn't want to make the same mistake again and watched for any sign of movement.
I didn't even realize I had been holding my breath until it all came out in a rush when there was a touch to my side. Zack was there, nosing about with a quiet whine. He was wondering if everything was okay and questioned why I continued to remain. I had to make sure they were really dead as if it was still my fault that—
Jack and Henry stopped before me and blocked my view of them. It angered me that they would deny me this, and I tried to peer around them. Each time, they would move to stop me. Jack's eyes were stern and he rammed his head against my chest to turn me around. I snarled weakly, still exhausted. The job was still unfinished, I wanted to say. But soon Henry joined in, and I had no choice but to leave it alone. There was nothing else here for me, nothing that required my attention. The job was done, and it was time to go home. The nearby scavengers would take care of the rest.
11
There was a large uproar on our return. We were exhausted but delighted at our victory. The settlement was lit up with several campfires and there were several noise poppers going off. The celebration was already underway before the last of us had our clothes back on; wolf skins shed so we could properly enjoy the party in our honor. The children were there too, already settled in and sitting next to one of the campfires with plates of food, stuffing their faces. They had washed up and were looking like they had never been kidnapped.
But not everything was a celebration.
There were a few cries from the crowd for those who had not returned; those who'd given their lives in the fight for the pups. Two sets of clothes remained by the entrance, untouched, as a reminder of them. They would likely be kept for a period of time before they were presented to someone else, a sharing of their resources so nothing went to waste. There was still the matter of going back to retrieve the bodies.
Nikolai, the brothers, myself, and the four other soldiers made our way up to the meeting house we had left from. Nikolai dragged out a large book and flipped the heavy tome open. He dragged a finger down the pages in search of names, of the ones lost in the fight, and took a pen to them when he found them. They were family members to contact, bodies to retrieve, and burials to make. A few of the men volunteered to go back and get them, but Nikolai refused.
"We've all had a hard day. I can find someone else to go. You have all earned a well-deserved rest. Please. Eat, relax, and go to bed. I'll have everything taken care of by morning." He slumped in his chair with his hand on his head. He was likely still dazed from the ordeal. I was worried he had suffered worse than I was aware of.
Still, we remained, neither of us wanting to appear rude and leave Nikolai alone. He glowered at all of us in turn and sighed.
"If you're all so insistent..." He picked himself up onto his shaky legs, with a little assistance from another soldier, and headed back outside to join the festivities. We all put on our bravest faces for the rest of the crowd as they celebrated the return of the pups, and the remaining fighters.
I took notice of Nikolai touching a few men on their shoulders and whispering in their ears. They only nodded politely and vanished into the night; likely gone to retrieve the bodies of the dead soldiers before they were picked apart by other animals in th
e woods.
I chose to take a seat nearest to the children, who were all wrapped in thick blankets. Many of their plates were empty; others half-eaten; children had fallen asleep against each other. I recognized the boy from our pack—one of the sleeping ones—and was glad to see he was well. I didn't dare to adjust the blanket on him, for fear I would wake him from his slumber. I smiled at the thought that I was going to have the privilege of taking him back home.
The meal itself was rich and filling, and I even took seconds. I hadn't realized how hungry I had been until the first bite of food sent my stomach into a spiral, and then I couldn't get enough. I wolfed down bite after bite, washing everything down with a can of beer. It was cheap and bitter, but wet.
My full stomach shook away the threads of exhaustion and left me feeling content. However, what I didn't feel was clean and I was in desperate need of a shower. I gathered my things and dumped them in the garbage before separating from the crowd. But not before I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't be long," Jack whispered to me, appearing out of nowhere. "Nikolai has a few words he'd like to say to you in front of the others."
Me? Why would he... I nodded. It was another formality of the pack. He was probably going to thank me for helping him out.
"I just wanted to shower. I feel..." I shuddered at the feeling with a disgusted look on my face. He nodded and tapped on his wrist, encouraging me to be wary of the time. I watched as he sat back down beside Nikolai and seemed to be engaging in a quiet conversation. It was definitely an improvement from the yelling match they were having hours ago.
With the assistance of another pack member, I was led to the nearest cabin where I promptly shed my clothes and hopped into the shower. It was heavenly against my skin, but I knew I didn't have the time to appreciate its soothing nature. I grabbed the soap, lathered up my hair and body, and rinsed off. I watched the rivulets of dried blood disappear down the drain in stains of rust-red, the last remnants of the bears' existence gone. Even the short respite was enough to leave me refreshed, and I toweled myself off, dragged back on the borrowed clothes, and headed back to the campfire. The last thing I needed was to make a bad impression during the highlight of the night.
Mated to the Alpha Wolves Page 10