The howl resounded echoing through the foliage like a war call. The thing, the wolf was larger than Sam, darker than Sam. It lowered his muzzle as its voice rumbled through the night, its breath rising snake like from teeth that were deadly sharp. Even from where he stood, he easily could see them. The wolf shifted letting darkness shed itself in the moonlit night revealing fur…
Oh my God, he thought.
I'm coming! Sam yelled.
…revealing a body large and muscular…
Hey isn't that? Embry whined. I know that wolf! Sam! We're coming.
… revealing the body sitting stone stern upon its back like a ghostly hunter. He/she/it, he couldn't tell which, was wearing little armor, most of which he couldn't see. But he saw the swords. Easily, he did, openly, clearly, alarmingly, the silver crusted blade which the warrior slowly pulled free from behind his back leaving without a doubt of his intent.
Seth couldn't move.
Ascension
Chapter 51
Into the Fray
The forest was quiet as were they, the wolf, the dragon and the doctor. With two perched on one, they stilled at the crest of a hill looking down into the valley where their target wandered aimlessly, keeping himself busy while idling through the trees. With his nose to the ground, his body relaxed and his fur a sandy shade of reddish brown, Carlisle squinted trying to think back to each wolf's colorings and markings, trying to match them to faces, faces to names. In moments, he recalled it. "His name is Seth I believe but then again, I could be wrong. There were a good number of them when we were fighting together and we didn't spend a lot of time hearing names."
Seras nodded looking down at the animal, human, creature meandering 200 feet or so beneath them. It was bigger than she expected but not alarmingly so. She scratched behind Takashi's ear thinking back to how large he could grow. These were pups in comparison. Still. She sighed and sat back. "I'm surprised he's patrolling alone."
He's not, Takashi answered. I can smell the others. They're spread throughout the territory walking separate, four… maybe five… maybe more.
"Yes, I can feel them." Seras licked her lips then turned towards the doctor, her head tilting slightly, "How many are in the pack? Do you know?"
"That's hard to say." He exhaled, his concentration escaping like his memory. Carlisle let his breath play with the ebony ends of the dragon's hair. He watched them dance a moment. "More keep adding to their numbers the longer we stay in the area. The last total was around a dozen or so, a little less."
Seras hummed. "Takashi said that he could smell 3-4 in the area."
"There are more."
She nodded. "Well then. It looks like we're just going to have to find out how much more is. Are you ready, Takashi?"
The wolf grunted as the dragon pulled down her visor. She turned towards the doctor, conscious of her horns. "We communicate mentally from here on out." He nodded. "I'll play interpreter between the three of us, so don't worry about that. Stay sharp and hold on."
Takashi stepped forward feeling Seras lean into the ruffled fur outlining his neck. He bared his fangs, shifted his weight letting the moonlight glitter along his irises. He laughed feeling his excitement billow the hairs on his body. This may get rough.
"Undoubtedly," Seras snorted. "Don't get carried away, Takashi."
He merely grunted then raised his head. A howled ghosted into the trees, the sound rolling like thunder in the night.
Seth was nosing through the bushes bored and lonely, smelling rock , smelling pine and grass and mud and—it amazed him what he could smell in just a whiff. A single sniff could tell infinite stories, the adventures of a deer, or bird, or even a ladybug as it moved about. Life smelt, produced smells as it emerged, grew and died. He never knew that until this year, when he became what he was. The boy turned wolf sighed, a pant falling from a muzzle that should have been lips, propelling into pointed ears that should have been less acute, less moveable. He liked it. Still, he couldn't get used to it.
Like he couldn't get used to how the pack had changed since that day. He meandered around a large oak tree his naked toes digging into dirt and roots. His tail lowered as he thought back to Bella's wedding, the colors, the lights and soft whispers. It was a catalyst. The beginning of something he wasn't ready to face.
Sam was eager as was Billy Black, Jacob's father. Nearly every day, the council would meet discussing plans, making plans which in turn stole little by little more time from his life, from school, from his friends and family. He never complained. It wasn't in him, but secretly he couldn't help but wonder, especially at a time like this when the evening was still and the stars were soft in their places beyond the trees, he would wonder how thoroughly they thought about everything. Under the connection of the pack, because his mind and will were sealed to the whim of his alpha and expressly exposed to everyone thus connected, in thought and emotion, he knew they knew of his worry. He also knew the rest where all too quick to push-off his thoughts with the exception of Leah and maybe Jacob, if he wasn't so preoccupied by—
Seth started feeling Sam prod his mind, pushing him ahead into the bushes, into the forest he was doomed to circle until the sun had eaten the moon. He gritted his teeth, a thought falling like a whimper through his lips. Were they really ready for this? For war? Was he really ready to risk his life for a cause he wasn't positive was correct pursuing? He didn't know and what scared him the most was the idea that he would be forced to fight regardless. It gnawed at his gut, twisted it, wreathed it like hands rotten meat, especially when he looked upon his mother. She didn't know. No one in the tribe apart from the council members knew anything. If they died, how would they learn of the truth? What if—
He halted a sound prickling his ears. It wasn't large. It wasn't obvious. It was soft and careful, the sound of leaves moving, rustling not because of wind but because of something else. He looked around the forest, a hill choked land covered in too much ivy, too many trees and silver drenched moonshine. Within the hallow glow, he could see life. Even in the darkness, he would be able to see life now that he'd changed—
He stopped the trail of thought as he felt, in the back of his mind, a few of the other wolves freeze, a throbbing that told him that they were also listening, waiting, watching silently. His pause caused theirs.
He raised his snout, Seth, lifting it into the air above the pine trees surrounding him. Again, he could smell oak, could smell grass and dung and mice and bugs and—
He paused, a thought connecting to a smell, to a memory, one that caused many of the others to jerk in his direction. He sniffed again feeling the scent burn, smolder dully at the nerve tingled flesh of his nostrils. Someone in particular hummed a memory (Emery), another in suspicion (Sam) and alarm (Sam). Curious (like Jacob), he lowered his head and listened. He smelt wolf, and not just any wolf. He smelt pack—worse. He smelt family, the family of the chief, of Billy and Jacob. It put his teeth on edge. He took a step over the border, the edge of their lands which he had been loosely trailing. Then a thought hit him, a summons from Sam, his voice harsh with his uneasiness.
Howl, he ordered. If it's animal, it will answer. If it's one of us, they will answer. It's in the DNA. Either way, it will reveal itself.
Seth swallowed thoughts of fighting and dying, the thoughts from before, spilling into his mind. What if it attacks?
Then fight it, Embry instructed. Come on! It's not like you haven't done this before.
I know. I just—
We are on our way in either case, Sam interrupted impatiently. Just by us time.
Seth nodded. Then promptly realizing that they couldn't hear a nod, he grunted an affirmation. Right… uh, by time. I'll just—
Howl! Leah yelled.
He snapped his fangs, her thought spurring him on. In seconds, his head snapped up, his muzzle rose to the sky while his voice rang through his vocal cords, through lips, trees, air and stars. It echoed quietly invading the air solitarily for only a second. Then he heard it.
Seth dropped his head staring.
The second howl was ghastly and gnarled. It reverberated off the trees deeper and further than his ever did. Yet, to his pleasure (alarm), it was traceable. To the left, he ran, to the right, forward well past the border where the trees broke and the sky became clear showing a hill basked in silver light.
He jerked to a stop when he saw them. He wiggled his nostrils, his feet stumbling, his tail weaving in both alarm and fear.
The howl resounded echoing through the foliage like a war call. The thing, the wolf was larger than Sam, darker than Sam. It lowered his muzzle as its voice rumbled through the night, its breath rising snake like from teeth that were deadly sharp. Even from where he stood, he could easily see their jagged edges dripping from eyes the color of ice. The wolf shifted letting the darkness shed itself in the moonlit night revealing fur…
Oh my God, he thought.
I'm coming! Sam yelled.
…revealing a body large and muscular…
Hey isn't that—
Quil whined.
Embry growled. I know that wolf! Sam! We're coming.
… revealing the body sitting stone stern upon its back like a ghostly hunter. He/she/it, he couldn't tell, was wearing little armor, most of which he couldn't see. Of what he could was thick and heavy, especially the visor that covered the hunter's face, eyes and nose. The mouth was open, but in the dark, he couldn't see it unlike the sword. That he could easily see. Openly, clearly, alarmingly, the silver crusted blade, the warrior slowly pulled free from behind his back leaving without a doubt of his intent.
Seth couldn't move. He could admit that he was shocked to see many things in the last year, many unbelievable things even to the most gullible, but still he wasn't prepared for this phantom, this… So caught up, he didn't see the other with it; the one holding tightly to its back tangled loosely like a cape a knight. He just saw the ghost twist menacingly before charging him, its wolf running faster than he was ready to experience.
In seconds, it was on him, its fangs digging into his neck, into fur and muscle. Seth whimpered and wreathed trying, feeling his teeth sink into the fur of the wolf. For a moment, he thought he heard it laugh, but whatever the sound, howl or whimper, it was cut short once another wolf sideswiped the phantom causing him to retreat and attack it instead.
I'll give you one thing, vermin, it growled. Seth blinked rising to his feet, watching Sam try to get a bite on the beast. The warrior lifted his sword and yelled jerking as its wolf snapped back at the new comer. It howled then ran. This is going to be fun.
Sam went after them unaware that Seth was standing speechless. He could hear him, the wolf. His growls, they were—
Emery and Quil just then ran into the meadow following Sam's trail. It took nothing but a glare and a mental prod to get Seth moving. They could question things later, he supposed. Still, he couldn't help but wonder. The phantom was it friend or foe? He didn't know.
Not the greatest, but thank you for your indulgence - Calla
