Chapter 12
Luke's senses were off the chart, his nose twitched at every smell he got a whiff of. Which was a lot of smells, seeing as he was sticking his head out the car window. It felt like he could hear everything, from a penny dropping on the side of the street to a couple arguing in their house. Marla laughed at him, telling him that he looked like a dog, as she turned into Sanders park. The park was closed, but that wouldn't stop a pack of Lupuns. She turned around and followed the others until they came to a secluded spot, where they parked their cars and got out . "We'll just walk until we get further into the woods.'' Carlos said. The other lupuns followed with out arguing. Marla walked forward, but Luke, unsure of whether or not to follow, didn't run to catch up until his mother stopped and whistled for him.
They walked only until they came towards the park fence, which was tall and slightly imposing. It would be difficult to jump over. "Lets do it guys.'' Carlos said, and his eyes started turning from brown to gold. His body tensed once, and before anyone could blink he was a wolf, a big brown wolf with waves of black fur on his back and a white muzzle and chest. The others followed, and Sara and Marla changed next. Marla was a pretty grey while Sara was a beautiful white, she was probably some type of arctic wolf. Cody changed into a brown and gray wolf, followed by Jake who was white with different shades of grey. Sam was the last to change, he, like Marla, was grey. They all stood and watched Luke intently as he fidgeted a bit, unsure of what to do. "What the?'' he asked his uncles and Dave, who simply laughed. "They're waiting for you to beast.'' Dave said as he approached him. "It's a little hard at first, but you'll get it. Everyone does, in the end.'' He said unhelpfully. However, it seemed like beasting wasn't very complicated. All Dave said on it was, "Now you just focus on your wolf side. Think about how you embraced your inner wolf and you'll get a feeling . Grasp it. Control it. Above all, don't let it go. Once you do that, Voila! You're a wolf.'' He stepped back and watched with the others as Luke focused.
Luke closed his eyes and reached deep into his mind until he felt his lupun mind. He focused on the image of himself hugging the wolf and that's when it happened. His family watched as his body tensed and in a blink of an eye he was a wolf, a pure black wolf. They howled in replacement of a cheer and nudged him, a replacement of a high five. Beautifully done. Marla said. Carlos stood away from the others but gave him a cheerful wink, causing him to blush in pride and embarrassment and look at his feet-err, paws. I did it. Luke thought-spoke. Yes. And what a beautiful wolf you are. Sara said, walking towards Carlos. Well, lets go. Carlos said, jumping over the fence. He was quickly followed by Sara and the waited until everyone else was over it before he jumped. He was so nervous that he over calculated a bit-flying over the pack's heads to land a few feet behind them. He stopped when he realized Dave and his uncles weren't comingDave's eyes changed gold. Go on, have fun in your knew skin. Me and your uncles have to see to something. He winked and walked to his car his uncles right behind him. Luke laughed and ran after the others.
The pack walked deep into the park, into sections that no human could ever get into. The pack easily pushed through the trees and shrubs, as they walked Luke noticed something about them. They weren't really as big as he thought. They were big alright, but they weren't twilight saga big. They were probably half that size, they probably came to a human's shoulders. The pack came to a secluded spot in the woods, and Luke looked around. The whole area was torn up: trees were smashed every where. Some had dents in their trunks while others where completely uprooted from the ground, roots lying everywhere. Luke noticed there were some scratches on the trunks that looked suspiciously like claw marks. It looked like a monster had run rampant. The hell? What happened here? He asked as he sniffed the air. Marla jumped onto a rock and laid down. This is our training ground we have to stay in shape. She growled happily, looking at Carlos who howled to get everyone's attention. Lets get started. Sam, Jake, start showing Luke how we do it. Sam and Jake nodded their heads and faced each other.
Sam snarled, showing his razor sharp teeth. Jake just stood his ground, looking at the younger wolf with evil eyes. For a moment, they stared, and then they went at it. They both charged head-long at full speed until they collided with each other, snapping and clawing at each other's faces. Jake seemed to have the upper hand, as he was bigger then Sam, but Sam attacked with swift moves. Jake grabbed Sam's ear pulling his head down. Sam fell head first into the dirt and roared in pain Luke wanted to help, but Carlos gave him a warning growl so he didn't. Sam struggled to his feet, swiping Jake in the face with his left claw. Jake shook his head as Sam jumped on top of him, grabbing his neck and slamming him into a tree Jake fell limp to the ground. Both he and Sam were breathing heavily. Sam snarled, and was about to attack when Carlos let out a snort, and Sam folding his ears back, backed away and walked towards Luke, tail wagging. See its easy once you work out your own technique.
He sat on his rear and watched as Carlos and Sara sparred. The pair were snapping at each other fiercely, then Sara was on top of Carlos, biting at the back of his neck. Carlos shoved her off his back and then he grabbed her throat, but she clawed at his muzzle until he let go. She then pushed him back and rammed him into a tree.
Marla leaped from her spot and walked towards Luke. She's good. He said, not taking his eyes off his sister, who had Carlos in an odd position on his back. Yes, she trains very hard, sometimes harder then the boys. Marla said, watching her daughter bite Carlos's tail which in turn caused him to bite hers. But sometimes she over does it. She sighed and turned away. What do you mean? Luke turned around to look at his mother, who stopped in her tracks. She tries to prove herself to the boys that she's just as tough as they are and she tends to over do it, getting her into trouble. Just then Sara yelped, Carlos had her penned down. She struggled to break loose from his grasp, but he had a firm grip on her. Marla turned away. Silly child. You silly, silly girl. She said, shaking her snout with some sort of emotion he couldn't identify. I'm going back to the house to get dinner started, have fun. She said, before disappearing into trees.
Sara reluctantly submitted, and he let her go. Everyone cheered for Carlos, except Luke and Sam who watched her slinking away. That'll teach her. Cody said smugly, followed by Jake who laughed saying, No way a girl is ever going to beat us. Maybe Sam if she's lucky. Sara snapped her teeth at them and turned away. Carlos watched her go, his eyes looked apologetic, but did nothing to stop their taunting of her. Sara stopped and looked at him before taking off. He wanted to follow but Luke cut in front of him. I'll go. He said to Carlos, who looked at him oddly She needs her brother. He said, his eyes looking puppy-like. Very well, we'll catch up with you guys, but first I want to get one thing straight with these two. Cody and Jake stopped laughing and lowered their heads. So maybe he was going to do something about it. Luke took off after Sara, followed by Sam.
Sara didn't make it easy to follow her, her body was slimmer then the boys, so she could slip through tight squeezes between the trees easily while Luke and Sam had to literally pull the trees apart just to fit through. They could tell she knew they were following her, her ears would always twitch in their direction. She didn't seem to care and she seemed to speed up her pace.
They eventually lost her in a wide meadow. They tried using their noses they tried to follow her scent but it went in different directions. One kept heading forward the other to east and another back towards the others . Sam snorted. Well, she's given us the slip. He said, looking at Luke to try and gauge how he would react. Yeah, it seems she's trying to through us off. Her paw prints didn't help either it looked as though there was three Sara each going in different directions. He gave it one final sniff before deciding to go forward. The scent's stronger this way so we'll follow it first. Sam yawned in a very bored manner. Sounds like a plan to me. He said, and trotted ahead with Luke close behind. They followed the scent to a dead end. Shoot, this is no good. Sam said, looking from side to side. The path they were following split into two different ones. Luke sniffed the air hopefully, but it was no good. A dark cloud was floating over the park and it started to rain, killing the scent completely. Shit, lets head back. Sam said. Luke looked at Sam, then at the paths. Nah, I'm not leaving yet. You can if you want, but I'll go ahead. He turned to the path with the strongest scent that remained and followed it. Sam looked torn for a moment, looking back at the path and then at where Luke had gone. Damn it, Luke! And he reluctantly followed.
As they walked down the path in equal stride, Luke couldn't help but stare at the scar on Sam's muzzle. It looked like he'd gotten into a tough scrap."It could be a training accident.'' He thought to himself. But wait, the fighting they did, even though it looked fierce it really wasn't that rough. No one drew blood or got really injured, it was just practice. Sam must have noticed that Luke was staring because he stopped and turned around.
You can stop staring now, Luke. He snorted. Luke paused and lowered his head, ashamed that he had put his friend in an awkward position. I'm sorry, I didn't mean too. I'm just curious how you got it. Sam's eyes turned towards him gently and he sighed, sounding older than his true age. Its okay, everyone stares at it. It's no big deal. Now Luke felt really embarrassed. This was why mom's always told their kids it was rude to point and stare. I got this scar on the day I first beasted. I knew what to do, but once I went wolf for the first time I couldn't control it. I was in a rage, I just wanted out like you did, but they wouldn't let me. I charged at Linda, and Carlos intercepted me. I turned on him, he had no choice but to go wolf. We fought and tore up the whole house until he gave me this scar when he bit hard on my muzzle. He stopped for a second, and if he were human Luke knew he would be rubbing the scar thoughtfully. Eventually, he sighed and continued walking, Luke matching his pace. I don't know if it was the shock or the fact that my own brother bit me that snapped me out of it. I was alright after that, and thanks to being Lupun I healed fast ,but it scared him and know every time he looks at me it reminds him of that day. Luke couldn't believe what he'd heard. He couldn't imagine attacking his own flesh and blood. "Does the wolf form make you so savage that if you lose control of it you could hurt the ones you loved?" The very thought made his fur stand up. They talked a little more and soon were laughing, as they each told jokes and talking about girls and stuff and not about Sam's scar. Luke never did this with anyone before, not even with Elani and Abby. This felt great, for once in his life he felt like he actually had a real friend other then Max, his husky. They were laughing, until they came back to the clearing. Sam stomped his paw on the ground We're right back from where we started. He growled. The rain had stopped, but the dark cloud was still over them Well this is stupid, she must have done this on purpose to lure us away. He said. Most likely. Well, lets head back, the others are probably half way here anyway. Luke turned around to leave, but froze when he saw a human coming through the trees.
Sam saw him too and slowly back away trying to hide in the tress but it was to late the man had seen him and was coming closer. Oddly, he was dark skinned and had a bold head, he was slightly muscular and had dark red eyes. Odd for any human... Sam stopped in his tracks and growled. We've got to watch our backs. He said coming forward in a threatening posture, looking at the man who, instead of retreating, came closer, smiling the whole time. Sam growled threateningly. If the pack gets up here we could all be exposed. Luke agreed, and bristled his fur and showed his teeth in a threatening smile. Sam did the same, but his growling seemed more desperate: he knew what was at stake even more than Luke did. The man merely laughed at their efforts. "Easy pups. I've come to deliver a message from Edward." Both Luke and Sam gasped inwardly. Edward, the very lupun that wanted Luke dead since his birth. Sam roared What business do you have with that bastard? The man just smiled and kicked the ground with his boot. It would have made him seem sheepish if he weren't so menacing. Now it was disturbing. "My name is Chris, I'm sort of a messenger for Edward. He says to warn you that he knows, Luke, that your alive and is coming here as we speak. He'll be here when the moon is full." He said, far too casually for such an important piece of news. "That's in three weeks.'' He said lifting only three fingers up.
Sam growled angrily. Tell your master that we're not afraid of him. Sam shouted, showing his teeth. "Easy, I just came here to warn you. To warn you...and to help you, if you will accept my help, that is.'' Chris said. How's that? Why would you help me? How will you help me? Luke barked out."Edward plans on killing your whole family, one at a time. He plans on doing this slowly and painfully, making you watch, but I'll just kill you, and Edward wont have a reason to take your whole pack out . After all, you're what he really wants." Chris gave a smile worthy of the devil himself. " So, do we have a deal? Your life in turn to save your pack's?'' Luke stopped growling and thought about it.
Chris was right, if he was the main reason the whole family was in danger, if he gave himself up, at least it'll save his family from a gruesome death. But he really really really didn't wanna. He wasn't old enough to freaking die! What kind of person would willingly allow themselves to be killed? And yet...Luke had a conscience. If he didn't give himself up, he would still die, but it would be more painful and his pack would die too. Luke looked at the man again. And you promise that you'll leave them alone? Sam snorted in an astonished manner. Luke, what are you saying? Idiot. You can't give yourself up! Luke looked at his new friend. What choice do I have? If I don't you'll all be killed! It'll be better if I die. Trust me. Sam growled. Trust you! I barely know you! I just met you! And so did Marla and Sara. We haven't gotten the chance. How on earth could you be so cruel as to give them hope that your alive,only to get yourself killed. Jackass! Who does that? Think about your family, Luke. It would crush them if you died. Great. More doubt. Luke had just met his long-lost family and he didn't want to let them go. Who would? But if he didn't they'd surely be killed...and then he'd lose them anyways. Sam I… But he was interrupted when Sara came crashing through the trees behind them, charging straight for Chris who didn't even flinch as she charged him.
He swung at her with his fists, but she leaped out of his reach and grabbed his shoulder. This didn't seem to work as she had planned, however, because she flipped on her back, losing her grip on him. He was on her in a flash ,eyes glowing a menacing red instead of the gentle gold that filled the eyes of his pack. He grabbed her by the neck and had her in a choke hold. She snapped and clawed, struggling to break free, but he had a good grip on her. Sam broke out of his shocked stupor and rushed to her aid, grabbing Chris's shoulder. The two were rolling and tussling in the dirt. Sara dropped to the ground in naked human form, gasping for air and clutching her throat. Sam still had Chris's shoulder and was shaking him around but Chris grabbed Sam's muzzle and flipped him right over onto his back. He then jumped on top of him and lifted him up, and gave him what looked to be a bear hug. Sam let out a pitiful howl that shook the whole forest. Luke, who stood there petrified, could hear Sam's ribs crack and suddenly Luke felt something snap inside him. Without knowing it he charged straight at Chris, who let go of Sam and gave him a sharp kick sending him flying across the field. His wolf form disappeared and he lay on the ground screaming in pain, also naked. Joy. That probably meant he would benaked when he changed too.
Chris didn't notice Luke until Luke had him in his jaws, he yelled in pain as Sam had. Luke had Chris by the waist and crushed his sides. He gave Luke a good punch right between the eyes, and Luke tossed him aside and shook his head around. The whole meadow was spinning. Was it supposed to do that? Chris was on the ground, both his sides where bleeding deeply from where Luke's teeth had punctured his skin. Chris growled and his teeth grew sharp. "Kill him now…'' Luke's ears perked up at the voice. It was Sara, and she was holding her neck and looking at Chris murderously. Literally. "Kill him before he changes." She said weakly, her voice cracking a bit at "changes". Luke charged forward, roaring teeth ready, but he only had seconds before Chris changed. He pounced on top of the body just as it was about to beast, grabbing the throat. Luke crushed Chris's windpipe and it was over.
Just then Carlos and the others, in human form, came running towards them, shouting their names. Carlos had Sara in his arms, while Jake had Sam. Both of them were out cold. Cody looked at the body and then at Luke, who's muzzle was covered in blood. He could obviously tell, or at least guess, what had happened. "Nice work.'' He said amorally, not really caring that Luke had just killed a man, only feeling proud that he had done it. Cody was now looking at Chris's beast-looking body. His transformation was almost done, if Luke hadn't delivered the final blow when he had it would have been over for them. Cody turned away and just then Chris's body began to twitch and a weak voice was heard. Everyone turned and looked at the creature, this being who had no right to be called a man. "You might have killed me, but you wont kill my brothers. You should have taken my deal…"he started to cough pathetically. "And now you will all die.'' He gave a weak laugh,and Luke roared. Grabbing Chris's head and ripping it right off his body. He tossed it to the side, looking for a moment the monster many viewed wolves and werewolves as. He was a victor. Luke suddenly felt very weak, and then he collapsed. His eyes started to close, he just felt tired, so tired. Cody came up to him and gently touched his shoulder. At some point during this mess he'd turned back into a man. Cody whispered in his ear, " Well done, Luke, well done.'' And then he couldn't see anything, and the world faded into oblivion.