A/N: Happy Valentines Day everybody! … Right that's enough of that, this ain't no love story! (Well it kind of is, but we'll get to that much later) If you're reading this story you're here for action, and I intend to deliver… especially after that cliffhanger last week ;) I think I should have put a cliffhanger/semi-cliffhanger warning on this story before I started it, because… damn do I love leaving you wonderful readers hanging! :P
Also, you may have noticed I finally got a cover for this story! Big thanks for SJC-Caron for making it and for Lleu-Momiji on DeviantArt for providing the original artwork… very, very big thanks to both of them!
And once again, thank you all for reading and for the continued support, whether you leave a review or hit that follow and fav button, it all means a lot :)
Now let's get to the next chapter… Possible M rated violence content ahead. I know I've mentioned it before but I'm saying it again. Enjoy!
Chapter 20
'Savage'
The inhale was so sudden and so harsh, the gas almost felt like he had tried to eat a hot coal.
Fang's senses immediately faded, enough so he could barely register the protests of his Fox comrade as his captors took him away; it was as if he had been injected with a strong sedative… accept this one only caused pain.
He fell to the floor, partly from the force of the gas that had hit him, and the effects of the gas itself. Before Fang had even staggered to the ground and propped himself up on his arms, the toxin went to work immediately as it entered into his blood stream from his lungs. It spread like fire… almost literally: a searing burning sensation cascading both inside and outside his body. He felt like he wanted to rip out his own fur and his own insides for the possibility of instant relief from the intense agony, but his body wouldn't allow it… Fang soon realised he couldn't control his own motor skills, his limbs now had a mind of their own. The feeling of the toxin surging through him was so horrific he wanted to cry out in pain, but instead, the only verbal sounds he could make came out in angered, feral snarls.
After a few long seconds of immensely terrifying agony… the transformation, as it were, became somewhat… pleasant.
After briefly shutting down, Fang's senses became finely tuned, more so than his previous self, as if hit with a reset button. The pain had changed to a slight tingling sensation as his nerves became far more responsive.
Colours started to change as his eyesight reverted to a feral form, but also becoming more resolute and precise. Sounds and smells became more distinguished, picking up odours and noises from all around him, and recognising each of them individually.
He looked down at his paws… his claws seemed more pronounced. Growling ferociously, the Wolf started drawing four adjacent lines into the bare concrete floor as he sharpened his claws.
His rear lifted itself as his hind legs extended to support his weight, now standing firmly on all fours, and his bushy tail raised rigidly behind him.
…
Soon, Johnathan Fangmeyer wasn't himself anymore… his own consciousness locked away in the prison of his own mind as the animal- the Wolf he really was, is all he became. Every gift of sentiency evolution had given him became repressed- brutally snatched away by the cruel toxin that had invaded his lupine form.
…
If anyone attempted to call him by name, he wouldn't hear it.
…
All he was now was a Wolf.
…
A savage.
…
Growling, with teeth bared and nostrils flared.
…
Ready to hunt and kill-
A sound caught the Canine's attention: a short clunk and slight whine of an opening door.
He could hear voices.
He couldn't understand them.
But his senses told him they weren't friendly.
…
The Wolf chose to silence his snarls.
As if it was the only bit of the individual he used to be left to warn his new self of the impending threat.
Something told him this place was dangerous… and those other mammals wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
The simple response.
…
Kill first.
…
The White Wolf took a second to examine his surroundings… vision impaired by the blue mist that now engulfed the entire room.
But he didn't need to see.
He could still make out the smell and clearly hear the others mammals as they approached him.
There were four of them.
…
The Wolf was outnumbered.
But not outmatched.
…
The Panther had asked before what a young wolf was to do when backed into a corner.
These mammals were soon to find out…
The unstoppable wrath of a mammal reduced to a single instinct:
…
Survive.
…
The four armed criminals entered the room with a push: a hyena, red wolf, dhole and a jaguar, bursting through the door with weapons raised ready to fire, and ready to put down the feral Arctic Wolf inside. As they entered, it became clear the pierced gas canister had very nearly emptied its entire contents into the room, filling it with the thick azure fog, although the four armed criminals were spared from the airborne toxin themselves by the gas masks they wore…
But it also restricted their own senses.
"Fan out… find that Wolf!" the jaguar ordered, his speech partially muffled by his gas mask.
The four hunters dispersed through the room, checking down each row of the plant shelves, carefully watching their step so as not to trip on the few watering pipes. The blue fog was thick, barely being able to see a few feet in front of them-
Feral growls from the savage Wolf began to emanate around the room… never in the same spot. Each of the armed mammals at one point could hear them, turning instantly to face the spot it came from…
Only to see nothing-
The savage White Wolf dressed in black and blue meant he was a ghost in amongst the cerulean mist.
Even with no sentient consciousness to guide him… he was running rings around the four hunters.
…
That was the moment the four armed mammals realised that they: the hunters… had become the hunted.
"I don't like this…" the dhole spoke out nervously.
"Don't be a wimp!" the hyena scolded.
"Any sign yet?" the jaguar called across the room.
"Nothing yet,"
"I can hear him …" the red wolf muttered.
"We can all hear him dumbass…" the hyena chided, "Now find him!"
"How!? I can barely see two feet in front of me!"
The jaguar was riled from his companion's incompetence, forcing him to speak out;
"Then try using your fu*king eyes… he can't have just disappe- ARGHHH!-"
The feline's scream across the room alerted the others… but was swiftly cut short to the muffled sound of gurgling…
And the growls of a Wolf.
…
When the three other predators converged on the sound… the only thing they found was a dead jaguar… his throat brutally torn out, messily, with chunks of loose flesh and the unmistakable sight of blood cascading across the floor… the look of terror still clear in his lifeless eyes behind the lens of his gasmask.
And the savage Wolf was nowhere to be seen.
…
"Fu*k this…" the dhole jittered, "No one said anything about fighting a savage!"
"Yea… I'm with you," the red wolf added.
The two canines rapidly turned tail… they were already halfway to the door they had just entered from when the hyena called back to them angrily;
"Hey! …"
He himself began rushing to the door to force the red wolf and dhole to stand their ground. The two canines were already in the corridor outside with heir gasmasks off when the hyena reached the exit, and ripped off his own mask;
"HEY!" he shouted louder as he stepped out the door, forcing the two fleeing canines to look back at him; "Get back her- arARCGHhh!"
His speech was cut ultimately short when the savage Wolf appeared… leaping up through the door and clamping his jaws across the unsuspecting hyena's neck, dragging him to the ground.
"Oh sh*t!" the dhole exclaimed, as he and the red wolf observed in shock.
There wasn't any time for them to help either, and the hyena had no chance. He was already bleeding out from the bite wound in his neck from his severed artery when the savage Wolf immediately bit his neck again… this time, much harder-
The sickening crack of bone snapping echoed down the corridor as the Wolf broke the hyena's spine, effectively ending his life in the instant.
…
With only the two of them left, the smaller dhole continued to run away, while the red wolf took a chance:
Aiming his Uzi submachinegun down the hallway, he swiftly pulled the trigger… His weapon only sounded for a few seconds before it ceased unexpectedly, having jammed during his volley… but some of the hurried shots of 9mm bullets successfully struck the feral Wolf.
…
It was a shame he was wearing ballistic armour-
All the red wolf had succeeded in doing was making the savage White Wolf even angrier…
…
"Sh*t sh*t sh*t, SH*T!" the red wolf muttered franticly as he tried to dislodged the jam. He could hear the feral Wolf's fierce growls, making him panic, and subsequently making the unjamming of his weapon exponentially more difficult.
He had scarcely managed to dislodge the jam and raise his gun again-
Just in time for the savage Wolf to leap at him…
The canine went for the off-guard red wolf's right arm, the one which was wielding his SMG. The savage Wolf bit into his upper arm, forcing a couple of panicked pulls of the trigger which led to nothing, before dropping the gun as he fell onto his back, the Arctic Wolf landing on top of him.
In the moment of shock, the red wolf threw a punch with his free left arm to the feral Wolf's head-
That was his last mistake.
The savage White Wolf swiftly responded… pulling his head away from the red wolf's body with a harsh jerk, while his teeth were still imbedded in the flesh of his arm. The red wolf howled in pain as his arm was torn from its socket with a fountain of blood, staining himself, the feral Wolf, the floor and walls-
Though he didn't scream for very long…
The savage Wolf slammed a paw to his face, digging his claws deep across the side of the canid's muzzle and, after throwing away the red wolf's dismembered arm, finished him with a swift and brutal bite, as the feral canine relocated his teeth into the red wolf's neck.
It didn't take long before he succumbed.
…
And the savage White Wolf went to continue his hunt…
The lone dhole hadn't gotten far despite having a head-start from the red wolf's decision to stand and fight… however it wasn't long after he scarpered he heard the other canine scream out in pain from what was an unmistakable brutal death.
…
And now the savage Wolf had his scent.
…
With hope to regroup with the rest of Roan's army, he was running as fast as he could to the other section of the 'L' shaped building, cutting through the maze of unfurnished corridors and rooms to try and lose his hunter so as to not share the fate of his fellow criminals.
But that was not to be.
…
He came to a sudden halt as the corridor he was running down opened out to the building's empty atrium, stopping just before he went over the edge of the 2nd floor balcony he was on; the edge before the three storey void protected by a temporary steel balustrade. There was no way to the other side of the lobby from this floor… which was exactly where he needed to get to-
He heard the Wolf approaching behind him, and gripped the trigger of his KSG shotgun before turning on the spot…
And wished he'd done it much faster when the savage Wolf collided with his chest, the impact forcing the dhole to pull the trigger in shock (and miss) as he and the Wolf burst through the banister and went over the edge…
…
After losing contact with Nick and Fang, the rest of the squad weren't taking any chances… and went on full attack.
Catherine and Wolford continued to provide sniper support as Mchorn, Grizzoli and Delgato made their own way to the adjacent section of the building, with intent to find their two lost comrades-
Completely unaware of their dire situation.
Each of them at one point or another had tried to contact the absent Fox and Wolf with their own radio as they fought their way through the build yard… but to no avail. Even if their radio was or wasn't being jammed now, neither Nick nor Fang was responding to their hails, and it made them evermore determined every second that went by with no contact.
However, due to their bold move, the hostile shooters had eventually been forced to retreat inside the opposite building, vacating the build yard, and ceasing to fight back.
This had now allowed Mchorn, Grizzoli and Delgato to enter the same side of the building Nick and Fang had earlier, and they proceeded to search for them while Catherine and Wolford remained in their snipers perch and provide observation from outside.
This section of the building appeared to be all but abandoned; the three SWAT officers decided to separate to cover more ground and radio check every minute… but so far there was no sign of their Fox or Wolf comrade…
Until now.
In an effort to find some stairs and ascend the building, Delgato had just entered the open, empty lobby area on the ground floor when he could hear a commotion a few floors above-
As well as a sudden gunshot.
The Tiger promptly took to the cover of a concrete pillar just as he heard it, when suddenly what looked like a steel gate fell from the floors above, clanging loudly off the concrete floor…
Followed by two mammals; a dhole landing hard on his back, and Delgato immediately recognised the White Wolf in tactical gear that had landed on top. Although a subsequent crack indicated the dhole's broken back from landing on a concrete floor from several metres and the weight of a Wolf on top of him, Fang himself appeared to be unscathed from a three storey fall-
"Nice of you to drop in mate…" Delagto greeted (what he thought was) his friend.
…
His greeting fell on deaf ears…
Though he deduced it was likely that Fang was disorientated from the fall. The Wolf had his back to him and was shakily returning to his two feet.
However, concerned his colleague might be injured, Delgato moved up to help;
"Fang?"
…
Now the Wolf turned around-
And the Tiger physically recoiled at the sight.
The White Wolf was on his feet… all four of them… blood dripping from his bared teeth and staining much of his muzzle and arms, his expression clearly hostile indicated by his feral snarl. There was no sclera in his eyes… his sockets dominated solely by his brown coloured iris and the deep black pupil in the centre.
Delgato had pretty much summed up the evidence… it didn't take a genius to know, but he still tried, anxiously, to reach whatever was left of his friend;
"Fang…?"
When a fierce growl was his only response, it definitely confirmed the evidence…
Especially when the Wolf had begun charging at him;
"Oh sh*t-"
As he backed away slightly to affirm his standing position, Delgato raised his rifle across his front… promptly stopping the Wolf's lunge at him as the canine collided against it, halting him in mid leap.
The Tiger struggled to hold the savage Wolf back, in a test of strength that was surprisingly difficult considering the canine's smaller size. Delgato caught him with his rifle across his neck as the Wolf started to claw at Delgato's chest, protected mostly by his ballistic vest while he pulled his head back to avoid the Wolf's snapping jaws trying to bite his neck or muzzle… with droplets of drool exuding from the canine's maw;
"Come on mate! Snap out of it!"
But no resemblance of his friend answered.
"Fu*k!"
Delgato growled as he lifted a leg to kick away the savage Wolf's footing and pushed his rifle forward to throw the canine away from him. The Wolf flew a couple of metres away, but quickly recovered in an instant, and Delgato prepared for another aggressive assault.
There was no doubt about it, he would have to subdue Fang physically…. Which was easier said than done in the case of a savage: they were vicious, uncontrollable, and unpredictable, and it often ended up with the feral individual getting injured in the attempt to subdue them. It put Delgato in a very awkward situation… because he didn't want to hurt the Arctic Wolf, but in his current state of a lacking coherent mind, Fang would not hesitate to kill the Tiger, just as he had done his previous four kills. The savage Wolf couldn't differentiate friend from foe… to him, everything and everyone he had deemed a threat to his survival, and therefore a threat to be extinguished… by killing it, before it killed him.
And Delgato knew this.
…
The Wolf charged at him again, missing cleanly as the larger Tiger jumped to the side just before the canine collided with him. In this gap of the encounter, as was necessary, Delgato reached for his radio;
"Hey! I'm gonna need some help over here!" he said it with urgency… as the Wolf went for him again, though this time Delgato used his rifle butt as a club, striking the canine cleanly to his left with a hefty swing.
"Where are you!?" Mchorn responded down the radio.
"Main lobby!-" he cut his sentence in half when the Wolf didn't take the attack nicely: as the Tiger was distracted from talking in his radio, the canine grabbed the weapon with his jaws, yanking it directly from Delgato's paw, disarming him and making him stumble forwards; "… Ground Floor!"
"We're on our way!" Grizzoli yelled down the radio.
The Wolf was immediately on the attack again… taking the Tiger's stumble as an advantage to bring him down to the floor by seizing Delgato's leg with his mouth… the canine digging his sharp predatory teeth into the Tiger's flesh.
The Tiger growled from the incisions as the Wolf's pull on his limb also furthered his fall. Delgato hit the concrete floor on his front, still with his leg restrained by the Wolf's teeth… just as Catherine's voice blurted down his radio;
"What is it!? What's wrong!?"
Delgato couldn't respond just yet, seen as he was snarling through gritted teeth to fight the pain of a Wolf's jaws clamped on his lower leg and pulling on his flesh, with blood exuding from the wound. The Wolf's bite held strong until Delgato managed to flip himself over and used his free leg to kick the savage Wolf several times until his jaw loosened, and another kick to push the canine away before he replied to the Snow Leopard;
"It's Fang!"
The Tiger's voice was clearly irritable, with a clear struggle in the background… and at the mention of his name, Catherine's heart dropped at the instant thought that whatever she was about to hear she wasn't going to like.
Though what Delgato shouted down the radio next was the last thing she expected to hear…
And one of the things she most feared-
"He's gone savage!"
"WHAT!?"
Her exclamation almost made Wolford next to her jump and look at her troublingly; Catherine immediately moved herself from her snipers position and thrust her paw to her belt- specifically to her personal medkit… and pulled out the small medical injector Delgato had asked about earlier after the shootout around the church.
The tube labelled:
MHA2
An acronym for: 'Midnicampum Holicithias Antidote 2'… the second generation antidote made for the effects of the Nighthowler serum…
The fast acting antidote.
…
Catherine turned to her fellow police sniper;
"Mike-"
"Get over there," Wolford had practically read her mind, "I've got you covered…"
Catherine leaned over to pick up her sniper rifle, holstering it over her back with the carry strap before she hurriedly left the blasted church tower… Charging down the steps as fast as her legs would take her and keeping the MHA2 injector firmly in her right paw…
In the ground floor lobby of the uncompleted leisure centre, Delgato was still, in short, trying to survive himself.
Even in a normal state, Fang was the superior paw-to-paw fighter out of all of them… now as a savage, that also seemed to translate somehow; he was still overly agile and abnormally strong, and could take most of the punishment he was given… as well as to swiftly return it…
Delgato had manged to reassert himself on his feet, however much he was limping from the harsh bite the Wolf had made on his lower left leg.
It was barely a second before the Wolf sprang at him again, Delgato countering his attack by ducking and raising his arms to lift the Wolf over him. However, the canine's momentum was so much that as he was lifted over, the Tiger fell backwards onto his back, leaving himself vulnerable.
The Wolf recovered quicker too, and attacked the floored feline again… attempting to bite at the Tiger's neck. He was only stopped when Delgato raised his arms to hold the Wolf's open jaw back from his exposed throat… but the canine quickly distracted the Tiger by dragging his claws across the side of his face… Tearing off the bandage around Delgato's head and catching his bloody torn ear-
Just as the White Wolf was tackled away from him…
Grizzoli had rushed in on the scene… and upon seeing the scuffle on the floor, he immediately dropped his rifle and charged forwards. He dived straight into the fray, tackling the savage Wolf and freeing the Tiger.
It was a harsh tackle, considering he was nearly more than double the size of the Wolf… the collision threw the canine across the empty atrium, while Grizzoli had rolled over and was back in a crouched ready position.
For a brief half-second he turned his attention to Delgato and asked;
"You alright?"
"Watch it!-"
Grizzoli heeded his comrade's abrupt warning. He turned to face the enraged Wolf, only just getting the chance to block the aggressive canine; Grizzoli stuck his right arm up to block the Wolf's lunge at his neck… only now the canine had his jaws clamped on his forearm.
He managed to keep his footing so he didn't fall over, but the Lion still scowled at the pain as the Wolf's teeth incised his flesh…
Grizzoli responded with a rapid punch to the Wolf's head.
That only made the canine pull harder, and bite harder… and lift his paws to the Lion's chest to maul his front and push him backwards.
It was gruesomely bloody tug of war, with Grizzoli's left forearm playing the part of the rope… he used his free right arm to land a couple of blows on the canine, but whatever he did the Wolf still only growled fiercely and wouldn't let go-
At least not until Delgato intervened…
He approached from behind, using both paws with a firm grasp to pry open the Wolf's jaw from Grizzoli's arm, much to the canine's dislike.
The Wolf's movement became instantly more erratic and violent… he attempted to turn and snap at the Tiger until Delgato suddenly lifted the Wolf off the ground and threw him backwards across the floor.
The canine landed harshly, making a short yelp of discomfort…
Which quickly changed to a growl of frustration.
"Of all of us to go savage, why'd it have to be him?" Delgato asked rhetorically as he helped Grizzoli up but not taking his eyes off the feral Wolf, who was now back on all fours.
The Lion was about to reply, but at that moment Mchorn entered the scene with surprising haste, disarming himself of his minigun as he dropped the six barrelled death machine and the ammo backpack to the ground.
"Grab him!" Grizzoli yelled.
Mchorn charged forward just as the growling Wolf was about to assault the two large feline's again.
The Rhino's thundering footsteps quickly grabbed the canid's attention, but before he could turn around Mchorn had made his move:
Approaching from behind, he used his much larger stature to his advantage, using both his arms to grasp around the savage Wolf and lift him up from the ground.
The canine didn't take it very nicely…
He started to thrash around madly, with a ferocious and endless series of snarls, and outstretched claws and teeth. The canine's frenzied struggling was so violent Mchorn's firm grip on him quickly loosened; the Wolf turned around to face the Rhino still in between his two large arms, and brought a clawed paw to his face…
Mchorn recoiled when a single claw very nearly took his eye out, involuntarily letting his grip on the savage canine fail, who continued to struggle madly until he managed to wriggle free-
But he didn't relent from his counterattack on the Rhino; the savage Wolf quickly dodged another of the Rhino's grasps, then rapidly ran behind and jumped up onto Mchorn's back... brutally digging his teeth into the back of the Rhino's neck.
As a Rhino, it wouldn't do Mchorn a lot of damage, but having a Wolf putting all his strength into biting the back of your neck would hurt like hell for any mammal…
Wincing from the incisions, he reached behind his back to throw the canine off, but the Wolf's smaller physique meant he was just out of reach.
Considering the bite to Delgato's leg had left him with a mild limp, Grizzoli rushed over to help first:
Mchorn turned on the spot so the Lion had better access; Grizzoli jumped up onto Mchorn's back himself, using all his strength to remove the Wolf's jaws from Rhino's back… it was surprisingly easy-
That was because the Wolf had quickly turned on him…
Pushing off of the Rhino's back, the canine abruptly tackled the Lion, ramming into his chest and landing hard on the concrete floor, winding Grizzoli the moment he landed.
The Wolf moved to attack him again as he was on the ground, but he quickly lifted his better right arm to the canine's neck to hopefully choke him into submission…
Yet the Wolf reacted fast, trying to snap his jaws at the Lion's arm and maul his left shoulder… forcing Grizzoli to hold back the limb trying to claw at him with his other arm.
They were stuck in the fierce grapple for a mere second when just at that moment;
"Leonard, d'you copy?" Catherine's voice called from his radio.
In order to respond, Grizzoli swiftly overpowered and pushed the canine backwards until he was positioned over his feet, and then kicked him further away with a coiled leg... leading for Delgato to grab the dazed canine in a choke hold.
And giving Grizzoli the chance to yell back in his radio;
"Little busy right now!-"
"Try not to hurt him!"
"If anything he's hurting us more!" Delgato groaned, overhearing the conversation… literally followed by him snarling in annoyance as the Wolf managed to nip nastily at his arm holding the canine in place and making him lose his grip.
Grizzoli didn't respond immediately to Catherine's communiqué, thinking he was about to have to defend himself as the Wolf was free again-
But Mchorn intervened, once again approaching the canine from behind and using his larger frame to his advantage; he grabbed the Wolf's rear legs and pulled, flooring the unbalanced canine before picking him up, tossing him around and slamming him against one of atriums large concrete pillars, pinning the Wolf with his much larger hooves and disorienting him…
With the chance to reply now, Grizzoli spoke back into his radio, knowing the Snow Leopard's sudden communication was not just a courtesy call, he asked briefly;
"What's your plan?"
"I've got an antidote, that'll bring him back…" Catherine replied sharply, worry clear in her tone, "But I need to you to keep him restrained… I have to inject straight into his neck,"
Grizzoli was about to reply but was cut short when Mchorn made a loud grunt of pain. Barely a moment after he pinned the Wolf the canine had immediately reacted to being shoved against the column… scarcely a second went by before he began another frenzied struggle to break free from the Rhino's grasp, resulting to mauling at Mchorn's exposed limb;
"That's gonna be easier said than done!-" Mchorn griped as Delgato relieved him, pushing the canine back against the pillar with his arm across the Wolf's neck, again forcing the Wolf into another mad frenzy… and now attempting to snap and claw at the Tiger…
Grizzoli quickly turned back to his radio;
"Right, we'll work on it," he affirmed unsurely, "But hurry up!"
"I'm already moving, just hold on! …"
…
The next minute felt like an hour full of physical torment as Grizzoli, Delgato and Mchorn tried to subdue their savage colleague and friend. However, every time they succeeded to catch him, the Wolf writhed so uncontrollably with a mad frenzy that he managed to slip away, leaving another bite or claw mark on the Lion, Tiger and Rhino, despite their firm grip… even when they tackled the canine simultaneously, he still managed to slip free.
The savage Wolf was relentless, and seemed to have endless energy while the other three were tiring, partly from the repeated failed attempts to pacify the canine, and also from the amount they were bleeding from the wounds the same canine had put on them.
…
There was no doubt about it…
They needed that antidote now.
…
She was at a full sprint as soon as she left the church doors… Catherine knew time was a factor here, as it was only a matter of time before one of her friends got seriously injured, or worse.
Savages were unpredictable and dangerous, even the smallest ones, and it didn't help that they hadn't been expecting to face any today; they were all ill-equipped. Every single weapon the SWAT Team had armed themselves with from the church basement was lethal, with intent to go ahead with the established shoot-to-kill rule of engagement that had been established today… which so far had not been a bother until they were now faced with one of their own turned against them.
Having to fight an army of armed criminals was one thing, but fighting a savage… especially when it's someone you care about…
It was a mammal's worse nightmare-
It was definitely one of Catherine's.
…
She travelled as fast as her legs would take her… charging down the overgrown pathway of the churchyard and under the lichgate.
She continued hurriedly, one leg before the other, without so much as a glance in either direction as she sprinted across the potholed road that separated the churchyard and the build site.
Reaching the opposite pavement, the Snow Leopard then rushed through the entrance to the build yard, heading directly towards the spine of the L-shaped structure where the atrium was. The dirt covered yard was now strewn with bullet casings and torn up dirt from the impacts… as well as several bodies of the vanquished criminals killed in the earlier battle.
Catherine stuck to the left side of the yard, with intent to run along the outside of the adjacent building, despite it being too much of an open area… which was fine now seen as no one was shooting at her…
She just made it to the shipping containers Nick and Fang had used for cover earlier-
When a far off gunshot echoed...
Followed quickly by another louder low pitched one.
A tuft of dirt exploded a mere inch from Catherine's foot, forcing her to trip slightly and halt her run. Before another shot rang out, she dived behind the huge steel shipping container- followed by a spark erupting from a bullet grazing the corner of the metal as another gunshot echoed.
Ducking low behind her steel shield, Catherine reached for her radio;
"Mike, what was that?" she asked irritably.
"Couple of snipers just appeared on the roof,"
"Need help?"
"No, I got this, you keep moving…" Wolford insisted, as the low pitched boom of his .50 calibre sniper rifle caught Catherine's hearing, "… The others need that antidote!"
"Copy," Catherine affirmed, "keep me covered…"
"Don't worry, I got you,"
Catherine moved to the opposite end of the container, seeing the blasted open fire exit door Nick and Fang had breached before they went inside.
She considered moving inside herself, but she didn't want to risk having to make her way through a maze, not knowing what the interior of the building was like. She decided to stay exterior and run adjacent to the wall, completely putting her trust in Wolford he would ensure she didn't get gunned down before she got there.
As short sharp cracks of sniper fire echoed, the Snow Leopard made her move, launching herself from the shield of the shipping container, out into the open.
She continued her run, taking a quick glance at the opposite building and noticing the small silhouette and hostile scope glare-
That quickly disappeared following another far off gunshot from Wolford's sniper rifle…
As Catherine sprinted alongside the exterior wall, only one more shot was sent her way… slamming into and excavating a hole in the concrete façade behind her; she reached the atrium just as the short session of gunfire ceased, Wolford having dealt with the opposing snipers.
…
She heard the brawl before she saw it.
Catherine rounded the entrance to the building, fiercely tearing through the tarpaulin blocking the doorway inside with a slash of her claws and followed through, opening out into the expansive lobby area…
Where she could clearly see the fracas before her.
…
Several small patches of blood stained the bare concrete floor, as well as what looked like a dead dhole, and a large piece of grated steel…
But that's not what caught her attention.
During the scuffle, it was clear Grizzoli, Delgato and Mchorn hadn't succeeded in subduing the savage canine considering the number of bite and claw marks on each of them, and the fact the White Wolf in tactical gear was still standing.
Catherine could see he had his back to her… and it horrified her to see the mammal she loved down on all fours, growling ferociously, covered in his own, his enemy's and his friend's blood… with no sense of who he really was clearly visible. It was like he was dead, replaced with the feral beast that he now was.
But Catherine held the glimmer of hope in her right paw:
She had the antidote-
And she would bring him back.
…
Just before the Wolf went to attack her colleagues again, she quickly caught his attention when she yelled his name;
"JOHN!"
Having made her presence known, Catherine pulled her sniper rifle from her back and threw it aside- she wasn't going to need it.
The savage Arctic Wolf turned to stare at the Snow Leopard, still scowling, having no recognition of who she was to him.
Catherine knew there was no point trying to reach him… Even though every ounce of his being wanted anything but to hurt her… she knew for a fact that his consciousness was locked away by the cruel neurotoxin, making him a prisoner inside his own mind with no control whatsoever of his actions.
Catherine held the antidote injector firmly, back-pawed like a knife. She knew she had to inject straight into his jugular vein- which meant having to get close to him.
She was aware of the danger in this situation; unlike the Lion, Tiger and Rhino, Catherine as a Snow Leopard, despite being quite strong for her species and gender was not as strong as them… and was as well, only slightly smaller than the Wolf… And in his savage state, it was more than likely he could overpower and kill her…
…
A split second later, the savage White Wolf- her Wolf, began charging at her.
But Catherine was prepared…
She only had one shot.
And she couldn't afford to miss.
…
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the frenzied Wolf approached her… teeth bared with a fierce growl and fury inside his feral eyes.
But Catherine didn't falter… every millisecond that went by only further augmented her fortitude…
And soon, the Wolf leapt at her-
…
It took barely a second:
…
She stepped a tad to her right, the Wolf colliding with her outstretched left arm with the momentum forcing her backwards.
As they both fell, Catherine twisted to her left along with the weight of the canine, grimacing from the pain as the Wolf sank his teeth directly into her left shoulder…
While she lifted her free right arm to the canine's exposed neck-
And praying she'd hit the right spot as she jabbed the injector against his skin.
…
It immediately took effect.
…
Before they both even hit the ground, the Wolf fell completely limp as they rolled across the bare concrete floor… coming to a sudden calming stop:
Catherine lay on her back, breathing heavily with a mild amount of blood gushing from the bite to her shoulder as she slowly reasserted herself with reality…
It was done.
She looked slowly to her left; Fang was lying on his side, left fully unconscious beside her, his arms and legs sprawled out in between them. Even in his induced comatose state, his expression had instantly changed… it became relaxed, his teeth were no longer bared, his breathing calm and deep, and his muscles were at peace with themselves. It was as if he was young wolf pup who had just dozed into a deep soothing sleep after a long day of playing… leaning his head over Catherine's left arm like a small soft pillow, as the exhales from his nose ruffled the fur on her arm.
Of course, that was as far from the truth of what he had just been through… Catherine knew right now Fang was a tortured soul… but as some of the longest seconds of her life passed by while she gazed at him…
She couldn't help but feel her heart warm after her brief scare.
…
The antidote had worked.
…
She had him back.
She had her Wolf back.