Chapter 21: Finding the Pieces

Two sets of shining eyes stalked low to the ground around the cabin in the woods. The new look now add more to the horror, the feeling of being in a horror movie with a psycho killer about to leap out at them. They were terrified, were the hunters in? They hoped they were, they needed to hear of their plans, but then again secretly they hoped they weren't. Alfa had seen what they did to their kills, stuffed and hung on a wall; he and Misty didn't want to be next. Hence why they assessed this place carefully from behind this log pile before making a final decision. Stepping out meant becoming human, bigger, a little slower, an easier target!

"You weren't kidding when you said you totalled the place." Misty said looking over the faint paint still seen on the side of the home. It was clear they attempted to try and get it off, but they must have given up at some point. "That new look you gave it is…err, fancy…and creepy."

"Really? Oscar thought we didn't do enough, we thought about burning it to the ground." Alfa whispered. "I have to agree now, the thought is tempting."

"Maybe next time. But now we need to see what they're up to." Misty said trying to hide he giggle.

"You agree too?" He asked surprised.

"What? No!" She instantly exclaimed. "I was kidding, it's someone's home!"

"I'll leave it for Oscar and Micky, I'm sure they'd take great pride in it." He chuckled. He stood up a little straight to peek into a window, but that was aborted when the padlock attached to the collar around his neck was caught on a stick on the log pile. "Damn padlock, the sooner you take this off me the better."

"You still got a long wait to come." Misty replied. "Come on, I don't think they're in." He managed to untangle himself and follow after her. The second they stepped onto the concrete driveway they mists consumed them, and by the time they reached the home they looked through the window as humans, indeed the cost was clear.

"Woah, you made all that mess?" Alfa peeked through with her, his eyes scanning the mess within. The empty beer cans, small ammunition boxes, geese and grin, dust and dirt, dim and dark and cigar ends littering the table to the side.

"Actually, it looks cleaner then how it was before we started."

"Man, these people are pigs." She reeled in disgust. How can anyone live like this?

"Come on, I don't want to hang around here longer then we have to." Misty had to agree with him, but not with what she saw as she turned around. Alfa wielded a rock, bringing it above his head and readying to throw it. Quickly, she caught his arm to stop him.

"What are you doing?" She seethed.

"What? How else are we going to get inside?" He replied as she forcefully pushed his arm down.

"You're starting to act like Oscar now, destroy everything, think later." She let him go and walked around the side of the cabin towards the door.

"He doesn't destroy everything." He retaliated. But then again…Todd's car, this cabin…more and more things started to come flooding to him over the year and a half he's known him.

By the time he had walked around the corner, Misty seemed to be looking for something. So he asked her in utter confusion. "I'm looking for a key." She answered, flipping over a plant pot to check underneath it.

"Do you really think these guys are going to have a spare key?" He questioned with an amused smirk.

"You never know." She replied and carrying on her search. Alfa only sighed and let her get on with it. However, when he looked to the door, a cheeky thought came to mind. He took a few steps back, making sure to have a good run up while waiting for Misty to get out the way. As soon a she was, she built up speed, tensing his leg muscles, then at the last minute kicking with all his strength. "Maybe we should just come back another…"

The door broke off its hinges, creaking after the first loud bang, then the second loud bang as it fell against the floor. Dust and dirt spewed into the air, proving to the how unclean this place was. First she was shocked, but then she crossed her arms and looking at Alfa annoyed and unimpressed.

"What? I'm tired of running from issues." He shrugged as she walked inside.

The smells were the same, blood, rotting meats, cigar smoke; he could never live in a place like this.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about this place. It gives me the creeps." Misty said while looking around the dank, dark home.

"These guys are creeps; they should be right at home." Alfa replied as he picked up several notes and flicked through them. "One elk, ten and a half pounds of meat…" He muttered as he went through them. It was just a list of their kills and clearly how much meat they got off them. On some there was a price, clearly how much they got for them.

Misty was drawn to something else, a large map on the wall behind Alfa. Looking over it carefully, she recognised certain areas. It was a park map; it was an overhead view of the entire Valley and forest as well as a few of the surrounding towns and areas. Red marks stood out from it clearly. A red "X" marked on an area south east of the Valley with an arrow curving around to the south before jutting up north. Also, a few small circles dotted around here and there, mostly in areas where they had confronted them. Strangely, these circles were in black, was this to do with them? But what did any of this mean?

"It looks like they've marked hunting areas." Alfa said when coming to her side and examining it himself.

"Do you know any of these places?"

"That's where one of them shot me." He answered and pointing to one of the black rings. "And that area is one big hill viewing over a huge clearing. Actually, that looks like the hunting grounds in the Valley."

"Looks like they've already been here, it explains the smell of caribou here." Misty added.

"But what's this." He pointed to the red marks. "This looks important."

"What's down south?"

"Beats me, some other hunting area they plan to go to I guess."

"Shall we take this with us?" She suggested. "It could be useful."

"No, they would know we were here and try to trick us into going to one of those places."

"You do realize that you just broke the door? They'll know anyways..." Misty winked as she took it anyway.

"Right." Alfa chuckled. "Come on, we've seen enough."

Meanwhile, a young wolf of the pack needed to get away from the mayhem occurring within. Guardians existed, whether they were here to help or not was unknown, either way, it was driving him crazy; he needed to get away from it all. He was walking towards a stream for a drink when he heard rustling soon followed by a thud. He thought nothing of it, sticks and pine cones fall from trees all the time. But when he heard it again, accompanied by a pained cry, his alpha instincts kicked in. Fresh from Alpha school, it was his duty to investigate. But then it wasn't long as he crept though the undergrowth that he started to hear voices. "Please…please don't hurt me. HELP!" He hurried a little more, but he didn't want to jump into action unless thins were confirmed. "No, no let me go. I can't…" A yelp was replaced with words, a couple of whimpers before silence fell. And by the time he pushed apart a hedge, he wanted to throw up at what he saw. Two bodies lay covered in blood beside the stream he wanted to go to, a third hung lifelessly in the grasp of… A human! This human, he needed to chase it away, that or report it. He knew these wolves, the local bullies, he didn't like them, but that didn't change anything.

"Damn dogs, always getting in the way." He grumbled as he dropped the wolf limply onto the floor. NO matter what he training prepared him for or what his responsibilities told him to do, if three wolves couldn't handle one human, he certainly couldn't. But upon taking one step back to retreat, a stick snapped under his paw, shifting the human's attention towards him

"Now look at this, another to join the party." He smirked and turning to face him.

Turning a blind eye to everything he was taught, he screamed, turned tail and ran at full speed, continuing to scream into the distance. The human smirked, perfect, absolutely perfect!

"Damn, that was perfect!" Richard exclaimed when he jumped up to his paws. "That couldn't have gone any better! David, are we clear?!" He shouted up into a tree.

David, the lookout scanned the area with his eyes, hardly containing his laughter eventually replied. "All clear, you should have seen it from up here!" He laughed while skilfully, and carefully, clambering down.

"Berries, maybe next time if we mix it with some mud, it'll look more realistic for blood." James added while getting up.

"I don't need berries." Lewis groaned as the aches and pained ran over his body. "This is as real as it's going to get." Of course, Alfa's inflicted injuries on him the previous day. Nicely bruised, a few scratches, two missing teeth, it made for a nice, beaten corpse. He should be resting, so his and Richard's mother says, but since when did either of them do as they were told?

"I didn't think he'd fall for it." Oscar chuckled while helping David down the last few feet from the tree. "You were right; we can have a lot of fun with this."

"The look in his eyes." Richard still laughed. "I'll admit, even I was scared for a moment."

"Then let's ease the tension." Oscar chuckled and changing in his red mist before stepping from it as his wolf. "We gotta do this again some day; a few changes and we could out do the Omega's for pranks."

"Ahh man, I've got to get this off." James referred to the sticky berries all over him. He walked to the shallow stream and began scrubbing.

This was great; Oscar couldn't recall the last time he laughed like this. These were real friends, Alfa's enemies perhaps, but his friends. Maybe this could work out for them both, he could try changing their minds about Alfa. Surely after what he did yesterday they won't think about picking fights with him again any time soon. Yeah, this could benefit them both.

"By the time you get back bro, we'll have a better plan sorted for us." Lewis then spoke, instantly making Oscar curious.

"Wait…what? Coming back from where?"

"Oh, stupid duties." He scoffed. He was the last wolf they ever picked to do Alpha duties because he either never got to job done or it was as shoddy attempt, half completed. "They want me and David to head south with a few other Alphas to confirm some peace promise we have with them. We'll be two days tops, we're leaving tonight."

"And while he does that, us Omega's will be chilling like always." Lewis smirked teasingly.

"So other then peace treaties, what other duties doers being an Alpha involve?" Oscar asked curiously. He knew Alfa was an Alpha, but he never really spoke about what he was supposed to do. He never went to this "Alpha school" he's heard about so many times.

"Oh…you know, border patrols, scent renewing." David answered.

"Messaging, hunts…a whole load of boring stuff." James added as he continued scrubbing deep into his fur to remove the squashed berries. "But laziness over here doesn't have to do any of that." He gestured over to Lewis.

"Funny, it's an awful lot like that where I come from." Oscar noticed. "Everyone has jobs that in one way or another help and benefit everyone. Well…mostly."

"Is it? You know…it's strange how alike our species are yet how much we hate each other." Richard chuckled. "It's ridiculous really."

"Can't be helped, that's the way things are." Oscar shrugged. "So what does this duty of yours mean?"

"Two reasons, they either suddenly decided to trust us, or they want to get rid of us for a little while." David laughed. "They just want to make sure everyone's happy with the terms and conditions are still as they were."

"Think we can trust you dorks to behave while we're gone?" Richard grinned.

"Are we ever getting into trouble?" James replied sarcastically.

Next, across and on the borders of the territory, Micky worked away on the car. Finally, after so much searching, he found the last piece he was in need of for, for his project. With grease and oil half way up his arms, he twisted the final part into place and slid back off the engine. "Please, please baby." He muttered, walking around to the driver's side and sitting in the seat. "Work of me now." He said a silent pray and twisted the key. It spluttered, what it had done every other time he tried to start it. But for once, something else happened. "YES!" He exclaimed as the car sparked into life.

He gave the horn a few good blasts as a celebration, gaining his grandfathers attention from the seat on the porch. He switched it off and clambered out of complete the final touches. "Well done, son. You've worked very hard for that."

"Thanks grandpa, I never would have thought I could do it." He smiled happily.

"So does this mean it's driveable?" He asked while lifting himself out of his seat and walking around to him.

"More or less, just gotta clean it up and it's ready to go."

"Tell you what, take a break from all this, I need you to do something for me."

Winston, all alone, for the first time in a while. It was much needed, the pack was in panic, wolves threatened to leave if this Guardian menace wasn't dealt with. They were supposed to bring peace; a wolf was hurt by one of them. Eve had been just as quiet, secluding herself to the den, ashamed of what he and she had done towards their son. Calling him a weapon? What mother does that? Winston saw the stupidity of it, but that was his intentions. They needed something to fight back against the humans, and these four Guardians were their only chance. Kate agree to an extent, the pack needed help and the Guardians were that help, as did Humphrey, but neither agreed calling him a weapon was fair. Lily didn't agree with anything, Garth was somewhere stuck in-between, he didn't know what to think. He only found out Lily had a brother a few weeks ago! Still, Winston had to stand by what he said, they were his packs only hope. No matter what others may think, that was what they were.

Something whistled not far away, a faint whistle. He looked up; a grey wolf stood a little distance away. He knew the wolf, it was one of the four Guardians, his name he did not. "Hey." He called out.

Micky just walked away, disappearing behind a thick grouping of trees. "Hey, wait!" Winston needed to see his son, and this was the only way to find him. If one Guardian was here, the others couldn't be far away. That or this one would lead him to the others. "Come back!" He rounded the corner, going as fast as his fragile body could handle before finding…something else.

A slid to a stop, a human sat on a rock facing away from him. The Guardian was no-where to be seen, but that was the least of his concerns now, there was a human in front of him! He went to retreat, but then the human spoke. "Winston." He said, so it was natural he stopped when the human seemed to know his name. "I don't mean any harm." The elderly human turned around on the rock he was standing on to look at him.

"How do you know my name?" Winston asked with a mixture of emotions running around his head.

"Come, I need to have a talk with you." Ok, things were weird. How was a human talking to him, how did the human know his name? He wanted to know, so fighting against his instincts; he took the longer way around him. He was leaning against a larger boulder, fiddling with something. When standing on the other side of the larger boulder, he took some steps closer. They were berries; he didn't understand what he was doing with them, but some he threw over his shoulder, others he put in a bag resting on the table.

"What is this?"

"Dinner." Samuel answered. "I was thinking about making a pie of sorts tonight for the kids."

"You're a Guardian, aren't you?" It had to be the logical explanation.

"Was." He answered quickly. "I'm what is left of a Guardian."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter. Now where are my manners, berry?" He asked holding one out over the larger rock towards him.

"What…no, thank you. Just…what are you doing out here? Where's my son?"

"I think you've lost the right to call him that?" Samuel said as he took back the berry and ate it himself. "From one father to another, calling one's son a "weapon" is not a way to greet them after years of separation. Especially seeing what Alfa is going through."

"I don't think that's any of your business." Winston grumbled. "How do you know Alfa?"

"The Guardian who still tries his best to protect a pack and the family he loves." Samuel said ignoring Winston's question. "But the pack returns his bravery with rudeness and mocking, his family demoting him to an object. Giving so much for receiving so little."

"I asked how you know Alfa, and I demand an answer!" He then growled. He wanted a straight answer!

"That voice doesn't work on me Winston, I'm not one of your pack anymore, haven't been for sixty years now." Samuel replied, dropping the berries and crossing his arms on the boulder to start this more serious part of the conversation. "Alfa is staying with me, with my grandchildren that have shown him the true definition of family."

"What? Why would he stay with you? A human he's never met before."

"Well, He was introduced to me by my grandchildren that came home with him."

"Do you mean… this Misty and Micky he's spoke of before? Those who seem like friends of Alfa?"

"Yes, those are my grandchildren." He smiled proudly. "Now I don't know what you seem to know about Guardians, but things clearly have been lost in translation. Humans call us werewolves; wolf kind calls us these Guardians. Whatever the story maybe, I don't believe that anymore Guardians have any purpose but to try and survive. Our kind thrived once, and when they did what they were made to do they were almost wiped out."

"Guardians are supposed to loyal protectors, they come to the aid of others."

"Correct." Samuel perked. "So why are you trying to push back someone who is trying to help?"

"I'm not, I'm trying to get them to stay and help!" He retaliated.

"By calling them out, calling them weapons?" Samuel questioned. "Yeah, that's a great way to ask for help."

"They have caused a chaos in my pack!" This was starting to develop into an argument, and as much as Micky wanted to jump out from his hiding place, his grandfather told him not to, no matter what. "None of them show any loyalty to my pack or myself, especially Alfa, not to me or his mother."

"And I can see why." Samuel remained calm; he had years of experience to control his wolf like ferocity. "But who started to chaos? Hmm…Who was the one who was trusted with a secret and shared it with a pack of many? You." Now Winston didn't know how to respond, for once he couldn't think of how to answer. "It's a father's responsibility to listen to a son's troubles and do right by them, to encourage them, not share what he's asked to keep hidden to as many as you can. The closest thing your son with have to a pack is with me, Misty, Micky and Oscar. Neither of them have a reason to be loyal to you or your pack."

"But they still come into our territory, why would they do that?"

"They are the Guardians of the old tales, they are doing what their primal instincts and duties require of them, protect. Yet you dare to dishonour that, those who try and help you. When I lived in a pack, there was this thing called "honour", but it seems to have been forgotten by the leaders themselves."

"What do you know of our ways? How old are you, human?"

"Old enough to gain my senior wisdom, something you still seem to lack. I have lived four of your lifetimes, spending the most of it in the human territory. And now, coming towards an end to this life, here I am talking to another wolf of the pack I once belonged to, one that was all about peace, loyalty and family, and now the leadership has slipped back down to calling members weapons." Samuel sighed, sitting back up straight and picking up the small bag of berries, leaving the rest where they were.

"But that's what we need to win this war, otherwise everyone will die."

"Tell me, why did you follow my grandson here?" This took Winston by surprise. "Guilt is written all over your face, no matter what you think, you regret those words. You hoped following Micky, he would lead you to Alfa."

"Ok, yes…fine, I regret everything I said. It was me that caused all this. But that doesn't change the fact he is part of my pack and supposed to be loyal to his leaders. My daughters understand this, why doesn't he?"

"Because he's no ordinary wolf, Guardians were to protect wolves AND humans from each other, resorting to violence last. They never had sides, their job was to keep each other away from one another and keep the wolves safe from humans.

Winston stayed silence, thinking the words he said over and over again. He was right in many ways, Guardians were here to protect and help both species yet he wanted to use them as weapons in his war. It was true that they were the ones who warned him but those warnings went to deaf ears, ignored. The outcome might have been different if he just moved the pack away, at least for the time being. He did owe an apology to them all, he was the one mistaken here. He sighed and hung his head.

"I do owe them an apology. I did and said things no father should have to do. I guess I need to have a little faith in them."

"And there we have it, your senior wisdom." Samuel chuckled, grabbing his cane and standing to his feet.

"Please, let Alfa know I'm sorry. If I don't see him first, he needs to know that, I need to see him too."

"I sure will, sir." Samuel smiled, doing a small respectful bow, a dip of the head. Winston returned it and afterwards watched the senior Guardian walk away.

First he tried forcing his daughter to marry someone she didn't love, then he automatically assumes the eastern pack took her and her now mate, and now he's pushing away his long lost son. This time he had someone stop him before things got out of paw, or so he hoped, it might already be. Now he needed forgiveness, and the Guardians to not only save the pack…but to save him.

" I do owe them apology, I did do things wrong and this isn't the first time. I guess it is my time to put my faith in to those four and hope for the best. I must leave now, let Alfa know that I am sorry " Winston sighed

" I'll sure do, sir " Samuel smiled with a nod as Winston walked away

Yeah, the mistakes were more than few. First he was about to force his daughter to marry someone she didn't love and now he is about to do similar mistake. This time he had someone to stop him before it was too late, or maybe it was already. Now he only could hope for forgiveness and those Guardians to save them. It was now in they're hands... Or paws...

Heya people! Sorry for the little bit later chapter, mine computer broke down once again so it kinda slowed us down. I hope you're enjoying this story as much as we do, but see you in the next chapter! ^^

Bastard From North