Children of the Starnik
Chapter 36: Last Chances
Lupa's P.O.V
We woke up this morning feeling amazing, sleeping well knowing that all our family was around us. We learnt from Tony that Dakota went out for a run, which he sometimes did, mom was fine with it, she just wished he went after she woke up; she was just being a worried mother now seeing as now we were all together she had a reason to be. But as the hours went by, the more we all started to worry. Tony said he'd only be a few hours, that was five hours ago. Mom started pacing; Scott was worried, just not showing it as much, we all knew that Dakota could handle himself, he was the best tracker, hunter and survivor there was. But when we caught the scent and saw the signs of an approaching storm, she couldn't take it anymore and she practically stormed out. We didn't have any other choice then to go with her. Faolan, Jack, Myka, Scott and myself that was, our little family again. The others stayed behind to prepare for the storm, so running into town to get food and water, finding some way to cover up the hole in the ceiling in the sanctum, for snow would just fall straight through it, and collecting enough firewood to last.
We've been walking around for two hours now, the storm still approaching, we couldn't stay out here for long. We did find Dakota's prints in the snow and we followed them for a period of time, but as the snow became heavier, the quicker the tracks were covered, so we went on instinct. Eventually, we'd have to make mom see sense that he wasn't around, or that he could be back home, that or he'd be fine, he'd find shelter. This was Dakota for goodness sake; he could make it out of anything. No-one wanted to be caught in a storm.
"Rosie we need to head back." Scott said.
"I'm not leaving my baby out here in a snow storm!" She protested.
"Mom he'll be fine, he can take care of himself." Myka added.
"He escaped the Ditori and destroyed everything they've been working on single pawed. He can find shelter in a blizzard." I said.
"I'm not leaving him out there!" She snapped and stopped to facing us. She was so scared for him, we could tell, her eyes were glowing, literally.
"Rosie, we can't stay out here, think of the kids." Scott said approaching her. "We can't risk the kids getting caught in this, Dakota can look after himself."
"I can't leave him out here Scott." She said as a tear leaked out her eye. "We've finally got our family back and together, I don't want to lose one of them only two days later."
"Miss Rosie, if I may." Faolan said stepping forward. "Back home we used to get blizzards all the time, and I still had to run errands for people, I can stay out and look for him."
"I can't ask you to do that Faolan." She said.
"And I won't let you." I added.
"I've had three thousand years worth of running in blizzards, I can stay out longer and find shelter, I'll be fine." He said looking at me, then he turned to mom. "It's the least I could do for letting me marry your daughter."
"We didn't have a choice in that." Scott said.
"You would really do that?" Mom asked.
"Certainly, it's the least I can do."
"Please, find my son." She pleaded and walking up to him and licking his cheek.
"I will, now get home, before it hits."
"Be safe." I said nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. He smiled and bent down to kiss me.
"I've run through storms worse then this, I'll be fine."
"Like she said, bring my brother home." I said kissing him one last time before turning around and walking back with the others, we still had another hour before the storm hit; we'd get there in time. I looked back to see Faolan disappearing over a rise, smiling back at me one last time before he did.
"He'll be fine." Scott said reassuring mom as I caught back up the them.
"They both will." Myka added.
"I can't stand the thought of my only son being out here in a storm, but why is he taking so long, maybe he's hurt or…" Scott didn't let her finish.
"Don't think about things like that, we all love him just as much as you, we all want him home safely."
"I can't help but be like this, he's my only son and the only thing that reminds me of Shadow, I can't lose him."
"We won't, don't worry." Scott said licking the corner of her mouth. It was when two humans came running towards us, two joggers, a man and woman that mom started to get desperate. She ran to meet them, stopping in front of them.
"Excuse me, can you help?" She asked.
"Sure, what's wrong?" The woman asked.
"My son is missing, can you help?"
"What does he look like?" The man asked.
"Black with a white underbelly and back right paw and blue eyes, have you seen him?" She asked with hope brimming in her eyes.
"Sorry, we haven't." She said, making mom's hope decrease. "But we'll keep an eye out for him." She added.
"Thank you." Mom said with a small smile.
"I'm Shannon..." She said reaching down to shake her paw. "…and this is my husband Shaun."
"Thank you for helping." Mom replied taking her paw away. I noticed she left a substantial amount of her on the woman's gloves, but she didn't seem to mind.
"We'll keep a look out." The man said as they continued on running towards the town.
"They were nice." Jack said.
"They were, see how you've made the world a better place." I said seeing this as an opportunity to change the subject.
"That was you Myka." Scott replied. "You went around with Lexi, Karl and Tony to do the classes, you brought all these people together. We only managed to get three towns like this; you've done nearly the entire country."
"But you started it." She said blushing in embarrassment.
"Still Myka, you did most of it." Mom added.
"Still, mother, had you not saw Scott and Grams die that day, you won't have conceived Lupa, Dakota or me and none of this would have happened. It all comes down to you two." She smiled. Oh how I loved it when Myka spoke like mom.
Dakota's P.O.V
My head felt like it had been kicked by a caribou, my vision was seriously blurred when I opened my eyes a fraction, I couldn't hear anything, but that was because I couldn't see anyone around, all I saw was a massive ball of light and black around that. I couldn't move, I was nearly blind; all I could do was wait until either someone came in to wherever I was or I could move. I tried to recall what happened, I remember going for a run, and the there was that she-wolf that nearly fell of the cliff, I saved her and jumped her to the bottom. That must be why my head was hurting so much, I hit my head on the rocks. But where was I now? I couldn't smell anything familiar, but that of a wolf.
An hour passed, and eventually my vision returned and I had the strength to sit up. I went to stand, but suddenly I fell to the ground with a yelp of pain. I look back and my back left leg where the pain was coming from to see blades of grass, cobwebs and bark making what looked like a makeshift cast. Maybe it was broken, but who did this? Suddenly something grabbed me around the back of my neck and I was being dragged outside before I knew it. I didn't try to fight back, for one I was too weak, and two because I didn't know who it was. But what I could tell by this was that they weren't friendly.
I was dragged into the light and away from what looked like a fern den, made of bent over bushes, branches and a fern tree all the way across a dirt patch of snow which filled my fur with grime before being dropped in the middle. I looked around at the thing that pulled me; it was a near completely ginger wolf with a white underbelly who walked away and up a slope. I looked all around me to see masses of wolves come walking and running out of more fern dens dotted around. I looked back at the ginger wolf to see him talking with another grey and white elder wolf standing on top of a small eight foot cliff looking down at me. By the looks of his posture and the size of the fern den he emerged from, I guessed this was the Alpha of this pack which looked to be around forty wolves, all mostly looking brown or ginger. The wolf who dragged me whispered something in his ear before sitting beside him and I laid on my side looking up at him. "Who are you?" He asked in a kind yet old voice.
"My names Dakota." I answered.
"Are you from the neighbouring pack tame wolf?"
"Tame?" I asked. "I'm not tame, who says I'm tame?" I asked.
"The smell of humans on you that's what." The ginger wolf snarled. I presumed this was the packs Beta, second in command.
"I'm friends with some humans, I'm not tame." I snapped while trying to get to my paws, but I fell again once I put weight on my back leg.
"You are with the humans, that makes you tame, a pet!"
"Well either way, I'm not from any pack, I live with my family on the other side of the mountain."
"What were you doing in our territory?" He ordered in an old man's voice.
"I was out running when I found someone hanging off a cliff."
"Unlikely story!" The beta snarled again, he was very short tempered.
"Don't you like humans? What about the Starnik?" I asked
"The Starnik are dead." He proclaimed. "The world they tried to make faded when they did, now we are going to take back the world from the humans."
"How can you be sure they're dead?"
"Word travels fast, humans don't like us, and we don't like humans."
"So what if they're dead, you can't do this!" I proclaim, finding the strength to get to my paws and putting little weight on my leg.
"You are not from our pack, and you are a tame wolf, you have no right to be here."
"So what now?" I asked.
"We kill all trespassers." He replied. He whispered to the ginger wolf beside him who nodded and walked back down the slope towards me, snarling and digging his claws in the snow as we came towards me.
"NO!" A girl screamed. I looked to my left to see that she-wolf, the one with white fur, single black paw and ear and the strange eyes come running through the crowd, standing far beside me. "You can't do this!" She yelled again making the Beta freeze.
"Stay out of this." The Alpha snarled down at her, but it didn't faze her at all.
"Would you dare kill the rescuer of your daughter, father?" She asked. So he didn't know, he just didn't want to believe it. But the pack's Alpha's daughter, whoa, big mistake. I'm in a whole world of trouble now, or was I? I saved her; surly he was in some sort of debt to me.
"No-one believes your story, that you both fell and you landed safely from a one hundred foot fall where none have lived before."
"It's true, he saved me. Even if that wasn't what happened, you can't kill him. Had he not been there then I'd be dead!" She scowled at him. "If I had died, then who else could you give away?" The two stood glaring at one another, the Beta still stood in the same spot, waiting for an order. Finally, the Alpha seemed to give in.
"Take him back, we'll think of another way to deal with him. I want two wolves watching him; don't let anyone in or out." He said waving his paw and walking back. The Beta came towards me.
"Touch me and I will kill you." I said turning around and walking back to the fern den, with him and two others close behind. I limped inside and sat down at the back where I was before, seeing an small unusual blood splatter on the floor. I felt the back of my head, feeling it was spiked and matted with something, must have been where I hit my head. I lay back in that spot on my side; all I could do was wait. I didn't want to have to jump out of here, but then again, I could've and made them see the Starnik were still alive.
I rested my head on my paws and stared at the same spot on the wall for around twenty minutes, not hearing or seeing anything else, until there was commotion right outside. "We're sorry, we can't let you in." One said, I guessed it was one of the guards.
"I need to check his leg and his head, the Alpha gave me permission, or do I have to get him?" I didn't hear anything after that voice wise, but I heard footsteps. I looked back towards the entrance, that she-wolf with the strange eyes came walking in dragging a large piece of bark with several items on it. I didn't say anything, nor did she while she dragged it to my side and sat down. I had another look at her, she as exactly like I thought she was. Pure white, nothing else, but with her right ear all black, her left paw the same, but also the tip of her tail. I went to sit up, but she stopped me.
"Stay down." She said looking down to my leg and removing the cobwebs and blades of grass that held the bark together.
"So, Alpha's daughter huh?" I asked.
"So, weirdo who makes everyone think I'm crazy huh?" She asked tugging on the grass deliberately in a way to hurt a little, it made me seethe, but not much.
"I don't know what you're talking about?" I replied playing dumb.
"How did you do it? We should both be dead." She said ripping it away again, causing more pain to course through my leg.
"Are you doing that on purpose?" I asked.
"That time wasn't." She replied. She then ripped back the bark, making a huge amount of pain run through my leg, making me nearly yell out. "That time was."
"Did you put that on?"
"Yes, my father wasn't happy about it, but I had to see my rescuer was ok."
"I think it's broken." I said looking back at it.
"Yeah it is, I can see that." She replied. I looked down at it, wondering how she could tell. I could feel it was broken, but how can she by looking at it. "I'll put another cast on, one that'll make it more permanent. But only if you tell me how we're still alive."
"What can I say that doesn't involve the truth?" I asked.
"The truth." She simply said looking back to the bark.
"I managed to grab a ledge before we fell, and I caught the rock walls as we fell to slow us down."
"You're such a liar." She giggled lightly. "I can see straight through you."
"That bad huh?"
"That bad." She giggled louder. She moved the things off the bark and by taking on of her claws; she cut out two long, thin pieces. For splints I guess.
"So what are they going to do with me?"
"Nothing, don't worry." She smiled. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." She took the two pieces, gently lying one underneath my leg and placing another gently on top. Then she used fresh and longs blades of grass and cobwebs to hold it all together by wrapping them around and keeping them secure. "Why did you save me?"
"I couldn't leave you there." I chuckled.
"Are you a tame wolf?"
"God no, I'm just friends with the humans. None of us are tame; we just want to live with them peacefully like the Starnik wanted."
"But now they're all dead, nothing's to stop the humans from taking back what was once theirs." She sighed.
"When was the last time you ever went near a human?"
"Over a year, my father has any that come near killed and buried."
"So you don't know." I said, making her stop and look down at me puzzled.
"Know what?"
"That nearly the entire country is at peace, that we can go around freely around it without the humans fearing us or us scaring them. I've lived with some for nearly half a year."
"So you are tame."
"No I'm not." I chuckled. "I just don't go killing them." She just sighed. "Who's that other wolf, the one who sat by your father.
"The Beta? That's Jasper."
"What's his deal?"
"He's got some issues. He was from another pack who ours once fought and killed. My father took him in when he was young; he couldn't kill a wolf that age, saying he'd make up for it somehow. Lately Jasper's been making demands of him, things like how he could make up for what he did. One of which was being Beta."
"And the other?" I asked. Something I guess I shouldn't have asked judging by her reaction. Her claws cut into the bark and her eyes clenched shut.
"Marriage." She seethed. "To me."
"What?" He gasped.
"The other was that he marries the Alpha's daughter, being me."
"Are you yet?"
"Not yet, but soon I know that."
"Don't you have a say in this?"
"Dad said he'd do anything for killing his family, he couldn't deny him this, I don't get a say."
"I'm so sorry." I said hanging my head. It was then she was about done with me leg, she just sat back and stared at it. I found myself staring at her eyes, that strange lilac colour. I was snapped out of my stare when she looked back at me and I looked away.
"What are you staring at?"
"Nothing." I replied.
"Let me guess, my eyes?"
"You really can see right through me." I chuckled.
"Yeah, no-one else has these eyes so I'm told, not even in my family. My father says it's just and abnormality."
"If you could change them back and forth, then it would be a gift. Kinda like the Starnik don't you think?"
"How's your head?" She asked shuffling closer.
"Fine."
"Let me look." She said pushing my head down and moving the fur out the way to see.
"Yes nurse." I chuckled.
"I am the packs healer, so yes, I am." She giggled. I felt her prod a few places, before I felt what could only be her tongue on the cut.
"Now what are you doing?"
"Cleaning it." She replied. "Or would you rather it get infected?"
"So your dad doesn't know about this?"
"Does your mate?" She asked back.
"I'm not married." I chuckled.
"I thought you said you had a family." She asked back as she continued to lick the cut. It was awkward, but I wasn't going to fight her, she seemed to know what she was doing so I let her get on with it.
"I meant my parents, siblings and their mates. I'm the only one who isn't married."
"That must suck."
"It's ok; I haven't found that girl yet."
"Same here, but with a guy."
"Why don't you just run away?"
"And leave my rescuer with my father, no chance."
"Do you know how my leg got like this, I don't remember hurting it." I asked just as she finished and sat back down.
"I had to drag you back, sadly I had to drop you down a short drop and you hit your leg on a tree root. Sorry about that."
"It's ok; I'll be out of here soon."
"Even with what my father says?"
"Yeah, don't worry about me." I smiled. She returned it with her own and walked back towards the exit. "Wait, Chance isn't it?"
"That's right." She replied.
"I'm Dakota; sorry I didn't tell you earlier." I said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She replied walked out, but as she did, those two wolves came barging through towards me.
"Here we go." I said getting to my paws.
"Let's go, the Alpha wants you."
"I'm coming." I said getting to my paws and limping out. Once again, I saw the gathering of wolves outside in a circle, with the Alpha on the ledge and Chance trying to talk to him, but he had the ginger wolf holding her back. Finally she gave up and walked around him to sit beside her father with Jasper on the other side. They directed me to stand in the circle again looking up at the Elder.
"We have come to a decision." He started. "We do not believe my daughter's story or yours, we cannot let you leave, and we can't let you stay."
"So what then?" I asked.
"We will direct you to the boundaries of our territory, you are free to go." I sighed in relief, thankful I didn't have to use my powers to get out of this one. But Chance yelled again.
"You said you would let him live!" She screamed.
"We are, he's at the mercy of the storm." I completely forgot about it. I scented the air, and looked at the ever nearing clouds. I had about thirty minutes before it hit.
"Father you can't do that! If you do then I'm not marrying Jasper."
"You don't have a choice!" He snarled at her. "Where are you from?" He asked looking back down to me.
"On the other side of the mountain, I won't make it back if you leave me."
"Then we leave you in the fate of the gods."
"NO!" Chance screamed, trying to run down to me, but Jasper grabbed her and kept her away.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." I yelled up to her with a smile.
"Go, now!" The elder yelled. I turned and headed towards the mountain as the crowd split and made way for me. The Alpha assigned four other wolves to walk along side and behind me until we reached the border. I looked back at Chance one last time; a tear fell from her cheek. I wasn't going to leave her. I saved her, but she saved me, I can't leave her to get married to that thing. I smiled back at her one last time before I was urged to keep moving and pushed into the forest.
We walked for an hour; the start of the storm already started. The winds screeched and tugged back my fur, snow flew into my eyes, it took far longer then expected seeing as my leg wasn't up to walking. It gave me time to think. That ginger wolf, he's got a plan brewing and I knew exactly what it was. I knew what he was up to. It came to the point I didn't know where I was going and fell behind, letting one of the others lead. Finally, we reached the borders; they stopped at the edge and glared at me when I went over, not stopping to turn back until I disappeared into the snow which had began to faze my vision. As soon as they were out of sight, I heard them start running in the opposite direction. I turned to look ahead again, to see something coming towards me, it was big whatever it was. It slowly came into view. "Faolan?" I yelled over the winds.
"Let's get you home!" He yelled back. "How's the leg?"
"How'd you know?" I asked as we started walking.
"I've been watching you ever since you left, close call from the Alpha."
"Tell me about it."
"I've made a small den not far away, we can stay there the night and you can get us home when it settles." I didn't see the point in that, why couldn't I get us home right now?
"Ok!" I yelled back.
"You're being too slow; we'll freeze to death by the time we make it." He said suddenly slithering under me, picking me up and walking quicker. "Why can't I just get us home now?"
"Where's the fun in that?" He had a point, it's not fun jumping all the time, at least I felt like a normal wolf like this. He started trotting, and half an hour left we made it to a small hole in the ground. He set me down and I carefully walked inside, finding enough room for both of us. He came in a moment later, blocking up the front with a large piece of tree bark. I shook all the snow out my fur, but found icicles freezing them together. He was no different, so we started licking out fur, cutting our tongues a little, but it was good, it helped roughen them. It didn't hurt much, it was bearable.
"Why'd you come for me?" I asked
"I'm used to living in blizzard country, when your mom was nearly crying because she couldn't find you, I offered to keep looking."
"How are they?"
"Distraught." He chuckled.
"The sooner we get back the better then. Myka and Lupa ok?"
"They're good, just worried as well."
"Thank you though."
"No problem, we're brother's now aren't we?"
"True." I chuckled.
"That girl did a good job." He said finishing and inspecting my leg.
"Yeah, she did, she knew it was broken without even feeling it."
"Cool, what was she, a healer?"
"That's what she said." I replied. "I can't leave her behind, she hates it back there. She's being forced to marry a complete asshole."
"So let's go back and get her."
"I can't, not with my leg. As soon as mom or Myka heals it tomorrow, I'm going back for her, the quicker way this time."
"Ahh, Dakota mode now on is it."
"Defiantly, this is a rescue mission." He looked at me as if spotting body language.
"You like her don't you." He said.
"What?" I exclaimed nearly loud enough to bring the den down. "God no, I just don't want to see a good girl like that get forced into something. She helped me twice, whereas I did once, I need to balance things out."
"Whatever." He chuckled. "Your sisters aren't going to see it that way." He said lying down.
"I don't care." I replied lying down the other side of the den and resting my head on my paws. "I'll get us home in the morning."
The Ditori's P.O.V
Sam, his leader and the leader of the HQ they were forced to move into held a meeting, mostly arguing how things have been going wrong ever since Sam was made a leader of one of the HQ's, now the entire Ditori organization in America was at stake. Sam stood in the corner, while the two leaders quarrelled and discussed arrangements. How things would run around here.
"You keep control of your men, and I'll keep control of mine." Sam's leader said. "We share the data we've gathered, the weapons and all information and resources."
"What data could you have that we don't?" The other leader asked sitting back in his chair, Sam stepped forward, feeling the need to say something before he looks like a complete fool.
"We know where the Starnik and their friends are hiding. We launched an operation not too long ago and discovered they are held up inside a mountain which if we can level it'll bring the whole thing down on them."
"What else?" He asked again. It was then that another man knocked at the door, a man that Sam was expecting, and his timing couldn't have been any better. He walked in and handed Sam a letter before walking out again. He opened the letter, reading what it said, smiling before handing it over to the leaders.
"We can do this."
"How is this possible?" Sam's leader demanded. "I didn't authorize this."
"No, I did, I have the power to."
"Who was this tested on?" The other leader asked.
"A subject, or rather, their blood. But it tested positively, that's what's important, meaning it will work."
"Launch it now, the longer we what the more prepared they will be." His leader ordered.
"But who will the test subject be? We have a variety of test subjects that would…"
"No…" Sam yelled at his leaders. "They have taken everything away from me. My father, my men, my HQ, my data, everything. If anyone's going to do it, it's going to be me." The leaders looked at one another, Sam wanted this so desperately, the Starnik made him lose everything, he had to be the one who did this. He saw himself that it tested positively on this letter, but would it on a living subject? He wanted to be the first to find out, he wanted it for himself. After discussing quietly to one another, they looked back up at him.
"We'll let you do it."
What i say what has Sam got planned this time, and if it works, will it bring another cloud of sadness over the Starnik's head. Not really much more to say now guys, until next time. :)
The FalconWolf