The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 85

Tony stepped quietly over a fallen log before stopping to adjust the heavy pack on his back. The moment Carol showed back up, he knew she provided him the perfect opportunity to slip away. Everyone at Alexandria thought he was going with Rick to the Hilltop. And Rick thought he decided to stay behind at Alexandria so that there would be room in the car for Carol.

The exact location of the Saviors compound was still unknown to him. But he was confident that the information he had received from Carl about the general direction of the place would be enough. He would find Negan's base of operations. And then he would finish what he started with the bullet Eugene made for him. This was personal for him now. Eugene was Tony's friend. And unlike Rick, Tony did not believe that Eugene was strong enough to withstand being held hostage by such brutal and unmerciful people. First Tony was going to kill Negan, the leader of the Wendigo. Then he was taking his friends home. All of them.

Tony paused. He was sure he heard it this time. The noise was small and soft. The person was being quiet and careful. But just the same Tony heard someone behind him. He was being followed. Tony surged ahead quickly. Once he was sure the person behind him had lost sight of him, he hid behind a bush.

Tony gripped his knife. He was ready to kill the man that was hunting him. But when he saw his stalker round the corner he only sighed. Nokake had a small pack on her back. Her long brown hair was tied back from her face in braids. But other than that she looked unprepared to be trasping through the woods. She was wearing moccasins and a long buckskin skirt. The fringe along the side of it was catching on the bushes as she weaved her way quietly through the woods, accounting for the noises Tony heard behind him. When he stood up and revealed himself to her, Nokake's body went stiff.

"Iyaya thipi," Tony ordered, pointing back in the direction of Alexandria, "...Go home!"

Nokake shook her head. She had come this far. And she intended to go all the way. When she saw Tony sneaking around she knew what he intended to do. And she was not going to be deterred from helping him. He was not the only one that had a grudge against Negan. And even if she wanted to go back to Alexandria, she could never find her way back alone.

"I'm coming with you," Nokake challenged. "You can't make me go back."

Tony pushed through the bushes and grabbed her by the arm. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. A low growl rumbled in his chest. But Nokake pressed back. Even if Grey Wolf was sleeping with another woman, Nokake was still his wife. And as the wife of their chief, she technically outranked Tony. And even if she didn't, the wolf pack had technically been disbanded. They were all Alexandrians now. Tony had no business growling and trying to order her around. After another minute of their standoff, Tony let Nokake go and stepped back.

"FUCK!," Tony hollered. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, life continued to surprise him. He was supposed to be back at Alexandria making sure nothing happened to Nokake and Rosie. Not dragging one of them along with him on a suicide mission. If he didn't die, Grey Wolf was going to kill him for this.

"Are we going?," Nokake asked, "or do you want to stand around growling all day?" Tony sighed again and started walking, leading Nokake deeper into the woods and further away from safety.

Even with the help of the car that Nokake hot wired, it was a day later and dark out by the time they reached the Sanctuary. Both of them were well armed by the time they got there, courtesy of a small hidden weapons stash that only Nokake knew about. They got as close to the Sanctuary as Tony thought was safe. And now they were peeking through the scopes of their guns, waiting on an opportunity to get what they had come for.

"There, I see Eugene," Nokake whispered.

She pointed towards where she had seen the large man. Tony was quick to peek through his scope and look for himself. He was terrified that he was going to see his friend tied to the fence along with the rest of the guard walkers. But his relief at seeing the man unharmed quickly gave way to confusion. Not only was Eugene not being tortured, it appeared that he had been given a position of power within Negan's ranks. Tony couldn't hear what the man was saying. But he could see Eugene pointing and talking to other men that were rushing around to follow his directions. Eugene was leaning casually against a metal railing, eating an apple as he supervised them. Tony hadn't yet recovered from his shock when Nokake spotted another one of their companions.

"Look up on the roof," she urged, "it's Hekaza."

Tony quickly shifted his gun, peering through the scope until the roofline of the building was in his line of sight. Rowan was standing near the edge, looking out over the treetops. She had Tank with her. Tony could see the top of the large dog's head as Rowan stroked her hand over it. Her long hair was blowing around her face as the wind swept across the rooftop of the tall building. A sense of calm came over Tony as it always did when he set eyes upon the unusual woman. She was blessed by Gaia, a lucky charm. Like a piebald deer or a rock with a symmetrical white ring around it, Tony believed Rowan's spots marked her as having been touched by mother earth. When she was a member of the wolf pack, things had always worked out in their favor. Even when the odds were against them.

Tony sucked in his breath. As he watched Rowan through his scope, Negan approached the woman from behind. Tony tightened his grip on his gun. He seriously considered trying to take a shot at the man to keep him away from Rowan. Only the distance and the awkward angle stayed his hand. He wasn't willing to take the chance that he might hit Rowan by mistake. Tony watched the man get closer to his friend, his body frozen in terror. Negan put his arms around Rowan, placing his hands on her rounded belly. In an even more surprising turn of events, Rowan appeared to be allowing this intimate contact. But Tony's mouth didn't drop open until he saw the man kiss her. When they broke their kiss, Negan leaned forward and clutched his stomach like it hurt. Rowan wrapped her arm around the man and led him away from the edge of the rooftop.

"What in the hell," Tony cursed under his breath.

Lowering his gun, Tony turned to Nokake. She looked just as confused and shocked as he felt. Winning a war against the Saviors was already a long shot. But if the Wendigo Negan turned Rowan to his side, they had no chance. None at all. Tony briefly considered just walking down the main entryway of the Sanctuary and joining the group himself. But even the thought of it turned his stomach.

"That dirty wendigo must be forcing her somehow," Nokake whispered.

Tony nodded his agreement but he wasn't so sure. From what he saw it didn't appear that Rowan was being forced or mistreated in any way. And Negan wouldn't be the first violent and greedy man she had fallen in love with. Derek was just as bad when the darkness took him. Tony reminded himself that he had only seen a small moment in time. A snapshot. He didn't want to rush to a conclusion yet.

"Quick, come on," Tony hissed.

They moved quickly. Tony used his handgun, taking out a lone savior and the walker that he and Eugene were poking at. Eugene covered his head, stepping back from the fence. Nokake started clipping at the fence with bolt cutters, making an opening big enough for Eugene to slip through.

"Come on," Tony urged, "We can get you out."

Eugene shook his head and started backing up.

"I can't leave Olivia here alone," he said.

"You come out first," Tony said. He was no longer asking. He used the full authority of his voice and ordered his friend to come through the fence. "I'll go in after Rowan and Olivia."

Eugene shook his head again. Then he turned and fled into the interior of the building. Tony cursed. This rescue mission was going from bad to worse in a hurry. He was about ready to just turn back and go home. While Tony hesitated, Nokake slipped through the narrow opening in the fence, taking the bolt cutter with her. She grabbed a long metal pole from the ground, threading it through the gap in the fencing to keep Tony from coming in behind her.

"Get back out here," Tony hollered, not even attempting to keep his voice down any longer.

Nokake didn't answer. She just held up her hand, placing her fingers against the scar on her forehead. The guide leads you to the doorway, then waits for your return. Tony placed his hand on his own scar, the tears already filling his eyes. He could hear the soldiers coming. Nokake turned towards their heavy footsteps, her gun raised as she backed quickly towards the doorway Eugene had disappeared into.

Tony grabbed his bag and ran. He could hear the gunfire behind him. When he stopped to catch his breath he realized he wasn't alone. There was a man watching him. Tony raised his gun but the man was quick to hold his hands up, palms out. When he stepped into the light Tony realized he had seen the man before. But the scars on his face hadn't been there then.