Part Two
Days turned into weeks for Lotor. He witnessed Doom forces invading Arusian airspace and the lions making short work of them. He laughed in a barking manner at the foolishness of his father. A direct fleet attack won't work. One would think he knew that.
He turned his thoughts to more important matters. His supply of prey was dwindling and he suspected that they were avoiding his territory which wasn't hard as his scent was all over the area. Lotor, in his desperation and not wanting to leave his home, turned to hunting the livestock of the people. He knew he was angering the people, but he was hungry. Despite his weeks of hunting, his physique hadn't changed and he chalked it up to the spell used on him. He stalked toward a farm, skirting the traps a normal wolf would trigger. He saw a small flock of sheep in a pen, went up to it, and started digging to make an opening big enough for him to get in and drag a sheep through. He slipped in and ran at the flock which bleated in fear and ran. He sprinted after them and caught up to the slowest one. He leaped onto it, seized the neck, and bit hard. It gave a squeal of pain before it died. Lotor jumped off it, seized the neck again, dragged it though the hole, and into the forest just as the owner came out of the house, yelling in anger. Lotor ignored it as he avoided the traps again and spirited his kill off to his home.
Allura was concerned. The people were complaining about a wolf who was preying on their animals in recent weeks. They were angry and felt powerless to stop this animal. She understood how they felt, but wasn't sure how to proceed. Wolf traps had been placed around each property, but none had been sprung and livestock continued to be killed. Clearly, it was a clever wolf. She had had Pidge use Green Lion to locate it or its home, but he had come up empty-handed. Either it was nomadic or had a cleverly concealed home. If we could catch it, we could transport it to where prey is plentiful. The poor thing must be hungry and seeks out the closest prey it can find. Inspiration came to her and she went to tell Coran about it and then formed a group consisting of a few guards and the Voltron Force, the latter in charge of relocating the wolf as the lions could fly it to a new home quickly.
Screams of terror rent the air and Lotor folded his ears from the pitch. He had been sleeping when the screams sounded. He slinked out of his tree and ran for the outskirts to see what the trouble was. A week had gone by since he killed that slow sheep and the farmers were demanding that the princess do something. Her response was to place more traps that he avoided with ease. This response disappointed him for he had thought Allura was as smart as she was beautiful. She sees me as a pest and I don't blame her. I would view me as a pest, too.
He raced to the edge and saw Doom robots raiding a village! He growled at the sight. Some of those homes were farms he stalked for food! He sprinted toward the robots to attack them for threatening his source of food, nothing more. He dodged the laser bolts that were fired at him before leaping into the air, and latching his jaws on the throat of one. He screamed in pain and then died as Lotor ripped away the throat. He turned to the others and attacked them in a blur of claws and teeth. He wielded them in the way he had used his swords.
Lotor then yelped in pain as a bolt struck his left back leg. He turned to see another squad and he hobbled off to safety, dodging other bolts until he heard battle cries. He looked back when he reached the forest's edge and saw the villagers attacking the squad. He limped away, touched by how they came to his aid despite killing their animals.
But the damage had already been done and he found his right foreleg had gotten tagged by a passing bolt. I need to get home and lie down, he thought as he whined from his injuries. He then yelped as a biting pain hit his other back leg and he crumpled to the ground. He looked back to see his leg caught in a wolf trap. He cursed himself; he had been in such pain that he hadn't paid attention to where he was walking. He examined the trap and sadly concluded that he would have to chew his leg off in order to escape. A rustle made him pause and he looked over at it to see the Voltron Force come into view. Oh great. Now I'm really in trouble.
"Hey! We caught the wolf!" Lance exclaimed, jubilant.
"I don't think we did," Allura said. "He's so skinny. He can't be the one." She crouched by him and gasped. "He's hurt." She pointed to his left leg.
"And on his other right leg," Hunk added as he seized the trap and wrenched it open so Lotor could get his leg free. It was bleeding from where it bit him but he attempted to get up and run as instinct urged. He yelped as his legs buckled and then whined as he lay there.
"Oh, you poor thing," Allura crooned. "You need help."
No! Lotor thought. I can't accept their help and I won't. No matter what I look like, I am still Prince Lotor and I don't need anyone's help! He struggled to his paws but his legs refused to support him and he collapsed again. When Allura tried to assist, he growled at her and then he yelped at a prick and he slipped into unconsciousness.
Keith slipped the spent tranquilizer dart into his pocket as he commented, "Stubborn wolf."
"Stubborn and proud I would think," Allura added as Hunk put a muzzle on the sleeping wolf. "He obviously doesn't trust people which is to be expected and he's likely having his food stolen by the other wolf. Either way, we'll nurse him back to health and relocate him."
The men nodded as Hunk hoisted the wolf into his arms and headed for Yellow Lion. Allura noticed a wide horizontal patch of white fur along the base of its neck. It was a natural patch and Allura thought it suited the wolf. I've never seen such a mark, but I like it. It makes him distinctive and easy to identify.
Lotor's eyes flickered open with a bleary look. He whined at the slight throbbing in his head; he would have moaned but as wolves can't moan, a whine was the best he could do. Uh, what happened? Wait…the tranquilizer. Someone tranqued me and I bet I know who: Keith. Even with me as a wolf, he tortures me, not that he knew it. No one will ever know that I, Lotor, am the wolf. Lotor rapidly blinked his eyes and realized he was in an infirmary. He looked at his legs to see his right hind leg was bandaged up and a smaller amount of bandage was on part of his right foreleg. He then realized that his muzzle was muzzled. He growled as he pawed at it but paused when he heard voice coming closer.
"Princess, I must protest the idea of healing a wild animal," came a nagging voice that irritated him. He also bristled at being called 'wild', though he shouldn't have been offended.
"He was injured," came Allura's voice. "The villagers say he defended them and they returned the favor when he was hurt. He also seems underfed so the team and I will nurse him back to health and relocate him as I think that other wolf has been stealing his food." The voices had been getting closer and with her last words, the door opened to reveal Allura with a covered dish in her hands. "Good, you're awake," she said as the door closed. "I hope you're hungry and not try to leave," she added as she removed the muzzle, pulled a lap tray across the bed, set the dish on it, and lifted the lid to reveal meat and a bowl of water.
Well, as I'm here now, there's no point in trying to leave and besides, Allura would refuse to let me go until I've recovered plus I can't exactly walk with my injuries. Lotor shifted so he could eat and drink comfortably. He felt a bit self-conscious about being watched as he ate but Allura thought he was a simple wolf so he ignored her and focused on his meal.
"You have an interesting mark," she said as he drank. "Across the base of your neck, your fur is white. It makes you distinctive and easy to identify."
White fur? I'll have to take her word for it as I'll never see it. That fur is where some of my hair used to be. I wonder why I have such a mark. A result of the enchanted medallion, perhaps? He licked his muzzle and began to clean himself without the use of his paws.
Allura smiled as she took the tray, moved the bed tray, and left. Her patient was more cooperative now and that would certainly aid in his recovery.
