Chapter 6: Embers of War Catch the Wind
It was early afternoon as an elite team of wolves moved swiftly and silently through the dense forests of Banff. These masters in the art of stealth were seemingly impossible to spot. Even owls would struggle to notice them as they darted through the forest with speed and precision. This group of five wolves led by Cloud, the leader of the Breeze, were in the midst of undertaking a mission much more dire than they first realized. As they moved through the trees and quickly covered ground, they just as quickly realized that something was off. By now, they normally would have come across at least two or three recon squads of Rogues scouring to find the Breeze's beloved home, but instead, the forest was deathly still. Cloud's team had yet to spot even a single Rouge, and as they made their way to the Rogue's base of operations to investigate, this fact made Cloud more and more nervous.
The entire team could hear booming sounds emanating from the Rogue base which progressively got louder and easier to make out as they approached. Once they had arrived, they stayed just along the outskirts to avoid detection and, with now a mountain of curiosity, sought to understand what could possibly cause the Rogues of all wolves to take a day off. As they peered into the base, it seemed as though every single Rogue was here all piled into one spot. When separated into squads, the Rogues were enemies the Breeze had fought a million times before and, by now, were all too familiar with. But for the first time ever, Cloud could see just how many enemies they were dealing with, and when all in one spot, the Rogues' vast numbers suddenly made them a lot more intimidating than how they had come to be known before. It seemed as though these invaders were throwing a party of some kind. They could be heard laughing and having fun as an entire feast could be seen lined up for them to enjoy.
From their hiding place, it was difficult for the team to make out much more information than that. Cloud then silently directed the team to split up and investigate. Chad and Cody would scan the outskirts of the base for any straggling Rogues they might be able to interrogate. Drizzle, as the stealth prodigy, was the only one skilled enough to infiltrate the base and collect information from the inside. Meanwhile, Cloud would stay put as their rendezvous point and had Zephyr take position overhead in a nearby tree to keep an overwatch of Drizzle, Chad, and Cody. Zephyr would report to Cloud just below him on anything happening or details of note that he might see. Immediately, Zephyr could make out several mounds of food scattered around the base that all the Rogues inside were feasting on, Zephyr couldn't help getting hungry while looking at all the food and decided to shift his attention elsewhere before his stomach would want to rumble.
The base's defenses were clearly weak at the moment as Zephyr could see wolves that should have been on guard trying to hide how drunk they were and not doing a very good job. Zephyr couldn't help noticing just how poorly trained and poorly managed these Rogues were, but with these kinds of numbers, they still would be tough to beat. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Zephyr turned his attention to his commrades and hoped they would remain safe.
As Cody and Chad encircled the base, they put their renowned skills as second and third-in-command to good use. The duo maintained enough distance to avoid detection but were able to remain close enough that they could grab the first suitable wolf at a moment's notice, perfectly efficient and masterfully executed. The Rogues were not the most intelligent adversary, which can make intel gathering more difficult than you would think. Chances are that if the two just grabbed any old Rogue, then the Breeze wouldn't learn much of anything at all. But with every Rogue in the region all conveniently amassed in one spot, the duo was confident they could pick out a good apple from the spoiled bunch and gather some desperately needed information.
As they watched the festivities, the two saw multiple Rogues that could easily have been grabbed coming and going either to take a leak or walk aimlessly as they were simply too drunk to tell where they were going, but as of yet, not a one seemed actually worth grabbing. That is until, as the duo continued circling, they eventually spotted a single wolf eating by himself near the edge of the base and who seemed to be talking to himself.
"These wolves are freaking morons. Why the hell are we even celebrating? We haven't even done anything yet! That idiot Elgin doing whatever he wants and that Oliver whispering who knows what into Elgin's ear. They're both crazy and I nearly get killed in the crossfire for just doing my job! [*sigh*] How the heck did I wind up in this crazy place. Was I some horrible wolf in my past life? I wish I could be anywhere else than here right now."
However, this wolf should have been more careful of what he wished for because the duo was interested in this bizarre Rogue who seemed different than the rest and was happy to grant that wish for him. This Rogue was sitting close to the edge but was still visible to several wolves around the area. This would normally make him impossible to capture, but the two already knew exactly what to do. They were able to tell exactly when everyone in the area would be looking away from their target. They grabbed him in that instant while striking a quick blow to the back of the head to keep him quiet and moving back into the surrounding forest.
Zephyr watched over the duo and couldn't help but be impressed at their skills. They were recognized as second and third-in-command for a reason. And as they now had acquired their target, Zephyr's attention shifted solely to Drizzle and doing his best to keep track of her as she moved through the base. Drizzle moved through it like a shadow in the night. Not a single wolf had any idea she was there, and she was gone just as covertly. With the sheer number of wolves nearby, anyone else would have been caught long ago, but Drizzle's skill had no parallel.
However, just because she was able to doesn't mean it was easy. It took much of her concentration to avoid detection which left little room for gathering much information. She noticed many of the Rogues were drunk on fermented berries and were eating food to their hearts' content as many of them laughed and played. She noticed the Rogues seemed to stick to smaller groups within their hierarchy. Instead of a structure of respect, the wolves seemed to bully their way to the food. She thought it was a system very fitting for the Rogues but not really all that noteworthy.
The investigation proceeded without a hitch. As Drizzle made her way through the Rogue base, Zephyr continued watching over her and was amazed at how she was able to weave through all the wolves and all the peering eyes everywhere. To the wolf sitting atop the tree, it was like watching his sister dodge raindrops. Zephyr saw Drizzle making her way through but suddenly grinned and contained his laugh. He noticed Drizzle grab a piece of food when a Rogue wasn't looking. The Rogue looked for his meal and became clearly confused about how it ended up missing, only for it to somehow reappear moments later as nothing more than a bone. Zephyr then saw the Rogue toss away the fermented berries he was eating, convinced that they had made him hallucinate, which just made Zephyr want to laugh all the more.
The three made their way back to their leader as he then signaled for Zephyr to return as well, but before he did, Zephyr gave the base one more good scan to make sure the team wasn't detected. He noticed a Rogue sitting before the huge feast in the center with other wolves bringing him food and fermented berries. Zephyr assumed this was the Rogue leader, Elgin, that he had heard about. Next to Elgin was an older wolf that Zephyr didn't recognize. As he focused on the older wolf to memorize the Rogue's appearance, it looked to Zephyr as if this old Rogue realized his presence in the tree. That was impossible, Zephyr thought, but it did seem as if the wolf was looking directly at him; however, since the Rogue didn't sound any alarms or do anything aside from continuing to look in his direction, Zephyr couldn't say for certain. The somewhat creepy exchange lit a fire under Zephyr and caused him to rejoin the rest of the team as quickly as he could.
As Zephyr reached the rendezvous point, he saw everyone else waiting for him and noticed an unconscious wolf on Chad's back. Zephyr was obviously curious but knew this wasn't the place to ask questions. He let everyone know that the coast was clear, and the team made their way to the nearest safe house to regroup and decide what to do next. The Breeze had constructed safe house dens across the forest to be used as temporary bases of operations during missions. They were designed to be findable only by members of the Breeze and were a crucial part of the Breeze's success; it was the secret behind their ability to suddenly disappear without a trace.
The five entered the safe house as Chad placed the unconscious wolf on the floor. Zephyr was unable to hold back his curiosity anymore, but before he can even ask, Drizzle beat him to the punch.
"Alright, I need to ask about the bear in the room, what's up with the dead guy?"
Chad watched over their guest as Cody answered.
"He's not dead, just knocked out. We wanted to interrogate him, but we felt it was too risky doing it right next to a base filled to the brim with Rogues. So we gave him a light bump on the head and brought him with us to interrogate instead."
"And what are you hoping to learn from this guy exactly?" Drizzle replied. "Didn't we stop trying to interrogate the Rogues since they ended up never knowing anything useful?"
"In a situation as bizarre and unprecedented as this," said Chad, "if there's even a slim chance this wolf knows anything at all, then it's at least worth a shot."
Cloud joined the conversation and proceeded to give out orders.
"I agree with you, Chad. We need to know everything we can right now, so first thing's first: Drizzle, Zephyr, share what you've learned, and afterward, we'll wake up our surprise guest."
The brother and sister looked at each other. Zephyr gestured for Drizzle to go first, using playful mannerisms as if he were a monarch. Drizzle played along in kind to thank him and proceeded to give her report.
"As I moved through the base, I was only able to pick up bits and pieces of information. There were so many wolves around and eyes everywhere that I mostly had to focus on making sure I wasn't caught. Information gathering was always Thunder's specialty, but from what I could gather, they were celebrating some kind of victory and Elgin had summoned every Rogue under his command to join the celebration."
After listening to the report, Cloud then shifted his focus to Zephyr to hear any information his son might have spotted from above. After a moment, Zephyr gave his report.
"From up above, it really makes it easy to tell how giant their army is now that we could see them all in one spot. Aside from that, the only thing of note was an older wolf that was staying close to Elgin. He looked too frail to be a fighter, and yet when I was on overwatch, I could have sworn he was looking right at me."
"That's probably Oliver." Suddenly a new voice joined the conversation. Drizzle and Zephyr turned around to see the Rogue waking up, groaning from the pain in his head. "That wolf creeps me out like crazy. I went to go give my report to Elgin, and that Oliver gave me the most off-setting side-eye that it still sends shivers down my spine."
Cody turned to the Rogue who was of standard height and standard build with grayish-white fur. The second-in-command responded, slightly baffled.
"You know, I don't think I've ever come across such a chatty prisoner before. Now, why would a Rogue so openly share information like this?"
The wolf looked slightly offended as he scanned the room he'd woken up in.
"Hey I have no loyalty to those monsters," he replied. "Many of them joined freely, maybe out of greed or some misguided moral code, but not all of us are like that. My pack was one of many that were conquered by the Rogues, and they gave us a choice: either provide them with some fighters or be wiped out. I'm forced to fight for them for the sake of my pack, but I have no issue telling you what I know if it means getting me out of this alive. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me a Rogue. The name's Benny."
As Benny finished speaking, he noticed how surprised all of these mysterious members of the Breeze were. He was terrified to be surrounded by the wolves he'd heard countless ghost stories of and deeply hoped that showing his genuine distaste for the Rogues would be enough to keep his life. At this point, Cloud approached Benny calmly, but even Benny could tell that this was not a wolf to be messed with. Benny got the same feeling of danger from Cloud as he did from Elgin, that either could kill him in an instant if they so choose, but unlike Elgin who was akin to a raging inferno, Cloud felt more like a fog that hid something powerful and deadly. Cloud looked to Benny, and in his usual soft tone, politely spoke to him
"Alright, Benny, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cloud, and I'm the leader of the Breeze. If you tell us what you know, then you have my word that you will remain alive and unharmed."
Benny looked Cloud in the eyes for a moment and felt he could believe the promise that was offered.
"Well, I guess your word is the best I'm gonna be able to get. I'll tell you what I know, but you might not like what you learn." After a moment of silence, Cloud did not waver in his resolution, and so Benny continued "Well, alright, the old wolf you were talking about was probably Oliver, and I can tell you right now he's about as clever and two-faced as they come. We found him wandering the woods by himself a while back and brought him back to base for questioning. Suddenly, next thing we all know, he's Elgin's advisor and starts bossing everyone around. Also, he's the reason we're celebrating tonight from what I've heard."
"What do mean by he's the reason you're celebrating?" Cody asked, filled with a worried curiosity.
Benny looked at the wolves before him and gave a sad sigh. After his own pack was attacked, he felt bad for what was about to befall another.
"What I mean is that they found your hidey-hole. What was it you guys called it? The Sanctuary? Anyway, Oliver apparently managed to find it, and that's what all the celebrating is for. They're getting all their troops together to prepare a raid on your home."
This was any member of the Breeze's worst nightmare. It was the ultimate worst-case scenario that they had been trying to avoid all this time. Cloud was now facing down an army of bloodthirsty warmongers who wanted nothing more than to destroy his home and tear apart his family, his pack. The rest of the team was equally horrified as Chad suddenly asked calmly and concisely.
"How long until they plan to attack?"
"I don't know the exact day," Benny quickly answered, "but I know it'll take time to prepare that many wolves for a fight. From what I've heard, you've probably got about a couple of weeks."
Cody then frantically spoke to Cloud, trying to come up with a solution to save their pack.
"Sir, what if we grab what supplies we can carry and take our chances passing through bear territory to seek asylum in Jasper."
"And abandon our home!?" Drizzle interjected. "We can't just turn tail and run!"
"I agree that we can't run but not out of pride," Cloud added. "Even if we were fortunate enough to be granted passage by the bears, winter is already upon us. We would never be able to carry enough supplies to make it to Jasper now, and chances are most of us would freeze to death on the way there anyway. The Sanctuary is our only defensible position and our home. The one option available to us is to fight for it."
The other wolves continued to talk over their options and details on the situation as Zephyr couldn't help but think to his brother and wonder what Thunder would do in a situation like this. It seemed as though his brother always knew what to do. He would surely know a way to save their home. And as he thought of his brother, Zephyr noticed something pale hidden away in the back of the safe house. Approaching to investigate, he discovered a bone that had been written on and left there, hidden away. Everyone was still captivated by the seriousness of their conversation as Zephyr called out to get their attention.
"Uhhhhh, guys? You're gonna want to see this."
The team stopped their conversation, confused. They walked over to Zephyr while Chad kept watching over their prisoner. They walked over and noticed the same bone that had caught Zephyr's eye.
"Yes, Zephyr, it's a bone. Congratulations. We're kind of in the middle of an important conversation here. Maybe you should be a part of it," Cody said, annoyed.
As Cloud took a closer look at the bone, he too noticed the writing that had been etched and immediately knew this was important.
"Cody this isn't some random bone. This is a note. And it says it's from Oliver."
Cody, surprised beyond belief, sprinted to the bone to look for himself as if he had to see it to believe it.
"That's impossible! For that to be here, it would have to mean he was able to find this safe house! How would he have been able to do that!?"
Benny then chuckled to himself.
"Yep, that definitely sounds like Oliver. The guy is either a genius or a madman. My money is on both."
Cody, now infuriated, pounced on Benny in anger.
"YOU! HOW DID HE DO IT!? ANSWER ME!"
In a fit of rage, Cody demanded answers and was now choking Benny. Benny tried to answer but was unable to speak when, suddenly, Cody was body slammed into the wall by Cloud. Cody looked back to see Cloud standing over him who had approached without making a sound. Cloud then put his face close to Cody and spoke softly once again.
"I don't know what it is you think you're doing, Cody, but I gave my word that this wolf would not be harmed. Your anger is understandable, but disobey me or pull another stupid stunt like that again and I'll write Oliver a reply using one of your bones. Understand?" Cody, absolutely terrified and now being the one unable to say a word, quickly nodded his head as Cloud now turned his attention back to Benny and talked in an apologetic tone. Benny coughed and tried to catch his breath. "I'm very sorry for my friend's behavior. I assure you it won't happen again."
"You really do keep to your word, don't you? Don't worry about it. I was satisfied just watching him piss himself."
Cloud thanked Benny for his understanding as Drizzle suddenly interrupted.
"This is all well and good, but can we please get back to the mind-blowing bone now!? If Oliver was able to find this safe house and decided to leave us a note instead of leaving us an ambush, then I'd really like to know what that note says."
Looking back to the bone in agreement, Zephyr scanned it and began to read the writing aloud.
"'Hello, members of the Breeze. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Oliver and I have been searching for you for some time. I am currently in the employment of a deranged lunatic prone to temper tantrums and was left little choice but to give him what he sought. I send this message both as a warning and as advice. A battle is coming, and it is one you will not be able to escape. Even if you flee, I have little doubt Elgin would waste no time following you and starting the fight all over again. He is a blight I would not wish on any pack, but simply killing him would do you little good. The leader of the Rogues wants you gone, so even if Elgin were killed, King would just send someone else to continue the hunt. If you wish to be free and live in peace again, you must break Elgin and send him back to King as a message that the Breeze cannot be beaten. Then you must slip away to somewhere the Rogues will never find. I will provide what help I can from the inside, and one day, I look forward to finally meeting you face-to-face. Until then, do us both a favor and stay alive. Sincerely, your ally, Oliver.'"
None of the team who listened to the note knew what to make of it. They were concerned and unsure if it was genuine. Drizzle finally broke the silence.
"It sounds like he wants to help us."
"How do we know that for sure?" Chad asked.
Benny happily answered that question for Chad and gave a warning of his own.
"You don't. Like I said before, Oliver is as smart and devious as they come. I've seen it firstpaw. If you ask me, you shouldn't trust a word that guy says."
"I'm not sure if this Oliver is being sincere or if this is some elaborate trick," said Cloud, "but what I do know is that there is about to be an army knocking at our den walls, and as of now, we only have so much time to prepare as much as we can. Chad, Cody, bring our guest. He'll be staying with us until this conflict with the Rogues is settled. Now let's get back to Sanctuary. There's a lot of planning to do."