Chapter 17
-oOo-
Following after the younger werewolf at a steady pace, it didn't take long for the male to arrive at the spot where the deer track crossed. A rapid glance ahead revealed no immediate sign of his hunting partner. The alpha continued further along the trail, following it's twists and turns at a greater speed than previously, eager to witness his protege making the kill. A few yards short of where the trail ended, the alpha ground to a halt. His heavy brow furrowed and his eyes darkened as he glared ahead and around. The female should be in view by now. This close to the lichen covered patch of open ground where the deer was likely to be, her pace should have slowed and she should be slinking and stalking the prey, hugging the ground with her body, stealthily making her way to the edge of the clearing. She should be pausing only long enough to gauge the distance between herself and the food animal before breaking cover in one mighty leap, aiming herself directly at the deer, killing it in a calculated and merciless attack..
That was what should be. However, there were, no noises coming from a terrified and hopelessly struggling prey. No scent of the warm blood that should be gushing from the dead or dying animal. No sounds of a predator's greedy, wanton feeding on the warm corpse. No sound of the clash between predator and prey at all. Just the gentle sound of a relaxed and contented deer, blissfully munching on the plentiful lichen surrounding it.
Moving up from all fours on to it's hind legs, the alpha male stretched itself up to it's full, towering, height and gave reign to the deep rumble of a threatening and angry growl. The lone deer's head shot up and it promptly decided 'lichen be damned'. Wasting no time, it spun around on the spot and darted out of the opposite side of clearing, bolting for safety deeper into the forest.
As the larger of the two werewolves the alpha male was heavier, his build so much more solid, his physique carried the greater muscle bulk and, as such, he had the greater physical strength, giving him the power necessary to bring down bigger prey. The female however, being of a comparatively slighter and lighter build, could move faster than the male, she was much more agile than the male and, set against the male's sheer brute force, she had the gift of stamina. Precocious, she was always prepared to take greater risks in order to satisfy her desires. The male had successfully lived and survived alone as a werewolf for years by learning to not take risks unless absolutely necessary. Since the arrival of the female into his home and both sides of his life, he had become even less inclined to take risks and ignore potential dangers. In his human form, Joel feared doing anything which might increase both his own and his niece's chance of discovery. As Joel he couldn't, wouldn't, let himself be responsible for placing Hope in greater danger than she seemed determined to put herself in. His niece was definitely challenging and frequently obnoxious, yet Joel had grown to care deeply for her. Rightly or wrongly, as her Uncle, Joel adored his young niece. When the change was on him, that care translated into the desire to protect her. Whether man or beast, he was constantly both saddened and embittered by his continual failure to get through to her.
Overhead, there was a small break within the otherwise seamless blanket of thick cloud cover. The position of that minor tear in the sky at last allowed the full moon to briefly become visible in all it's platinum beauty. Reaching upwards and throwing back his head, every other living creature within the area froze and was silent as the alpha howled in rapture at the glory that was his master. The howl that followed after it gave sound to the persistent sensations now plaguing the Alpha, sensations triggered by the wilful and headstrong young female he was responsible for, and who had yet again chosen to forgo the protection and watchful attention of her alpha in order to go her own way.
On nights like this, when the female struck out alone, it was her habit to return to the home she shared with the male no later than an hour before dawn, afraid as she was of transforming back to her human form while out in the open. That was when the male would meet up with her next. For now, as had happened on so many occasions previously, each werewolf continued their hunting in isolation, each of them now seeking out very different prey to the other.
Happy that both the campfire and the ham joint were safe, Sam turned to face the tent, still talking out loud.
"Time for more coffee I think, if there's enough left in the flask."
Without taking his eyes off their camping area, Dean fished behind himself with one hand until he felt the flask, holding it up for his brother. Sticking his head inside the tent above Dean, Sam took the flask from him,
"Ah! There it is; an' even better, feels like there's still..."
Dean quickly raised his hand again and urgently signalled Sam into silence. Sam's head withdrew from the tent and he straightened up, at the same time he reached for the dagger tucked into his belt. For a few minutes the brothers remained silent in their respective positions, both tuning in to the sounds of the night forest.
Eventually, Dean's hand reached out from the tent and patted Sam's ankle, giving his brother the 'all clear.' He smiled to himself when his younger sibling instantly returned to cheerfully talking aloud.
"Oops! Forgot my mug."
Sam's head reappeared inside the tent and his voice dropped to a soft whisper.
"Well?"
Dean shook his head and whispered back,
"Maybe a howl, some way away? Not completely sure, had some jerk gabblin' crap in my ear."
"Bitch, I'm just tryin' to be temptin' out here. What d'you want from me? A lecture on planetary movements?"
Dean clamped his hand across his mouth to quell a snort of laughter.
"You ready to change places yet?"
Dean grimaced and nodded
"Hell yeah, but don't expect me talkin' to myself like a dick, I'm temptin' enough just as I am."
During Sam's second stint as bait, the rain continued to ease up until, finally, it stopped. Without the dampening effect the rain had brought, Sam was able to encourage the campfire to burn a little hotter and more effectively. Inside their tent, Dean was kept amused by the sight of his younger brother gently steaming where he sat, the fire's heat beginning to work at drying out his jacket and denims.
Sam glanced down at his watch, he had another thirty minutes to go before he had to hand over his spot by the fire to Dean. The rustle of a tent flap caught his attention and Sam turned to see his scowling brother pull himself out of the tent far enough to get to his feet and stiffly stand upright, shrugging his shoulders loose before wandering over to the fire.
"You're early"
"Had enough lyin' on my gut an' anyway, the cherry pie's all gone. Move up. Lemme sit down, I'm cold an' my clothes're still soaked."
Well back, hunched down on the ground, hidden in the shadows of the trees, the monster watched in silence as the long haired human moved along the log he was sitting on. The second human, one with much shorter hair, seated himself alongside the first and held his hands out to the fire to warm them. The scent of the two human males mingled in with wood smoke and the strong smell of cooked meat. The werewolf displayed no interest in the cooked meat however, it's penetrating gaze remaining solidly fixed on the backs of the two humans.
-oOo-
Chick :D xxx
