A Son of Wolves

Chapter 20: Great Escapes

A Doctor, with his average, daily duties with his patients, didn't know what to expect, it was done too fast. He walked down the corridor, ready to deal with the wild child, the one that refuses help and could be here far longer then anyone before. He needed to give this child his medication, but this time, he had someone else to help. He brought with him the child's head care worker, Al to come in and talk seeing as last time they met they had a few moments of communication. They worked on one another's confidence as they counted the doors before they came across Leo's time out cell. "Leo, med time." The doctor said upon reaching the door. But nobody answered. Al began to worry, but the doctor started to smile. "Don't worry, he never answers." He nodded and took a sigh of relief and a small smile crept onto his face while the doctor unlocked the door. The heavy door took a moment with only one hand, but it opened, but they were in for a shock.

No-one was inside; they stormed into the room and started looking, even though there was nothing in here. "Oh shit." Al muttered.

"That's not possible." The doctor gasped.

"Oh but it is." Leo said. They spun around. He was stood in the doorway. "Thanks for these." He said waving the keys before slamming the door shut. He had locked it before they even took the first step.

"Leo! Let us out!" Al ordered. He only sighed and looked through the small window in the door. "Open it!" He flicked up the metal plate and covered it up; all that could be heard were the faint muffled yells from inside.

He looked down the length of the corridor, seeing the numerous locked doors going down it. How was he going to get through it? He looked back at the door in which the doctor and Al were locked up in. The key ring had many of them on, including some sort of ID. He removed them from the lock and walked down to the first door, seeing that the lock was some swipe card system. He looked down at the ID and smiled. But then, he heard someone talking behind him and from around the corner far down the other side of this corridor. He whirled around, panicking.

The two doctors laughed about something Leo didn't hear. But they came walking down the corridor, passed the Door in which two people were locked in who coincidently stopped just as they passed and towards the first set of doors. They continued chatting and laughing while they opened it and locking it after they had passed through. They continued to do the same to the other two doors leading down the corridor until they turned left and down another corridor.

Leo peeked out from a cell he unlocked and closed partially from the other side of the three doors. He sighed in relief as he stepped out after seeing and hearing it was all clear. He closed the door and leaned against it, but feeling his ears. How did he hear them, minutes before they walked around that corner? He was able to get through the three locked doors, get to the end of the corridor and hide before they emerged. How? He felt his ear expecting some sort of hearing enhancement or something that explained it. But when he did, all he heard was that inner howl that made him smile. But he still had to get out of here, he wasn't done yet.

Meanwhile, outside the complex sat two wolves and two humans in a dirty, stinking alley. But it wasn't only that, it was the smells of the human town that both Sahara and Tony struggled to inhale through their noses. It was the smells of toxic exhaust fumes, rancid waste, rotting things in this alley. They couldn't stand it, it was all so gross. They couldn't understand how they could do it? How could the humans not smells all this? But then again, their sense of smell wasn't up to a wolf's standards. Tony didn't understand the humans, let alone fully trust them at this point in time. He trusted them enough to know he needed their help now, and he was going to have to in order to get his pack back, somehow earn their forgiveness and get the territory back, all in this day. He was going against everything he knew, trusting humans, but after seeing and smelling them in Sahara's bolt hole, how they helped her shoulder after his attempt to stop the bleeding wasn't working well, he was obliged to. Leo wasn't going to hurt him or his pack, never has, never will, Tony know knew he was the fool, not Leo. Leo was the one to save them, so he'd better start doing that soon before he gnawed his tail off in the presence of these humans. He was still to fully trust them, but he did enough to move around with them.

This alley was beginning to kill the wolves, so Tony started pacing in agitation of the smells and the constant worry they maybe seen. "Give it a rest will you." Sahara said watching him. "You're making me dizzy."

"Can I help it if we're in the heart of human territory?" He grumbled as he continued on.

"Just calm down, no-one's going to find us here." Ciara said.

"I can't help it."

"Don't worry; I'm sure Leo will get out of there soon." Rick replied.

"Sooner then you think!" Leo yelled after running around the corner from the street as fast as he could.

"Where have you been?" Sahara called back to him and tail wagging.

"No time, run!"

"What?" Rick chuckled confused.

"Just run." He said as he reached them. Moments later, seven people came running around the corner after him.

"Oh…"

"Run!" Leo bellowed but with a smile, he loved this for some strange reason. His mind was saying it was like a game, he was having fun form being chased. Rick chanced a look back, only then to have Al yel his and Ciara's name. They were going to be in so much trouble later, or if they were caught.

"Where are we going?!" Ciara asked as they ran out of the alley and towards the outskirts of the town. "The zoo is the other way!"

"We need to get the Northern Pack out of the territory first; we won't have anywhere to go if we get them out!" Leo replied as they ran out across a road, causing several cars to screech to a halt and as not to hit them before diving into another alley.

"How?" Tony asked. "Just us five can't get that pack out, there's no chance."

"Not if we deal with the Alpha."

"Sanali?" He questioned. "You won't get ten feet near her, or the Valley. They'll cut you and any human down."

"We know the Valley better then anyone, we can get to her first."

"What about us?" Rick asked as they ran across another, less busy road and into another alley. The forest was coming into sight, there was a large field coming up before it.

"You two head to the zoo and find out where they are, we'll meet you there."

"Be careful." Ciara said before they ran left after emerging out of the alley and running down another road while Leo, Tony and Sahara ran on into the field.

"Sanali uses Winston and Eve's den; we can circle around and get into it." Sahara said as they entered the trees, none of the even breaking a sweat or breathing heavily yet. Leo by now would have started to, but no, he was different, there was something that was filling him and forcing him to keep moving. He felt as though he could run for miles.

"I'm not planning on sneaking in; I'm going straight into the Valley and confronting her."

"You're going to challenge her?" Tony exclaimed as they jumped over a fallen tree.

"If I have to, then yes, but either way, they're not going to be in the Valley much longer."

Leo didn't know what he was getting himself into; he was insane to do such a thing. Challenging an Alpha leader, it was unheard of, something that nobody he had heard of had done before. If he won, then he'd gain the title of Alpha Leader of the Northern Pack, if he lost, well…he didn't want to think of it. Something his father once told him, "think positively and the outcome shall be positive". He had to do well, he had to do this.

They ran and ran as fast as their Alpha legs could carrying them, neither panting too heavily yet. They managed to evade many patrols of the pack, but other then that; they literally strolled into the Valley. They ran halfway into it, but brought it to a walk after the snarls of the pack forced them to. Sanali walked out of her den to see this strange spectacle of a human walking towards them. But what shocked her most, was that this was the human Tony wanted eradicating from the pack, and he was with him and some other she-wolf. She howled, saying two things, the first that the pack comes to her, and that they allow them through. They continued to snarl, but they did as their leader ordered and let them through. "Well Tony, we can still deal with your human if you want." She called out as they approached.

"I'm not here to talk." Tony growled back. "He is." He added motioning to Leo.

"Get out of the territory." Leo ordered as they stood at the bottom of the rise and looking up at her. The pack, including Sanali started laughing, most in hysterics at the humans order. It was the fact it was an order from a human, and one in the heart of their territory. Sanali wiped away a tear that fell down her face after laughing so hard.

"I do apologise, could you say that again? I thought I heard you ask us to leave." She continued giggling.

"I did." He snarled back and making Sanali look down at him with a more serious face. "Leave now, or I will kill you."

"You, kill me, in my territory, with my pack surrounding you? Would you like to rethink that?"

"You won't let us leave anyway. Not matter what happens, you'll kill us." Sahara replied.

"Not Tony, he'll live." She replied making both Sahara and Leo look at him. "As the father of my pup and lover, I can forgive him and let him live. Whereas you two are a human and of the United Pack."

"What is she talking about?" Sahara asked looking at him.

"She's Garth's mother." He sighed.

"What?" Leo questioned in awe.

"Back in Alpha School, things between us were a little crazy."

"Too crazy he got me pregnant…" Sanali added who when they looked back at her, she was stood right in front of them. "And for his safety I brought Garth here. Life in the north was dangerous, even I couldn't keep him safe. So I brought him here."

"But it's all in the passed." Tony snapped back. "There is nothing between us now."

"So you say." Sanali giggled and turned her back to them but putting on some sort of seductive, flirtatious sway in Tony's direction.

"Sanali, leave or I will do something I don't want to do." Leo ordered again.

"So you say." She replied but not looking back at him and making her way back towards the slope. "But I think I'll pass." She froze when hearing something she never had in a long time, too long she thought it would never happen again. She turned back to see Leo snarling at her, his eyes fixed on hers with rage and authority. He bore his human teeth and growled from the pit of his stomach. She looked at Tony and Sahara, but they both had their mouths shut so it wasn't them. This growl was coming from him, at it wasn't a human's attempt, no; this was a wolf's perfect growl that genuinely sent shivers up her spine hearing it. It made her pack start backing away as if it was her doing it. This growl carried such authority in it that her pack now avoided looking at him and looking away from him. SHe hadn't been growled at for a long time

He snapped his head to the right at a group of the pack, and they took faster steps back. Then again to the left, and they too moved away quicker. He looked back at Sanali who stood in awe that he was controlling her pack. This wasn't possible, this was her pack, they only obey her, only she could do this. Wait, he was challenging her, he wanted her pack. Her first thought was to get her pack out and away or to just laugh it off and walk back to her den. But it didn't work like that, this was a challenge, if she walked away she was surrendering to him, he'd take her pack, her territory and her title, and she'd be nothing. She couldn't back down, that not how it worked, she had to fight. She looked around at her pack, watching her to see what choice she'd make. She didn't have a choice, submit, or fight.

She looked back at Leo and moved into a defensive stance while Sahara and Tony moved away to create some space. Only Leo had his plan, he knew what he was going to do. He started walking towards Sanali, who stayed put to defend her ground, Something all Alpha's are taught, try to wait until your opponent strikes first, then counter it. But does that count when you're fighting a human? She wasn't taught how to fight a human, no Alpha was.

She made her move. She screamed and ran at Leo who continued walking towards her. She jumped at him, flexing her claws and opening her jaws to go in for his throat. He made no effort to get out of the way or do anything as she soared towards him. Not until the last minute anyway. He reached out his arm, and grabbed her throat. He ran with her in his hand and slammed her against the small, stone rise and held her there by one hand. She began to choke, her airways blocked. Was this it? Her reign now coming to an end? Leo snarled in her face and stared her in the eyes while she tired to push him off. Tony, although he felt very little love for the she-wolf, couldn't stand there and watch the mother of his pup die. He tried to run towards her, but Sahara grabbed him. "Don't, I know what he's doing." She said.

Leo growled in her face like a wolf, something she had never heard before. But as he looked into her eyes, he saw everything. He saw why she was how she was, why she made her pack how she was. Her life was played out in her eyes in that of a few seconds. He saw the pain her past bore, the hatred for her father, even the hatred for Tony for what he did to her. But also the desire she had to be with him as the father of her pup. He never planned on killing her, he wasn't going to. "I'm not going to kill you." He said, but in her eyes he was, she still couldn't breath. "I win; I get you pack, your territory and your title. I am the Alpha of the Northern Pack!" He yelled for all to hear. He looked back at her, and she'd scream if she could when she saw her eyes. They weren't what she just saw; they were this horrid, deep orange colour that made her fear him even more. "But I am kind." He then dropped her at the same time his eyes went back to what they were. She coughed and spluttered as she breathed deeply to fill her lungs again. She looked up to him afterwards, but still continued to breathe heavily. "I will give everything back to you, IF, you leave and never come back. Is that understood?" She quickly nodded. "GO!" He growled and his eyes fired up again. She scrambled to her paws and ran passed him, barking to her pack to follow her. They did and they all ran away and across the Valley. Sanali stopped at the tree line and looked back at them. She lost, but was given another chance, she was indebted, to a human!

Meanwhile, at the zoo, things were beyond crazy. Rick and Ciara managed to shake their pursuers seeing as they never dared enter the park and go after Leo, so they went for the others. But they lost them a while ago, but the zoo entrance was crazy. Nearly two hours later, did Leo turn up; Sahara and Tony stayed back and concealed themselves in a hedge along the wall of the zoo. He found them, but he wished they didn't tell him what they had heard. They heard commotion about how the wolves in the zoo escaped and killed three people; now they are running loose in the zoo so everyone even workers had been pulled out to wait for animal control. They even overheard others talking about the police coming to shoot them all. They had to get inside and stop this or get them out before it happened.

Leo pulled his friends back to the bush Sahara and Tony were hidden in so they could Sahara the story as to what happened. They too were shocked, but not surprised to say the least that the pack was doing this. They didn't know what life in there was like, but it couldn't have been good. But the question was, why haven't they just run out yet and escaped? They'd have to find out if they could get inside. The gates were opened, but a row of four armed police officers knelt down just inside to stop anything coming out and to shoot anything they saw move on four legs. Now the next question was how were they going to get inside? Well, as it turns out, run for it and hope for the best it seems. They readied themselves and ran into the crowd of the public, workers at the zoo and police officers and towards the gates. People screamed as they barged through as fast as they could, but also at the wolves following them. They made it and jumped and ran around the police firing line and diving around another corner to avoid being shot at as well before running deeper into the heart of the zoo.

Leo called out for his parents and pack mates as did the others. Tony started to worry, how would the pack treat him for what he did? He hoped more gently then he had thought. They slowed their run to a fast walk as they searched the zoo, but they didn't see or hear anything, but they did have that constant feeling of being watched.

They walked into the centre of the zoo and looked around. There were many paths and roads that led in all directions. "It's going to take too long just like this." Sahara said.

"Let's split up." Ciara suggested.

"Ok, you two go with Sahara, Tony and I will go this way." Leo said, they all nodded and split off in their groups. It was a smart, yet stupid idea. Smart because they would cover more ground faster this way, and the chances that the pack were moving around at the same time only made it harder to find them. But it was stupid because now they had less of them together, and if they found the pack, they'd need numbers should they attack. That was if they attacked. Why would they attack their son and members of their pack?

Leo and Tony walked down a path with mainly gift shops and restaurants either side of the path. Leo looked inside each of them a fraction, but they weren't in any of them. "Why did you want to go with me?" Tony asked puzzled. "I hate you and you hate me."

"That's exactly why." Leo answered while sticking inside a gift shop door and looking around. "Because this gives us a chance to revolve our issues."

"I wouldn't have."

"Well, it wasn't my best plan, but it's a way." Leo chuckled lightly. "So what made you change your mind about the Northern Pack?"

"Shall we say we speak truthfully and kill one another later?" He asked back.

"Sure, I can deal with that."

"Well, I brought the Northern Pack to kill you." He replied.

"Thanks." Leo surprisingly chuckled. "All that just for me."

"All I said to Sanali was to kill you, but they went against it and took the Valley. I didn't plan for that to happen."

"Must hurt." Leo muttered. "A former mate doing that to you."

"She wasn't my mate." Tony chuckled. "We just enjoyed each others company in Alpha School."

"Ok, I'm still a kid, so no need to go any further." Leo replied and Tony laughed a little.

"I really am sorry for everything I did, ever. I just…there isn't a good history of humans in my family and with everything I've learnt about you I grew up to hate you." Tony sighed while hanging his head in shame

"Not all humans are hunters." Leo smiled. "There are even some that try and protect you. My friends and I want that just as much."

"Really?"

"Really." Leo smiled and stopping. "Friends?" He asked holding his hand out and down to him. Tony smiled and placed his paw in his palm and they both shook.

"Friends."

"Ok, let's find our pack." Leo said as he looked back ahead. But wait, there was something there. They both looked down and narrowed there eyes as a tawny brown she-wolf walked from around a corner but didn't notice them. Leo smiled widely and yelled out. "Mom!" He couldn't believe it, she was there, it was her. Kate spun her head around and looked back at Leo. But it wasn't of hope or happiness, but of hatred and fury,

"Human!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Moments later, Humphrey, followed by Winston, Eve and the rest of the pack round the corner and started snarling in their direction.

"Oh no." Leo muttered.

"Run!" Tony yelled, so they turned around and started running. Leo looked back to see the entire pack close behind them.

"What's wrong with them?!" Leo yelled desperately and frantically while looking back constantly.

"What the hell is this place?!" Tony exclaimed as they ran around another corner. Rick, Ciara and Sahara were walking towards them when they saw each other.

"Guys run, they're going to kill us!" Leo called out. They didn't wait after they saw Humphrey dive around the corner to try and snap at Leo but narrowly missed and then the rest of the pack following after them. They all ran, not knowing what to do. The pack behind them snarled, howled and barked while in pursuit. Sahara was bewildered, her own pack chasing her down. No-one knew what was wrong with them, they were insane, trying to kill there own kin. Leo looked back again, seeing his Aunt snarling towards him, but her white fur around her face coated in a layer of red. His mother, father or family looked no better, but Lily stood out the most.

What were they going to do? They would tire and be caught at some point after running down several paths in the zoo in an attempt to lose them, but nothing they tried worked. It was when Sahara saw some stacked boxes that if climbed; they could get onto a flat part of the roof of a small building. She sprinted ahead and guided the others up after she did. Leo dislodged the boxes so the pack couldn't climb up them, but now they were safe. The pack barked, howled and mocked them from below, trying to get them to come down. Leo looked out and around to try and find his parents. But they were all moving around, so he never found them. He recognised many, but not the ones he was looking for. "What's wrong with them?" Sahara panted and standing far back from the edge with everyone else.

"No-one would think a zoo does this to them." Leo muttered.

"They've only been in here for a week." Rick exclaimed and trying to get his breath back.

"It's insane here." Tony added.

"And I thought the place I was in was bad." Leo muttered while he still searched. But then, he saw someone he knew all too well. Humphrey happened to catch his eye as he snarled up at them and moving around. The entire pack looked like a sea, it was hard to keep focused on one wolf the way they were walking, running and jumping around. Around his father, he then came to see the rest of his family sticking closer together. "Dad!" Leo called out over the sounds of the barks and yells. But it went unnoticed. "Mom!" Leo shouted even louder. She actually seemed to recognise it; it clicked something in her mind. So when she heard it come from that one human, she looked up at him. "Mom it's me, its Leo I've come back!" He yelled down with hope.

"My son is gone!" She screamed back over the yells. "He's never coming back." Leo felt a pang in his chest when hearing this. Sahara and Tony came over and tried to make the pack see sense that they were one of their own, but they didn't go recognised, none of them knew any of them. Not even Kate or Humphrey could recognise their own son!

"We can't stay up here, we need to get down and out." Tony sighed after seeing this wasn't working.

"And what, leave them to the police? I don't think so." Leo spat. "We just need a way of showing them who we are, we need them to remember." Leo said as he remained focused on his family who only glared and snarled back up at him. They had to get down, whether if it was to get out or to talk to them. Leo looked back after having an idea, and a crazy one at that. The chances of it working were slim, but it was their only shot. He walked up to his friends. "I've got an idea." They only had to look into his eyes to see he was going to do something, but something reckless.

"What are you going to do?" Ciara asked but not sure if she wanted to know.

"Just, please trust me, I have an idea." He said place a hand on their shoulders.

"Leo what are you going to do?" Sahara asked as she then came over. Leo turned around and pulled her into a hug. She returned it, thinking she may know what he was going to do. He let go and looked over to Tony after Standing up. He only made a small; two fingered salute to him before he turned around and jumped off the low rooftop. Ciara screamed his name but Rick held her back, but they all looked over to see what he had planned. He landed hard, but he was ok other then a small shock in his feet after you jump of something high. But it was that thud that was heard.

Firstly, Winston and Eve looked around the side to investigate, and after their snarls were heard, Kate, Humphrey, Lily, Garth and the rest of the pack started to stalk their live prey. Finally something that would fight back. Leo stood his ground and stared back at them. "Mom, Dad, it's me, I'm back." Leo insisted again but he still only received snarls in return as they stalked closer to him. "Please listen to me."

"Stop talking!" Eve growled. "Humans don't talk."

"Neither do you." Leo snapped back. "How many humans do you know can talk to you?" He saw them think for a moment, but they didn't answer and carried on towards him. He started walking backwards and he looked up at the worried eyes of the others. He had only one choice if they wouldn't recognise him. He stopped moving and lowered his head. Slowly, he started lowering himself to the ground and holding his hand out in front if him a little palm down. He went into one knee, not making any contact by looking or touching. But he was still sensing, and he sensed them stop in movement and heard them stop snarling. He bowed his bead and kept his hand out. He reached his heads behind his neck with slow movements and removed his triangular necklace before bowing again but holding it out further for them to see. He remained like that, unsure now of what they were going to do, eat him, or remember him? His heart started to beat a little quicker in fear, but then he felt something, something he was hoping to feel. He felt something lick his forehead quickly, just above his eyebrow. A sign he was permitted to get up. He looked up, slowly, and meeting his fiery, orange eyes he didn't know was happening and welcomed his Grandfather and Alpha leader's back at him. To the right, Lily and Garth walked around and to the left his parents appeared. "Leo?" Kate muttered. Still without knowing, Leo's eyes changed back as a smile grew on his face. "Leo!" Kate cried and running into him with Humphrey right behind her. Sahara looked down in relief, but it wasn't that she was more focused on. She saw his eyes. He opened his arms to them and fell onto his other knee to catch them. She cried into his neck, smearing some of the blood she had on her muzzle onto him and Humphrey wrapping his paws around hers and his back. "Your back." Kate cried with tears falling down her face.

"I told you I'd come back for you." Leo whispered into her ear and tightening his grip. "I missed you so much." He added when his own tear fell.

"We missed you too son." Humphrey replied. He heard Winston announce to the pack it was him, and instantly after he was let go, Lily came barging through and threw herself as usual at him, wiping more blood onto him. She jumped off and he went around embracing each of his family and calling down the others from the roof. Rick and Ciara lowered themselves down from where Leo jumped off and he was quick to point everything out to them. That they, somehow, could understand them as well, and were here to help. The family got back together and informed him of what had happened why they did what they did and how this place was horrible. But it was soon after they all heard a loud yelp, that when they looked around, they saw Eve on her hind legs and pinning Tony against the wall via hid throat.

"Eve he helped us." Leo said as he, Kate and Winston tried to pull her off. But she was in a rage that only strengthened her, so she didn't budge. Tony was suffocating and trying to push her off himself.

"You dog!" Eve snarled. "You betrayed me, Winston, the pack, your family, what more could you do?!"

"Help… you." He choked.

"Grandma he helped us get here and get the Northern Pack out of the territory." Leo said. She snapped out of her trance when she heard that, and the pack listened in. But she remained in his throat.

"What did you say?" Winston asked.

"Tony, Sahara and I cleared out the Valley, The Northern Pack are gone. We can go home." Eve looked back at Tony who was on the verge of passing out when she finally let him go. He fell back onto his front paws and coughed violently.

"I…I was only doing it...to get Leo out, Sanali betrayed me as well. We agreed she takes Leo, but she took the Valley instead."

"How could you betray us dad? And to her and her pack?" Garth asked. "How?"

"I'm sorry Garth, but Leo and I have an understanding now." He replied flashing a smile in his direction.

"Can we deal with this later?" Lily asked. "We still need to get out of here."

"The front entrance is blocked." Ciara said a she and Rick stood by Leo. "We can't get out that way."

"We saw." Winston replied. "There's fences all around us, that's the only way to get out of here."

"We can still get out that way." Leo said as another thought came to mind.

"How?" Rick asked perplexed. "You think we can just stroll out there and walk out?" Leo only smiled.

"Something like that."

Another chapter done and dusted, Tony and Leo are friends, the pack are back together with two new human additions it seems. But how are they getting out of the zoo? Will Sanali do anything to get out of Leo's debt she has to him, even if she doesn't want to? Will Garth ever know? Read and Review to find out. By the way. the gaps in these updates are the perfect times to check out my other stories. And on that subject, i have a way this story could end up that some of you may find a little funny. I'll have two alternative endings to this, one more serious, another just for a laugh. Until next time.

The FalconWolf