Hunter of the Shadows book 2:
Hunter Rising
Chapter 14
Now…
Dean grins into the camera.
"Surprise! Thought you might like to see something other than the inside of a motel room for once, so we brought you here…" he throws out an arm in a theatrical flourish and the digital audience is treated to an unimaginable display of natural beauty.
Lush green grass sweeps down to a riverbank, thickly lined with deciduous trees and wild flowers. The sun is shining brightly in a cloud flecked blue sky and birds can be heard singing somewhere in the distance.
"This is our special place," Dean says, sweeping the camera round, and it truly is special. No doubt about it. Seeing it tugs at the heartstrings, and puts one in mind of Hobbiton, before the Black Riders screwed it all up.
But then the camera movement stops with the frame on a quietly crying Sam. He's sitting on the ground wrapped in a blanket, back up against a tree, face buried in his blanket covered knees. His shoulders are shaking, and soft, heart breaking sobs are picked up over the camera's microphone.
Dean sighs. "Aw, kiddo."
The camera is carefully placed on the ground, and Dean's booted feet can be seen retreating across the meadow towards the crying youngster.
The watcher observes Dean kneeling down, pulling Sam into his arms and rocking him to and fro.
"S-sorry," Sam sobs out, obviously ashamed.
"Don't be," Dean replies, simply, eyes just a little bit moist.
"It's j-just that I didn't think it would be this hard, ya know?"
"Sammy," Dean holds him just that little bit tighter. "Maybe you just need to relax, ok? Remember when you first came here and tried it? Your own mind was holding you back, right?"
The audience doesn't get to hear more, because the camera is picked up by unseen hands and, without so much as a hello or good bye, turned off.
The camera's switched back on and Dean is once again peering into the lens.
It's dusk and the area is lit by a small fire, dancing flames casting shadows across Dean's face.
"Sorry about that," he says, smile unusually dull. "Tobius was the one who switched it off. He didn't think it was fair to Sam to have that moment caught on camera. And he's right. I wasn't thinking straight, just needed to get to Sam when he was so upset. That's why it's just us, no visitors. Sammy just can't face anyone else right now."
He shakes his head forlornly. "We'd only been here half a day when I brought the camera out. Sam had already tried a full change and couldn't manage it. It's all in his head. His subconscious is telling him he can't be a wolf like this, won't allow him to flip those switches, and it's tearing him apart."
Dean doesn't exactly look like he's jumping for joy either. It's clear he's spent some time in wolf form because he's naked from the waist up, his lower half covered by a blanket. In the background, the watcher can make out a sleeping Sammy with his own blanket, including a black and tan wolf-pillow. The wolf's tail is wrapped round the boy's chest and gently strokes Sam's neck every time he whimpers in his sleep, calming him.
Dean watches them sadly for a few moments before speaking again, sounding a little lost.
"It must be a terrible thing, to be a non lunar wolf and not able to change. I know that kind of loss would likely kill me, so I think it's fair to say that Sam's handling all this better than I would." Dean sniffs and blinks. "Sam can do a partial change, like a hand or a foot, but that's about it. Sire says that should tide Sam over without losing his mind, until we can find a way to help him," he turns back to the camera, now looking fiercely determined. "And we will find a way. Sam might be blind, but he's still a werewolf."
Now…
Dean? Can they hear our thought projections? Like, all of them?
Good question, but somehow I don't think so. I replied. I'm not sure how it works, but I suspect it has something to do with pack membership. I think they can only hear the ones that are directed specifically at them. Any just between you and me they can't hear, and the same for us. We can only hear theirs if they intend it.
Huh, that makes sense. Sam sounded fascinated as usual and that had me grinning again. Kid was relentless as always, and his questions started forth.
Lucas had welcomed us with open arms, though Cornelius still didn't seem happy. He growled angrily all the way back to their den, and, completely unprovoked, even snapped at Sam a few times when he tried talking to him. Sam being Sam, didn't take too kindly to this and rightly so, but before the two youngsters could start on each other, I placed myself firmly in the middle and politely reminded Cornelius that I was pack beta for Tobius Le Salle, and it was never a good idea to mix it with a wolf just a few months off his prime. That seemed to pacify him for a while, or so I thought, because his petulant growls could still be heard as we headed through the forest.
Last thing I needed was Sam getting in trouble with the pack beta, anyhow. I'm not saying that Sam can't take care of himself, but Cornelius wasn't pack beta for nothing, and was clearly ruthless in a way that Sammy could never be.
Cornelius? Go see to the pups, Lucas commanded the moment the wonderful scent of food hit our nostrils and firelight flickered through the trees, but sent him a fierce glare. I wondered about that, but the young beta scowled at Sam and me, then took off ahead.
Don't you pay him any mind, young Sam, said Lucas, suddenly. He means nothing by it.
Sam shook his thick mane, indignantly. What's his problem exactly? He doesn't even know us.
Lucas sighed; a little sadly it seemed to me. I'm afraid he's like this to all new comers, so please, I beg you not to take it personally.
That piqued my curiosity. He seems a little… uh… maverick. If I may ask, what made you choose him as pack beta?
Lucas took so long to answer I honestly thought I'd offended him with my question.
Cornelius had a rough ride before he joined the pack and he trusts absolutely no one outside of it. He's highly protective of those he loves, with good instincts when he allows himself to listen to them, and he's one hell of a fighter.
The alpha nudged against me very gently. Stand up to him like you have been and he'll learn to trust and respect you. Just give him time and he'll come around.
What happened to him? Sam asked, his soft and sympathetic nature kicking in straight away.
I think the question is what hasn't happened to him. Lucas glanced over at Sam. And I think that you of all people might understand… but that's a conversation for later perhaps, after we've eaten. I take it you boys are partial to roast venison? My mate likes to cook it with blackberries. It makes for a very tasty and satisfying dish.
So it wasn't just Tobius who had a penchant for trying out unusual recipes. As for Cornelius, I wisely kept my opinions to myself. Time would tell if the beta wolf could be trusted around Sammy.
The alpha trotted alongside us, chatting away merrily, and as we neared the den our mouths must have fallen open in utter amazement, because Lucas laughed softly.
Wow, Dean, Sammy stared wide eyed at the scene before us. This is incredible.
It certainly was. I'd only ever dreamt about such a place and it reminded me of the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Several campfires blazed amongst the trees, and the sound of happy laughter echoed all around us. Non lunars in human and wolf form alike wandered from group to group, talking and eating, full of love and contentment. I was beginning to see why Cornelius resented our intrusion. Who wouldn't want to protect this from newcomers?
Some of the pack chopped wood, others appeared to be preparing various herbal mixtures, and one real hot chick with long dark hair that fell to below her ass sat in the lotus position, completely naked, humming a beautiful and haunting mantra. I wasn't sure why but I got the feeling she was one of the pack elders, so no way was I tapping that. She'd likely rip my nuts off as soon as look at me.
That's my mate for life, Victoria, she likes to meditate before dinner, Lucas explained, seeing where my attention was waylaid. Claims it's better for the digestion.
I turned to him in genuine admiration. You are one lucky sonovabitch, ya know that?
Lucas laughed again. Oh indeed I do.
Hey Sam… I suddenly realized Sammy was dragging his paws, his eyes fixed longingly on a small group of wolf pups playing together. Their little yips and barks of pleasure, as they tumbled over and over each other, even had me stopping in my tracks, mind swept back to when Sam was a pup.
The little ones were busy gently tormenting an older wolf, who mock howled his defeat as the pups trampled him.
Sam pawed at the ground, sniffing excitedly, obviously dying to join in the fun. I sometimes forget that he's still a pup at heart.
But then the adult wolf gently shook the pups off and stood up.
It was Cornelius.
We watched as the seemingly fierce and petulant beta, gently nudged each pup with his snout and even licked their tiny noses, perhaps giving them some kind of pep talk. His obvious devotion and love of the wolf puppies had my heart in direct conflict with my head.
He can't thought project, Lucas said to us, quietly.
Wow. That sure explained a lot about the beta, and it made me feel sad as hell.
Lucas continued. Before his first change, at five years old, Cornelius was captured by a human hunter.
It seemed that Sammy had the same shiver go down his spine as I did.
Dean…
Take it easy Sam.
We turned to Lucas, knowing exactly who he was talking about.
A man by the name of Gordon Walker. Lucas's confirmation nearly made my stomach revolt.
And the story behind it was truly heart breaking.
Sam hadn't been Gordon's first victim, and we'd known that at the time. There was no way of telling just how many pups he'd snatched, ruined or outright murdered with his sick games.
Walker tormented Cornelius with silver, poisoned, tortured and beat him, refusing to allow him his right to change. He was used as bait to capture older, more experienced wolves for werewolf prize fights and eventually he may have planned on selling him to the highest bidder for sacrificial ceremonies. The man made a lot of money out of Cornelius throughout the course of five years, and in the end, the poor kid was so traumatized that he couldn't change or communicate in any way. Realizing he could do nothing more with the boy, Walker was about to dispose of him, and leave his body with a silver bullet in the heart out in the wilderness where no one would find him.
Lucas and his hunting pack had happened upon ten year old Cornelius bound in silver, and on his knees, execution style. The kid didn't even know what was going on, he was so withdrawn and sick. Lucas and Victoria immediately recognized the young boy as a non lunar and rescued him, driving off Gordon Walker and disappearing into the forests.
Walker tried tracking us, but we were too fast for him. Some amongst the pack wanted him dead, but we do not kill humans. That is not our way.
It took Victoria months to get through to the kid, bringing him food and talking to him, showing him love and affection. No one knew his name; he couldn't speak either in his thoughts or with his mouth.
But, then, one day they made a breakthrough.
On his twelfth birthday, Cornelius, as he was now dubbed by his new family, crawled into Victoria's lap and mewled like a baby. Eventually it was revealed that he could communicate via mouth in human form but, given that Walker was his only contact since the age of five, his speech was limited.
Between them, Victoria and Lucas taught him how to speak, helped him learn new vocabulary, and went on to help him with his first change.
Unfortunately, the silver torture had gone on for so long that thought projection was completely out of the question, but he turned into a fine, intelligent young beta who carried a very similar set of emotional scars to…
Oh God, Dean… Sam faced me with unhappy tear-filled eyes and whined softly. He was only five years old!
Sammy… I padded closer and rubbed my snout along his ears. I know, kid. But he's fine now, Gordon's gone. He can't hurt either of you now. You're both fine.
But that kind of damage, that's just…He dipped his head, and I just knew his soft heart was breaking for a wolf that didn't even like him.
Lucas sat back on his haunches, ears twitching. Silver poisoning affects each wolf in different ways.
I could see the loaded questions in the alpha's eyes, but I shook my head slightly, silently pleading with him to drop it for now. Sam still hadn't fully gotten over what Walker did to him and judging by the look on his face right then, I doubted he ever would.
Lucas nodded and dipped his muzzle towards Sam, sniffing gently but not quite touching.
C'mon youngster, he whispered gently. You must be hungry. Let's go try out Vicky's new dish, shall we?
It was a very depressed Sammy that padded by my side all the way to the alpha campfire. He virtually glued himself to me all evening, copied everything I did and never said a word unless spoken to for most of the night.
When I changed, he changed, and he sat beside me in absolute silence when I wrapped a Navaho style blanket round him.
Cornelius, for his part, mostly ignored us with the exception of the odd suspicious glare, just ate his food in human form and listened to the general conversation going on around the fire. Whenever he spoke, which was rare, he actually had a deep, pleasant sounding voice. His eyes were a deep sky blue with almost jet black hair down to his shoulders, and smooth olive coloured skin. Occasionally, his hand would slip down to a small black pup curled up beside him and ran his fingers through the soft fur.
The alpha distracted us with his tales of Tobius and how they'd met in Rome one hundred and fifty years ago, and hit it off straight away. The two of them had been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct after found splashing about in the Fountain of Trevi, much to the annoyance of the local police. That kind of surprised me. Tobius isn't exactly straight laced or anything, but the image of him happily doing the back stroke in a major land mark made me laugh out loud.
Lucas cut every bit the distinguished figure in human form as he did in wolf, with his silver hair and glowing green eyes, and of course his mate Victoria was a real lady. Smart, funny and kind, with the prettiest brown eyes and an air about her that could have suggested royalty.
And it was Victoria who got Sam and Cornelius talking in the end. To this day I don't know how she made it happen, and even wondered if there was something in the food, but one minute Cornelius was glaring at Sam, then Victoria leaned across and whispered something in his ear, and everything changed. His mouth dropped open and his eyes fixed on Sam, glowing fiercely. I shifted closer to Sam at that point but my boy hadn't noticed what was going on, just kept his head bent over his food.
Sammy? You ok?
M'fine.
But he didn't sound it.
"Hey!" I whispered softly and gently tipped his chin up a little so I could see pass all that hair and into his eyes. I stifled a gasp at the turmoil and sadness going on in that gaze and just stared at him until I could find the right words. "I should've made you talk about this shit years ago. Right after it happened. What that bastard did to you… it's been haunting you all this time, huh?"
"I guess… yeah, it has, but if it's any consolation, I didn't really know until tonight," Sam whispered back.
We sensed Cornelius approaching us and Sam got to his feet, pulling the blanket round him. The two studied each other in a tense silence, until Cornelius nodded and gestured for Sam to join him.
I wasn't keen, as you can imagine. But Victoria just watched me and I heard her soft words in my head.
If they can help each other, would you stand in the way of that?
Cornelius ain't the only one with trust issues round here, I replied, worriedly.
Victoria nodded her understanding. Then we will follow at a discrete distance as chaperones, but leave the talking to them, if that reassures you?
What else could I do? I didn't believe for a second that Lucas would allow this group therapy meeting to take place if there was a chance Cornelius might try to harm Sam, and to be honest, the vibes I was picking up from the pack beta were no longer pointing to that.
I guessed that all I could do was keep a close eye on them, and hope for the best.
Sam and Cornelius walked slowly through the trees, talking quietly. And though I was tempted to listen in on their conversation, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Didn't seem right, somehow. This was their personal pain and I couldn't intrude upon it.
Victoria and Lucas accompanied me, keeping my mind occupied with more amusing stories about Tobius.
Your Sire was particularly annoyed when we were sentenced to death by firing squad in Eastern Germany. Mind you, not half as vexed as the officer when he found out we were still alive afterwards…
Then it was Victoria's turn.
You know, I was pack beta until Cornelius.
Really? That surprised me. What forced you to give it up?
She just laughed. No one forced me. I wanted to be what you boys might call a 'stay at home mom' and Cornelius was the obvious replacement. I am mother to most of the pups in this pack and a few of the juveniles.
Lucas moved into his mate and rubbed his nose against her neck, lovingly.
She is also my queen, always has been since the day we met, almost five hundred years ago.
Victoria responded with a soft keening noise and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
The more I learned about these non lunars, the more I admired them.
But I was watching... everything... so closely...
Cornelius' body language showed he was as nervous as Sam but there was no sign of a threat. After two hours, that tension resolved into weariness and I got the impression the two young wolves would be exhausted and emotional at the end of all this, but hopefully with a sense of closure.
Finally, we spotted the signs that the conversation was coming to an end and they shook hands, hugged briefly and parted ways.
Sam, still clutching his blanket and shoulders slumped, made his way back to me, and the two of us walked back to the campfire in silence.
We didn't say a word to each other, but I sensed the strange peace inside the kid. He'd talk when he was ready, and I wasn't going to push it.
Fully changed and curled up together, he was falling fast asleep, his head draped over the back of my neck.
With the sense that someone was watching me, I glanced up and caught the blue gaze of Cornelius in wolf form. To my surprise, he sent me a friendly, perhaps even grateful wink and slunk over to his alpha, lying down beside him.
And then I had an epiphany. Tobius had known exactly what he was doing sending us out here, not just on this journey but to this pack. It was something Sam and I had both needed, and I couldn't believe what we'd accomplished in just one night.
Sam had found the inner strength and peace to face and deal with his terrible past. But what had I got out of it? I felt sure there was a lesson in there somewhere, probably to do with my fast approaching prime. Whatever it was, Tobius was arming us for the future, for whatever troubles we were about to face in the coming months. Azazel and Meg were just part of it, but Jake… he was another challenge altogether, and I sensed a showdown of epic proportions that would make our last confrontation with the guy seem like a politician's tea party.
And who knows what other special children would be waiting for us when we came back to the world.
Next morning, Sam and I were being introduced around a bit more before breakfast. There were around forty adult non lunars in all, and we almost staggered backwards in amazement at the sheer size of the pack. There were also ten pups and a further eight juveniles. Quite the handful.
It was Cornelius who offered to introduce us to the pups.
They pounced on us, burying their snouts in our fur and chattered away excitedly. You could tell they hadn't spent much time around humans, given how friendly and bold they were. We could hear their thoughts tumbling around, going from one subject to another at lightning speed, completely open with us and with no guile.
…Sam's colour's weird…
…I think he's pretty…
… His Sire's pretty cool… all that jet black fur…
… and he's handsome in human form…
One of the little girl pups pouted at that, earning a snort from Sam.
… Sam's handsome in human form, and he's tall!
…Dean's tall… just not as tall as Sam…
A male pup sat back and began furiously scratching at an ear, until Cornelius rolled his eyes and began to nibble away at him, checking for fleas.
It was hard being around a non lunar who couldn't thought project, but I noticed that he did have other ways of communicating with the pups. If he stamped his front left paw, it meant he demanded their attention. A stamp of the front right paw was an order to change. A thump of the tail indicated play time could continue.
But any stamping of the back legs meant 'danger, do as you're told and follow me.' Cornelius certainly had their respect and the pups never went against his orders.
This is the best way to train a pack alpha, Lucas caught me by surprise. I hadn't realized he was watching us. The pups are the future and will require a good leader.
That sure was a telling statement.
You planning on retiring? I asked, casually.
Lucas snorted with laughter. Absolutely not, at least not for some time. But the pack is getting big – it will likely become too big for just one alpha in the next few years, or even two, and Cornelius will be ready.
It felt like a leading statement.
Ahhhh. So that was his game plan. Interesting. And yet another of Sire's reasons for sending us out here, maybe. He wanted me to consider my options.
Well, good luck with that. I was being deliberately evasive. No way I wanted any part of this. I was happy with our tiny little pack and had no intention of taking on someone else's.
Lucas grinned as though he could see right through me but let it go, thank God.
I just sat back and watched Sammy play fight with the pups. He rolled on his back and let them crawl all over him, his tongue out, ears flapping open and grinning as though he were in absolute heaven.
After lunch, Cornelius paid me a visit whilst Sam was speaking with Victoria.
The tall non lunar shifted from foot to foot a little nervously, but met my gaze head on.
"I wanted to thank you," he said, quietly. "For coming here. Talking to Sam… it's helped. He's the only one who even remotely understands what I went through."
My eyes narrowed a little, watching the emotions playing out on his face, and thought about how Sam seemed different since their discussion.
"It's the same for Sam. You helped him, Cornelius, and for that you'll always have our allegiance."
I waited. For some reason, I knew this would be an important turning point for all, one day.
Another shift from foot to foot from the nervous non lunar.
"You have no idea how much that means to me," he gave the requisite bow, but it was real, right. Felt genuine, like he meant it. "I also want to apologize for the way I treated you and Sam when you first came here…"
Gotta admire the guy for that. Apologies are hard going, as pride and ego are so tragically fragile, but even more so when you're the pack beta.
I raised my hand and forestalled him. "No need, dude. You're the pack beta and bodyguard. Over-protectiveness is kinda expected. Just try to remember protocol, huh? I had no real problem with your attitude at first, but I sure did when you snapped at Sammy and kept trying to start a fight with us. Although it's understandable, given your inability to thought project, you should know that I won't tolerate anyone laying a finger or a claw on him, especially when he hasn't done anything wrong." I stared hard at him.
"Guess I deserved that." Cornelius puffed out a breath and bit his lip, thoughtfully, before adding in a rush: "I can't stand strangers. I feel easily threatened by new comers, and Sam just made me even more edgy."
That was different. "Why? He's a non lunar just like you and me."
The beta shook his head. "There was just something different about him, but once I got to know him, I realized it didn't matter." Soft blue eyes regarded me. "He's still different but in a good way. There's something almost magical about Sam…" He shrugged. "Sorry. I don't know how else to describe it."
That almost made me laugh, it was so close to the truth.
"Well, he's one of a kind alright," I replied. "Ya know, he was my brother before I became his Sire?"
Cornelius nodded. "I had heard something along those lines, but not many of us believed it. I'm willing to believe anything about him now." He smiled at me. "I'd best take my leave. The pups will be getting into all kinds of trouble. Thank you for your time, Dean."
"No problem," I watched him go, but he turned at the last second and met my gaze once more.
"I know you two and your alpha have some difficult times ahead, but you will come through it. You need to have faith in that. And... you have us, now."
That sent a weird shiver down my spine.
Before I could ask him what he knew, he'd changed and was gone, slipping quietly away into the forest.
But my wolfie senses were tingling.
I had that strange feeling, once again, that something important had happened here.
Author's Notes:
Sorry for not replying to your reviews. I'm really grateful for all the support you've shown me, especially for the journal entries - you've no idea how much that means to me.
We're a bit busy at the moment with the pending arrival of our new black labrador puppy (awwww!) so I thought you'd rather a chapter update than a review reply at this stage. I will reply to the reviews for this chapter, I promise.
Much love and appreciation to you all. (Sammy/puppy kisses are flying out from the island as I type)
Kind regards,
ST xxx
