Friends or Foes

Joyce felt like his body was set on fire, than cooled; now he felt like he rolled around in the dirt, which stung his wounds.

This must be how a SEAL feels after he "gets down and dirty, he thought.

Slowly he opens his eyes. There was something wrong with his right eye, his eye lids were open but his eye wasn't working. Was he blind in the right eye? He felt panic beginning to seize him, he no longer has twenty twenty vision, how can he survive in hostile lands!?

"Calm down, calm down," he said out loud, as surprising as it was, he was trained in this scenario. He was blindfolded and was taught to shoot and fight with no eyes during Ghost training, and the exercise also heightens his other senses, including his sense of smell and hearing. He should consider himself lucky that he still has an eye that functions.

"Observe, learn, adapt, survive," he repeats to himself, trying to keep his pulse down as he looks at his surroundings.

The last thing he remembered was collapsing on the forest floor and blacking out. Now it looks like he was somewhere underground, some tree roots were sprouting from the ceiling, the earthen walls and floor was a dark brown that indicated wet soil. It looks big enough to house five people but at the moment he was the only one in the dirt cave, with the only entrance in front of him, a big bright gaping hole.

Where am I? Joyce thought as tries not to panic. Was he a prisoner of the Federation? No, they would have tied him up and put him in a secured area. Did one of his teammates survive and drag him here? He tried not to cry as he knew the answer was no, his guys died in front of him, it couldn't have been one of them.

This left only one conclusion; somebody helped him, somebody who isn't a Fed. Did this person saved him out of kindness? Or was he to be used?

Joyce just shook his head, he needed answers, and he knew the only way to do that was to find whoever saved him.

He tried standing on his feet, but instantly collapses with a grunt of pain. He lands on the floor, causing more agony to erupt throughout his body; it took all his will power not to scream.

He breathes heavily as he begins to assess his body. Whoever tried to heal him didn't do a good job, true he was no longer bleeding, but bleeding out was the least of his troubles. His left arm could hardly rise more than an inch without causing a wave of sickness; his lower back was hurting, close to his spine but not hitting it directly and his calf muscles felt as if they were on fire.

He inspected the areas and confirms his theory; those were the places where he was shot. He hopes that the bullet in his arm didn't strike and damage his bone, or else he'll really be in trouble. This was nothing if he didn't get the bullet out of his back, otherwise he'll be unable to stretch, run or fight. Finally he checks his calf muscle, the bullet went through and didn't get stuck, but man he was hit with a sniper bullet, which carved a nice clean hole into his lower leg.

He sighs as he leans against the earthen wall; it's going to take him some time to get back on his feet, and even longer for him to be combat ready.

He suddenly saw a white figure in the corner of his left eye, standing at the entrance of the cave. He turns his head to see who it is, but the figure took off, leaving him alone again.

"Wait," he tries to say, but his dry blood caked throat could only allow him to whisper the word.

Determine to catch whoever the figure was, he tried to get up and walk, but the bullet wound in his back forces him back to the ground. He curses before crawling forward, sprouting fresh patches of stings all over his body, but his determination to find this person and discover who they are outweighs the pain.

He drags his broken body to the brightly lit cave entrance and heaved himself outside. He had to admit it was quite beautiful. There was nice green grass beneath his feet; he was surrounded by an army of pine trees that seems to go on forever. The only break in the tree's formation was a hill, outcropping to the left of Joyce's position, which was pointed jaggedly upwards like two colliding tectonic plates, building a beautiful rocky formation with green vegetation sprouting out of it. The only thing ugly in the area was Joyce's beaten and bloodied self.

Where am I, he ponders to himself. He was trained to remember any and all landmarks, but the trees look the same as ever, and with no map he couldn't calculate where he was. Besides, the hill was a pretty distinctive feature, he would have remembered it easily if he had gone by it before. He could use the shadows of the trees to also try and pinpoint where he was, but his mind was too tired and messed up to do any high level thinking at the moment.

He looks down at the grown and looks for the smallest imprint on the dirt floor, searching for tracks. He found no human footprints, nor boot prints, all that he found was some sort of track that look like a large dog left them. Wolves perhaps?

Great, he thought to himself, I lost the only link in finding out what's going on.

Cautiously he got up on his feet, gritting his teeth in pain as he forces his vertebrae to raise itself higher. He found a rock close to the cave he crawled out of and sat heavily on it and pants. Just getting up and sitting down was an effort, how was he going to get through this?

He let out a small frustrated sound before looking up to the skies. "Hey!" he yells out, if he was a bit more somber he would never have shouted in unknown territory, "I could use some help down here! Please!" he calls not sure who he was talking to, "please!" he repeats again, "just help me out here!"

"My goodness my dear fellow, there's no need to shout," an unknown voice said.

Joyce's head whirl around, trying to find the speaker despite his disorientated head. However he couldn't see anyone, not unless the person who he was talking to was hiding, or he could have just imagine the voice since he suspects he might have gotten brain damage from the fight.

"Who said that?" he demands, "come out where I can see you."

"Humph," a different voice said, "not a real sharp fellow is he?"

Getting more and more irritated Joyce just said, "Look, I don't where I am, I'm hurt, and confused, I have no time to play games now who is talking?"

"We're up here my good sir," the first voice said.

Joyce tilts his head back, expecting to see human beings hanging from tree branches, but instead all he saw was two birds, a duck and a goose. The duck was a light yellow while the goose was brown, yet what made the scene random was that the duck was holding a small bag filled with sticks, sticks shaped like golf clubs while the goose held a piece of wood badly shape like a putter golf stick, who was currently taking aim at a round little stone that looks like it was being improvised for a ball.

Joyce stared at the scene above him, blinking his single eye trying to see if what he was seeing was real. The two birds with golf clubs were still there so Joyce sighs, "great, I'm losing my mind and all I have for company are two pigeons."

Suddenly a small stone came whirling from the tree tops and smacks Joyce's forehead. Normally he wouldn't be bothered by the small impact, but due to his sore body it felt like he was hit by a sledge hammer. He lets out a scream before falling off the rock; his body flared with unimaginable pain again as he hits the ground, causing him to squirm a bit.

"Oh dear," the first voice said, originating from the duck, "Marcel, I think he truly is hurt."

"Nonsense Paddy," the goose replied in a Canadian accent, "I've only grazed him."

"Hey feather brains!" Joyce yelled up to them, "I am hurt, I'm freaking close to dying down here! Mind showing me a little compassion and helping me out?"

"A human asking a bird for help?" asks the goose named Marcel, "now here's something worth telling."

The birds jump from the branches and flairs their wings as they land in front of the human. Joyce stares at the birds, trying to figure out what to do, what to say.

Never thought I'd be talking to a bird before, Joyce snorts to himself.

However it was the duck, Paddy, who broke the silence, "my goodness, what's that on your face?"

Grateful to have the conversation started, Joyce explains, "It's my mask, my Ghost mask."

"A little early for Halloween isn't it?" huffs the goose. Joyce just stared at him, how did the goose know what Halloween is? Better yet how did he learn to speak freaking English!

"How did you learn to speak freaking English?" Joyce asks, not realizing he actually said it.

The two birds look at each other before Paddy answered, "Well we just heard it and, well I guess we just started using it, and the same can be said about Humphrey and Kate."

"Who's Humphrey and Kate?" Joyce asks.

"You don't know?" Marcel asks, "They, along with Kate's sister and her mate, were the ones who brought you here."

Feeling excitement rise in him, Joyce asks, "Where are they? I have questions I need to ask them," like whether they're Feds or not.

"Why they live on the hill over there," Paddy said nodding to the land mark, "we can take you to them if you like."

Joyce thought a bit before asking, "Are they Canadians?"

"Um," Paddy thought for a bit, "in a manner of speaking, yes they are."

How are the Canadians going to react finding a US soldier in neutral territory? Then again, they did help him, maybe it won't too bad.

Reassure by the thought, Joyce looks to the hill again and asks, "Where? I don't see any houses."

"Houses?" asks Marcel, "since when do wolves live in houses?"

Joyce suddenly felt his body go cold. He was saved by wolves? This made sense; he was dragged into a dug cave and found only wolf prints instead of human tracks. But why would a bunch of wolves save him?

"Well come along my friend," the goose said as he took off flying, "we'll take you to them."

Paddy hops in front of Joyce and says, "Here, I made this for Marcel, but it's too big for him."

The duck reaches in and pulls out a stick in the shape of a wedge golf club, nearly spanning three feet. How in the world did it fit in the bag?

Paddy hands the gift to Joyce. Using the stick like a cane, his hand holding on to the wedge shape at the end, he pushes himself up. He still feels pain, but now it wasn't as intense as before.

"Come on then," the duck says as he flew upwards as well, "Marcel hates waiting."

Joyce started taking some tender steps forward when he pauses as a thought crosses his mind. Noticing the man was no longer following him; Paddy flew back and asks, "Is there something wrong?"

Joyce thought for a bit before asking, "You say this Humphrey and Kate are wolves, can they speak too?"

"Yes, quiet wonderfully in fact," Paddy replies, not sure where this conversation was going.

Joyce ponders for a bit before asking, "I need to know something…is there a little deer running around by the name of Bambi?"

"Um…no, I don't believe so," answers the confused duck.

"Ok good," Joyce replies as he starts walking forward with his new walking stick, "for a moment I was worried I really was going crazy."

Kate sadly watches Humphrey chew on a week old bone, despite the smiles he would throw at her, she knew he didn't like bones for dinner, nobody did. The caribou was scared deeper into the valley by the human's small battle yesterday, a few Alpha scouts were sent out to see how far they've gone, leaving the pack to only munch on the stale food.

"Sorry," Kate began to say for the thousandth time, but Humphrey caught her off with a nose kiss.

"It's alright," he told her again, "it's not like this is going to kill me," he says with a grin.

Before Kate could reply, they heard her father shout, "Humphrey! Kate! Get down here!"

They looked at each other before getting up and left their den. The morning sun was steadily rising, still early but it looks like every wolf of the pack (save the scouts who left earlier) was awake and assembled outside of Winston's cave. The mated pair walks down to the commotion and found Kate's father who was speaking with Lilly.

Noticing their arrival, he growls, "your human…guest is awake."

Hearing these words, all the wolves started mumbling among themselves. Humphrey and Kate look at each other worriedly, unsure what to do. They said they'll care for the human, but this was when it was asleep, when it wasn't dangerous.

Noticing their uncertain looks, Oliver spoke up, "if you're done playing nurse maids, we can take care of it," he said as he casually begins sharping his claws on a stone next to him. There was a growl of agreement as a number of wolves behind him support his decision.

Garth suddenly steps forward and growls, "no one is killing anybody, is this any way to repay a debt?"

Oliver snaps back, "You're defending a human who your own mate is afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," said Lilly despite her body slightly shaking, "I was just startled to see the human back on its feet that's all."

Abandoning the conversation, Oliver turns to Winston, "High Alpha sir, let us get rid of this human before it attacks us."

"But then we'll be violating the law of repaying all debts," argues Humphrey.

Winston looks between the wolves, trying to make a decision when a young wolf ran up to him.

"High Alpha," panted the young she-wolf, "the human, its coming up here...now."

The wolves all became weary as they look around as if expecting to see the human to suddenly appear. Wasting no time Winston barks, "Everyone hide, and all Alphas prepare for a fight if necessary."

Humphrey, Kate, Garth and Lilly all exchange the same weary expressions; did they just care for the human only to kill it later on?

"You four," Winston said to the family, "hide, now."

Together, all four went inside of Humphrey and Kate's den since it was closest to the High Alpha's den, where Winston stood along with Eve, three other Alphas and his partner Tony.

Every wolf on the hill listens, waiting for the human to appear. Then they heard voices, but it wasn't a stranger's voice, Humphrey and Kate instantly knew who the voices belongs to.

"But before the building exploded, I grabbed the duckling, jump out of the window and escape just before the tornado rolled in," says the voice they knew belong to Marcel.

"Ah, technically sir, I grab the duckling while you grab your favorite golf club," said the well known voice of Paddy, Marcel's faithful caddy.

"Paddy! Who's telling the story?" demanded the insulted goose.

"I still don't see how this has anything to do with you becoming obsessed with golf," this voice was one the wolves have never heard before, sounding somewhat gruff while also weary.

"All in good time my dear fellow!" replied Marcel, "I'm getting there."

"Speaking of which, here we are," interrupted Paddy.

From their vantage point in the shadowed entrance of the den, the wolves watch as said birds flew into view before landing on the ground in front of Winston's cave. Stumbling behind them, using the support of a stick was, the human.

All the wolves couldn't help but shiver; it was just as gruesome standing as it was lying down. When it was on the floor it looks like it really was dead, now seeing the bloodied human standing and walking was like seeing a walking corpse. It was limping a bit, its left arm was hanging lower than its right arm and it appears to be hunch over, reducing its height a bit. Yet what they found most disturbing was its face, the fabric was now stained with gore and its eyes…one eye were a pale blue while the other was pure white.

Once the initial shock was over, all the Alphas, except Kate and Garth, lifted their hackles and growls from their hiding places.

The human's head twist around before letting out a pained yelp and drop to its knees. Still, its head looks up and began scanning the hill, searching the shadowed filled dens.

Hopping forward Marcel spoke, "hello? Where are you wolves? I brought you your friend you were trying to heal."

"He is not," Winston spoke before emerging from his den along with the other wolves at his side, "our friend."

The human's gaze snaps to Kate's father before slowly rising itself to a crouch so it can be eyelevel with the wolf.

"So…you did not take care of me out of the goodness of your heart?" the human asks with an edge to its voice.

"No, we most certainly did not," said Tony as he step forwards, "if it was our decision we would kill you on the spot."

"Just try it Scooby," the human spat while raising itself higher and flips its walking stick in its hand, revealing a knob at the end that could be used as a weapon.

Sensing the rising tensions, the two birds shot into the trees and watches from a distance.

Realizing violence was close to breaking out and seeing the human as part of his responsibility, Humphrey rushes out of the den and shouts "wait! We did help you out of kindness."

The human pauses and stares at Humphrey. The wolf couldn't help but drop his gaze, intimidated by the strange one eyed human who seems real interested in him.

"I know you," it finally said, slightly startling Humphrey, "you're one of those wolves I've saw."

Humphrey nodded, "my family, my mate and brother in law, you spared us, so in return we brought you here to try and protect you from the other humans."

"The other humans," the human said quickly, "where are they?"

"Um," Humphrey was trying to think of an answer when Winston came forward, "our scouts have inform me that they are in the valley far from here, no sign of them have been seen since your battle the day before."

The human suddenly asks in a voice that sounded desperate, "Were there any others, others like me?"

Winston looks to Humphrey who was feeling uncomfortable now. He saw the bright light in the human's eye and knew this was important to it, but wasn't sure how to break it to the being.

He suddenly felt soft fur graze his side and turns to see Kate by his side. She nods at him before turning and spoke to the human, "I'm sorry, but you were the only human left, the only human that looks the way you do, I'm truly am sorry," she finishes in a genuine voice.

The human looks down at the ground, and when it raises its head again, Humphrey could have sworn it had tears in its eyes.

"Look," Winston spoke again, "I know this is a trying time for you at the moment, but I need to know, who you are, what do you want, and why those humans are after you?"

The human looks down at the ground again before looking up and began speaking.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation, my name it Damon Joyce, and I am a Ghost."

"You can't be a ghost," said Oliver, the black wolf pushing his way through the crowd, "we can see you."

The human who identified itself as Damon made a strange noise in its throat before speaking, "I'm not a supernatural being back from the dead…or am I?" it asks itself, slightly horrifying the wolves before it continues, "I'm a Ghost solider, part of a special warfare branch of soldiers."

The wolves were perplexed by the use of the unfamiliar words, it was surprisingly Lilly, whose curiosity provoked her, that asked the question, "What's a…special warfare soldier?"

"It means I'm a soldier who has received special training, making me probably the most dangerous creature on earth," Damon replies in a light voice as if it was amuse by the looks of terror on the wolves faces.

Oh boy, Humphrey thought, at this rate it'll give us more reasons to kill it then keep it alive.

Winston spoke again, "and what is your purpose here?"

"Classified," Damon said.

"What?" Winston asks, never hearing the word before.

"It's a secret."

Tony lets out an enraged growl, "speak human or we shall silence you."

Damon turns its head towards Tony again, but like before Humphrey intervened, "could you at least tell us if you're here to hurt us or not?"

Damon thought for a bit before speaking again, "I'm here because my enemies are here, we believe they mean to do us harm and so I…and my team, were sent to either make them leave or destroy them.

"Who are 'we' and who are your enemies," asks Oliver.

"My pack, I suppose you could say, is the United States of America, it's in the land South of yours, ten years ago, our enemy…another pack called the Federation attacked us, wanting to steal our land, so we've been fighting ever since."

Soon more and more wolves left their dens and came closer to better listen to the human known as Damon who was also a Ghost, despite how strange it sounds.

"Why is this Federation trying to steal your lands?" one wolf in the back asks.

"Because they're power hungry, at first they did it because they needed food and other things that belonged to another packs land, so they attacked and took it," explains Damon, "But they didn't stop there, they kept going and invading until now because the U.S. is currently holding them back."

The wolves glance uneasily among themselves, thinking of when they were divided, if they hadn't ended their disagreements as peacefully as they did, could the winning pack have tried and invade another pack's lands like the humans?

"Are you a boy or a girl?" asks another wolf which sounds like a young pup.

Damon made the same alien noise as before, leaving some of the wolves to believe this was a human version of laughter.

"I'm a boy, or a man to be precise," was Damon's answer.

Next it was Oliver, "how long until you leave," he asks in a serious distasteful tone.

This caused Damon to become serious once more who looks back at the wolf and replies, "When I'm healed, I shall leave your dens, but I will not leave this area until I either chase away the Feds, or destroy them, so in a way I would be doing you a favor."

Before anymore could be said, Winston stepped forth, "all I needed to know was wheter you were a threat or not, I believe you are not here to hurt us, so please, live among us until you can survive on your own, it is the least we can do to thank you for saving some members of my pack.

Despite the reassurance, there were still some wolves that still look unhappy, including Tony.

Damon notices this and replies, "thank you sir, I think I can heal myself quickly, but I'm going to need some help from your wolves."

"Very well," Winston said, expecting this and turns to his new family, "Humphrey, Kate, Lilly, and Garth will help you," he said as he nods at the specific wolf after naming them before turning back and growls, "but if anything is to happen to them, we will retaliate with force."

The wolves all growled at this, yet it was the four wolves' expressions that got Damon's attention. Lilly had a nervous expression on her face, Garth looks slightly affronted, Kate had a worrisome look in her eye, while Humphrey tried for a smile to hide his own feelings on the matter. Damon didn't want to be the one causing the wolves discomfort so he tries to sooth the crowd.

"You have my word, I will never willingly hurt these wolves, especially since they help me," the Ghost promised

This lowered the tension a little as the four wolves looks relived. Yet there was still hostile glares pointed at him, many of the pack still distrust him, and Damon couldn't blame them.

"That's real nice of you," said a golden wolf by Winston's side that looks like the wolf called Kate, her mother perhaps? Well she seems nice enough Damon thought before the tan wolf continued in that sweet voice, "but if you hurt any of my babies I will personally rip out your heart and shove it down your throat."

Damon was a little lost for words, he never been insulted right in the face before (mostly because the Feds spoke a language he couldn't always understand) but the coldness of those words, despite the warmth of the feminine voice, still shocks him.

The tan wolf was still smiling at Damon, making him feel uncomfortable like a criminal in a spot light,

Maybe I spoken too soon, he thought.

Thanks for reading so far, I need your personal opinion, should the Ghost be called Joyce or Damon, post you answers in reviews please and again thanks for reading.