A lot of things seem to happen fast here, with each scene only taking up about 1000 words. I'm adding filler in-between, and now that there are about 6 POV's now (soon to be 7 shhhhhh) I've started making them smaller, and they take up less time chronologically in the story. Later battles will take longer, and so will scenes also last longer, both in word count, and actual time that has passed in the story.
Jenna, first person. Vets' office.
Everything around me was hidden, hidden behind black, hidden behind my eyelids. I was unsure about anything, was I dead? No, then I wouldn't be able to hear, or smell anything. I could not move, I could not open my eyes, so I used my sense of hearing and smell to figure out my position. Under me I smelt... Metal. And the smells of many various medic supplies, and finally, recognized a human smell. Dr. Osnik. I used my ears now, unable to move them to the optimal angle; I listened, and heard that he was standing on the other side of the room, preparing something. I could not move, could not speak, but I wasn't feeling any pain. "What is this?" I wondered. Then the rest of my mind seemed to wake up, and the memories of last night started to flood my mind. Last night Rosie was killed, I remembered everything, how the innocent little girl was brutally killed by the wolf, how I failed to get up and come to her rescue. But I also remembered that the wolf was brutally killed by Balto. I was surprised by Balto's savage side, it kind of scared me. Balto was always a caring compassionate and docile wolf-dog, but last night, he was just a wolf, a wolf that killed another in blind rage. I couldn't think for long, until I started hearing noises. A few other humans walked in now, I listened to them closely, not being able to do anything else.
"Daddy, come on! Moms already half way to Marci's house by now!"
"Ha-ha, you know I wouldn't miss my niece's baby shower for the world." Dr. Osnik replied with laughter. I heard him put whatever he was working on down on the table and grabbed his coat.
I was horrified, if I were indeed hurt, and I obviously was, the vet wouldn't leave me… Would he? I soon got my answer as I heard him walk out the door with his daughter. I panicked, but unable to move, all that I could do was scream in my endless mind. What the hell was wrong with me? Was I in some kind of coma? Completely conscience, yet unable to move anything! For almost an hour, I screamed, trapped in a terrible prison, my own mind. Everything was silent; all except for a machine that I figured was monitoring me, because it beeped faster when I panicked. For the next hour, I would try raising my heartbeat; just to entertain myself as the machine seemed like the only thing I was in control of. For hours I laid on the cold metal operating table, waiting for nothing. But that would soon change, as I both heard, and smelled a few new things enter my room quietly.
Wolves.
At least four of them circles my table, then two of them jumped up and sniffed at me. I was Terrified, and listened in on their conversation, again, not like I had another choice.
"You sure this is the dog?" I heard one of them ask.
"Yes, copper and cream female husky."
"Jenna." One of them said my name... It sent chills down my spine. The voice was full of sinister and pure hatred, like I was some kind of virus on the world.
"Alright, you and Drakken help me pick up the girl, and Scion, you make sure nobody gets in our way." I heard the obvious leader of the group say.
I felt them pick me up by my fur on three different parts of my body, it hurt where one of them were holding me by. He had his teeth locked on the skin of my back leg... This entire ordeal was uncomfortable enough, without having one of them so close to a certain area... They picked me up and dragged me off of the table, but one of them let loose, the one holding me by my neck, and my already injured head hit the ground full force. Something clicked, and I heard as they froze, and let go if me. I had regained use if my legs and was kicking frantically. I shot open my eyes and looked at my attempted dog-nappers for a split second, before running away as quickly as I could. It was useless, I was still lightheaded, and lost my balance as I crashed into the walls of the hallway. Surprisingly, I made it to the door, only to find out that it was locked. I scratched at it like a crazy person, desperately trying to escape the wolves.
"Heh, you aren't going anywhere girl." Nehalem said to me with a calm voice.
"Why! Why do you want me?" I pleaded.
"It's nothing personal, I just hate all dogs, but don't worry, you won't be killed just yet. We need you as bait." He said with a devious smile.
"No! Help! Somebody!" I screamed
"Bad move." Nehalem said, and with a split second of white, I was knocked back out, and fell to the floor as the wolves continued to drag me out into the cold Alaskan night, without so much as a single witness to the event.
Nehalem.
The group eventually got to their pack home. Nehalem had gotten Scion to help carry Jenna, while he walked alongside them. Once they had gotten to the tree line that surrounded the base of the cliff side, Nehalem let out a long transcribed howl. He got a reply howl, and three more wolves came from hiding. He had setup sentries around the perimeter to defend the pack from intruders. If an unknown wolf entered the area, they'd be killed pretty damn quickly.
"Where should we put her?" One of them, asked.
"Just throw her in an empty cave, keep two of your men on her at all times." Nehalem ordered.
"Got it boss." The wolf replied with a devious smile. He had other, more sinister ideas as to what Nehalem meant when he said "keep two men on her."
"And no funny business, god damnit, I know how you two are." Nehalem added angrily.
"Understood." The wolf replied with a hint of spite.
Nehalem walked alongside Scion and Drakken, he met up with Mason and growled at the sight. Mason was covered in bite and scratches, and was dripping blood.
"And just what in the hell happened to you? God damnit Mason, why can't you hold your shit together?" Nehalem angrily scolded.
(Note that Nehalem uses the term "God damnit" a lot, it has to do with his beliefs that there is not a god, and only a single spirit by the name of Amarok watched over them.)
"I'm sorry boss, I didn't start it, the asshole got smart about my mother."
"Well I see that you're all banged up, did you at least end his miserable life?" Nehalem questioned.
"Easily, unfortunately that means we are now only thirty-one in numbers"
"No matter, anyone who couldn't hold themselves in a fight with someone like you shouldn't live anyway." Nehalem said with a smile at his insult/ compliment.
"Haha, yeah, ahhw." Mason said, and then cringed in pain at his injured leg.
"Go get fixed up, I've got the girl, Balto will be here soon"
"Right, boss." Mason said, then walked off towards the creek.
He looked to Scion before he turned away; he was more and more ashamed of what his friend got himself into.
Mason.
Mason walked down the dusty trail that led through two large trees; it was one that the wolves used every day to access the nearby creek. As he walked, he passed a few other pack members, and they seemed to praise him for his victory. That's how this pack ran, turning on your members was not treason or betrayal, it meant the two were at a battle, and if you survived, all it means is that you could fight. And the other, who died, obviously wouldn't be much use to the pack as a fighter anyway. There were often battles amongst the pack, and it only worked to form a type of natural selection that, over the years, left the pack with only the strongest members, and weeded out the weak ones. The strongest members, in turn mated, creating stronger pups, and the process repeated, for years. Now the pack was full of stronger, smarter, and bigger wolves than anywhere else in Alaska.
Mason reached the creek, which was a bit swollen by the blizzard upstream, and the cooler waters confirmed the blizzards presence upstream. Mason looked up at the sky, it was tinting blue now, and the sun would finally show its warming face for the first time in over 18 hours. Mason always loved the sun, but it was tainted by what the pack would soon do. When the sunrises, Phase two of Nehalem's plan would soon come into action. He would send one of them to tell Balto of their new prisoner, and request that he come, alone, by nightfall, which was just a few hours away. Mason stepped into the deeper part of the stream, and simply stood there, letting the cold water sooth his bite marks and injuries as it flowed across him. He closed his eyes to enjoy his victory bath, but he couldn't hold back sadness. He didn't like fighting, did not like having to end another one's life, but the bastard just had to provoke him. In all honesty, Mason only fought him in self-defense. Nobody would know it, but Mason was not the least bit altered by Amarok, nor was he forced to follow Nehalem's altered versions of Amarok's teachings. So why did he stay, why choose a life of evil? He did it because he was trapped. The pack was his family, his mom, dad, brothers, sisters, and extended family, all operated in the pack. Nehalem would not only kill him, he would kill his family, if Mason decided to leave. Admittedly, Mason could have run away, but he did like Nehalem's way of doing things, Mason disliked humans and dogs as much as Nehalem did, and if it meant being forced to work for him, to Mason, it seemed like a win-win situation.
Mason stayed in the creek for a full hour, allowing it to drag him down river. He didn't care; he enjoyed his time and let himself escape from the terrible things he'd have to do soon. Nehalem and the others wouldn't need him for another few hours anyway. He looked to the sky and read the sun; it was already showing, low in the sky, just barely above the trees. That was as far as it would reach before starting to set in just three hours. Mason figured that he was at least a mile down river by now; the cool river carried him, while speeding up his recovery. His bite marks were already starting to heal by now.
He walked out of the river and shook the water off, his fur crazily flowing around through the air, shooting water everywhere. Mason walked over to the river edge and stared into it, he examined his own features as if he did not know who he was. He wasn't the largest wolf in the pack; his bloodline consisted of smaller timber wolves, rather than the great wolves of the north that most of the pack descended from. The other members of the pack rarely poked fun at him about it, because, though he was small, he made his fighting abilities known, and even became Nehalem's right hand wolf.
Mason didn't like how his fur stood up, so he dipped his head in the water and pulled it out, shaking it off again. His reflection was so alien to him; he did not recognize the wolf looking back at him. His fur was almost brown- grey all over his body, and like Nehalem, had multiple scars all over his body from previous battles, like the one he just got through with. He had shed a lot of blood in his time, but one scar would always be a reminder of when he tried to defy Nehalem's command, one scar that went from an inch above his eye, crossed it, and extended halfway down his right cheek. Nehalem ripped into his face with his long, and obviously sharp claws. A single hit that caused Mason to regret his loyalty to Nehalem ever since then. The sky above him was getting a bit cloudy now, and he figured he should head home; Nehalem's plans would call for his presence.
He took a step, but then froze, and pointed his head in another direction, a scent caught onto him... A familiar scent, one that he hasn't smelt in almost a year. He followed it, a whole mile west of the river, and south from the direction of Nome. He picked up new smells, blood, and a lot of it. There was also at least one dog. He hid behind a tree, thankful that he was downwind from the canines, and watched them. The setting sunk his heart, Siku was crying over her dead friend. Mason was torn apart by it, yes he hated dogs, but he never really wanted to kill them. He watched for a few minutes more, before he'd confront them...
Siku, first person. Reunited.
My spirit was broken; I didn't want to leave... I didn't want to leave Kodi here alone. My chest was wet with not only blood, but kept wet by my constant tears. I wished so much that Kodi would recover, but it didn't look good. It's been almost a full hour of me just sitting here, unable to do anything else. Kodi had killed off the wolf that hit me and he paid the ultimate price for it. Or so I thought, I wasn't exactly sure if he was dead at the moment, I was too afraid to know the answer. I stepped back to examine Kodi, his chest wound wasn't bleeding any more, in-fact, it seemed like it was starting to heal already! I didn't know what to think, but it meant he was alive. I jumped in joy, and to confirm it, I placed my paw on Kodi's chest, away from the bloody side, and waited. I felt a heartbeat. Kodi was alive alright, his heart beating a bit slower, but his breathing came only a few times per minute. Man was I being an idiot, all this time I was sitting here crying, when I could have run for help. But I knew that I would not be able to leave Kodi. He'd never leave my side. After a few more seconds of celebration, I kissed Kodi one more time.
"I promise you I will be back, take... Care of yourself Kodi." I found it hard to say. I knew I was in the middle of the woods, and at least ten miles from home. I knew that there was a risk of running into more wolves along the way. But I could handle myself, in only a year of surviving alone; I've taught myself how to kill, and how to do it good. If any wolf wanted to take a snap at me, I'd make sure it was his last. I couldn't help but smile at my newfound arrogance, but figured it was better than crying about my lost friend... And the one I loved...
I loved Balto and Kodi since the first time I saw them, but I loved Balto like he was my pack alpha, a leader, protector, and even a father I never had. I loved Kodi for the same reasons, he was also my protector, but I knew there was more. Up until just recently, I've never even knew what love felt like, how it could cause me so much happiness just to be in his presence, but at the same time, stab me in the heart with a rusty fork when I couldn't be. I couldn't deny it, I wanted so much to tell Kodi that I loved him back earlier at the old mill, it wasn't that I was embarrassed, I'd tell each and every dog in the town that I loved Kodi, and that he loved me, but it was the fear that kept me back, the fear that this very thing would happen. Kodi has died so many times in my dreams, it shouldn't have affected me nearly as much as it did when I faced it for real, but instead, it hurt much worse. And I wasn't even sure Kodi was in fact dead yet. I was too lost in my thoughts to notice something... The winds have shifted, and revealed something hiding behind a tree about 50 meters away.
I lifted my lips and armed my fangs, growling, ready to kill whatever it is that were spying on me. I closed the distance, and charged for the attack, but froze halfway at the sight...
Mason.
"S-Siku, is that really you?" Mason said with tears in his eyes.
I immediately remembered who this was, and the memory of him was so far dislodged that I probably could not remember him just a few minutes ago, no matter how much I thought. Only seeing this smaller, brown and grey wolf, for real, right in front of me, would the memories unlock and tell me exactly who it was.
"Dad... PAPA!" I screamed in happiness, and ran up to hug him. I noticed his hesitation, but he couldn't fight it and let tears fall from his eyes as he ran to meet me. He brought me in and held me tight, my only blood, my only family, my only father.
"I... I can't believe it's really you Siku, my beautiful daughter." Mason said with tears of joy.
"Yeah, it's me alright" I stupidly replied, I was equally thrown off by the event.
"Siku, you've grown!" He said as he finally let me go, but I didn't let him go.
"Of course I have papa, my first birthday is coming up next week!" I said, half crying and half happy.
"It's okay girl, papa's here, I'll never let you out of my sight again." My father said, and he meant it too, I could sense it.
"I never want to leave your sight again." I replied, reverting back to the little four week old puppy when I was abandoned.
"You could never forgive me for running out in you like that, because I don't. And never will. I left due to force, but I could have fought it, fought off those damn demons, but I let them take me... Take me from my only child..." He said, and cried a bit more at the last part.
"I don't blame you; I know what the demons are capable of..." I replied, though I've only ever encountered them in my dreams.
"Shh, shh. I just want to hold you tight for now." He said, still trying hard to fight off undignified crying.
He held me close to his chest for a while, before I had to speak up. We had stopped crying, but weren't saying much. I simply enjoyed my father's heartbeat. I'd remember lying on his chest when I were young, listening to it, so powerful it sounded.
"Dad." I finally said.
"Yes Siku?"
"I have to go, I... Need to get help for him." I said. He seemed to tense up and finally released me.
"The dog?" He said with a bitter taste to it.
"Yes, "the dog". His name is Kodiak, he's saved my life two times now, and I owe him at least this." I said proudly.
Mason seemed to be paralyzed. He still hated dogs, but never would he wish death upon one of them. He still had his morals, and that was to not judge someone by their appearances. Maybe this dog wasn't so bad, obviously his daughter liked, or even loved, as he suspected, this dog. He'd have to grow to like him too.
Mason looked around for the first time since he got here, and noticed two of his pack mates dead, and torn apart. Rather than seemed pissed about it, remember that this wasn't a normal pack, he didn't care all that much. He was simply impressed that his daughter killed one of them off, and that a dog killed the other one. Not only did he not care about the wolves, "damn bastards, served them right" popped up in his mind.
"Dad?" I seemed to knock him out of his trance, even though I didn't want to leave him, my body was already pulling away, and started heading back to Nome.
"Wait Siku. I'm... Sorry. I can't help this dog, but I can help you. The southern patrol of wolves will come by here in less than an hour, and they will most surely find... The dog here." He struggled to say, not using the dog's name.
"Oh no… Father, you must help me save him, we can't let this happen…" I said, still noticing how I seemed to revert to a month old pup again in his presence.
"You go, I'll take... Kodi, away and hide him off, and hopefully distract the wolves if they crossed my path." Mason was pained to say it; his daughter was yet again leaving him.
"Dad... Thank you. I know it's a bit too early to tell you, but that dog, Kodi, well... I love him." I was relieved to tell him.
"Love, huh? Heh heh, well he is quite handsome." Mason joked, his usual way of dealing with an awkward situation.
"Yeah, uh, I have to go, sorry. I want to see you again."
"Siku you can..." But he froze and continued a second later, "Good luck Siku." I noticed the great amount of pain in his words. I knew that he was going to ask me to live with him, but I knew as well as he did that it couldn't happen. I've denied the truth the entire time, but I know he is from the same pack of the wolves we killed, and that meant he was part of the pack of killers. I held my head low as I turned from him and ran, tears fell slowly and dried off as the wind ripped past me, I just wanted to run, run without reason, but it did have a reason, Kodi needed help, and I hoped telling my father that I loved him would prevent him from turning in Kodi... Or worse... I shunned the thoughts and focused on my running. I jumped at the sounds of thunder in the distance, a storm would be overhead soon. It was still a while off, and at the pace I'm running at, I'd be back home in no time.
Balto, awakening.
The mill was silent, doc and two other dogs watched over Balto, who fell, unconscious, over two hours ago. The dogs would have to take him to the vet if he didn't wake up soon. He didn't have any type of fever, so that was a good sign that he would eventually wake up.
"Poor guy, he ran 90 miles back home in record time, yet he couldn't prevent Rosie's death. And worst of all, he blames himself for it." One of them said.
"His spirit is shot; it'd be much harder for an emotionally broken dog to wake up than a physical broken one. And the love of his life being taken away from him wouldn't help his spirit at all." Doc said wisely.
"Oh Balto..." A female voice said. Doc moved over to reveal to the others that the voice came from a female malamute named Eve. She always had a soft spot for the wolf-dog, attracted to his sleek form, and she secretly loved his wolf side, as it was always a bit of a secret fetish that, not only her, but other dogs have kept hidden. Surprisingly though, she was also friends with Jenna, and would never do anything to break it. The other three dogs watched as she walked up to Balto. She knelt down and kissed him on the head, then carefully aimed and hit his head in the same spot.
"Wake up you idiot wolf! Jenna needs you damnit!" She yelled in his ears. The other dogs found this whole thing a bit surprising, but were even more surprised when it actually worked.
"Ahhck. I feel terrible." Balto muttered without moving much. He eventually stretched his legs out, then turned and stood, staring at the dog that hit him.
"Hey guys, oh no... How long was I out?" Balto asked worried.
"A few hours, Balto. I'm afraid I do not have good news, only more bad news." Doc answered.
"Please, give me a second first; I don't want to fall out again." Balto said, doc nodded to him and Balto shook his head again, it always worked. His mind was now focused, and he noticed that his headache had seemed to leave thanks to his latest nap.
"Okay, what's the news..." He said, preparing for the worst.
*sigh "Balto, we've gotten no word from Steele, and he's been gone since morning. What's worse is that the wolves came back once again, they killed serif, and in rage Kodi and Siku ran after the wolves deep into the forest. Kaltag trailed them the farthest, but he returned and said that he lost their trail seven miles into the forest. We have not heard from Siku or Kodi since then."
"You have got to be kidding me… Kodi… My son, is next to die… Damn those wolves, I'll tear them all apart if they touch my family!" Balto stood, and to his surprise his pulled muscles seemed to have healed in his short two hour forced nap. He walked towards the door, but was stopped by Eve.
"Eve, I thank you for waking me, but would you kindly move your ass away from the door." He said with a stern stare at be dog.
"No Balto. I won't let you go out there and get yourself killed." Eve yelled while blocking his passage.
"I have to save my family!" Balto roared. He hadn't meant to frighten Eve, but she was obviously intimidated. Balto walked around her, but she jumped to the side and blocked him yet again.
"Eve!" Balto said. Doc and the other two dogs walked over to Eve's side and blocked Balto.
"Guys, what the hell are you doing?"
"Balto, listen to reason. You cannot fight off an entire pack, you'd be better off here. We need your help in organizing some type if rescue party. If you'd let me explain the plan we devised while you we're unconscious?" Doc asked
"Fine, make it quick. Every second that my family is in danger, my rage boils over tenfold." He said with a short growl at the end.
"Understood." Doc said, picking up his hostility. He respected the wolf-dog so he would do his best not to upset him anymore.
Balto listened to his plan, Eve still sat by the door in case he tried to run off, but Balto shot her a look that she needn't worry.
He patiently sat as Doc explained his part in the plan, and when he was done, Balto found that he loved the plan.
"Wow, you guys came up with this in your own?" Balto said unbelievingly.
"Yes, now your part is simple, you will confront the leader yourself; he'd surely kill your family and send his entire pack to ravage Nome if you brought company. Meanwhile, we will send in a support team to check on the situation with Jenna, and hopefully, Kodi. If Steele fails in returning Jenna, then the team will sneak in. I've assigned two of the best dogs for this mission, they're trained Russian Spies" Doc said with a smile.
"Kodi... Dammit why did you have to run off too?..." Balto muttered.
"Siku is with him, we both know that they can handle themselves well."
"But they're just kids... I swear that Nehalem bastard better not do anything he'd regret." Balto said as he paced back and forth, words spat out like venom. Doc had never seen Balto like this before, even back all those years ago when he fought off Devil's gang, and silenced Blaze peacefully.
("Devil", "Blaze" "Balto's speech with Blaze", "Balto's battle with Devil", "Balto's battle with Devil's gang" all Copyright ©"The Cool Kat" from his fan fiction "Heritage Of The Wolf: Salvation 3")
"Trust me, they will pay." Eve said out of nowhere.
"Now Balto, if you'd walk with me to talk to the sentry group, they've chosen your boat as a good vantage point, if you don't mind. We've already talked to Boris, he more than happily agreed." Doc explained.
"I don't care; just make sure they do their jobs correctly."
"You can tell them yourself. I hope you understand my meaning when I say that you alone proved hope and courage for us, we need you far greater than you can conceive." doc explained, wise words from a wise man, Balto knew he was right.
"I've never thought that way, why would I be a beacon of hope? All I did was save some kids a year ago." Balto said modestly, like he always did when his heroic deed was ever brought up.
"It's more than that, parents already tell your story to motivate their pups, the story of the wolf-dog whom everyone rejected, but he secretly had a heart of good and this proved true when he saved the kids of Nome.
"Great" Balto said, half sarcastically, and half proudly.
"I'd suggest we get a move on, I as much as you hope to see Kodi and Jenna returned safe and sound, Balto." Doc offered.
"Thanks, we should go, that is, if Eve will let us" Balto said with a smile at Eve. She of course melted at the sight of Balto's smile, and moved to the side.
The five walked out and headed over to Balto's boat, as an unknown was watching them the whole time and listened to their plan.
Steele, first person. The rescue.
2-part scene
I panicked, heading towards a rock wall that would also lead to a fall of at least another hundred feet or more. The roar of an avalanche closing in on me, I wondered if I would even make it far enough to fall off the cliff, without being hit by the snow-wall that was traveling twice my speed. I closed my eyes and thought for a second what Aniu taught me...
"Allow my body to progress, into the spirit world I will visit, in order to save my conscious form." I said, repeating the words Aniu taught me, and with it, I felt a weird sensation in my feet, it was no longer sore from tearing through snow for miles now, and instead I felt weightlessness. I was still traveling in upwards of 60 miles per hour, but I wasn't falling down the valley any more... Instead I was floating... In a straight path matching my velocity, but it was like I had zero mass. I looked down and saw that I was now thirty feet off I the ground, and I eventually flew over, and across the canyon. I looked down to the bottom of it, I predicted a hundred feet or so drop, but boy was I mistaken. The tiny river at the bottom of the chasm was at least 500 feet down below me. I panicked again, trying to "swim" against the direction I was flying in, unable to move as my body no longer had a grip on the physical world. Aniu had given me the gift to vanish from the normal world, and accept passage into the spirit world temporarily.
"Oh thank Aniu." I said aloud. Once I safely floated across, two spirits came to my side and seemed to form a bubble around me, and everything became blurry, I heard a heavenly voice singing my name, telling me my time here was over, and with a pop of the bubble, I found myself falling, still at fifty miles per hour, down to the far, but safe ground that was 20 feet below me. I hit the ground hard, and began to roll a bit. This side of the ground was also slanted towards the canyon, but at a much shallower angle, and that helped to finally stop me. I rolled for a bit, and came to a stop. I sat down for a second, thinking about what just happened, but didn't spare much time to my thoughts, the wolves chasing me would return to the pack and tell then of my escape, Nehalem would just send them back out again, and the entire pack would be on alert.
"Well that was fun, but time to save Jenna!" I said loud and proud as I began to run north, upriver and away from the canyon. I looked back just in time to see the mountain of melted snow and ice that trailed me as it fell down into the canyon. All evidence of the avalanche disappeared into the canyon without a single problem, then everything got quiet. I continued on my path, and maintained a speed of around 40 miles per hour, just in case. I didn't want to get into more trouble and have to bother the spirit world again. I followed the river until it was shallow enough to swim across, but then I caught a smell in the water, blood, and wolf blood. I figured some poor bastard upstream was cleaning his wounds off (Mason). I didn't think much of it and ran off east, towards the pack home... The trees soared past me, and the ground seemed to flow beneath me, I was running very fast, and reached a recognizable place in less than an hour. As I settled back down in the ledge across from Nehalem, I noticed something... There were only about five wolves visible...
"Oh no, that must mean that they're heading for Nome..." I thought.
After sampling the air, I confirmed that Jenna was indeed in range, she was being held in the lower cave. I stared into it, but it was too dark and far away to really see anything.
A distant sound made me jump, thunder. I looked to the south and noticed a huge storm cloud in the distance, only this time it didn't seem like a blizzard, and would bring cold unforgiving rain.
"Good." I thought with a smile, I'd use the storm as cover.
Jenna and Steele. The rescue attempt 2.
Drakken and another wolf were sleeping in front of Jenna, they knew that Nehalem would kick their asses if he found that they were sleeping when they were supposed to be watching over such an important asset to his plans, but they didn't care, they've been up for a full day now, and were working for most of it. The entire pack was starting to show fatigue, Nehalem had kept them up since yesterday morning, planning various things, sending patrols out into the forest, and sent two to Nome to check on the situation. They had failed, and lucky Nehalem had not noticed that the two wolves hadn't returned yet. Kodi and Siku finished them off. Nehalem probably wouldn't care anyways; they had failed a simple recon mission, and instead killed a dog in the process, alerting the population of yet another wolf attack. This put a dent in Nehalem's plans, and he probably would have killed the wolves themselves if they returned.
Jenna was tired too, but not from being worked all day, she suffered a concussion yesterday and had yet to rest easy enough to recover at all, but it didn't matter, she woke up in the den and quietly looked around. It was dark; the wolves had taken her deep into a cave to hold her prisoner. She looked down and gasped quietly at the sight of the two wolves that were sleeping in-front of her. She finally had full control of her body, no longer paralyzed, but she was unsure that she could escape without waking the wolves, who were blocking her path. She pointed her nose in the air to get some kind of radar around her, and noticed 8 different canines, 7 of them were wolves, but one smell she had learned to hate almost as much…
Steele.
"Why is Steele here? He must have gotten caught too, hah." She thought with humor, but to her surprise, Steele whispered to her from the opening of the cave.
"Psst, Jenna." Steele very, very quietly and carefully whispered.
Jenna didn't answer, and just stared at him, confused.
"I'm here to help you." Steele whispered, even quieter this time.
"I thought you were dead!" Jenna replied a bit harshly.
Steele just smiled and shook his head, and then he quietly jumped down.
"ssst" Steele alerted as he motioned to the wolves, he was acting out with his paws that he was going to silence them.. Once and for all. Jenna nodded and got closer to the wolves, prepared to do something if they cried out. She watched quietly as Steele lifted a paw and struck the wolf with intense force. It hollered out for a split second but instantly stopped as it seemed that Steele dented his head in with that single hit, killing him instantly. "Wow" Jenna thought. Luckily he hadn't woken up Drakken, and Steele did the same thing. He brought down his paw one more time and struck the wolf too, but it didn't work to kill him, and the wolf jumped up with a growl. Before he even made any move towards Steele, he let out a loud howl, alerting the whole pack, but was quickly knocked far away by Steele. Jenna had was surprised, was her mind playing tricks on her? Steele seemed to bolt towards the dog like lightning, she shook away the thoughts and watched Steele fight, waiting for the chance to jump in.
"No, Jenna, I've got this, no need for you to get hurt now." Steele said as he dodged the wolf's bites like they were nothing.
"Both of you dogs are going to die tonight, it doesn't matter if you kill me, my brethren will see to your demise!" Drakken snarled out.
"This guy's crazy!" Steele said with a smile, he seemed to be having fun, even though he has yet to hit the wolf, neither has Drakken hit him. He was incredibly fast and swift for being a rather large dog.
Jenna noticed how Steele seemed completely different, he seemed to care for Jenna's survival, but that didn't seem to matter much, he probably just wanted her not to be hurt so that he could claim more credit for returning her safely, or some other selfish motive. Another thing she noticed, he didn't seem to be enraged by the wolf, she's seen him in fights many times, most of them with Balto and he would always be blinded by rage and tried to kill his opponent. It would usually cause him to lose, because he'd get tired, or get clumsy. But this time, he was calmly dodging the wolf and waited for his chance to strike, like if he somehow changed his mentality and actually got smarter… hah.
Jenna watched as Steele finally took a hit at Drakken, he turned around a back-kicked him into the cave wall with incredible force, the wolf started coughing blood now, he was bleeding internally from the blow, and with his last strength he watched Steele walk up to him to finish him off, but a howl came from the cave entrance, and 5 wolves followed.
"Well then, Jenna, our play time is over here, jump on my back." Steele offered genuinely as he lowered his back legs.
"Steele? What do you mean?"
"No time Jenna, just jump on and wrap your arms around me!" Steele barked back, but it didn't seem at all aggressive, more, he actually wanted Jenna to be safe. She sensed this and without further stalling, she jumped on him and wrapped around his neck. Steele's smell became one that she learned to hate, and now that she was pretty much on top of him, it almost concentrated enough to make her barf. She couldn't think long before Steele jumped up and took off.
"Hold on tight, Jenna." He said as they closed the gap between them and the wolves that were blocking their exit. Jenna nodded right before Steele made his escape, and they both stared at the wolves. Steele jumped almost as high as the cave was tall, and over the wolves, who all had a surprised face on them, Jenna did too, and in all honesty, so did Steele. He landed surprisingly soft in the snow outside the den, but he didn't stick around, 6 wolves came out of the den, howling and barking mad at the two.
"What do we do now? We can't outrun them!" Jenna yelled to Steele.
"Hah, can't we? Again, you might want to hold on tight, Jenna. We don't want you falling off and bumping your head again." Steele said with a caring voice. It made Jenna feel safe in Steele's company, for once. "What the hell happened to Steele?" Jenna thought.
Steele pressed on, and quickly accelerated to about 50 miles per hour. Jenna tried to keep her eyes open, as Steele started running even faster, she looked at the trees and noticed that they were just a blur as Steele precisely navigated through them and avoided collisions in mere microseconds. She panicked for a second at the intense speed, Steele was reaching 100 MPH now, but it was a surprisingly smooth ride since he taught himself to take longer steps instead of many, quick and small ones.
"Steele! How are you running this fast!" Jenna had to scream, the wind was silencing both of them. Steele stayed quiet for a few seconds.
"I'll explain later, when you're safe and sound in Nome!" Steele said. Jenna sighed in relief, in all honesty, she did not trust Steele and with his speed, he could have taken her anywhere and do who knows what, but she started recognizing the forest and noted that Home was not far away now.
Mason and Kodi.
2 part scene
Mason watched as his daughter ran away from him. He was without his daughter again, but his time she had left him. Once again, he fought off tears, but he was proud of his daughter, such determination and selflessness, the way that he always hoped to raise her, and even though he didn't get the chance, she ended up that way anyway. He looked down at the dog that his daughter was in love with... Kodi. It would be hard, but Mason would go against what he believed and help this dog, he'd do it for Siku, but he did hope that he would get to talk to this dog, and maybe see if he liked him. He was fully prepared to accept a dog into his family if his daughter loved him.
*sigh* "I've only known my daughter for twenty minutes and she's giving me a hard time." He smiled at his attempt at talking down on his daughter, but mentally scolded at himself for the thought, after all, he did not raise her, she had to raise herself.
Mason closed his eyes, missing out on raising his own daughter is the worst thing you can take from a man, and he thought about retaliation against Nehalem just for that. He looked to the sky, and noticed that a storm would soon cover the area.
"Good, maybe it would wash the scent away. The terrible, disgusting dog scent." He said, half-joking. He was mocking himself as, just earlier today he would have probably killed this dog, but now he was determined to make sure he survives... No matter what he had to do...
"Ugh, I have to do this… don't I?" He mentally asked himself.
He had to try and sanitize Kodi's wounds so that he didn't have an infection to deal with on top of this.
"Poor guy, he doesn't look much older than Siku, though he is almost as big as I am. I wonder..." Mason thought as he took another sample of Kodi's scent, he examined it further...
"He has wolf blood in him... It's somewhere in there..." Mason thought for a second, he didn't know if he should be enraged that his precious wolf heritage is tainted by a dogs' or should he like this dog because he is part wolf? He went with the latter, again, for Siku's sake. He figured that if Kodi was at least part wolf then it'd be easier to accept him.
Mason sat over Kodi's body and looked for injuries that could get infected; he was surprised as he only found three. One full bite mark on his leg, his left lip partially ripped off, and one, large, and deep chest wound...
"Holy crap, that's one hell of a bite mark." He said aloud to nobody. He looked over to the dead wolf, he was destroyed. Kodi on the other hand was in much better shape, Mason was impressed already. He hesitated for a second, before bending down and began licking Kodi's arm, wetting the already dried blood, and using his saliva to kill bacteria.
"Ugh, dog blood. This won't work..." He said as he snapped his mouth, licking the blood from his teeth. It was tainted blood, dirty blood. But Mason would not be able to lick all I his wounds, it's no use. He walked over and scooped up some snow, and rubbed that on Kodi's chest and legs. Mason took a step back as Kodi flinched in pain, Mason knew that would hurt like hell, and once again felt bad for the young dog. He got more snow and placed it on Kodi's muzzle, which also wet his face. Jason realized that he was creating another problem, even though it was not exactly a blizzard they were dealing with, it was still very cold, and an unconscious body would surely fall below safe temperatures.
*sigh* "come on, I guess I should being you somewhere safe" he said, talking to the dog that would not respond.
Mason carefully locked his teeth on Kodi's back leg, and began dragging him in the direction of an old cave that Mason knew was nearby, only about half a mile south. He exited the tree line and examined the cave. This cave made painful memories pop up in his mind, he tried to shake them away, but they would not leave...
Mason's past, flashback.
Mason paced outside, very impatient with what was going on. His mate, Katja was currently in labor, giving birth to his puppies! It was one of the happiest days of his life, but also the most frustrating. He wanted to see the birth, but the pack healer suggested that he should stay outside, for it would make his mate uneasy. "Uneasy... Ha, that's a load of crap" but Mason listened and returned outside with his longtime friend, Scion.
"Dude, you've got to calm down, your pups aren't even born yet and you're already going to be exhausted!" Scion said, in an attempt to calm his frustrated friend, but failed.
"Calm down? I am calm.. Calm as a damned caribou running for his life as I jump at him and tear his damn throat out, and he falls to the ground as I tear his entire face off! CALM DOWN?" Mason yelled shaking, and then continued his pacing.
"Yes, but I see you won't, so maybe I'll join you in being "calm"" Scion said, as he got up and paced with Mason, mimicking his every move, Mason scoffed, and Scion did the same.
"Stop that" Mason snapped.
"Stop that" Scion repeated.
"Why do you have to be so childish all the god damn time..."
"Why do you-" Scion was stopped by Mason.
"Shut the hell up, my mate is in there having my kids, and I'm not there, what if something goes wrong? Oh, and I'm out here talking to some retarded wolf as I stood by and did nothing.
"If I'm retarded, that makes you friend of retard."
Mason stopped and stared at Scion for a second, but inched a smile on his face.
"I know what you're trying to do, and... Thanks."
"-and thanks." Scion finished as he copied Masons every word.
Mason smiled for a second, and playfully pushed Scion down to the ground.
"Ouch, look who's being a pup now?" Scion said as he jumped back at Mason. They played for a while before being interrupted by the pack healer.
"Mason, you might want to get in here." He had panic in his voice, and Mason froze with Scion's back leg still in his mouth. Scion tried three times to snap at him, but only on the fourth time did he strike and knocked Mason out of whatever trance he was in. Mason ignored it and quickly followed the healer back inside, he heard new sounds, beautiful sounds, coming from where Katja was lying.
"They're here..." Mason whispered to the healer.
"Mason..." The healer said, he had bad news, but decided he'd let him have his moment. "Go meet them." He finally added.
Mason nodded and slowly walked over. He looked at each and every one of them in the low light of his home, there were three, two of them were asleep, but one was playing already, without even being able to open her eyes. Mason feared up a bit at the sight.
"Honey, they're beautiful." Mason said, but Katja did not respond.
"Katja, you must be resting. Little fellas already had worn you out heh heh." Mason said as he let a single tear drop from his face. This was the happiest moment of his life, but it wouldn't stick around, unfortunately.
The healer watched silently but he died inside. He knew what was wrong, but he couldn't do that to Mason, not yet. He'd let Mason enjoy his life for now, before ruining it forever...
Mason examined them, and realized that none of then looked like him. Only the female and smallest one resembled her mother, but the other two didn't look like either parent. Mason's smile faded as he turned to the healer, who was staring at the ground in sorrow.
"I'm sorry, Mason. These puppies are not only your genes." He said with despair as he saw the magnitude of change in Masons face.
"W... What?"
"Mason, puppies from the same litter can have multiple fathers. I can confirm that the little white female, is indeed your blood, but I cannot say for the other two."
"Katja... Cheated on me?" Mason said as he looked over at her.
"I'm sorry Mason. But there is more news; it pains me to tell you this. I wanted you to enjoy your moment before I ruin your life with the news..."
"No, no. I'm still... Happy. Yeah, happy that I have a family. What news can possibly be worse than knowing that the family is not entirely yours?" Mason said with a hint of insanity at the end.
The healer did not speak, but walked over to Katja's side.
Mason followed and looked at him for a second, before placing a paw on Katja's side. Something was missing...
"And I'm afraid that she was not able to survive the birthing." The healer said, and then leaned in to comfort Mason.
"No..." All Mason could say.
"My wife... No! Wake up, Katja!" He said with tears as he tried to shake her awake.
"Katja, please... Wake up. Your pups need you... I need you." He said and didn't care to hold back his tears any longer. The healer joined him in sorrow and howled out the message, which was soon followed by the rest of the pack.
It was the death howl, one that the pack would respect and would follow. The pack harmonized in a collective bowl I sorrow and respect for their fallen pack member.
"No, why her... Why now…" Mason whispered as he nuzzled his dead mate for a while before seemingly manning up and gained the confidence to speak. He could hear the smallest one, the white female, yipping already.
"You're so strong-willed already…" He froze for a second, as tears of happiness joined tears of sorrow.
"Siku." He continued softly.
"It's the name Katja had planned to name her first born daughter." His voice was unstable, varying in pitch as he was emotionally broken down at the loss of his mate. But he straightened up and spoke, not to the healer, more, to himself and for Katja's sake.
"I don't care if these puppies are not my blood, they are my mates' puppies at least, and I will raise them like they were mine."
"Mason, the female is yours. I'm sure of it."
"That's why I named it; I won't name the other two just yet..." Mason said with a slight ending of spite.
"Mason, you don't have to take the other two in, they would not be your kids, it wouldn't be right. I do not know who it was, as I don't recognize the scent, but I'm sure there will be wolves who would adopt them."
"Very well. I don't want to admit it, but I do not feel like they are my children." As Mason said this, he shook his head, cursing himself for saying such a terrible thing.
"I understand. I'd suggest that we scheduled Katja's burial soon, I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it is tradition." The healer explained.
"Just... Give me a moment... Please..."
"Of course Mason." The healer said, and patted him on the back softly before walking out of the cave.
Mason waited until he walked out before he spoke to his late wife.
"Katja, I don't know why you would break my heart like you did, but I can't be mad at you. I love you so much; I only wished that I could have said it more. I don't know if I can take care of the puppies that are not mine, but Siku is my daughter, I love her as much as I love you... She looks like you at least, and I will always see you in her. Take care... My beauty." Mason said as he nuzzled her lifeless body a bit more. He cried for a few minutes, not stopping when Scion and the healer walked in. The healer left again to leave Mason his privacy, but Scion did not. He walked over to Mason's side and comforted him.
"God it hurts so much, I feel like I've been literally injured." Mason said between his cries.
"I know man, I know. Just let it all out." Scion said as he nuzzled his friend to comfort him.
Mason was still crying, but he paused for a few seconds, and when Scion caught onto this he stared back down at Mason. There was silence for about 20 seconds more.
"You don't" Mason said quietly.
"What was that?" Scion asked with a smile.
"You don't know how it is to know that your wife won't live to see her own children; you don't know how it is to learn that two of them aren't even yours. That the love of your life betrayed you long before she died!" Mason said, seemingly turning his sadness into anger.
Scion was a great friend, so he knew how to deal with it.
"Your right, I don't know anything, I'm retarded, remember?" He said, inching a smile to cheer Mason up.
"God damnit Scion, just leave me alone please." Mason said harshly, though he did know, and appreciated what he was doing.
"I'm not leaving you man, you need me here more than you think." Scion said as he placed a paw on Masons shoulder. Mason looked at him for a second, but couldn't avoid his face twisting, wanting to cry more, and turned back to bury is face into Katja's fur and fought it off. Scion stroked Mason's back for a while, and admired the puppies. Two of them were sleeping, but the tiny white one was not still, she was only a few hours old, but already she tried exploring her surroundings.
"Wow. This pup is defiantly you, Mason."
"Siku." Mason said as he paused crying and looked at Siku with Scion.
"That's a beautiful name. It means ice, right?"
"Yeah, Katja always said that she loved that name for one of her children."
"What are you going to do?"
"What do you think? I'm going to raise her myself, she is my daughter and I love her more than anything." Mason proudly explained, he didn't even show sadness in his words, though he was still broken down.
"And what of the other two?" Scion asked with curiosity.
"What of them? If I can't find their father, I'd raise them too. They are still Katja's blood, and I will love them the same.
Mason
Mason brought Kodi to a stop inside the cave, and pushed over a pile of snow to make some type of shield around him. They got inside safely just in time for it to start raining. Mason checked on Kodi and figured that he didn't have a fever, and that his wounds were no longer at risk. All he needed now was a good few hours of rest, and he'll wake up... With a lot of pain, but he'd be alive.
Mason walked over to the edge of where the rain formed a waterfall at the mouth if the cave, and snapped his muzzle into the rain to get a bit to drink. It felt great; the storm was accompanied by warmer air, a good transition from the blizzard that just blew through here two nights ago. The thunder was calming; it rattled the cave and helped Mason put his thoughts behind him. He looked out into the distance, visibility crippled by the torrential downpour. This was no ordinary storm, if this occurred in the lower Atlantic, or pacific, it'd probably be classified as a category two hurricane, or a tropical storm at the very least. Strong winds broke through a flowed into the cave, spraying cool water everywhere in side. Mason simply shook it off, it was no longer freezing, probably around 60 degrees, so the rain did not bother him at all. It did, on the other-hand affect Kodi...
Kodi, first person.
AAAAAH CRAP, ~the&&&& pain #preventing me -thinking straight {{null}} OwWhh, this needs to ACK*^^ switch! Do it NOW!
Kodi. Recovery.
Mason did not notice that the rain worked to awaken Kodi, and continued starring out into the distance. The storm got louder, dropping even more rain and spat out continuous thunder that was matched with Lightning. Kodi looked around without moving, he was in an incredible amount of pain, his chest causing a pulse of new pain to wash over the old with every heartbeat. It was like torture. His leg had an open bite mark, and half of his left lip was gone, but it didn't match in pain to having his skin ripped off of his chest. He held back a scream of pain, and it brought tears to his eyes.
"Aahgh gaaawd!" Kodi failed to hold back. Mason instantly tuned to look.
Mason walked over to Kodi, but he couldn't see him approach, he could not turn his head to face him.
"Hey uh, don't worry I am here to help." Mason said awkwardly
"Awwwgh! Stay back!"
"It's not like you have any say in this..." Mason said, unable to hide his hostility.
Kodi did not reply, his body was cringing and snapping around in pain, and for the next five minutes he made nothing but hollers in pain. Mason could not do anything but watch the poor dog.
"Kodiak." Mason finally said.
"You know my name?" Kodi said, half yelling in pain.
"Yes, Siku will be back with help soon, for now, is there anything I can do to ease your suffering?" Mason said, not really knowing what to do.
"Ack* what can you do?"
"I don't know; get you some water, some snow or something." Mason realized that there really was nothing he could do.
"Where is Siku, is she safe?" Kodi said, he was in tremendous pain, but he hid it well when he asked.
"She left about an hour ago to get help for you. She didn't seem to have any injuries at all." Mason noticed how Kodi held back his pain and fought it off as he spoke, and knew that it required a very powerful will, and he thought about the fact that Kodi might not be all that bad, so Mason would allow Kodi to build on him.
"Oaky good, uh, I'm burning up, I could use some snow or something please!" Kodi said, his pain making it hard to talk, and it came out as a low shout. Mason looked around for a second and noticed something; Kodi was lying in a shallow bowl like depression of the cave. He walked over to the snow barrier and broke it, the ice cold water and snow that was trapped, flowed in and filled it to about three inches. Kodi yelled out in pain as the cool water came into contact with his open wound.
"That's not what I meant!" Kodi said, but the pain actually seemed to start to fade. The freezing water cleansed his chest wound and helped or to heal.
"Oh, wow thanks." Kodi said softer and started drinking some of the water, realizing that he was a bit dehydrated.
Mason watched with a smile, and wondered if he should tell Kodi that he was the father of the girl Kodi loved. He shook his head with a "no" and thought about something else.
Kodi caught onto this and thought for a few seconds, before realizing his manners.
"Sir, I guess we haven't properly met. You can just call me Kodi." He said as he outstretched his arm that didn't have a huge hole in the top of it.
"Mason, nice to meet you Kodi. I am a friend of Siku's." He lied, not only to Kodi though. He didn't know why he decided not to tell Kodi that she was his daughter, he figured that if Kodi were to get caught by the wolves, he could just play it off like he didn't know who he was, and hopefully save himself and his daughter. The punishment he'd receive for helping a dog would surely see an attack on him, his family, and Siku…
He shook away the thoughts, and hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. He really did want to see this dog returned safely and keep his promise to his only daughter.
"Hey, I'm a bit hungry, want to go out for a hunt?" He asked jokingly.
"I'd love to, but I don't think I can move..." Kodi replied as he let out another whimper of pain.
"I thought so; I'll be back in a bit, rabbit sound good?"
"Sure, anything you're willing to give me, I'd be grateful" Kodi replied.
"I'll see what I can find; you need to eat if you want to recover." Mason said as he walked out. He noted Kodi's manners and thought for a second that Siku made a good choice.
As Mason disappeared behind the wall of rain at the mouth of the cave, Kodi began to think about things, his pain finally subsided a bit, it still hurt like hell, but it wasn't too bad now. He thought about if his mom was safe, if his dad had even woken up yet, and how the town was preparing for the inevitable… Then, last but not least, he thought about Siku. Her beautiful smile was the last image of her, even though he could not remember when, since his last memories of her were of sadness and crying. He did remember her words; they stuck with him forever when he lost consciousness.
"Kodi, Kodi? Kodi, I love you, always remember that." He replayed them in his mind. He felt his cheek grow warm and felt a little embarrassed even though nobody was around to see it. Siku loved him, just like he loved her. His pain seemed to get further away, replaced by the thoughts of happiness. Then he remembered what she said after.
"Please don't leave me… I need you to be alive; I need you by my side…" Kodi's smile dimmed a bit, he failed Siku, he had left her alone… While his stupid body failed to do what he wanted, and shut down from a simple wound. Kodi growled in frustration, what if something happened to Siku before she got home? What if Home wasn't safe… No matter where Siku was, she was not safe unless she was by his side. Kodi tried to stand up, at least look outside and try to tell where he was, but amazingly, he could stand just fine. Though the wolf did bite deep into his right front leg, it barely affected him, as it seemed to have healed already. Kodi noticed another thing, the pain in his wound was still shrinking, he looked down at it, and noticed that it seemed to have started to scab over already.
The cut actually did not look that big, it was just that the wolf nicked a major vein, and luckily, was not a major artery, or Kodi would probably not be alive right now. That is why he lost so much blood. But… he didn't feel light-headed like he should have. Everyone knows that if you lose a lot of blood, to the point where you black out due to the lack of Oxygen reaching your very brain, that you should feel light-headed for a few days later. Kodi, on the other hand, felt great, like he could have joined Mason on his hunt, but he wouldn't push himself, after all, he might just be in shock, which is why he didn't feel much pain. After a while of thinking, he smiled, and realized who was helping him.
"Thanks Aniu." He said aloud to nobody.
"You're welcome, my son." Aniu replied almost instantly.
Kodi jumped as he heard a voice, it was beautiful and smooth, like an angel. He had never heard Aniu speak before, and her calling him "my son" just made it a bit more confusing. He looked around for a bit, and sniffed at the air, just in-case. Nobody was around; it really was the white wolf spirit who spoke to him just then, or was it even out loud? When Kodi thought about it further, the voice did sound like it came from his very mind.
He walked to the edge of the cave, and looked into the distance. It was now dark; the clouds covered the sky for as far down the horizon he could see from this cave, which was about 40 feet from the normal ground level.
"Siku… I hope you're safe." All Kodi could offer as his smile faded away. He had no idea where he was…
Nehalem, The Address.
Nehalem closed his eyes as he stood upon his perch, one that made him 20 feet above the all others. He overlooked the entire area, to the forest line, to the den, and to the prisoner. All of his followers sat still and had all eyes locked onto him, awaiting his very next word that would become law. Nehalem had his plans worked out, and was preparing phase 3 of the master plan. Over-all, everything was simple. Kill any and all Humans and Dogs living in Nome, But Nome wasn't a normal defenseless settlement that the pack has gotten used to dealing with. They had guns, 4 sheriffs, telegraphs, and even a few planes. The town of about 680 people and little over 60 dogs also had a canine government; one that was ruled by a Newfoundland/Mastiff dog named Doc. Nehalem knew that this dog was leader of the canine population of the town, and that he now knew of his plans. All because of one wolf/dog hybrid by the name of Balto.
"Balto…" Nehalem said under his breath. He hated the wolf/dog even more now. Not only was he the spawn of Aniu, whom to Nehalem, was a bitch that should have no power over the spirit world, but Balto was also the perfect hybrid that nearly drove Nehalem insane at the thought. A dirty mix breed of his own precious bloodline, and tainted with the disgusting genetics of the simple house dog. Nehalem's rage built up now at the mere thought of the wolf/dog.
"It has come to my attention that a certain wolf dog and his little friends have gotten word of our arrival. How? Well he has been warned! Warned by none other than the one they call Aniu. The White Wolf spirit is helping them recover, and warn them through their dreams."
The crowd erupted in anger as Nehalem paced back and forth, watching them with a smile.
"That bitch will learn not to mess with our ways once her little pup Balto dies at my hands!"
Before Nehalem even got to finish his sentence, a strong gust of wind broke through the tree line, knocking leaves and branches off. The members of the pack were knocked off of their feet, and Nehalem, who was not exactly in the safest place to prepare for such event, was thrown off his high-perch and fell 20 feet to the ground, hitting it hard. Instantly, the pack crowded around him and two of them stepped beyond them and helped Nehalem to his feet.
Drakken and Scion watched Nehalem, as he got up and started laughing. His nose was bruised, and blood came from his mouth, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it, and instead continued his maniacal laughter.
"The white wolf and her tricks! You see? She chooses to attack me where I am weakest, and she is nowhere to be found."
There was silence for a few seconds, as if everyone knew that he would get a reply. And they were proven correct.
An eerie, but angelic voice seemed to resonate throughout the trees and vibrated into the ground, aimed at the center of the pack.
"If that is what you are to believe, Nehalem"
The pack continued silence, and a green light in the sky got their attention. All staring, Nehalem, Drakken and Scion stunned by it. Everyone watched as the small green dot slowly inched its way down and closer to the ground.
Before anyone could speak, another gust of wind blew past them, and seemed to form a figure when it touched the green dot. This mysterious figure of white began to run around in front of the crowd, circling Nehalem and the other two. Out of nowhere, booming laughter came from the heavens above, and a bolt of lightning struck the white figure. With the explosion, the white figure transformed into a huge, and powerful white wolf.
The white wolf continued in the same direction it was going in, and then spiraled its way towards Nehalem, striking him with full force, sending him into the wall of the cliff.
(Note, the transformation scene was painful to write, imagine something appearing in your mind so amazingly badass, but then when you type it out… It's like this.)
The pack could not react fast enough, but they eventually caught on and jumped in at the white wolf, but they hit nothing, and most of them simply ran into a wall. The white wolf had vanished, but the figure continued circling the treeline at super-speeds. It headed towards Nehalem again, and with a deep growl, it transformed back into a wolf and like a train, prepared to strike him again. But Nehalem wasn't going to sit there and take it.
In an instant, Nehalem jumped up and dodged the white wolf, sending him crashing head first into the wall, but nothing hit, and it simply transformed back into a spirit.
"Fight like the dirty little bitch you are! Coward!" Nehalem yelled to the spirit, which was once again making its rounds along the treeline, and came in for another hit. Only this time, it came to a stop in front of Nehalem. Nobody moved, as this wolf really looked intimidating. It paused in front of Nehalem, huge 4 inch canines stuck out of its mouth and muzzle crinkled and pulled back to allow them to show their full glory. The rest of this wolf resembled an ordinary white wolf, but much larger, towering a whole three feet above Nehalem. It's paws alone were larger than his head.
Nehalem smiled, but deep down, nobody could deny genuine fear. Nehalem had never seen Aniu before, so to him, he thought Aniu was someone he could defeat. This giant wolf, nearly two times bigger than him, and didn't even seem physically, or biologically possible to exist, would be suicide to try and pick a fight with. But Nehalem was either Stupid, or very smart, as he chose his next words.
"Aniu. Come to visit, I see?" Nehalem said calmly.
The white wolf did not speak.
"Oh come on; at least have some manners… God knows you taught your little Balto how to beg for mercy like a good boy." Nehalem teased with a smile. At this point, the entire pack had already backed up ten meters, and Nehalem's side-wolves, Drakken and Scion stared at the deranged wolf. They knew he was crazy, but this was a little too much. This wolf could tear the entire pack to pieces, and here Nehalem was, teasing it.
The white wolf continued its death stare into Nehalem, dark eyes with Yellow pupils, enraged as she stared at the three in front of her.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Are we just going to stare at each other all day? I guess I should start by saying you aren't that hard to look at; I mean I'd bang a wolf twice my size if she was as sexy as you were." Nehalem Said.
"Nehalem… what are you doing?" Scion whispered in his ear.
Nehalem didn't respond, but instead took a snap at Scion, scaring Scion into falling on his back.
Nehalem turned back to the White Wolf, and matched its stare, but when he did this he realized that he had made a huge mistake. His eyes glowed yellow and he was momentarily paralyzed by the white wolf. Aniu had gotten what she wanted from him, and released.
Nehalem fell to the floor, and before anyone could react, the sky shot down another bolt of lightning and hit the White wolf, and in an instant, she vanished, with only a small cloud of dust where the wolf stood. One of them slowly walked up to the spot, and tried his best to sample the air, but it was like the wolf never existed.
"What the hell was that all about?" Scion asked to Drakken.
"I have no idea, was that really Aniu? I thought it was just a myth…" Drakken replied.
"That was not Aniu..." Nehalem said as he regained his breath and tried to stand.
Both walked to Nehalem and tried to help him up. All Nehalem did was growl and snap at the two who were just trying to help him. Drakken whimpered and jumped back, and then Scion did the same.
Nehalem breathed deeply for a few seconds, and then turned to the crowd.
"Change of plans… We're invading Nome tomorrow morning." He said angrily, and as the pack cheered, he walked off to his den to recover from the mind-attack…
Chapter cut again, which means chapter eight isn't too far away.