Out of the Shadows

by Raven Darkwing

  It didn’t take him long to catch up with them. He wanted to shift and hug his sister, but Shadow used a hand signal to stop him. The man knelt beside him and quietly spoke, “We’re too close yet, and we can’t shift with the pups. I need you to stay in your wolf form to make sure they don’t follow us.”

  Jake nodded as he felt a backpack placed on him. Shadow quickly synched it so it wouldn’t fall off. “I found us some clothes, so your balls will be safe,” Shadow whispered before he stood and took the lead. Sammy followed but stopped long enough to scratch behind his ears. It was good to have his sister back. No matter what they had done to her, nothing could change the way he felt about her.

  They kept moving for a couple of hours. Jake could tell that Shadow had decided not to head for the city but rather was making his way further into the mountains. From the direction, it appeared he was heading toward the Windy River pack lands. With two of them in human form, it would take days for them to reach the pack. He wondered if there were any small mountain towns on their route. The pups were too young and wouldn’t survive the long march unless they could find them proper shelter along the way.

  Shadow held up his hand and motioned for them all to stop. He handed the other pup to Sammy and walked further up the mountain to look back over the way they had come. Jake went to stand next to him and raised his nose into the air. So far, other than the normal scents of the forest, there was no sign anyone was following them.

  “I think we can look for a place to rest for a couple of hours, but we’ll have to take off at first light. I don’t know how long Alpha Clifton will be gone or how long it will be before they call a hunt on us,” Shadow said quietly. He removed the pack from Jake’s back. The shifter closed his eyes as the man ran his hands down his fur, smoothing the ridges that formed from the straps.

  Shadow stood and began to open the backpack. “Go ahead and shift. I’ve got some clothes for you in here.” Jake quickly shifted and put the clothes on. They were a little small in some places, but it was better than freezing his ass off. Somehow the wolf had managed to also find a coat to help keep the chill off.

  “Thanks,” Jake said as he moved to put more space between them. He could almost feel the disappointment coming off the other man, but this certainly was not the time or place. “I think I spotted a cave when I scouted ahead a bit. We can be there in a couple of minutes.” He didn’t wait for Shadow to reply as he quickly walked back down to talk to his sister.

  Luckily the cave was bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. Jake smiled as he noticed a small opening near the top of the cave. They’d be able to have a small fire to help keep the pups warm and enough room for everyone. Although, at least one of them would need to keep watch outside, just in case.

  “I’ll go grab some firewood while you two get things settled in here,” Shadow dropped the backpack by the front of the cave. “I’ll take the first watch.”

  “Who died and made you, boss?” Jake growled. He watched as Sammy glanced at him, her right eyebrow raised. Great, now he’d have his sister trying to figure him out. He’d been happy enough to follow Shadow so far, but did he have to make every decision? It was his sister, and he’d protected her since they were pups.

  Shadow shrugged. “Fine, then you gather the firewood and take the first watch. I just thought you might want to spend time with your sister.” Great, now Jake felt like a grade-A jerk. He watched as Shadow moved silently toward the back of the cave. It looked like the man was finally going to give him the space he’d been asking for, but did he really want it?

  Before he could go any further with that thought, the shifter turned and left the cave. Maybe it was better he did take the first watch. He’d seen the look on his sister’s face and knew better than to go near her for a little bit. She was pissed off. Anyone who knew his sister knew a mad Sammy was best to be avoided at all cost.

  Shadow watched as Jake exited the cave. He could have pulled rank on the wolf, but the truth was he was tired of the fighting. Since they had first met, all Jake did was try to keep him at arm’s length. Sure, there were times when the calcitrant wolf let down his shields. It just didn’t seem to be enough any longer.

  “Give him time,” Sammy’s soft voice echoed in the chamber. She had built a nest using the two backpacks and some of the clothes. The woman was nothing if not ingenious. The two twins couldn’t be more different. Sammy appeared to face things head on while her brother tried hard to hide what he was feeling.

  “So, how did you end up with two pups?” Shadow asked, ready to divert the subject. His relationship with Jake wasn’t up for discussion. In fact, he was beginning to realize that maybe it was time to consider walking away. He was used to being alone, even when in a crowd. He’d be fine doing it again.

  The she-wolf sighed. “It’s a long story, suffice it to say I made a promise to the twin’s dying mother. One I intend to keep.” She glanced down at the now sleeping pups before she continued. “I can’t explain it, but I feel like I have to make sure they’re safe.”

  “Maybe it’s the twin thing,” Shadow glanced toward the cave entrance. “You and your brother are close. I’m sure these two will be as they grow.”

  Sammy laughed, “You know most men would have just assumed it was because I have an internal mommy button that gets activated anytime there’s an infant around.”

  Shadow chuckled. “I had a sister, and believe me, I learned not to assume.” For a moment, he glanced down at his hands before he took a deep breath. He could see the question in Sammy’s eyes. “She died along with my mother during the Great War.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sammy replied.

  “Don’t be. It was a long time ago. Many people lost family during that time.” Shadow heard a sound from outside the cave and quietly moved toward the entrance. He relaxed when he recognized the scent. A moment later, Jake appeared with an armload of wood. He moved quickly into the center and began to stack the wood to make a fire.

  Before long, there was a small fire burning. Before Shadow could say anything, Jake nodded at his sister, removed his clothes, and shifted. He took off into the night to take the first watch. “Do you need help with the pups?” Shadow asked as he moved to kneel by the fire.

  “Actually, I need to heat the bottles, but I’m not sure how to do it without burning them,” she chuckled, “so much for the mommy gene.”

  “More like the MacGyver gene,” Shadow laughed. “Let me see what I can do.” He glanced around the cave floor and found an area that had soft soil instead of rock. Using his hands, he quickly dug a hole large enough to hold both bottles.

  “Bring the bottles over here,” he ordered. Sammy watched with her head cocked as he quickly buried the bottles in the soft earth. He then took some of the wood Jake had left to feed the fire. Before long, a smaller blaze was burning over the area where they buried the bottles. “Give it a few minutes then we can pull the bottles out, you can use some of the bottled water you brought to clean off the nipples.”

  They both sat in silence for a few minutes. But Shadow knew the she-wolf had more questions. “Where did you learn to do that?” Sammy asked as she sat back on her haunches.

  “I guess some of my misspent youth of reading did have some use,” Shadow said as he stood to walk toward the front of the cave. Too bad his parents and siblings hadn’t thought so. Before Sammy could ask another question, he went back to the fire and quickly put it out. He handed the now warmed bottles to the she-wolf.

  “We need to leave at first light, try to get some sleep after you feed the pups,” Shadow said quietly as he took a seat just inside the cave’s entrance. If someone tried to come in unannounced, they’d have a surprise waiting for them.

  Chapter 4

  They were nearing the end of the second day with no sign of a town or even a road. Unfortunately, they had tried tying the pups to their wolf forms to make more time, but the soft whimpers would give them away if they continued. So, they decided one of t
hem would go ahead and see if they could find a town or cabin. Staying outside wasn’t good for the pups.

  Shadow volunteered, which made sense since he would be able to blend in better than Jake. When they had switched watch the first night, Shadow had quietly reminded him he was a higher rank and would be in charge until they returned to the pack. For a moment he’d been angry. But then realized, if he hadn’t gone off after his sister against the alpha’s orders, he’d still be an enforcer as well.

  Jake glanced at his sister, wondering how to bring up the subject of the twin pups she had with her. He’d heard before of some new mothers not being able to provide milk. The size of the pups indicated his sister gave birth a short time ago. Yet she seemed to have as much energy and strength since before they took her.

  “They’re not mine,” Sammy quietly said as she glanced down at the young pup she carried. Jake was carrying the other one along with one of the backpacks. They had filled it with as much as they could from the other one so that Shadow could use it to bring back supplies; assuming of course, that he found anything.

  “Where is their mother?” Jake asked.

  “Like I told your boyfriend last night, it’s a long story, but the short version is this—I promised to take care of them, and I will as long as the goddess allows me.” Sammy looked back over her shoulder. “He’s going to come looking for them and me. He said he was going to sell the twins,” his sister growled before she continued, “and no one betrays him without consequences.”

  “Well, if we can find a small town, then we can maybe get transport. The sooner we get to the Windy River pack, the better off we’ll be.” He placed on hand on Sammy’s shoulder and squeezed. “You’ll be safe there as will they.”

  “You don’t understand; I know how he’s been getting his money.” Jake saw his sister’s eyes blaze with an inner fire he’d seen only a few times before. “That bastard has been breeding she-wolves and then selling their pups for profit!”

  “No way!” Jake replied as he glanced down at the innocent young pup in his arms. “How could he?”

  “I saw it with my own eyes, Jake. He had women strapped down at that facility, all of them pregnant by goddess knows who. They took all of them away the day we left, but these poor pups, their mother was in labor.” Sammy looked away but not before Jake had seen the horror in her eyes.

  “What happened?” He prodded gently.

  “The alpha killed her—like she was nothing more than a piece of furniture to be discarded when it no longer had any use.”

  Jake stopped before replying; he listened for a moment before holding his finger to his lips. He glanced around and saw some bushes that were big enough to hide Sammy and the pups. He nodded toward the hiding place as he gave his sister the other pup. Without saying a word, she quickly hid the pups. However, instead of going in with them, she quickly removed her clothes and shifted.

  He shook his head and did the same. This time he used his nose to determine there were at least four shifters in the area. He moved from the area, his sister following as they tried to hide their trail as best they could. If this went badly, he hoped that Shadow would be able to find the pups and save them.

  They managed to get a few miles from the pups before the shifters caught up with them. Jake and Sammy stood shoulder to shoulder and growled at the wolves. One of them quickly shifted. “The Alpha has declared you rogue and wants his children back.” He glanced at Jake briefly before he returned his gaze to Sammy and sneered, “If I’d known you were tired of the alpha, I’d have shown you a good time, bitch.”

  Jake growled but stood his ground. The bastard was going to die first if he had anything to do with it. Before they could begin, two more wolves joined. Great as if four against two wasn’t bad enough, the fates had to add a few more in just for fun?

  The shifter took a step toward Sammy. “Now tell us where you hid the pups and we’ll kill you both quick.”

  Sammy launched herself at the shifter and took him down, tearing his throat out before he even had a chance to shift. Jake was impressed but didn’t have time to celebrate as the rest of the wolves attacked. Two went after his sister while three of them circled Jake. As he jumped to take on the closest wolf, he wondered if Shadow would be mad that he missed out on the party—while part of him was relieved that the wolf had.

  Shadow was tired. He’d shifted and run as fast as he could to try to find them a town or even a small farm or homestead. Unfortunately, after half a day of searching, he had found nothing. He headed back toward where he’d left Jake, Sammy, and the pups. Assuming they had kept moving in the same direction, he should be meeting up with them soon.

  For the first time since starting out on this journey, he wondered if he’d made the right decisions. While he was great at intel and could fight as well as the rest of Blaze’s Rogues, coming up with the plan wasn’t something he had ever done. Hell, the whole time he’d fought in the Great War, he’d been the one to provide information. It was up to the others to figure out what to do with it.

  Blaze probably would have gone right to the city closest to the mine and called in reinforcements before going back to do more surveillance. If he was honest with himself, he’d given in to Jake’s need to find his sister. Over the months he’d gotten to know the man. During that time, he’d learned one thing; without his twin, Jake would never be ready for any kind of relationship.

  He’d done the same thing he’d accused Jake of doing—he let his emotions get in the way of the mission. Now look at the mess they were in. If they didn’t make it, he’d be the one responsible. Just like he was responsible for not protecting his mother and sister better. Sure, at the time he was young and not a trained warrior. His three surviving brothers assured him he wasn’t to blame. But it wasn’t them, who was knocked unconscious leaving his mother and sister to perish.

  Shadow paused, his nose whipping up to the scent on the breeze. Blood and several shifters were close by. He shifted and quickly hid the backpack he carried under a nearby bush before he returned to his animal form. His black wolf sped through the late afternoon light until it came upon a scene from his nightmares.

  Sammy was fighting two wolves and seemed to be holding her own. He watched as one of the wolves got too close. The she-wolf managed to grab the wolf by the throat and ripped it out before she turned to face the other. Both now circled, the other wolf more cautious.

  He glanced further away and saw Jake faced two of his own. It looked like he had managed to take out a third who lay unmoving. Jake was a good enforcer and had excelled at the extra training they had given him when he joined the Windy River pack. But his focus was divided as he continued to glance back toward where his sister was fighting.

  It was that moment of distraction that allowed the two wolves to bring Jake down. Shadow didn’t wait, he charged toward the wolves and knocked them aside. He bared his fangs and growled as the two stood to face off against him. They were big, but he was faster. Unlike Jake, the enforcer knew better than to focus on anything except the enemy in front of him.

  He ducked under the first wolf as it charged and then quickly turned away from the other who had tried to get him from behind. As the two wolves began to charge again, Shadow managed to grab one of their legs and bit hard enough to hear it crack. The wolf howled in pain but didn’t give up.

  Shadow wasn’t as lucky with the second wolf who managed to tear a chunk of flesh from his shoulder. That was going to hurt for a couple of days, even with his enhanced healing. But he ignored the pain and continued to fight. He was making some progress, but the days of walking with little food and rest made it harder to keep up.

  He saw the two wolves set up to charge him again. This time he didn’t wait as he leaped toward the nearest wolf. The one with the injured leg charged as well. They both went down in a flurry of teeth and claws. Shadow could feel the second wolf latch onto his haunch. Just when he thought he was going to lose; the second wolf was knocked away.

&n
bsp; Shadow used the distraction to roll and use his claws to disembowel the wolf above him. As the shifter collapsed on top of him, he used the last of his strength to push himself free. He watched as two light brown wolves worked to take down the last of the enemy. For a moment, he enjoyed the way they both fought, as if they were one. The twins were a force to be reckoned with that was for sure.

  His hind leg was almost useless, and his shoulder was aflame. As he looked around to make sure there weren’t any more shifters, he saw the final one drop to the ground dead. All he wanted to do was lay down and sleep, but they didn’t have time. There could be more coming. Shadow shifted and groaned as he fell to the ground. So much for his leg supporting him.

  Jake and Sammy both shifted and limped toward him. He glanced and saw that while Sammy had scratches and a few deep gouges, she seemed to be in good shape. Jake was favoring his right arm where it looked like the bite had broken the bone. All in all, they were lucky to be alive—for now.

  “Where are the pups?” Shadow managed past the dryness in his mouth. He watched as the twins approached. Jake sat down beside him while Sammy remained standing. They needed to stop the bleeding or Jake was going to be in big trouble. Before he could say anything else, Sammy disappeared for a second and came back with the T-shirt she’d been wearing.

  She quickly tore it into strips and used part of it as a pressure bandage. She tied it tightly to her brother’s arm. The she-wolf quickly used the rest of her shirt to create two additional bandages for Shadow. “You two look like a bad night at the local bar. Can you get by until I can get to the pups and retrieve my backpack? I have a medicine kit in there that should help.”

  Shadow wanted to reply, but for some reason, the light was getting dark faster than it should. The last thing he heard was Jake’s voice calling to him.