Cohen

by Emilia Hartley

  Alex looked around the room at the people watching. He lowered his shirt out of embarrassment.

  “I would gladly step in the way of any enemy wanting to do your pack harm and I have in the past. You were there! Where is your sense of pride as a wolf? Don’t you desire to hunt? Don’t you desire the chance to sink your teeth into an enemy to protect your home?”

  His father started pacing through the crowd. Alex sat silent and watched. This was the father he knew growing up. He was a man of passion and pride. Alex was none of those things. Stupid.

  Many of the warriors in the house seemed sympathetic to the cause, Alex could feel it. His father had reached them with his words, even if his words hadn’t reached the pack alpha.

  “You haven’t managed to convince me to commit anyone that isn’t willing, but it would seem you may have swayed the minds of a few that would follow,” he said. Buck stood from his seat and took Alex’s father by the shoulders. “I will not send anyone that isn’t willing to join, but if you want to join this wolf on his journey to defeat the bears, I won’t stop you.”

  Alex looked through the crowd and saw more than a few strapping men step forward. They all, in turn, reached out and clasped Alex’s father by the shoulder. A gesture which his father mirrored.

  Why couldn’t that have been him? What did his father have that he didn’t? He wrestled with the emotions that stirred inside. Trying his best to make sense of what he’d just seen.

  I’ll never be like that.

  “So be it, if it’s war they want, its war they’ll get,” Buck shouted.

  The wolves in the crowd howled, and the woman and children cheered for their warriors. Alex felt his nerves well up in his chest, strangling him. He caught his father’s gaze and forced a smile. At least the day was won.

  CHAPTER 10

  Alex was frustrated, that much was clear. No matter how many kisses Cynthia tried to give him, he wouldn’t cheer up. She held his hand as they entered the cab of the truck. She was glad to be riding in the front this time, instead of the back. Even if the heater didn’t work, at least the biting wind and cold wouldn’t nibble at her skin.

  Marcus, the old pack alpha and Alex’s dad, stood with Buck behind the truck. The two embraced like old friends.

  “It’s going to be alright,” she said, trying her best to reassure Alex.

  He huffed with a half-smile edging at the corner of his mouth. Dammit, just feel better! A row of trucks and SUV’s rounded a corner from just up the icy road, each one full of wolf shifters ready to join in the fight. Their vehicles showed their age, with chipped paint and squeaky breaks, but they still moved forward. At least they had that much.

  Cynthia held tightly around Alex’s arm. Even if she couldn’t improve his mood, having him nearby was enough for now. She knew he would come around in time. He always did.

  Marcus plopped into the driver’s seat beside Alex.

  “Let’s get home,” he said, twisting the ignition and bringing the old workhorse truck to life.

  It was slow going down the icy mountain. The snow made the driving conditions difficult on their brakes and they didn’t so much drive down the hill as slide.

  For the next hour they drove through sketchy conditions. Eventually the path cleared and they were able to drive instead of steer and pray. A collective exhale of nerves railed out from the trio in the cab.

  Still, Alex sat silent. Cynthia caught his gaze as he looked out the window and she smiled. He smiled back, but it wasn’t genuine. Drastic times called for drastic measures. Cynthia played at the edge of his periphery, making odd faces, slowly moving in front of his face so he could see. The one that finally broke his stoic demeanor had her buck-toothed and cross-eyed.

  Was that a bear?

  She narrowed her eyes and caught sight of a large brown bear standing near the top of a snow embankment beside the road. Then another popped its head over the edge, then another. She lost count at ten. A mighty roar rang out, leading them to charge.

  A massive pile of fur and muscle hammered into the side of the truck, causing it to careen out of control. It spun in circles, skidding off the road and coming to a crashing halt on a guard rail overlooking a sharp drop. Cynthia peered out the truck window to see how far down, but her vision was obscured by a dense fog.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Alex was shaking his head to regain himself. To their left, on the driver’s side, the bear was thirty feet away, again rearing itself to hammer the truck over the ledge and possibly to their doom.

  Run. Just get out and run! Cynthia’s fear frazzled her nerves and she was frozen in place, watching the horror unfold as the bear bore down on them.

  Cynthia gasped when Marcus, having regained himself, kicked down the door and ran toward the bear. Didn’t he use a cane? His body began to shift from the excitement but he didn’t have enough time to do so fully. He met the bear just ten feet from the truck in an attempt to stop the charge but it was too heavy. The bear pushed him against the truck.

  The guard rail groaned and cracked under the weight of the two shifters battling it out.

  “Cynthia,” Alex said. He took her by the jaw and kissed her deeply. “I love you. When you see a chance, run.”

  She snapped from her daze and nodded. Alex squeezed his way out his door and past the pair of shifters.

  Alex fell to all fours and howled with pain. His skin tore away and tightly wound muscle wrapped against his bone. Patchy black fur matted against open wounds.

  Something was wrong, why was it taking so long to shift? She fought with the idea of going to help him, but was sidetracked when she saw another bear charging towards the truck. This time, it would definitely fall off the cliff.

  In front of her, Marcus and the first bear wrestled against the car, neither gaining any ground. To her back and her right was nothing but open cliff, and to her left was Alex writhing in agony with a bear ready to assault the truck. There was no escape.

  A loud howl tore through the battlefield. The wolves from the den had their hands full with the rest of the attacking bears but paused for a second when they heard the cry. Even the bears were confused and curiously searched for the source.

  Alex stood to all fours. Instead of the proud gray fur he always wore, he was covered in a thick black mane. He arched his back and lifted his muzzle to the sky and howled again. This time the bear wouldn’t be tricked. It charged forward without fear of the one simple wolf in its way.

  Shit.

  There was no way out of this. Cynthia tried the key in the truck ignition but the engine wouldn’t turn over. The passenger door was wedged against the guard rail. She twisted the knob for the window and worked as fast as she could to get it down and escape, but even if it was down she wouldn’t have enough time to wiggle free.

  In a flash of black, the bear fell to its knees. Alex was standing over it, his jaws salivating. He growled at the bear that tried to fight to its feet, but Alex was too quick. He had the bear’s leg in his jaw in an instant.

  Cynthia watched with horror as she saw rage explode from Alex. She’d never seen him act like this; she was in awe at how quickly he was moving, his constant attacks easily overpowering his foe. He was lost in his battle, gnashing at the creature he was entangled with.

  The bear was still much stronger than him and finally fought him off. It reared back on its haunches and swiped with its front paws but Alex dodged the blows with ease.

  She wiggled her way out the window and found footing on the guard rail. The drop looked even higher than she first imagined. You can do this. Just one foot over the other. Get around the truck and you can shift and run for safety. Marcus and his bear battled back and forth again, jostling the already slippery metal. Cynthia lost her grip and soon after her balance.

  She caught herself on the edge of the guard rail. With her feet dangling, trying to get a foothold to push herself back up. The truck continued to snap and twist the guard rail as she held on. The bear was slowly ove
rpowering Marcus.

  “Help!” she shouted.

  Cynthia struggled to find a good hold on the guard rail; the cold steel bit at her hands. You can do this, come on. Idiot. She cursed at herself more. Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look down.

  The bear Alex was fighting shoved past him and tried to take advantage of the moment. It plodded towards Cynthia, hobbling on its back leg but still charging. Alex lurched in front of the massive beast just as it approached the cliff and toppled it to the ground. The loose dirt was unable to slow its momentum as it crashed through the broken guard rail, plunging past Cynthia into the depths below. As it fell, its paw grappled onto Cynthia’s leg and in that brief moment she found herself falling.

  Cynthia let out a panicked scream and reached for anything that might slow her decent. Alex barked and leapt of the edge. Cynthia shook her head no. His body started to snap and crack back into shape. His human hand reached out to catch her. With one long stretch, he snagged Cynthia by the leg and tugged her to his chest. Hugging her close he maneuvered his body so that he would absorb the fall. He managed to softly kiss her on the forehead.

  Cynthia could just barely feel her tears flow as they descended into the abyss of fog.

  Thump!

  Alex took most of the impact, lying dead to the world on his back as everything else went black.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Alex, wake up!” she shouted through cries.

  Fucking hell.

  Everything was a blur, they were surrounded by dense fog. His vision was cloudy but it started to pull itself into focus as he elbowed himself into a sitting position. Every muscle fiber and bone within his body ached. The blood from the fighting was dried to his skin.

  Cynthia threw her arms around him, holding tightly. He winced in pain, but was glad she had survived the fall. She kissed every inch of his face as tears streaked down her cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, “this wasn’t meant to happen!”

  “What happened,” Alex asked, mind still in a daze.

  He looked up, trying to peer through the fog and could just barely make out the top of the cliff. It was high; over 100 feet at least, any normal human would have likely died from the fall.

  How did I survive?

  “I tried to climb over the truck but just couldn’t get a good grip, I feel so stupid that I can’t even climb. Stupid!”

  Alex returned himself to the ground and laughed, his body ached with each exhale. He didn’t know what was so funny, after falling from such a height all of the bones in his body should have been broken. Thankfully it seemed that they had healed while he was sleeping, though, he was still incredibly sore. He managed another laugh, for the moment he was just glad to be alive.

  “What are you laughing at?” she asked with half a giggle. She brushed the tears from her cheek and stared at him with concerned interest. “I think that fall made you go crazy.”

  Alex pulled at her arm, catching her off guard, bringing her beside him. The movement knocked the delicate wind from his lungs but it brought her closer. He leaned on his side and kissed her on the lips.

  “It might have,” he said, “but at least we survived.”

  Every inch of his skin tingled like little bolts of electricity stabbing at every pore.

  “How did you do that?” Cynthia asked.

  “Do what?” he wondered.

  “You were, different,” She began, her eyes searched all over his face. “I mean, you moved with such speed, and you looked stronger than usual. You were just as terrifying as an alpha,” she said.

  “I-” he began, scratching his head, “I don’t know.” Something was definitely different, he knew that for certain. He felt something click, perhaps it was his resolve. After he gave his wolf instincts full control of his body, everything felt natural.

  She pushed herself to sit up.

  “Can you do it again?” she asked.

  Alex thought about it for a moment. He could feel the basic urge to shift into his wolf form scratching at the back of his mind. But, his wolf felt content. As though it were an animal that had its fill and required rest.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied, bringing himself to his feet. Pushing through the burn and cracking of his limbs. Still, he clutched at a wound the bear had given him to his side.

  “We need to find a way out of this place. We have to join up with the other wolves,” she said after watching him get up slowly. They both knew they were in trouble if they were attacked in their weakened state.

  Alex sniffed at the air. Normally his senses would be dulled when he was in his human form, but right now he could smell everything. He could hear the wind whipping through the small rocks that littered the cliff behind them.

  He paused when he smelled something familiar.

  Behind them, Alex heard something stirring.

  “Stay behind me Cynthia,” he ordered.

  “What is it?”

  Her question was quickly answered. In the dense fog, they saw the large outline of a bear. It lumbered closer, and as it did it began to shrink, the beast slimmed down to a woman within moments. Alex stood firm in his footing, and waited for the stranger to leap out and attack, but it was plain to see that there was no fight left.

  “Help,” she said collapsing to the ground, stirring up the thick dense mist that surrounded them.

  Alex turned to Cynthia who shrugged, unsure.

  “It must be some kind of trick,” she managed, unable to come up with an explanation for the bear’s cry for help.

  Alex watched closely and could only see her chest rise and fall with labored breathing, but no other movement came. He sighed, realizing he was about to do something stupid. “Wait here.”

  Cynthia nodded.

  Alex approached with caution, still holding his side, as he took small steps. The rocks on the ground stabbed at his feet. He gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain. The cold air caused him to shiver uncontrollably while he breathed tufts of smoke from his mouth.

  The stranger moved, but only just. Her head tilted to the side, giving Alex a better look. She was no older than he was.

  “Why did you attack us on the road?” Alex asked not letting his guard down.

  “Our alpha told us to,” she replied. It was clear she was trying not to give out more information, “are my brothers and sisters okay?”

  “I don’t know,” Alex said, hanging his head. Perhaps she wasn’t a threat to them at the moment. “I’m surprised that you survived.”

  She smiled. “Bears are resilient,” she said with another cough.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Samantha,” she managed.

  “Okay, I’ll call you Sam,” Alex joked, trying to gain her trust.

  She sputtered out a laugh, followed by a string of coughing.

  Alex furrowed his brow and searched around for the water he could hear trickling somewhere nearby. A small pool had formed from a stream that cut its way through the rock. He bent down and cupped a handful, bringing it close to Sam’s mouth.

  She accepted the gift but still couldn’t move. Aside from the broken bones, Alex recognized his own handy work. The deep fang lacerations had torn up Sam’s shoulder and opened a deep cut along her left leg that refused to close. Even for a shifter, they would take a while to heal.

  Did I really do this?

  Alex had wounded many bears in the scuffle’s they’d had at home, but he’d never gone so far as to kill anyone. He could feel a surge of emotion striking him hard in his chest. A feeling of guilt that he knew he would never be rid of. And, in this guilt he knew he had to do something to help.

  “Cynthia, come here, I need something to stop the bleeding.”

  She appeared from the fog, grabbing at the bottom of her shirt and with a loud rip the fabric tore. She handed it to Alex and watched curiously as he dipped the fabric in the small stream, folding it over itself, for strength, she concluded.

  “What are
you doing,” Cynthia asked, clearly confused. I guess anyone would be confused to see someone help an enemy.

  “Saving her life,” Alex replied, “If we don’t do something soon, she’ll die from blood loss.”

  Cynthia bit her lip; Alex had seen her do it before when she wanted to keep from talking. He would have asked her more but he didn’t have the time. He returned to the bear with his makeshift tourniquet.

  “I’m going to try to close the wound. It’s going to hurt,” Alex said, warning Sam.

  She nodded.

  He wrapped the length of cloth around her leg, just above the wound, and pulled tightly. She winced from the pain while Alex worked. He pulled tighter and tighter, until the leg ceased bleeding, and only then did he tie off the wound.

  “What’s your name,” Samantha asked.

  “Alex,” he replied.

  “I’ll remember it,” she managed.

  Then Samantha blacked out, her head fell limp. Alex knew more needed to be done, if only he had a medical kit, or a needle and thread to stitch the wound together. He’d watched his own wounds as they were sewn by his doctor at home, it couldn’t be that hard.

  “We need to-”

  He was cut off by the loud roar of another bear. From the mist behind him he could already see the rampaging shadow growing larger as it came closer.

  “Run!” Alex shouted.

  Cynthia ran ahead of him, her clothing ripped at the seams as fur sprouted over her flawless skin. She effortlessly strode through the mist on four legs, dashing from rock to rock and splashing through small puddles of water.

  Alex tried to shift but something didn’t feel right. The sight of the bear pumped adrenaline into his veins and he sprinted as fast as he could, smacking himself in the head.

  Fuck, what now?

  He tried to keep up with Cynthia but she was too fast. He glanced over his shoulder, to see how close the bear was, but to his surprise, it wasn’t following them. Alex slowed his pace and watched as the shadow of a bear knelt down beside Sam.