Moonlight Magic

by Alexander, K. R.

  Tonight. At this rate we would indeed be camping somewhere. Traigh had loaned us a little tent and sleeping bag to extend the trailer. So, tonight, once we were settled and everyone had a couple burgers in them… Honesty.

  Isaac let me slip away, marveling at the view with pride that made me smile more.

  I climbed to the next vantage, several feet along where Kage stood beside Jason.

  Jason shook rain and hailstones from his coat and came to meet me. I stroked his head, which soaked my hand in black fuzz.

  “You look great.” I rubbed my thumb between his eyes. “Your paw doesn’t hurt, does it? You’re already learning to compensate.”

  He wagged his tail, lifting his right forepaw to show me.

  I took it and found it completely covered my palm, even with two toes missing. I bent to kiss the top of the paw as if a lady’s hand. It was gritty, also soaking wet, but healed, not painful. Like Kage’s wounds. Like so much that we had all been through in the past weeks.

  Jason managed to lick my cheek as I straightened up, releasing him. He kept it raised, pivoting on his left forepaw to face Kage.

  Kage had only glanced at us, but Jason waved the damaged paw at him and Kage looked around. “What?” His hair was wet, flattened with rain, while a newly smooth shave left water dripping freely off his chin.

  Jason held his right paw out expectantly, wagging. His wet coat glistened as if flecked with ice in the newly bright sunlight.

  Kage took the paw in his right hand and also bent down to kiss it.

  Jason lashed his tail.

  “All right, princess. I’m proud of you. Got to change back tonight, though. Did you sniff the cooler?” Kage stepped back as Jason cocked his head. Kage shrugged. “Not saying anything. Only someone around here seems intent on spoiling you.”

  Jason looked to me and spun his tail even more. He licked his nose. Neither Jason nor Kage had been part of the grocery run last night.

  I shook my head, knowing what he was thinking. “They didn’t have jellied eels. It’s only salmon for your dinner.”

  Jason dashed down the trail, past Isaac and Gabriel, only glancing over his shoulder once he was twenty yards gone.

  I laughed. “We’re not going back yet. Even if we were it would be to get on the road. Not eat.”

  Jason did not return to us, watching to see if anyone would agree with him.

  “Spoiling him,” Kage repeated. “That sort of pampering goes straight to his head.”

  “Hey, I got you watermelons.” I faced him. “Nothing wrong with that. After the past weeks I’d say every one of us deserves any pampering we can squeeze into our lives.”

  “And Gabriel was buying.” Kage smirked.

  “Speaking of someone who deserves pampering…”

  “Can we stay with you tonight?” Casual, squinting off toward the loch.

  “You’ve lost me… Is this a related subject?”

  “No, just … everything out of sorts last night… Caravan bed’s wide enough to fit three if we’re snug.”

  “You want a do-over? Sorry, Kage. We’re living hour-by-hour right now. We’ll see. Anyway, no matter where anyone is we’re all going to have company. Whatever you’re planning to make up for what you missed last night needs to wait regardless. Even if … you’re only being friendly.”

  He grinned, still not looking at me. “Tent then. Tent can’t hold more than three anyway. Stay with us out there and the others can—”

  “Later. We don’t know. But I can tell you right now I’m not planning to sleep in the tent. Maybe Gabriel will, but that’s mostly for people with thick fur coats who can curl themselves into balls on hard surfaces. Not to be a diva about tents, but I’m considering hard foam in shelter of a musty old camper trailer to be pampering at this point in my life, and I intend to enjoy it.”

  Kage dragged a hand down his face, flinging away water. He looked at me. “Wouldn’t really ask you to stay in the tent. Not safe. If some bastard comes creeping around in the night that’s the front line. Was just saying…”

  “Thank you for thinking of me.” I had a hood on my own coat and hadn’t been as hard hit by hail and rain as most of the others.

  We looked into one another’s eyes. I should have been moving on up the trail. Instead we stood, eyes locked, as if discussing something else. As if something entirely different were happening.

  “What’s he doing?” Andrew shouted up beyond us on the trail. “Hey! What—? Jed!”

  I ran up the trail to find Zar standing impassively but Andrew just stopping after he’d dashed off the trail. Already far away, a dark blob bounded up the slope.

  “Jed!” I called also.

  The next instant he vanished over the crest of the hill.

  Chapter 13

  While we ran after Jed, Kage shouted to Jason. Jason struggled, stumbling with his right forepaw, but found his stride and soon showed off his speed. In a matter of seconds he was also out of sight.

  Climbing the hill didn’t turn out to be much help. The ground shifted every which way, up, down, rocky or green, then trees far beyond.

  I caught a glimpse of Jason’s sleek form before he once more vanished. Then Jed for a flash before he dropped behind a ridge of rocks. Jason had nearly caught up to him but we were hopeless on two feet.

  Kage made good time, the rest of us following more carefully on rough ground. What was happening? Why had he run? Had he caught scent of a reaver? Was he chasing something? What? He knew he wasn’t to take off from us.

  Jed and Jason were once more completely out of sight when an eruption of noise burst across the hillside and into the glen. Snarling, screaming, growling of wolves under attack and fighting back.

  Goddess, could it be reavers? In broad daylight? There were no large natural predators left in Scotland. But there might be unnatural ones.

  “Jason!” Kage climbed, then sped down an easier slope.

  I followed as fast as I could, heedless of the footing, tunnel vision making it even more dangerous. Lungs crushed, heart flying like my feet as the terrible battle sounds went on, I finally burst out behind Kage to a clear view of the two black figures among brush and rocks ahead.

  There was nothing else there. Nothing attacking them. Jed had Jason by the neck and was shaking him, crushing him into the rocks with superior weight while Jason screamed and twisted. Pinned on his back, thrashing with all four paws, he didn’t even bite, only clawing to escape, eyes wide and terrified.

  Kage was shouting at Jed, racing toward him with others following.

  I stopped, threw up my hands with the power of unseen energy, and a ball of force blasted the two apart. Jason was smashed into the ground. Jed was thrown several feet, crashing and scrambling to his paws. He looked ready to go right back in, eyes blazing, fur bristling, mouth gaping in a terrifying snarl that showed his teeth to the gums. His aspect was nothing short of demonic as he faced Jason.

  Jason, gagging, cowered where he’d fallen, tail between his legs, probably dazed from the blow as much as the attack.

  Kage kept shouting all kinds of abuse at Jed as he ran for them, not checking his stride. This broke Jed’s focus. He whirled his snarl on Kage, who ran to Jason, bending over him, but as quickly turned on Jed.

  “What the fuck is your problem? Moon-cursed verus bastard! What are you playing at?”

  “Kage, stop it! Leave him alone!” I ran again, with Zar and Gabriel.

  While Andrew grabbed Kage’s arm and Isaac stopped at Jason.

  “Tear your fucking throat out—”

  “Kage!” I shouted again.

  “Leave off, mate. He’s the one with the teeth.”

  Kage ripped his arm from Andrew’s hold, but only turned back to Jason.

  Isaac stepped between them, glaring into Jed’s eyes. Jed’s snarl finally subsided. Teeth still showing, back hunched with his bristling coat, tail down, he averted his gaze and slunk away with many sidelong glances, as if expecting a sneak attack.
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  Kage hugged Jason’s head as Jason struggled into a sitting position. I couldn’t hear what he said as the rest of us reached them.

  “Is he okay?” I asked. “What happened?” Looking around to Zar. “Why was Jed running in the first place?”

  Zar shrugged.

  “There.” It was Gabriel.

  We all looked around, even Jason and Jed.

  Far off in the distance now, right to the foot of the glen by the loch, a small herd of red deer were fleeing away west.

  I took several deep breaths. “You were going after a deer scent? You can’t take off out here, Jed. I thought everyone was in agreement about that.”

  Jed ignored me. After a glance to the deer, he was skulking away, hunched down on his four legs like a sagging hammock. It seemed he thought he might be able to vanish.

  “Never mind the bloody deer,” Kage growled. “What’s that have to do with him trying to kill one of his pack?”

  “Jed? Where are you going?” I asked, struggling for a calm voice and breath.

  Slink, slink.

  “Let’s get to the vehicles and they can change. I want an answer to that also, Jed.”

  Still never looking at me, keeping a good distance between any of us, he shifted his course to head roughly back in the direction we’d come.

  “Is he all right?” I asked again.

  “Would you be all right?” Kage snapped.

  But Andrew answered, “He’s fine.”

  Jason was licking Kage’s ear, nuzzling against his neck. Blood on Kage’s hands, but drops, not gushing. He looked well enough, if shocky.

  “Just back to the trail,” Kage murmured to him as he picked Jason up, one arm around his chest, the other tucking in against his haunches, so all four of Jason’s paws dangled together.

  It was absurd. Even Jason, one of the smallest of the pack in fur, must weigh an easy 120 pounds. But Kage didn’t seem bothered, and Jason certainly appeared to find it a delightful idea.

  Jed shot a murderous look over his shoulder at the spectacle but went on creeping away.

  We walked to the trail mostly in silence besides Kage cursing Jed under his breath. Heading downhill once more, we scouted to make sure no one else was out who might see Jason or Jed, then Kage tenderly set Jason down and rubbed his chin with a finger.

  “Can you walk back, princess?”

  Jason wagged his tail, then went on limping beside Kage back to the Jeep.

  All the way, I burned for wanting to know what had happened. The hike was a good thing before having to ask—giving nerves a chance to settle and Kage time to calm down.

  We were parked in a gravel turn out by a trail that wasn’t intended for parking at all. The two-lane road on one side, glen on the other. We should be getting back on the road to reach the coast before dark. Or, at this point, just find wherever we were spending the night before it got dark.

  Instead, we gathered there on the grass-side of the Jeep and trailer, waiting for them to change while infrequent cars passed on the other side of our barrier.

  Rain hit again. And cleared again.

  Jason changed inside. I joined them to make sure he was all right.

  He tugged on dark-wash jeans and sat on the end of the bench seat for the folded table while Kage fussed at him like a grandmother.

  “Can still see where it was. We have arnica. I’ll put something—”

  “It’s fine, Sparky—” Jason pulled away from Kage, feeling over his own neck and top of his shoulder.

  I shut the door and leaned on it.

  “I’m fine,” he told me before I asked. “Really—”

  “Bash his fucking face in next time I’m in fur—”

  “Kage,” I said quietly. “That’s enough. You’ve all been in plenty of fights. What happened, Jay?”

  “I have no idea. That’s what freaked me out—”

  “He doesn’t need a reason to go for us—”

  “Kage, please. Go on, Jason.”

  “Nothing to tell. I caught the deer trail and I thought, was that really all he was after? So I ran catch-up, get in the same trail, you know? In case there was something else. He whirled around and went for my throat. Didn’t growl, nothing.”

  “I bet he thought you were something else. Appearing out of nowhere?”

  Kage snorted. “So vulture-face couldn’t figure out he’d made a ‘mistake’?”

  I hesitated. That was a good point. Not only had Jed refused to release Jason with people running and yelling at him, but he’d showed every sign of meaning to go back in for another attack even after being thrown by magic.

  I rubbed my sore right arm. “Let’s talk to him. And, Kage, just listen. See what he has to say. Then we’ll get out of here.”

  Jed had changed and pulled on motorcycle pants—or trousers, whatever—from the Jeep by the time we stepped out. Kage was thankfully kept busy finding ointment to rub on Jason’s neck—which did still show pink bite marks and bruising of a newly healing wound.

  I shouldn’t have switched to decaf all of a sudden. Wished I had a tall latte right now. And a few shots of brandy.

  Zar sat in the open door of the Jeep, chewing a twist of grass. Gabriel waited by his bike. Andrew was eating a banana and rummaging for more food under the seats where we’d stashed snacks, although the cooler and most provisions were in the trailer.

  Isaac stood by the trailer, watching Jed, still frowning a little. He’d thought that was weird also. I was glad to know this. Making progress, then? Others also expecting more from Jed than that he might go off randomly at any moment?

  “You okay?” I looked for lingering wounds on Jed as I walked up.

  Jed was pulling on his boots and still avoided me, his side to me, never looking my way. He didn’t answer but he looked untouched. Ridiculous how muscular they were. I’d been getting used to it. Still, seeing Isaac, Kage, or Jed in particular shirtless in daylight remained startling.

  “Let’s talk for a minute so you can tell me what happened before we get back on the road.”

  On cue, the sun burst through clouds which were fleeing across the sky. The loch stretched away, now rippling in the wind, reflecting light with shifting reflections. We didn’t have the height vantage up here but it was still stunning.

  “I’m fine,” Jed growled, pulling on the second boot.

  “Not about that.” I looked around to Jason, joining us.

  Also shirtless, he gripped his right arm with his left hand, eyes still nervous, keeping ten feet from Jed.

  “What happened?” I asked Jed as he straightened up and turned his back on the Jeep. “You smelled a deer?”

  “I wouldn’t have gone far.” He glared out toward the loch. “Wasn’t taking off.”

  “That’s fine then. No harm done. Except how’d there end up being a fight?”

  “Why don’t you ask him?”

  I glanced at Jason.

  He broke his grip to hold up both hands. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Jed snarled something in Lucannis.

  “English, please. Jed—”

  “He was having a go at me while I was having a chase,” Jed spat. “Then he comes up—”

  “I didn’t do anything to you.” Jason’s voice rose, incredulous. “Are you mental? I was trying to catch up because I was the only one in fur. Trying to find the trail you had.”

  “Right—that’s all you were doing. I’m the monster and you’re the victim—always. Everyone knows you’re a bloody manipulative liar but all you have to do is bat your eyes and walk free.”

  “Stop.” I help up both hands. “Jed, just tell me exactly what happened. No feelings, no guesses at motivations, no assumptions. Only what happened.”

  “I ran after a herd. That dark star ran—”

  “Only what actually happened.”

  Jed grit his teeth. “Jason ran at my flank. I turned and got him before he could get me.”

  “Before he could get you? So �
� he was showing his teeth? Did he growl at you? Did he bump into you?”

  Jed shook his head, still scowling at the loch.

  “He ran up, near your flank, you heard him, turned, and attacked him? Is that right?”

  Jed nodded.

  “Jason, is that what happened?”

  “Yeah … like a tornado. No idea—”

  “Of course you have no idea,” Jed snarled, finally looking around at him. “You never have any idea. All out of the blue. Because you’re the innocent, pup-eyed liar who could cheat Moon of a clear night—”

  “Wait,” I interrupted again. “So, Jed, what is it you thought Jason was going to do?”

  “Start a fight.”

  “Okay… Why?”

  “Why?” He stared at me. “Do you know nothing about him? Do you believe everything he tells you? Have you never noticed how he provokes fights and hunts attention to destroy others and get Kage to save him? Do you have any idea how many opportunities he’s had to get me personally into lockdown or other trouble with the pack that he did not pass up?”

  “Okay,” I said again. “So you had reasonable justification to think that Jason running at you from behind might be trouble. I get that.”

  Jed nodded, easing up a little. By the trailer, Jason still looked aggrieved.

  “A misunderstanding,” I continued. “You have a bad history and he ran up on you. You snapped at him—”

  Kage couldn’t contain himself any longer. “And wouldn’t fucking back down? Wouldn’t let go? That wasn’t ‘snapping’ out of—”

  “I thought the same thing, but maybe—”

  “Of course you did,” Jed growled at me, moving farther away, tense again. “Because you—like every wolf from silver to pup—is taken in by him and the innocent victim routine. Just as blind as everyone else. He went to work on you right from the start. So he can get away with anything—as always.”

  While Jed spoke, Zar stood up from the Jeep. Andrew stepped forward. Kage growled softly behind me at the trailer and Isaac also came into view in my peripheral vision. It was Jed’s tone aimed at me that was doing it—cutting, sarcastic.

  “Let’s walk down to the loch.” I stepped forward, offering my hand.