by Erin Kelly
We’re coming, Korban, she thought to herself as the others got ready. She prayed that they would find him back at the trailer, smiling that Cheshire-cat grin of his and looking relieved that she was also safe and sound.
~*~
Korban woke up after another fitful nap and wondered why he even bothered trying to sleep. It seemed every time he tried to doze off it only made him more exhausted to wake up cold, hungry, naked and alone. He wondered what Sophie was doing now. She must be looking for him, worried sick, and sadly with good reason. But on the off chance that maybe she’d been captured too...
No. She would be in this room, wouldn’t she? And he’d be even more enraged to have her exposed to those two bumbling idiot guards, whoever this Davey was, and all these other wolves. Silver or not, he wouldn’t let those bars stand between him and Sophie. He contemplated the chance to escape. If he could stand it, he could bend those bars, he was sure of it. Once he’d regained his strength he easily could, burning sensation or not.
The thoughts that remained with him while he was awake were no different than his nightmares any more. Visions of being forced to murder another man, to have to face another werewolf... He kept replaying many clips from his own life in his mind. A stupid school yard fight when he was younger. Only this time instead of facing the school yard bully who picked on RJ it was with the massive black wolf, who moved so fast he only saw the blur of dark fur, a flash of bright silver glinting as he pounced. His scar along his collar stung with the memory of those sharp teeth that sealed his fate.
He could see the doctors then, the men and women in their surgical masks who hovered around him, poking and prodding him and the injections of drugs that wore off all too quickly. Until finally Alex and RJ, along with Pops were there, hovering over him, calling his name, bringing him back from the hell he’d gone through.
It was so different, those white and bright, clean walls compared to this dark, cramped prison. And yet, the feelings were the same. He felt trapped and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. His eyes flickered in the darkness, tried to find the exit. One of the others snorted in his sleep, and he glanced into the opposite direction... somewhere over there in the inky blackness he was sure he could see the shadow of a door.
And suddenly the wolf was stirring inside him. Even though the full moon had just passed he could almost feel the fur brush beneath his skin. Waking up early, pissed off that his Mate was not near, that he was stuck in a cage, starving and unable to escape. There was danger, and the wolf was trying to take over, to defend himself where the human side had failed. But shifting here and now, to lose control, that would mean putting the other prisoners here in danger, or worse, he would be in danger of losing himself completely, and become nothing but a mindless and bloodthirsty Wolven. Which would be perfect for their sick form of entertainment, their own personal werewolf Fight Club.
He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He wished he could talk with the others, and maybe together they could figure a way out of there. But he’d caused enough pain for them already and it was only his first day there, as far as he could tell. Another opportunity would come up, and maybe then they could work together and find a way out of this. He felt dizzy and weak, usually after a full moon he’d wake up safe in the garage, RJ would have coffee and breakfast going, the smell of it divine in his memory and he felt his mouth water. His stomach grumbled once more in protest.
He ignored his hunger and thirst as best as he could, and tried to focus on good things waiting back home. He thought of RJ and Alex, and most of all, Sophie. She had to be safe out there. She was many things, but helpless was not one of them. He’d come to realize that since he first met her. She wasn’t some damsel in distress, even when he rescued her from a vicious Wolven she had proven to be much more than that.
If there was anyone out there who could save him- save them all, it was Sophie. As long as there was hope he wouldn’t fall into the darkness. He clung to that thread with all he could. His sanity and life depended on it.
~*~
Once again they were searching through the forest, but this time Sophie was more alert. The first time she’d woken on two legs the forest all appeared to be the same to her eyes. Now there were subtle differences as they wandered along a familiar path, a patch of flowers here and a bit of moss there- things that made certain areas stand out. They kept their conversations short but pleasant, and quiet in case they missed out on an unusual noise or audible clue that would lead them to their missing pack mates.
Sophie glanced up at the sky through the trees. White, fluffy patches of cloud floated high above them, bright against the pale blue. She would cross her fingers every once in a while. Korban had a stronger memory of being a wolf. Maybe when they found him they could get even more clues to find Hati for his pack.
The path split up ahead and she stopped. “I think… the trailer may be this way,” she thought she recognized the way and once again wished she could remember more from when she was a wolf.
Freki moved forward, sniffed the air and nodded. “You have good instincts; I can smell your scent in that direction.”
Sophie tilted her head a little and asked, “You can track my scent, but you haven’t been able to get a hint of Korban yet?”
“I can track scents I am familiar with, people and wolves I have met,” he confessed a bit sheepishly. “But to be honest without something with Korban’s scent I may not be able to track him directly, werewolf or not. This forest is already teeming with scents, and believe it or not, there are actually a lot of strange werewolf scents around the area.”
“So there are other werewolves out here in the Adirondacks? Right now?” Sophie shouldn’t have been so surprised, but it had seemed like her and Korban were the only two werewolves out here in the wilderness until she’d run into Val and Odin’s pack.
“Yeah, it’s kind of crazy how many of us are out here at the moment,” Freki led the way as they started down the path to the left. “Lots of people like us are up here, especially this time of year. Wide open spaces, plenty of critters to hunt, and only a few humans before the real camping season opens anyway. We heard it was safe and quiet up here from another werewolf, and we were passing through anyway, so we decided to camp and check it out. It was everything he said it was, until the full moon when Hati disappeared.”
“How long were you guys here before he vanished?” Sophie asked as they walked along.
“We’d been here two weeks before he went missing,” Val piped up, “Not too long after the thaw. We only planned on staying until after the full moon. We don’t stay in one place too long.”
Of course they wouldn’t, and Sophie knew and understood why. Valkyrie and Odin had three important reasons to avoid quarantine back at the den. The longer they could avoid being caught, the better.
A breeze brushed by them from up ahead and Sophie froze. Between the scent of flora and fauna she caught his distinct musk and her heart skipped a beat. “Korban,” she breathed out his name.
She rushed ahead, her own human nose worked as hard as she could. Freki and Val flanked her, followed her as his scent grew closer. Her heart raced as the smell grew stronger, and she sprinted toward him. “Korban!” She called out to him again, feeling as though she would burst at the sight of him as she rounded the corner where his scent seemed to be coming from.
The tiny clearing opened before her, empty, and her heart sank. She saw it there, right where they had left it- the bag with her and Korban’s clothing for after the full moon. His scent was faded from the clearing itself, but when she went over to where he’d hung the borrowed clothes; his strong scent filled her nostrils. She approached the bag slowly. If Korban hadn’t found his way back here… was he really lost, like Hati? Maybe somehow he’d ended up finding the trailer, or went there to try and find Sophie first.
She pulled the bag down and cradled it close to her chest, breathed in his scent. She jumped when Val gently clapped a hand on her shoulder. “That should h
elp us find him,” Valkyrie said as she offered a smile.
“Oh yeah, that will work,” Freki said. “We’ll find your trailer in no time, and who knows? Maybe we’ll at least have one reunion to celebrate tonight.”
Sophie fought back the urge to howl in sorrow and frustration. She managed to swallow the lump in her throat, “Let’s keep going then.”
“Yeah, we should keep tracking for as long as we can before the rain hits,” Valkyrie pointed up to the sky.
Sophie turned her attention back up above them and saw the puffy clouds that had gathered had turned gray. She almost laughed. It was like nature had turned to match her mood. She reluctantly handed the bag to Freki when he held out his hand, and he held it up to his nose, took in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. He turned and gestured to another direction. “This way.”
They followed him, and Sophie let him lead the way, suddenly very quiet. She couldn’t get her hopes up again like that. She prayed she was wrong, but she couldn’t fight the sinking feeling that Korban had remained in that trap… and hopefully the others would find him before something terrible happened to him.
11: MANHUNT
Korban wasn’t at the trailer, and as their trail went cold and dark clouds gathered above them Val suggested they started to head back to the den. Defeated for now, Sophie agreed without much protest.
They gathered up a some supplies, and Sophie collected the bag with their clothes from the night before the full moon. She left a note for Korban just in case he did show up here when they were gone. She wanted to leave directions to the den too, but Val seemed nervous. She wrote down in the letter how they would check in on the trailer until she found him, and that she was safe where she was for now. She added for him to stay put and wait for her, and almost signed it “With Love”, but stopped herself. She wanted to say it the first time out loud to him, not write it. She should have told him before. Even now her hand shook as she finished the message.
It wasn’t much, but Sophie hoped he would get there and read the message. She felt drained and heartbroken. She wanted to keep searching. They had Korban’s scent now, and she wanted to keep moving while the trail was fresh in the forest. There were always risks, but that shouldn’t stop them. With every passing minute it seemed their chance to find him shrunk.
“We should get back and rendezvous with the others, maybe they found something,” Val suggested, a sympathetic look in her wolf-like eyes. “I’m sorry we didn’t find him here, but at least we have something to go on. Maybe if they found another one of those traps, Freki will be able to pick up his scent.”
They made it back to the campsite before the rain began to pour, and the final blow of the day was discovering that Odin and Geri hadn’t found anything at all in their search that day.
“Unfortunately nothing to be found in the directions we picked today, but we’ll pick up the search for more traps tomorrow,” Odin tried to reassure everyone as the rain began to fall.
Sophie quietly retired for the night into her tent and no one stopped her. A solemn comradery fell around them as they each missed their lost pack mate, and swallowed the bitter defeat of another day over without many answers.
Sophie curled into her sleeping bag as the rain pelted the plastic covering of her tent. Korban was still out there, somewhere. She reached and opened up the bag of clothes, and took out one of his shirts that she had packed. She drew the shirt close and buried her face into it, breathed in his scent of pine trees, male musk, and home.
Tears welled in her eyes as her emotions weighed heavy on her heart. She wanted to go out there, storm or not, and continue to search for him. Was he stuck in one of those traps out there in the rain? Was he hungry or hurt? “Where are you now, Korban?” she whispered out loud, and wished somehow she would know the answer.
~*~
To Korban’s surprise when he woke he found himself tangled in a net, staring up at a clear blue sky.
How he’d ended up here, he couldn’t remember. The soft sounds of the waking forest filled the air. Had that horrible place been just a nightmare? It had been so vivid.
Cool air brushed against his bare, warm skin. He rubbed his eyes, sniffed the air. He caught a hint of mint and vanilla in the midst of the wild scent of forest. “Sophie?” he called to her.
She appeared above the trap and looked down at him with a smile. “There you are!” she laughed. “How’d you end up down there?”
He blushed. She was already dressed in their borrowed clothes and put a hand on her hip as she gazed down into the pit. “I… sort of stumbled upon it. Help me outta here?”
Sophie nodded, then leapt down into the net with a carefree laugh, rolling beside him as the net caught her too. Her arms slid around him and he was suddenly very okay to be stuck in the net as she straddled his body and gazed down upon him. “I’ve got you where I want you now.”
Korban moaned, “Sophie…”
She bent down and her lips met his and for a blissful, long moment the world melted away. When she broke away he almost whimpered, and her finger rested on his lips. “Shh… quiet, they’re coming.”
“Sophie?” Korban inquired, and she put a finger to her lips.
“Shhh…”
His head began to hurt, and a low growl made him jump- then he realized it was his stomach. He opened his mouth to speak again and Sophie urgently shook her head at him. “They’re here.”
He was greeted again by darkness.
“Shit man, you even talk in your sleep? Shut up, they’re here!” Hati hissed.
Korban groaned. The dream wasn’t a nightmare, this place he’d ended up in was, and he already missed the peaceful, floating feeling and the memory of Sophie’s kiss.
“Who’s Sophie?” asked Spike in a hushed whisper, but the double doors opened once more, the lights clicked on and blinded them, and he went silent.
Three men walked in today. The new stranger led the way, and though he was slightly shorter than drill sergeant he was built like him- pure, lean muscle. He carried himself like he was in charge, and at the suddenly cowering looks of Jimmy and his partner in crime this was their ring leader.
His eyes adjusted on the leader, who wore a tan colored tank top and camouflage pants, complete with black combat boots. He had short, shaggy brown hair with long bangs that shielded his eyes, and a rough looking goatee that circled and emphasized his grim frown. Unlike the other two, he didn’t wear a ski mask to hide his identity. “Why didn’t you tell me we had a new guest, Earl?”
Drill sergeant flinched as if he’d been struck and quickly stammered, “It was after the full moon and we had it under control, you seemed exhausted so we handled it.”
The ring leader stopped near Korban’s cage. “Wasted a silver bullet I see. We’ll have to move him.”
“I’m sorry Davey, really,” Earl swallowed anxiously. “It won’t happen again. I swear it.”
“It better not,” Davey growled, then kneeled down so he was face to face with Korban.
Korban’s eyes narrowed, but then widened in surprise. Davey’s eyes also opened in amazement, and then a slow grin spread across his face. “Well look at that, boys,” Davey’s grin continued to widen, more menacing- like baring his teeth to snarl. “We caught something really special in our trap this time.”
Korban’s heart raced, threatened to burst from his chest. His dry mouth only seemed to get drier. Davey’s laughed, but the merriment of his voice never reached his eyes.
His yellow, wolf-like eyes that were frighteningly too familiar.
“What’s your name, pal?” Davey asked, studied him over as he circled his crate.
“Korban Diego,” he managed to croak in a weak voice. He tried to remain confident and strong but his empty stomach was beginning to take its toll.
“Korban Diego,” Davey repeated, then smirked and licked his lips. “I’m David, David Bailey. Friends call me Davey. You know… we’ve been doin’ this awhile but you’re the first one I’ve
seen with special eyes like mine. Has it always been this way for you too?”
He nodded and regretted the move as the room seemed to spin a little after. He grimaced as his stomach growled.
Davey chuckled. “Wow. Wowee.” He frowned and turned to face Earl and Jimmy. “You two not bein’ hospitable to our new guest? No food or water?”
“N-no sir, Davey, just like ye said, he’s been dry since we checked in yesterday-” Earl began, but shrunk at the look Davey gave him.
His expression smoothed by the time he turned around. “Korban here is special. Go get some steaks on, rare, and bring him a beer. Hell, bring one for the whole group. We’re goin’ to party tonight, and get back to training tomorrow.”
The two minions and the three other werewolves stared at Davey, expressions filled with surprise, curiosity, and a hint of mistrust. Davey merely smiled down at Korban. “We’ll keep him strong, and ready to fight. I want him to be ready for the next battle. I expect that he will be one helluva opponent.” He had a dreamy, starry-eyed look. “This will be… my greatest battle. Finally against a truly worthy werewolf. Someone just like me.”
~*~
A cold chill woke her, something colder than the damp mountain air raced down her spine and her eyes flashed open as her body jolted awake. There was no hazy moment of bliss this morning, only the harsh reality that Korban was still gone, only made worse by the unshakable feeling that he was in danger. She neatly folded his shirt and tucked it back into the bag with the rest of his clothes before she rolled up the sleeping bag and headed out of the tent.
The campsite was quiet; it seemed she was the first one awake again this morning. The sky above was lightening up, the rising sun still covered with a thick blanket of clouds. There was nothing she wanted to do more than to get out there and keep searching. The sooner they started the sooner they would find them. Her stomach twisted as that feeling that nagged her wouldn’t go away. She whimpered under her breath and began to pace. No one else was awake yet, and as tempting as it was to go run off and try to search on her own, she knew it would be foolish to go off alone. If she ended up stuck in one of those wolf traps, she’d be no better off than she was now. Stuck, alone, and Korban still out there, somewhere, probably also stuck and alone.
