The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  A mountain of fur came between him and the barrel. The bear had leapt to save him. At first Connor didn’t know what to do. The bear sputtered up blood and went limp while Mutt tried desperately to reload his gun. Connor watched the light leave the father’s eyes. If he could speak, Connor would have thanked him from the bottom of his heart. With haste he sprinted from the diner.

  The few bikers outside were lost in the confusion. The mother sprinted for the road with her child clutched firmly in her arms. They were quickly intercepted by Connor’s ratty old truck.

  “Get in!” Tess shouted.

  The mother felt it was no time to argue, stuffing Greta in the bed of the truck before pulling herself over the side. Gunshots fired around them, Connor felt stings in his hide but he pushed past the pain that shouted through all of his muscles, and leapt into the back of the truck. The mother cradled her child as Tess hammered the gas. The tires spun briefly before finding traction to shoot them down the road.

  Connor watched in earnest as Eli ran from the restaurant, gun in hand. Despite the distance, he still fired his shotgun at the fleeing truck. One of the pellets grazed Connor’s ear, but didn’t cause him to flinch.

  Greta stared with teary eyes at the powerful alpha that stood watch over them.

  “Thank you,” the mother said through sobs. She kissed her daughter over and over then held her tightly while they sped away.

  Connor said nothing but watched vigilantly behind them until they were well beyond the range of the hunter. His heart raced and he wondered how long it would be until he would have to stare down the barrel of that gun, again.

  CHAPTER 9

  “Where’s my husband?” the mother asked.

  Connor, still in wolf shape, watched the road pass behind the truck on the quiet stretch of pavement without making a sound. She understood what his silence meant and sunk further into the truck bed. The daughter wiped her tears away and looked up at the proud wolf that protected them with awe. The shock of the moment had gotten to them all. Connor had one thought on his mind: protection. He needed to make sure Tess got to her destination safely even if it meant that he didn’t. He knew he would have done the same thing that the now dead father had done just moments ago.

  Connor glanced back at Tess who sat nervously gnawing on her fingernails in the driver’s seat. The window that separated the truck bed from the cabin was cracked from tiny chunks of silver that were embedded in the glass.

  Once again, their little truck had saved them from a catastrophe. And, instead of protecting them from bears, it was saving bears. Connor smirked from what he thought was a poetic moment.

  He heard the sound of a motorcycle lumbering just out of sight but coming up fast behind them. There were no cross streets, or spaces to turn off the main road. They would have to face this enemy head on. He braced himself to jump from the back of the truck while his fur whipped about in the open breeze of the truck bed. He would need to end this quick in order to keep everyone safe. A stray gunshot could spell disaster. The motorcycle came into view. A single rider was bore upon the back of the metal beast and in almost no time at all he closed the gap.

  There was something familiar about the rider. His clothing didn’t seem to fit him right, his shirt was far too large for his size and his leather chaps fit about the same. It was Alex.

  Of course it would be Alex.

  He passed the cab and Connor nodded, Alex returned the gesture. The loud roar of the engine was deafening for Connor but he was glad to see a familiar face in enemy territory, even if it was Alex’s.

  “Follow me!” he said, shouting at Tess through the driver’s side window.

  Alex shot ahead of the truck with a twist of the throttle. Tess obliged him, following closely behind. They drove for miles, and after almost an hour had passed, his motorcycle began to slow.

  He turned off the beaten path, between a few trees. The dirt path was almost invisible to the road. It was difficult to maneuver around with the truck but Tess managed well enough. Connor trusted Alex enough to accept his help.

  After a minute or two of driving, a forest clearing emerged ahead of them. Inside the clearing a row of huts lined up beside the tree line to the right, while in the center a fire pit smoldered. Alex pulled his motorcycle over by the nearest cabin and dismounted. Connor leapt from the bed of the truck while the mother and her child poked their heads up to view the scene. The daughter rubbed at her nose.

  “It’s alright,” Alex said, “nothing can find us back here.”

  Connor growled at Alex but let his humanity return to him. His paws stretched and split into human hands. His muscles strained and snapped over his still shifting bones, causing him to cry out in pain. As he stood to his full height he felt blood dripping down his shoulder from where the pellet grazed his ear.

  Tess ran over to him to inspect his injuries. Connor wasn’t used to bleeding for so long. Werewolf injuries healed quickly unless made by another shifter, or silver.

  “Thank you,” Connor whispered, taking the spare clothes that Tess provided him from the truck. Connor could already feel Samantha’s eyes trying their best to get a good view of his dick without staring and he turned toward the truck to change.

  “You’ll be fine in a few minutes,” Tess said, “It isn’t healing fast but it’s still healing.”

  “It looks like he just needs a drink,” Alex said. He strolled over to a nearby cooler and pulled out a half-drank bottle of whiskey.

  “For the victory,” Alex said. He pulled the stopper and belted down a hearty drink then offered the same to Connor who stared at him straight faced. “Lighten up,” he added, “You survived this time.”

  Connor’s fist flew out, catching Alex by the chin. Alex reeled back to catch his balance from the surprise.

  “What the hell was that for!?” Alex barked.

  “That was a goddamn hunter you moron. Mutt hired him to find you and kill you. Don’t you get it? This isn’t a game anymore. You can’t just run around and do as you please. There are real consequences for you actions.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Alex shouted back. He took another swig from the bottle before Connor snatched the bottle from his hand. He downed the remainder of the bottle, tossing the empty glass back to Alex.

  “What the hell were you doing there?” Alex asked surprised and angry, “and with my sister no less. Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

  “He was taking me back to the Cliff Walker den,” Tess chimed in.

  “So, you’re just taking her somewhere safe? Hell of a way to do it,” Alex said sarcastically.

  “Kid,” Connor clenched his fist, “Don’t start with me.”

  “You wanna know what you just did? You messed up three days of tracking in just twenty minutes,” Alex said, “That hunter has been incredibly elusive.”

  “Why the hell are you looking for the hunter?” Tess asked.

  “I thought it would be obvious,” Alex said, “After the last fight with the bears, something didn’t seem right. He shot at the bears but not wolves, figured I could beat a few answers out of him.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Tess said.

  He gawked at her before plopping down on the patio of the largest cabin.

  “It’s better than sitting in a den and doing nothing,” he said with a sarcastic smile.

  Tess balled up her fist but Connor held her back. He’d wondered why they only found silver bullets in the bears as well. Now after seeing the hunter kill bears in an effort to find the bear alpha; Connor had even more questions.

  “Did you figure anything out?” Connor asked.

  “Not a thing,” he replied.

  Connor released Tess and she stamped off to find a silent place away from her brother. Samantha stayed close to the mother who was trying her best to hold back tears for her lost husband. Greta held her hand, sniffling.

  “I guess there is one thing,” Alex started, “the hunter isn’t working alone.”

&n
bsp; “Like, the army of bikers that he brought along?” Connor asked sarcastically, “Yeah, I kinda saw that.”

  Alex grabbed a couple beers from, tossing one to Connor. He was already guzzling down his beer while Connor was unsure if now was the right time to be drinking.

  “They aren’t hunters,” Alex said.

  “But they had guns, with silver bullets,” Connor stated for the record, “that’s good enough for me.”

  “Anyone with a gun and silver bullets doesn’t count as a real hunter,” Alex replied, “At least not like this one.”

  “Where did you find this out?” Connor asked.

  “With my own eyes,” Alex said, “Hunters are more capable than I thought.” Alex adjusted himself on the porch. Then with a stick from the ground he started picking at the muck on the bottom of his shoe. “I thought they were just regular people, but when I first came across this hunter, well, he surprised me. He’s fast and a bit stronger than a normal person. I finally managed to track him just yesterday. He had a van that he was camping out of.”

  Connor listened carefully as Alex spoke. Anything he could use to kill this hunter was good to know. Tess, having finally let out her frustrations was on her way back to join them at the fire pit.

  “Somehow he knew I was there even though I could barely see him. But, that wasn’t what surprised me. What was amazing is when a pair of bears, big ones, came to try to kill him.”

  “I can tell they failed by the fact that we met him inside the restaurant earlier,” Connor said.

  “Exactly,” Alex said, “it wasn’t even a fight. He toyed with them like they were bulls in a bullfighting ring. He fired his gun and ducked every swipe. He knew how they fought and that’s what scared me.”

  Connor could hold his own against a single bear, but to easily fend off two of them was madness. If he could function that well against a couple bears, there was no telling how easily he’d handle a pack of wolves.

  “Where’s Cynthia,” Tess asked innocently.

  Alex tossed aside his stick and stood back to his feet with a grunt.

  “She’s spending time with her father. They’ll probably be back soon,” Alex said.

  “Are you guys doing alright?” she asked.

  “We’re doing well,” Alex laughed, “thanks for asking.”

  “Thanks for saving my life,” Samantha walked over and gave Alex a hug, “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to say it sooner.” She started to remove the leather jacket he’d given her, but Alex stopped her.

  “Keep it,” he said, “I kinda stole it anyway.”

  She giggled and zipped it up to fight against the mid-day cold.

  “You still need to tell me why the hell you brought Samantha all the way out here, especially after our little argument,” Alex said.

  Connor stood upright and stared Alex right in the eye.

  “I’m going into the bear den. I need to talk to their alpha,” he replied.

  Alex laughed a little, but then laughed harder with each passing second. He doubled over from the ridiculous notion he’d heard.

  “Are you kidding? That’s suicide! And, I was just about to think you were smart after I saw you finally decided to listen to her,” he said, gesturing toward Samantha.

  “What do you expect me to do? Sit at home and wait for another bear attack?” Connor asked using Alex’s own words against him.

  “You could do something smart,” he replied, “Has Samantha at least told you why the bears are attacking in the first place?”

  Connor nodded.

  “Wolves killed the bear alpha’s wife and he wants revenge,” Connor said.

  “And you think going straight there to talk sense into him is the best idea?” Alex asked.

  “As I said, it’s better than nothing,” he replied.

  “Alex, Connor is only trying to do right by the bears. You were there last time, there’s no way the den can survive another attack like that,” Tess pleaded, looking for some sympathy from her brother.

  He held a hand up to meet her and bowed his head.

  “Tess, I love you, but even you know this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard,” Alex said.

  “Then what the hell am I supposed to do!?” Connor shouted, “You call me an idiot and offer no advice of your own. You’re not the one that has an entire den to protect. What would you know of leadership?”

  Alex dropped his hand, staring Connor down. There was power in their gaze as they battled within their minds. Alex took a step closer to Connor. Connor didn’t back down. He was the alpha dog, and he wasn’t going to let some mutt show him up.

  “I tried to give you advice before I left. I told you to talk to Samantha, to figure out why everything was happening in the first place, and you threw it in my face. Some leader, completely unwilling to listen to his own pack,” Alex chided.

  “Coming from a coward,” Connor snapped back.

  Alex stamped towards Connor; Tess tried her best to hold him back. She struggled against him but it was no good, she hadn’t the strength to stop her brother. Connor waited for Alex to throw a punch, practically begging him to do it, but it didn’t come.

  “Do you understand what it means to be a leader?” Alex asked pushing his face right into Connor’s, “You’ve been so busy being shunned by your dad that I don’t think you’ve ever seen how an alpha is supposed to act.”

  Connor looked Alex square in the eye. He stood almost a head taller than Alex and had nearly twice as much muscle, but Alex wasn’t backing down.

  “Then you lead the pack,” Connor said.

  Tess looked at her mate and narrowed her eyes to scold him. Connor wasn’t in the mood to be scolded, so he ignored her angry stares. Alex took a step back. His hand reached up and slapped Connor across the cheek. Connor growled, tightening his muscles to be ready to strike back.

  “Anyone willing to give up on their pack so easily doesn’t deserve to be the leader,” Alex walked around Connor and saddled up to his motorcycle. Before he could start the bike, the hum of engines echoed down the path. Connor worried that they might have been found by the hunters so he wheeled himself around to meet the new attackers. But, Alex dismounted from his bike with a heavy sigh.

  “Welcome back,” Alex shouted.

  The gang of six bikers pushed past the tree line and parked in the spaces beside Alex’s motorbike. Cynthia leapt from the lead bike to jump on Alex. Her legs wrapped around his torso while her lips covered him with kisses.

  The largest of the bikers eased off his chopper to join Alex. If Mutt was a giant then this guy was a titan. The suspension of his motorcycle squeaked as he got off. His leather vest just barely covered his torso. You could have painted a mural on his broad chest, and considering the number of tattoos he had, it seemed like he did.

  “We leave for two hours and you invite guests? What the hell did I miss?” he bellowed. Greta ran up to the large man and embraced his leg. He curled his hand around the back of her shirt and lifted her to eye level to meet her with a confused expression. “And, why are there bears in my camp?”

  CHAPTER 10

  “Let her go! Please!” the bear mother pleaded running over to her daughter.

  “I wasn’t goin’ to hurt the little rascal, Ms…?”

  “Beth,” she said, holding out her arms to try to grab at her daughter hovering over her head.

  “And, who might you be?” the biker asked holding the girl close to his face.

  She reached out with her tiny hands and played with his beard. The biker laughed loudly and tickled at the child’s cheek.

  “Greta,” Beth said, “her name is Greta.”

  “I’m Crunch,” the biker said into Greta’s tiny face.

  “Crunch, may I please have my daughter back?” Beth asked, exasperatedly.

  Crunch looked down at the woman with a smile that covered his entire face while lowering Greta into Beth’s welcoming arms.

  “Still, who the hell let bears into my camp, no matter
how cute they are,” Crunch asked, straightening his clothes as he stood to his full height. He was a whole head taller than Connor, and probably weighed twice as much.

  “I did,” Connor said, stepping forward.

  “And who the hell are you?” Crunch asked.

  “He’s my boyfriend,” Tess said.

  “Can someone relevant tell me who these people are?” Crunch was getting frustrated.

  “That’s my sister, Tess. This moron is Connor,” Alex said, pointing at Connor, “He’s the leader of my old pack.”

  “Why did you bring ‘em here?” Crunch wondered.

  “They were on the run from the hunter,” Alex said, “I couldn’t just let them get shot on the road.”

  Crunch sighed and motioned to the silver haired man to his right.

  “Scab, get a fire goin’. It’ll be cold soon and with children around we should probably get something cooking. There’s a lot I need to hear.”

  Scab hopped to it and before long the fire raged in the middle of the clearing and the smell of fresh barbecue wafted about the camp, causing everyone’s mouths to water. Connor and Alex joined Crunch by the fire to chat. The large biker settled himself into his favorite place on his tree stump while Alex sat to his left on a fallen log. Connor stood with his arms crossed on the other side of the roaring fire.

  “So you’re seriously thinking about going into the bear den to talk to their alpha? What do you think that’ll accomplish except for your early death?” Crunch scratched his head as he spoke, trying to make sense of it all.

  “What else am I supposed to do? There are people fighting and dying and the least I could do is try to talk some sense into the one person who could end it,” Connor urged.

  “See what I mean?” Alex said, breathing a heavy sigh.

  “Listen, Connor. This guy was willing to rally every bear on the mountain to his cause so he could wipe out all the wolves. Anyone capable of doing something as crazy as that isn’t interested in talking,” Crunch continued.