by SJ Himes
“Sit down, Gerald.”
He waited, and Gerald hesitantly sat, a glower etched on his dark features. His mother must have been of a mixed heritage, as Gerald was darker than his sire, in skin and hair, and the only thing reminiscent of his father was the shape of his eyes and mouth. He wasn’t unattractive, not by any means, in fact he was quite good looking, but the aura of discontent and anger he carried around with him left other wolves with the impression of ugliness. He wasn’t ugly—just his behavior and attitude were.
“Talk,” Kane told the other alpha, and Gerald raised his head, confused.
“What about?”
“Why you wanted to know the truth about Red Fern producing only betas and shamans.” Kane dropped his hands on the armrests of his chair, idly looking around the room, staying relaxed. If he kept this casual, Gerald might share.
It took several silent minutes, Gerald glowering all the while, but eventually the lesser alpha relaxed, drooping on the couch and staring at his hands. Kane was amazed by what a small amount of patience did to the older wolf, and he felt a stirring of anger in his heart towards his Clan Leader. Did Caius even take the time to be patient with his sons? Did he care? Why send Gerald away, essentially giving him to Kane, as if he were a lone wolf looking for a new home, and finding nothing but rebuttal everywhere he turned?
It was that thought, that hint of callousness on Caius’ part that gave Kane an inkling of what might be running through Gerald’s head. He breathed in deep breath, and let it out, easing the sudden ache his epiphany gave him.
“You weren’t asking the cubs about Red Fern’s lack of alphas to Challenge Andromeda, were you? You were asking because you wanted to know if you’d be welcome here.” Kane knew he was right when Gerald’s head snapped up, face blank, his dark eyes full of misery and despair.
This is a day for tears indeed. Everywhere I look, a broken wolf waits. If it’s not violence or brutality, it’s casual negligence and indifference.
“How…. How did you know? Did you read my mind?” Gerald snapped, but there was no anger behind his words, just tears he was fighting, and rejection. As if he were waiting for Kane to tell him he had no place asking for permission to join Red Fern. That he had no place anywhere.
“No, Gerald. I did not. You’re an alpha, you would notice if I went prying about in your thoughts.” Kane saw the surprise behind the pain that he would recognize the older wolf was an alpha, even if he was of the lesser type, so far down the power scale it could be argued he was a beta instead. How long has Caius made his son feel worthless, for not being born stronger? A lesser alpha has value, just as our betas do. There is no wolf born among us that has no place in the pack.
Gerald just stared at him, and Kane let the infraction go. Being stared at was rude, but Kane saw no challenge in the other wolf.
“Gerald, do you wish to leave Black Pine? Would you be content to serve Andromeda, a female, and a beta? She would not tolerate any incursion to her authority, so you would be seen as naught but a beta here, unranked and alone.”
“I’m alone anyway,” Gerald spat, clenching his hands on his knees. Not fully broken in spirit then, just battered. “My other brothers are content to ignore me just as Father does, or they have left for other clans. Only Roman remains, and he talks of nothing but dethroning you, and taking over Black Pine, but he is only stronger than me by a slim margin, and he couldn’t even best your Speaker. Your easy defeat of him last week hasn’t done a thing to convince him otherwise. I learned my lesson years ago, but Roman will keep after you until he has taken your place. I can’t stay there anymore, Father will see to that if Roman doesn’t beat him to it. He’ll make me fight you again, and you wouldn’t let me live a second time.”
Kane sat back, thinking over Gerald’s revelation. Roman was Gerald’s brother, and the only other son of their Clan Leader still a member of Black Pine. The others were either dead or had petitioned to other clans for admittance, most leaving after failing to defeat Kane in personal Challenges in the last twenty plus years. Kane had killed two of them in Challenges, after they refused to yield leaving him no option but to take their lives. He’d defeated Gerald in Challenge years ago and spared him once he yielded without hesitation. It had been a fight so swift that it was anticlimactic, as if Gerald had only challenged him because his brothers had, and lost.
“What do you want?” Kane asked, softly, the words hanging between them. Gerald looked at him, thoroughly confused. “It’s not a trap, Gerald. Tell me what you want. Do you wish to leave Black Pine as your brothers have done, seek out a new place in another clan? I think you know how hard that would be, considering your current reputation and behavior. A Clan Leader would have serious reservations about letting you into their clans, even if your father asked it of them.”
“Then it doesn’t matter what I want, I won’t get it. Better to be a lone wolf, than be where I’m not wanted or seen as a burden.” The amount of hopelessness in his voice! Why did I never see past his bad attitude to the pain?
“There is another option.” Kane prayed this wasn’t a mistake, but if this day was to end in something other than more tears and sorrow, he needed to change this wolf’s future. At this moment, Gerald was still a Black Pine wolf, and Kane would never let one of his wolves suffer. “Your father gave you to me, whether that was his true intention or not, by sending you with me. I gather it’s his way of getting rid of you, maybe even expecting me to kill you or chase you off. Callous, but then Caius has been a different man since the day Gray Shadow died, and I see no signs of him improving.”
Gerald was staring, hanging on every word.
“So, Gerald, son of Caius. You are my lesser alpha. My wolf. You are one of my wolves now, no arguments, no question. You have a place with my people, my pack, my team, until you ask me to release you or one of us dies. And I will only release you if you have shown yourself to be an ill fit, but only after an honest effort to try to fit in. If you wish to leave my pack, I will do my best to find you a home where you will be welcome. I expect total loyalty and obedience, and in return, I will protect you, care for you, and do my best to make you welcome. To make sure you are happy and well-treated.” Kane stood, and Gerald gaped at him, his dark skin leeched of color, shock obvious. Kane strode to the couch and pulled the unresisting wolf to his feet. Gerald let him, limp and pliant, and Kane gave him a gentle shake. The other alpha blinked at him and breathed in a ragged gasping lungful. It was obvious he was not expecting anything like he was hearing from Kane, and he took that as a good sign.
“Do you agree? Will you be one of mine and follow me as your alpha? Answerable to me and my lieutenant? Burke will outrank you, as will Sophia, but neither will treat you badly, nor will I. Let me show you how a true alpha cares for his wolves.”
Gerald didn’t answer, but Kane saw the reply he wanted in the other wolf’s eyes. Gerald capitulated and nodded, wiping at his eyes. Kane squeezed his shoulder and dropped his hand. Gerald regained control, and Kane gave him a smile.
“My first task for you, my wolf, is to return to the communal hall and apologize to the mothers you made nervous earlier.” Gerald flushed, but he nodded. Kane smiled at him again and tilted his head to the door. “Come on then. An unpleasant task is better completed quickly, so as not to drag out the torture. And I need lunch, I heard they’re serving corned beef sandwiches.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Kane led the way to the door, Gerald on his heels, and Kane took encouragement from the fact that he could sense nothing from Gerald but a faint pain, and a nascent emotion that was too small to be anything but the beginnings of hope.
When Stars Collide
GHOST HUNKERED down, the group of swift moving stars on the other side of the hill making him nervous. He was at the bottom of a hill, hidden in a windfall of old trees and overgrow raspberry brambles. The night had come sneaking in as Ghost wandered through the
park, the recent snowfall making it hard for him to catch the fresh scent of wolfkin. Twilight was taking forever, the shadows long and black, and he was thankful he was hidden at the base of the hill.
He wasn’t too far from the cabin where Glen and Cat waited, south and east of it, and he had been about to return to his humans for the night when he saw the moving pack of stars running through the trees, and he’d made it to the bottom of the hill in time to hide.
He’d caught the scent of wolves a while ago, days old and covered in snow, and he’d followed it, thinking it might be a regular patrolling path, and the time between when it was laid originally and now making it likely they would be back. So he’d followed the trace, ramping up his double-sight, until he saw every flicker of life in a near-blinding rush of light, even as the sunlight died and night crept over the forest.
He could see the stars of the half dozen creatures on the other side of the hill, as they climbed to the crest, the vibrancy of the lights and the similarity to his own internal star convincing him they were his kind. Wolves, wolfkin. His heart was racing and his legs were shaking, and he could do nothing but stare as they stopped once they gained the top of the hill.
What do I do now? Hide, wait, or call out? Will they be friendly? Do I know them, are they my relatives? My family? Or strangers who won’t tolerate a trespasser?
Ghost saw his first wolfkin in nearly fifteen years as a shadow of brown and black against the snow. His mind instantly told him that the wolf was a female, though her winter coat hid any distinguishing features of her sex. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did, just as he knew that the large dark-brown wolf that appeared beside the female was a male. His instincts screamed that this one was an alpha, his size, the way he moved, the way the other wolves moved around him proclaiming that he was in charge. Ghost thought he was large, and he was compared to real wolves, the ones back at the sanctuary, and compared to his humans, but he was small compared to the brute standing on top of the hill.
The big brown wolf sniffed at the breeze, as the others milled about, some laying down in the snow, others rooting about the base of the trees, sniffing, probably looking for a squirrel or mouse to snack on. The wind was blowing from behind the hill and down it, which meant Ghost was getting a noseful of scents, while the wolves on the hill would not know he was there in the windfall. If he stayed quiet, then they could conceivably pass him by.
Ghost stayed hidden, fascinated by the other wolves, content for the moment to watch. They acted not as wild wolves would, not really. It was in the way they made eye contact, like people did when they were talking to each other. The big brown was sitting now beside the small female, side by side, both of them looking out over the windfall where he was hiding. He thought he heard a buzz, as if he were hearing humans talking over a great distance, too far to catch words. He narrowed his eyes at the wolves, and his double-vison showed him a thin collection of lines, little tendrils of light that all spun out from the big dark brown wolf, a thread to each of the other wolves. They were talking! He was hearing the dull echo of their conversation as they spoke mind to mind, and he got excited. He might be able to speak again! To talk, mind to mind, as he hadn’t since the day he fell in the river!
He was about to gather his courage and reach out to the wolves on the hill, but they all moved, as if to an unspoken command. The big brown flowed down the left side of the hill, the others on his heels, heading north. They passed within meters of his hiding place, but didn’t pause, and disappeared into the trees.
Where are they going? North, heading north….. The cabin! Glen and Cat!
Ghost shot out from the windfall and took off at an angle to the other wolves, running as fast as he could through the trees for the cabin. This was an established patrolling pattern, and the cabin must be checked every few days. He had to get back before the wolfkin did, or Glen might be forced to use to his weapon, and he was no match against six wolves.
*SPEAKER BURKE, the last cabin is a few hundred yards north. It was empty the last time we patrolled this part of the border,* one of the Red Fern betas told him as they ran, her mental voice restrained and polite.
*Doesn’t hurt to check,* Burke replied, and he took the mental cue on which way to go. They breached a dark grove of pines and flowed down a small hill, covering the small open expanse in seconds.
Sophia was just behind him, letting him go first. If there was a threat present in the cabin he would determine what to do about it. She suddenly stopped, and he skidded to a halt, looking back at her in some alarm, thinking she might have landed a paw wrong and hurt herself. She had her nose buried to her eyes in the snow, and her tail was high, hackles raised.
*Here! Burke, come smell this!* Sophia was excited, and he loped back to her side, the others following. He dug under the snow where she was, and breathed deeply, the others spreading out. At first it was nothing, just snow and dirt, but he moved forward a few feet, breathing in deeply every step, when he caught it.
*Do you smell him?* Sophia asked, prancing at his side, her green and black eyes glittering in the shadows. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and he did indeed smell the foreign wolf.
*Young male. Strong, moving fast. Smallish prints, probably a beta by the size. This smells fresh, but the trail dies just a pace or two to the south. Wonder how he did that? Do any of you recognize his scent?* Burke directed that last part to the other wolves, and they all sent back wordless negatives. The Red Fern wolves did not recognize his scent either; so whoever this young male was, he was trespassing on Red Fern territory. Their enemy may have followed them to the park after all. Alone like he was he may be a scout, looking for weaknesses.
*Kane!* Burke called to the presence buried in the back of his mind, the place where Kane left the connection between them open at all times. He was glad for it, as he stared to the north, seeing now the tracks cutting through the snow. There was a wolfkin here, and he’d come from the direction of the cabin, which was supposed to be empty.
*Burke?* Kane’s answer was immediate, his alpha’s presence filling his mind. He sent Kane the scent impressions and the images of the tracks and felt Kane’s anger and satisfaction rise up in the other wolf. *I’m on my way. Surround the cabin, if he’s inside take no action. Stop him if he tries to leave. We may have found one of our traitors.*
*Understood.* Burke took off for the cabin, passing along Kane’s instructions to the others as they ran.
The scent was stronger now, clearer, as were the tracks still visible in the waning twilight. They were only a few hours old, and Burke wondered how the trespasser had managed to conceal his scent and tracks. They should have come across signs of him earlier.
Burke saw a flash of light ahead through the pines, the glow of lamps through cabin windows. He also smelled humans, and the trail they were following came directly from the cabin. No humans were allowed in the park in the off-season, and the park rangers would not come onto the park lands without invitation from Andromeda. It looked like this may be their traitors, working in concert with humans in the slaying and kidnapping of their people. Anger rose in him, and he snarled, hoping he may have a chance to sink his teeth into the wolves who dared betray their own people.
Burke howled, the others crying out with him, and he broke into a small clearing in which a small cabin sat in the center. The lights were on and there was a large civilian truck parked off to the side. He slowed to a halt a few yards from the front porch and howled again.
KANE CHANGED swiftly, throwing his clothes to the ground, making the transition from man to wolf in seconds. He heard Gerald swear behind him and drop to the ground, not as fast as Kane in changing forms.
He took to the woods, the connection between Burke and his mind strong and clear. He knew exactly where to go, and he summoned his speed, his powerful black wolf-form devouring the miles. Kane was very large, even for a greater alpha, his legs long, his stamina
unmatched, and he soon left Gerald far behind, his impatience to reach the cabin overwhelming. He would have his chance at last, Burke’s anger at finding the cabin occupied by both wolfkin and human a sure sign that the trespasser was one of the traitors. If there was one, there may be others nearby.
*He’s here, Kane!* Burke called, and sent him a blurry image of a gray wolf, head down, teeth bared in rage.
He ran faster, convinced he would arrive in time to see Burke and the trespasser tearing each other apart.
GHOST ENTERED the clearing just seconds after the other wolfkin did, the big brown wolf howling in rage. He saw Glen at one of the windows, gun in hand, and Ghost thundered through the snow, whipping his body around to an abrupt stop in front of the porch, sending snow in a shower over the other wolves.
He roared, the thought of Glen and Cat confronting the large wolves alone and armed with one small gun enough to terrify him. His roar shook the windows, and made the ground vibrate under his feet, the snow shivering with a hiss. He sucked in air, parsing their scents, his brain automatically identifying which wolves were the alpha, and betas, the female closest to him just off to his left side. These wolves were not friendly, their anger palpable to Ghost, rolling off them in waves. They growled back, surrounding him in a semi-circle, and he realized he was backing up when one of his rear paws touched the bottom step of the stairs. He lowered his head, lips pulled back from his own fangs, and he growled, refusing to give any more ground.
The big brown wolf snarled back at him, head down, eyes narrowed, saliva dripping from his fangs. He was larger than Ghost by almost half, and he was certain this alpha could rip him apart. He refused to back down, hearing Cat’s fearful cries of alarm from the cabin, Glen trying to calm her down. Glen had his gun, and if Ghost could smell the weapon, then so could these wolves. They inched in closer, the female snapping at him from the side, and that was enough for Ghost.
