by Lynn Landes
Archer sniffs the ground and digs away some snow, revealing its hidden treasure. He grabs something and walks carefully towards Eric, dropping his prize on the ground. A red dart! Eric drops down and lifts the dart up. “I’ve seen this before!” In his mind he sees the dead wolf in his clinic and his heart drops. “No.”
“Uncle Eric, what is it?” Caleb asks.
“I found a dart like this with a dead wolf. Someone is darting and torturing them.” He whispers. “She tried to tell me!”
Archer growls low in his throat and turns to leave. The wolf pack must be lead to safety! But he can’t be in two places at once! Makenna needs him!
Mother moon whispers, “Save the girl, Archer. The pack will be protected.”
Archer runs, he doesn’t look back as he follows the scent that is hers. Makenna! He will find her!
Caleb watches Archer run and turns to his Uncle. “Listen, I don’t have time to explain and I am not sure I understand it myself, but Archer is here to help. Makenna found a wolf pup months ago, on Grandpa’s land and she took care of him, turns out he was Archer.”
Eric looks at him and stands up. “I remember, she told me about him. I don’t know what I just saw Caleb, but I know who owns this dart. I am going to get the police, you get back to the house in case she comes back, wait for her. Okay?”
“Yes sir, no problem.” Caleb promises.
Caleb watches his grandfather leave from the front porch and says a quick prayer for his cousin. He is heading back to his house to wait, in case she goes there. The moon watches the large teen pace on the porch and smiles down on him. Her rays wash over him and it feels cool to the touch. He smiles and that’s when he feels it, the first wave of pain.
“Uggh,” he moans falling to his knees. He looks up at the moon clutching his stomach and his eyes go wide.
“I forgot that he bit me.” Another wave of pain and he falls to his side, screaming. The scream fades as a popping, crunching sound is heard. His body reshapes into a large wolf. He stands completely white, with ice blue eyes lined in black lashes. He stands enormous at over six feet tall!
“Caleb, you need to lead the pack to safety,” The moon whispers to his mind. She tells him of secret hiding spots that only she knows about.
He stumbles to his four paws and leaps around, bounding off the deck he follows the direction she places in his mind.
The pack smells him before he arrives, they howl to warn each other of a strange male. Sam killed and trapped the Alpha again. They were leaderless, but that doesn’t mean they are not willing to fight.
Caleb’s heart beats faster, when he hears Mother Moon say, “You must challenge the leader, if you win, they will follow you!”
He snarls and steps into the moon light and the pack surrounds him. Young and old they have come to watch the timeless battle for leadership.
The first to challenge him is the Beta. Each pack has an Alpha Male, and Alpha female. If the male dies or is defeated, the Beta takes over. He leaps at Caleb.
Determined not to hurt him, Caleb meets his blow by leaping out of the way. They circle each other and he swipes at Caleb’s face, catching his nose with the tip of a claw. His red blood sprays the snow and the burning sensation reminds him. He is in a fight for his life!
This time when the wolf leaps Caleb does not hesitate, he seizes him by his throat and pins him to the ground until the yelping stops. When he releases the smaller male, he rolls over showing his belly, in a sign of submission. The Alpha female is not so easily won over. She hits him from the side with no warning and they tumble through the snow. She fights for her pups, afraid that he will kill them once he takes over. She goes for his legs and he smacks her hard to the ground. He growls loud enough that all the wolves fall to the ground showing submission to his power. She whines and licks at his paws.
“Well done, now they will follow you. Take them to safety, high into the mountains. They must remain there until is it safe to return.”
With a sharp bark, Caleb runs and they all follow.
Chapter
15
“Wake up! He is coming for you. You must be ready!” The moon whispers to her.
Makenna jerks awake to a pounding headache and a dry mouth. She squints into the darkness, but struggles to see clearly. The room is spinning, no doubt from the drugs he shot her with. Sitting up slowly, she moans and jumps when a responding whine comes from the cage next to her. The whine turns to a growl, when a sudden light floods the room. Blind now, Makenna shields her eyes and backs away inside the large cage she is trapped in. Her coat is missing and she is freezing. The room has no heat and her breath comes out in frosty puffs of air.
“That wore off faster than I thought!” Sam says stomping the snow from his boots inside the shed. He grabs his trusty black stick and walks towards them. The wolf growls and stumbles to his feet. Snarling it charges the cage, daring him to come closer. Sam laughs and Makenna looks at the wolf beside her as her eyes adjust.
“Why are you doing this? My father will come for me!” she says softly.
“Well now, give me a second,” he flips the switch on the electrified stick and jams it into the cage shocking the wolf. “I can’t hear a thing when they carry on like that.” Makenna screams as the wolf falls to his side twitching in pain. She looks at the man in horror.
“Now, what were you saying?” He asks the girl with a creepy smile.
“Please, let me go,” she begs knowing it is no use.
“I will, I will, but first I need a favor. You need to tell me where the pack is hiding, especially the one in your sketch.” He steps closer to her cage and whispers, “He’s the one I need.”
“I don’t know where the pack lives, I just drew a picture that’s all!” she pleads.
“I had hoped this would be easier, Makenna. But it seems like you are going to be difficult.” With no warming he jams the stick into the cage with the wolf, and shocks him again. Two more times he shocks the wolf, while screaming, “Tell me!” until finally the wolf quits moving. “Tell me where they are and I will let you both go. Keep your secret and you will watch this wolf die, slowly. Then I will start on you!”
Sobbing now, Makenna screams, “I don’t know where they live. Please, listen to me! It was only by accident that I saw one on my grandfather’s land.” His crazy eyes fills with hope as he puts the stick down. He pours her a glass of water.
“See that wasn’t so hard, was it? You just answer my questions and I will let you go free.” Makenna takes the water with trembling hands and drinks slowly. She wipes her eyes on her sleeves.
“He was a pup, I fed him a few times and he came back from time to time to eat. The pack will not let him join, I don’t know where they live, I swear it!” she says trying to calm down.
“Keep him talking, Makenna. Lead him to the woods. Archer will meet you,” the moon tells her mind. Makenna looks around and back at Sam.
“How often have you fed him? Has he ever bitten you?” he demands.
“No, he is gentle. He is protective of me, he wouldn’t hurt me.”
He wouldn’t hurt me. The words echo in Sam’s mind. “Perfect! Where do you feed him?”
Makenna’s eyes go wide, but she hesitates. She has protected him for so long, and can’t let him hurt Archer. Sam turns up the electricity on the stick and the power hums. It snaps and pops with unleashed energy.
“You ever seen what a cattle prod does at five hundred thousand volts?” He asks with an evil look in his eyes. “That was one hundred thousand volts, Makenna! Tell me!” he says smacking the cage next to hers, causing the wolf to whimper with fear. She jumps in fear and begins to cry.
“Don’t hurt him, please! He finds me. I go into the woods and he finds me!” Sam smiles his toothless yellow smile at her answer and says, “See, we can work together. There’s no need for all this unpleasantness.” He turns the power back to one hundred thousand volts.
“Get ready” the Moon whispers.
Sam opens the cage and grabs her by her arm dragging her out. She falls to her knees and tries to stand up. “Wait, my legs!”
Makenna shoves him with all her might but her legs are numb. When she tries to run, Sam zaps her from behind. She screams as the pain flashes through her body, stealing her breath. She falls to the ground twitching and trying to crawl away from him.
“GIRL, I have been waiting for fifty years for this gift! One bite and I will live forever! You will not stop me!” he grabs her by her hair and drags her to the door. He drops her and leans closer, “Let’s go see your boyfriend!”
Chapter
16
Archer follows her scent through the snow to a gravel road. Pawing through the snow he smells her. He knows he is on the right trail, so he follows it until it stops. Frustrated he throws his head back and howls at the moon!
“Help me, Mother Moon! Guide me to her!” He begs.
“Return to her home, Archer. He is coming to you.” She watches as he growls and breaks into a run.
Within a few feet of the house he slows down and calls to the moon again. The moon hears and grants his request.
Once again she shines down on a boy but this time she tells him, “You can do it by yourself now. Change at will, Archer!”
He stops moving and then concentrates. He imagines hands and feet, where paws once were and the change begins. This time when the pain comes, he is ready for it and he blocks it with a wall in his mind. The change is quicker and less painful, he is relieved when he sees the lights of her home. Using the power granted by the moon, he dresses himself warmly and runs to the woods to meet her.
Eric drives to Sam’s property and is greeted by the police. Weapons drawn they wait till he gets out of his car, and identifies himself. “My Name is Eric Slade, My daughter is Makenna Slade. Please tell me you found her!”
“Come with us,” the officer says and he takes Eric into the shed. The officers will not meet his eyes as they gesture for him to head to the back. The wolf is on its side panting, tongue hanging out and eyes glazed over. He feels sick to his stomach.
“I don’t understand? Why are you bringing me back here?” Eric asks.
“Sir we have reason to believe he kept a human in the cage beside this one,” one officer tells him. “We found beads outside in the snow and inside the cage, also a scarf.” He says holding up the scarf he gave Makenna for Christmas last year.
Eric loses all color in his skin and the voices fade away. Looking at the cage where his daughter was held, he drops to his knees. Clutching her scarf, he asks in a hoarse voice, “Where is my daughter?” The officer helps him to his feet and calms him.
“Sir, is there anywhere you can think of that Sam might go?” Eric listens and thinks.
“I have seen him at the café in town, he likes to eat there.” Immediately officers head out.
“Take me with you!” he says and follows them outside. He leaves his truck and rides with the police.
Sakari answers the officer’s questions and brings Eric a cup of hot coffee, black, just the way he likes it. He takes it from her gratefully. He sits the cup down with shaking hands and she covers his hand with hers. “She will be okay, Eric. She’s a smart girl.”
“Ma’am, can we ask you a few more questions?” Sakari walks with the police to a corner booth and Eric watches them walk away.
“May I join you?” Eric turns and looks up at Sakari’s grandmother, Tikani with surprise.
“Of course,” he says gently.
She slides into the booth and stares hard at Eric. “For months your daughter protected the Guardian. You have met him. We call him Amarok, Eric. He will keep her safe now.”
Tears fill his eyes at her words. “I can’t lose her, Tikani.” He says dropping his head. “Makenna told me about the wolf pup, but I didn’t know she was taking care of him.”
Excitement fills his eyes as he looks at the older woman. “Of course! The woods!” He jumps up and runs to get the officers.
Archer walks in moon light through the woods he calls home. Makenna’s scream causes his blood to run cold.
“That is his plan, to cause me to panic and run in blindly,” Archer thinks. “I am wolf, but I am more than wolf. I am the Guardian.”
Throwing back his head Archer howls and it echoes across the silent night. His howl is a warning for all to hear. Tonight he hunts.
His eyes glow silver, as he searches inside his body. This time when he shifts he becomes something, different. Wolf, but not wolf. He accepts the shift, but holds onto the human qualities as well. He stands stronger, faster, and more powerful, a gift from Mother Moon.
His senses are stronger. He can see in the dark, hear better, smell everything, and even the air has a taste! He runs through the woods towards his girl, Makenna. He catches her scent and finds it has a new smell. The smell of fear, pain, and tears. He growls, as he closes in on them then shifts taking the image the man will expect, a wolf.
Sam has no clue what is coming for him, He is giddy with excitement, “Call him, girl! Call him to you!”
Makenna screams when he brings the stick close to her again. She is on her knees with her hand tied behind her back. Her tears seem to be never ending and she prays he will not come.
“No! I won’t help you kill him! He is special, Sam. If you kill him you destroy an entire species! Please just let me go!”
“No! You will help me one way or another!” He says raising the stick to strike her again. The wolf leaps silently from the trees and hits him in the chest ripping the stick from his hand and tossing it away. Growling and snarling he leaps away and pads over to Makenna. He licks her face, before putting his body in front of hers.
“Archer! Go! You aren’t safe here!” she screams and struggle to free her hands.
Sam stands up and faces the wolf he hopes will gift him. “Finally, we meet! You will give me the gift one way or another!” He draws the pistol from his pocket and points it at them. Archer’s lip curls and he growls deep in his throat.
“Yes, that’s right. I know you can understand me, Amarok! I’m gonna hurt your girlfriend, good. I might make you watch while I kill her. Every tear she cries will be because of you!” Archer’s growl grows louder and he begins to shift and change. He turns into a human in front of Sam’s eyes.
“No! NO!” Sam screams and he swings the pistol towards Makenna. Archer moves so quickly that Sam doesn’t even have a chance to blink. One second he is standing there, the next they are both gone.
Archer snatches Makenna up in his arms and runs.
Sam spins wildly, shooting his pistol in every direction. He empties the six chambers and screams in rage!
Archer places Makenna down behind a tree and gestures for her to be quiet. She nods in understanding and he rips the rope off her hands. He stands and steps back into a beam of moonlight. He wants her to see who he is, and all of what he can become. He looks at her and shifts.
His eyes remain liquid silver, but his body turns into a half-man, half-wolf. A werewolf! Her mouth falls open and when she blinks he is gone.
This hunter must be stopped! Archer listens to him raging and smiles. He will never know what hit him. He leaps, and runs, striking him fast and hard. Sam falls backward, with no clue what is happening. He looks at his body hoping for a bite, but finds none.
Slowly Sam stands up again, only to be hit from behind. He hits the ground on his stomach and skids two feet across the ground. When he rolls over and opens his eyes, he screams in terror.
A werewolf is staring at him snarling and saliva drips from his teeth. Oh how badly Archer wants to hurt him, the way he hurt Makenna. His instinct is to kill the man. He leaps onto Sam’s chest and watches as he smiles his toothless yellow grin.
Just when Archer leans forward to sink his teeth deep into Sam’s throat, a huge white wolf hits Archer in the side knocking him away from the hunter.
Archer and Caleb roll around fighting, with no clue that Sam is closing
in on them. He has waited for this all of his life, nothing will stop it now. The pain hits him so fast that Sam doesn’t stand a chance. He falls over on the ground twitching and Makenna holds up the black stick smiling.
“How does that feel, old man!” and she shoves it into his leg once more with a loud crack and sizzle just to be sure he doesn’t get up right away.
At the sound of Makenna’s voice, Archer turns giving Caleb the opening he was waiting for. Caleb leaps and pins him to the ground. Makenna stands staring at them with tears running down her face.
“Archer?” she calls out and stumbles to the ground. Rage flows through his mind blinding him to everything but getting to the man who tried to hurt her. Her voice reaches him, calming his soul and he turns in time to watch her drop to the ground.
In the distance sirens can be heard, they are coming! Caleb growls at Archer and backs off in surprise when he feels the moon touch him. She turns him into a human once more.
Archer rolls over and closes his eyes forcing his body to shift back to the human form of himself.
With a cry of relief Makenna runs to him and throws her arms around his neck. He is holding her tightly in his arms and grabs her face to look into her eyes. Makenna stares into the eyes of her guardian and smiles through her tears, and he kisses her softly. It feels like goodbye, her heart begins to pound.
“Thank you for taking care of me, Makenna. When I was lost, you gave me hope. I will never forget you.” he stands up and helps her to her feet. The sound of car doors and her father’s voice screaming her name fills the night.
“I don’t understand. You are leaving me?” she asks trembling. Caleb walks to her and puts his hands on her shoulders.
“Makenna? Your Dad is coming. We should go.” Caleb tells her gently.
She looks back towards the sound of her dad’s voice, and for one moment Archer looks at the girl who has been his only friend and he thinks about it. One bite and she would be with him forever. One bite and he would never be alone again. But he remembers the empty feeling of losing his mother and he hears the desperation in her father’s voice as he searches for her. It is not the right time. He turns to go.
