It was the howling that broke Tendra from her position on the floor.
“Tim, on your feet lad, we have to be ready now.”
“Is this where we’re going to get hurt?” He asked, he was breaking her heart.
“Yes, Tim. I think so.”
In the background she heard growls rumbling from the back of throats and she couldn’t tell whose they were. No one came for them, but the sounds of metal grating against something could be heard, as if heavy iron gates were being moved slowly, the heavy metal taking wolf strength to move. Her heart hammered in her chest, hurt to some extent as it pounded in her rib cage. Bang bang bang.
“Tendra?” A warm hand touched her own and she opened her fingers to let the tiny hand slide into her palm.
“What is it Tim.” She whispered in the quiet of their cage.
“I’m scared.”
“Oh Tim.” She held back her tears with such force, it was one of the hardest things she had ever done. Falling to her knees in front of him she opened her arms and wrapped them around his body, “I love you so much. Be brave Tim. Be brave. Ray will come for us. Believe that.”
“He’s already here Tendra. I hear them.”
She bowed her head, “Yes, they’re here.”
“Do you think they will get hurt as well?” He asked.
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” Resting her head on his shoulder she thought back to the slaughter of their pack. Their warriors were already down in numbers, and half were back at the safe house. Nancy had betrayed their pack and the image of the magnificent warrior wolves lying dead and bloodied on the floor haunted her waking eyes. What hope was there of surviving this. Ray had but a third of their warriors in this pack. Compared to the Letale pack – their advanced skills and their full numbers - there was… not much to really say.
“I promise Tendra.”
“Promise?”
“I’ll be brave. I’m not hiding today.”
The rumbling growls got deeper, louder and the grating stopped. Paused. Until all of a sudden sound crashed around them. Bangs, and snarling, thumping and male screaming. Yells and shouts and pounding. She heard the sharp scratching of claws on stone, sharpening them to deadly blades; all the easier to tear at fur and flesh. It was coming. The end. Doors banged open and she stood back up and positioned herself infront of Tim. She would protect him to her last breath. Only her death would expose her brother. She awaited such a fate…
They had been prepared for an attack but not to such an extent and Ray followed Lebon down the little hill, dodging trees and even the barb traps that had been set up. Loud whines told him other wolves had not seen the silver teeth that quickly clamped around their legs locking it and piercing the skin, tearing as they moved and tried to get free. He smelt blood and knew some wolves were already down and they were yet to get to the brick fortress in front of them.
It was huge, complete with covered windows three stories high. It wasn’t the height that bothered him though, it was the lower basement area he imagined it having. Tommy was off to the side crouched triumphantly on a boulder. He had led them right and he saw in front of him the hope of having helped Tendra correctly.
“The gates!” Lebon cried to them, and five of his warriors stepped forward, Aliysha moved his head, cocked it to the side that was all and every one of his men, now in human form, naked, stood and walked to the gates.
One by one most of the wolves were changing back to human form, but not all. It took but mere seconds to change forms and there was no orders of who changed and who didn’t. In a fight like this it was comfort; Ray would never impose that order. They fought in the form they wanted. And many did keep their fur and four legs. They felt more powerful. Ray didn’t. He loved his wolf, loved it to bits but he was going to run for Tendra and he wanted the agility that came with the man and was stunted with the wolf. He stood in his trousers and watched at the iron gates in front of them were pulled apart by Lebon’s five and while the surrounding structure not meant to move it was easily squashed under the strength of the enhanced humans. The scarred pack. The Cicatrices pack as Aliysha had named them. They used their inhuman strength to literally push on the metal which gave under the pressure and bent, out of shape as easy as if it were play-dough.
The minute the gates lay on the floor, no longer a deterrent, the wolves literally streamed into the surrounding area. Running, springing forward, jumping, crawling, and even back flipping into the area. The Sanguis pack were a sight to see; their actions as beautiful and graceful as they were agile and lethal, and so quick their tricks and eye catching hypnotic moves were hard to even spot and see. It seemed they worked on illusion to distract as they struck forth. Their human forms were used over their wolves but they had started the morph, so their strength and senses were heightened. Myco’s pack ran mostly in wolf form. Aliysha – well, they didn’t exactly need to pick a form. They had both. Ray was jealous to an extent.
He ran in. Without breathing, without thinking. This was his only hope to find Tendra and to get to her. He needed her. His numbness was fading ever so slightly but not to be replaced by feeling – merely by that edgy feeling all over his body. His skin crawled with anticipation as he thought of finding her. He needed her body, he needed to see her alive or dead either one, preferably the first. But the answer to her fate was needed.
“I’m coming with you.”
Ashton was running by his side and as agreed Ray did not need to fight. The warriors all around him parted way, and when he was met with opposition they simply fought it for him. They took away his obstacles so he get to Tendra. A grieving wolf was a wolf better out of the battle field and with his desperation to find her he hadn’t protested their generous offer. He had thanked them and let it go. And now he was ever more grateful as he had a clear run straight to the front door.
They had wanted to pull down the fortress and they were going to do it, but they needed Tendra out first. Although that didn’t stop them from pounding on the sides on the building to start the weakening of it. The sound around him were one of bloody battle.
Wolves lunged at each other and the weight of each wolf colliding was a dull pounding that sounded painful. Claws scratched, those in human form were throwing punches, some had had batons strapped to their legs or backs with leather thongs and they used them now. Ray saw knives in some of the hands of Lebon’s pack. He had seen them before but in the middle of this they looked as deadly as they did defenceless. The Letale pack had no mere knives and batons, they circled round with long knives akin to swords. Daggers and whips. From leather trouser pockets hung cuffs and silver spikes and dotted all around the floor were traps. Traps of silver teeth, like the ones that had already claimed the legs of wolves before they had even got to the gates.
Pain was a sound of battle. Cries of pain from both attacking and being attacked. Grunts of exertion as they twisted into positions needing strength or flexibility, and quick gasps as they avoided fatal blows. The animalistic part of this was the male challenges and the blood and gore as the ruby red liquid pumped from the wounded and pooled on the yellow surface of sand. This entire battleground had been man made. Constructed and all for effects. Sand was harder to run on, to walk on and the minute it red mingled with it, the vivid and contrasting colours, drew your eyes downwards at the horror and brought a wavering of attention to battle.
Ray was able to ignore all of that. He was vaguely aware of it, but as though it was at the back of his mind, his one and only thought was Tendra and he punched one man harshly away. One solid blow to the jaw and the man was down.
“Wow Ray, you really can’t feel can you – your strength has doubled.”
“I’m frantic.” He replied to Ashton. Ray led the way and Ashton watched his back as they ran along the corridor and aimed to go downwards.
Three wolves came at them, a mass of brown fur blurring their vision and blocking their way. Ashton changed in second to meet the attack and he lunged as one of the others did. The one on the right and Ashton collided with a loud pound and both fell to the floor with the middle one started to bite at Ashton’s rump and back. Ray faced the one on the left but he did not change his form. He didn’t want to ruin his trousers and had no time to casually take them off. Instead he eyed up his attacker and when it lunged, his merely swung his arm.
His wolf had aided him, given him strength but even he noticed his ability had only gotten better. He swept his arm from right to left and sent the wolf flying until it hit a wall. It crumpled to the floor and he went over to it, aimed a kick and let his foot loose. The hit on the wolves head knocked it out and blood oozed from above its ear. Ray turned around and went for the wolf that was still snapping its teeth at Ashton, he reached forward and grabbed at the scruff of its neck and hurled it away from him.
It seemed too easy and this was merely a tiny attack, this was the Letale pack after all and two down by one human was not their style. Ray only realised that when a heavy weight thumped into him and sent him to the floor where his stomach pressed to the cold ground and a heavy weight sat on his back. He screamed aloud, deep and angry, when claws scored his back in one long motion setting great wounds into his skin. He howled and tilted his hips, knocked the wolf from his back and rolling so he was on top.
He went to bite its neck letting the change come over him so his muzzle to could appear but he didn’t get the chance, the wolf was heavier, stronger in that form and Ray was rolled once more. He kicked out with his legs and wished for a knife but he had none. Instead he reached out and wrapped his arms around the neck. That only spurred the wolf on and he struggled to keep hold and to avoid the blade like teeth at the same time.
He pressed his fingers into the windpipe of the wolf and tried to squeeze the air from it. But its neck was too thick. So he locked his legs around the wolf’s and twisted once more, rolling on top and aiming a kick blow to its head. He raised his already hairy right arm and let the hair grow even longer, he let his fingers start to curve and curl and his fingernails lengthen into claws. Deadly claws and then it was his turn to score the wolf. Bringing his claws to its neck his dragged them left to right across its neck and the wolf was dead in second. He got off the mass of fur and went over to Ashton who was still having trouble with one of them, Ray didn’t waste a second he simply thrust his arm downward and let the claws sink into the wolf’s back. The whine that followed was pitiful but it slumped down and landed on its side freeing Ashton of its weight and letting him get back to his feet.
“Don’t want to die do they these Letale wolves.” He said cheerfully as he changed back into a naked man.
“No, they don’t.”
“Eyes open Ray, they could be anywhere.”
“They’re open!” He defended himself.
“Then look properly!” Ashton yelled back as a great black wolf lunged at them. They both flung out their arms to stop it and they managed to catch it before its teeth got their faces, pushing it from them. Ray used those wonderful claws again and left the creature for dead.
He debated calling out for Tendra but didn’t want to risk either drawing attention to himself, or to her. He wouldn’t want her to be moved or killed in haste because her captors realised there was rescue party for her. So he found the stairwell and followed it down. He knew there would be a basement and sure enough there it was, with a door and everything. He took it, and used his claw to unpick the lock. What he saw inside made growl.
The room was divided, one half by silver bars, into a cage. His mate had been put in a cage and her hand and ankles were locked in shackles. His anger flared as did his joy. She was alive. Like a whirlwind his feeling came back. His emotions rose until the dead and numb feeling he had was completely eradicated. The strength pouring into him could be felt and he breathed in deep to know she was alive. Then let he let the anger take over at her in a cage and chained.
From the threatening stance he knew Tim was behind her while her father sat on the floor paralysed in fear.
“Nancy.” Ashton yelled about to go to her, his face crumpling at the sight of her bound to the ceiling and her eyes to the floor. Then it clicked to Ray and he looked to Tendra who nodded sadly.
“Ashton, I’m so sorry,”
“Ashton?” Nancy lifted her head. He wasn’t supposed to be alive. He wasn’t supposed to ever know she had betrayed him. She loved him enough to not want to hurt him that way. He loved her so much more than she loved him. “No.” She denied.
“It’s alright my love; I’ll get you out of here. I survived the Sanguis pack, they helped me they’re not the bad ones, these that have you are the Letale pack,” he was saying but then he looked to Tendra and saw her torn face.
“Ashton,” She said, she sounded so upset that he turned to her to give her his attention and let her known he was going to help her. His compassion could be seen on his features and it only hurt her more to see it. “Ashton, I’m so so sorry. Nancy is not here because they took her, she is the betrayer. She came willingly and they have turned against her. I’m so sorry Ashton, she betrayed you.”
His face dropped he looked angry.
“Now listen here Tendra, I know a lot has happened to you but I won’t have you telling lies to me about my mate.”
“Mate? Oh no you’re not mates, the girl is right, Nancy here betrayed you and brought Tim here. Now then; a complete picture, Father, children, Alpha. Three birds, one stone. Welcome gentlemen to the cage you’ll die in.”
It had been too easy, far too easy to get to Tendra. Ray turned around and saw the door was open and wolves were pouring in, while one man stood in human form having just explained the heart breaking news to Ashton. The smirk on this leaders face only infuriated Ray even more and he clenched his fists and looked around as the wolves around slowly started turning back to human. And they were outnumbered six to one.