The wounded man before me didn't say anything. Now that we were standing, I could see the damage I'd done to him.
"Go over and ask Doc over there, politely considering you were thinking about killing him a few minutes ago, for what we'll need for stitches. We'll get you cleaned up real quick."
He looked surprised. "I'll be fine."
I let out a slight growl. I couldn't force care upon him.
"No matter what you say," said the one Anna still had her shotgun roughly aimed at, "we can't just let them go."
"What part of not kidnapping and not biting didn't you understand?" I asked wearily.
"Just because you played with that poor excuse for an alpha doesn't give you the right to command us all," he said.
"That was never a right I've claimed."
"Boy over there named you the Alpha King," he retorted.
"I am the alpha of a pack of alphas. If you understood what it meant to be wolf, you would understand what that means. He understands it to mean Alpha King, but then he's still learning what it means to be one with the wolf."
"Then why should anyone obey you, even that..." and he sneered toward my beaten foe, "not even worth calling it an alpha."
"He is still alpha of his pack. And now I am his alpha."
"It doesn't work that way."
"If you were part of my pack you would understand."
He sneered again, turning to the side, taking a defensive stance. He was older than the other one, maybe lower forties. His body was lean and well defined, similar in build to my dad's. He had scars that spoke of experience, as well as a puckered mark on his shoulder which declared him a created werewolf from being bitten..
I had a few scars of my own even if mine had come from practice bouts, except that last fight with dad. A leadership battle, I thought. Who knew such things existed? I had become an alpha even if I didn't realize it at the time.
For dad and I, there was a balance between being wolf and man, something these new werewolves didn't seem to understand at all. My pack was a pack of true wolves who understood how to be one with the wolf, balanced with being good men. My pack was those like Sheep, willing to learn. It was family, and friends like Mac who became like family.
"Give me a chance to rest up, then come run with me, my brother, you will see..."
"See what?" he asked derisively. "Come run with you as part of your pack? When I defeat you, I will take you back to mine. I will teach you..."
I didn't wait, shifting without thought. My leap was instinctual. He blocked me, shoving me off to the side even as he began to shift.
I circled, snarling, waiting for him to shift to wolf. I lowered my head, not in submission, but in preparation. I was stalking, my eyes focused on my prey. My steps were glides, my muscles ready to shift or jump.
We came together, our snarls filling the air. His teeth clipped the folds of my ruff. I went sideways, shoving my shoulder into him. I spun, bringing my hind legs ups even as he was falling to the ground. My claws raked his side. His front paws clung to my neck, his teeth coming in for another bite. I lowered my head, blocking his bite, shoving my forehead into his neck. His teeth scraped my scalp. My teeth scraped his chest.
He rolled away, snarling, but looking at me as a man inside a wolf. Somehow I doubted he had ever been completely wolf.
The last few days, I had lived more as a wolf than a man. I remembered something else Dad had said; the wolf needed to know, I needed to know, that I needed to be human to survive. Where my previous opponent only knew the rudiments of fighting, this one knew more. I needed man-smarts to survive. My mind focused on the lesson Jacob had given me. The man in me knew I needed a wolf's reactionary instinct to survive as well.
I felt myself shift. There was pressure on my brain and my vision doubled for a second. I growled, shaking my head. My adversary took advantage of my distraction to attack.
I focused on his body, picturing joints and organs. The wolf isn't made to swing up into where organs are. When he came in, and he came in fast, I swung my head to cause a blow into his kidneys. I leapt away.
I circled, waiting for an opening to rush him. When it came, I knocked him over then made a short leap, watching for his teeth, bring all four of my paws down on one point. He yelped, even as he struggled up from under me. Soon we were circling again.
My fangs were showing in a silent snarl. He came in, ducking low, trying to grab a paw. I moved my head over his shoulders, giving a little pounce, bringing my legs up so I was on top of him, draped along his back. I stood on my hind legs for a second and brought my front paws up, wrapping them around his neck.
He reared up, trying to throw me off. Where once I shifted while trying to stay looking like a man, now I shifted to stay looking like a wolf. My hips moved so I could bring my hind legs in for a tighter grasp. I added my teeth into the ruff at the back of his neck to strengthen my hold and limit his head movement.
He tried everything to break my hold. He spun, tried reaching over his shoulder to bite me, even trying to fall backward so I was under him. My hold was secure. I was surprised when he started shifting to man. That made me let him go, pacing in front of him. I expected him to concede the bout since he had insisted it be all wolf.
He kept twitching as he shifted back, until finally he was upright, breathing hard.
"You've gone feral. Your ordeal underground was too much for you. These people who came to rescue you need to understand that killing you is actually a kindness. You and the black wolf over there. I don't think he can ever be man again."
I had a feeling he was the one who had come as close to being what he called feral as he had ever been. The wolf doesn't like being confined and had tried to come to the forefront to help. He had come up with a human strategy to keep himself from becoming a wolf within himself, if murder was a strategy.
He glanced toward the people with the guns. "I do not expect you to kill one who obviously means so much to you, but you need to understand he is a danger to everyone now. He cannot remain alive."
I hissed with laughter. He turned back to stare at me. He knew he couldn't take me, he knew it! He had no plans on submitting to me so he planned on trying to kill me. Good to know.
I did not shift. I spoke in my mother's tongue, so my family would understand and he would not. "All is well. Stay wolf, Father." The words were growled out. I doubted my opponent knew I had even spoken.
"See?" He pointed dramatically at me before standing tall. He looked at the wolves behind me, his wolves, nodding at them, then shifted to wolf once more.
While waiting for him to shift back, I spared a look behind my opponent at Mac. He looked like he was snarling himself, ready to take on the man/wolf who was planning on killing me. Dad had moved his pacing to be in front of Mac, blocking him, proof that Dad was thinking as a man and not feral.
I faced this wolf who was only a man. He was filled with a human desire to murder. I was filled with a wolf's instinct to survive. More than that, I was filled with human cunning, and a certain amount of amusement that he actually believed the people here would believe anything he said.
When my opponent came at me this time, he tried to use his weight to pin me down. I shifted enough, without losing my wolf form, adjusting my balance to throw him off me.
I wanted to do two things. I wanted to prove that a wolf could come back from being feral, and I wanted to make more of a fool of him than I did the alpha whose butt I'd bitten. I was straining my brain to figure out what could top being bitten, twice, in the butt.
For the first part, I went all wolf as if he was right. I made a show of growling and snapping. I kept my wits about me. I avoided every attack, some narrowly. He was a good fighter, and there were a few times that if I hadn't fought with Dad as often as I had, he might have killed me. He was focusing exclusively on my neck now.
Our clashes had us both bleeding in spots. I could feel my exhaustion. Wolf wanted to lower my head. I lifted it instead, knowing I couldn't afford to even hint at how tired I was.
There was a moment when we were circling again when I stopped, cocking my head, looking at him as if I was puzzled. I shifted my throat, anticipating his surprise.
"You're ear doesn't look right." The words came out roughly human normal.
His eyes went wide. That was my opening. I pounced, teeth finding their mark, shredding his ear. He growled, pulling away, actually making my teeth do more damage than I had planned.
He shook his head rapidly, blood splattering out. Ears were hard to stop bleeding. I went back in before he could recover, ripping his nose. He yelped, spinning around. He would have a scar there. I had a feeling the wolf in him was beginning to panic, wanting to run.
I decided I didn't want to mark him up the way I had the other one. I thought of his threat against Anna. My targets became very specific.
I went on the offensive, rolling him, snapping hard at the base of his tail. He'd be feeling it in the base of his spine even after shifting back. He yelped again, spinning once more, trying to get at me.
We had another round of snapping and snarling, front legs locked together for a moment. We broke apart, each looking for an opening. I rushed him, knocking him over, and shifting to angle my legs right, I dug my back claws in, raking deeply into his privates. He howled in pain. I walked stiffly around him, slowly coming back around to face him as he writhed on the ground before me.
I walked over, and quite deliberately, hoisted a leg and let loose a stream on him. He painfully moved away from me and I let him. I heard Mac chuckle.
I stood tall, staring intently at my adversary. I lowered my head just a smidgen.
"Do you want to see me truly feral?" I asked with smooth, deep-sounding human words coming out my wolf throat. I closed my eyes, focused within.
Spirit Wolf, my brother and true alpha to these wolves. Help me reach them...
A spasm shook my body. I shifted but I was still wolf. I felt strange. Spirit Wolf moved us. The wolf before me cringed, then tried to run, succeeding in merely scooting along the ground. My/our roaring growl shook the ground. I/we ran, gliding, catching our prey easily. My prey cowered in our paws. Our teeth were at his throat.
I blinked, my vision swimming like it had in the fire. I could see the people, smell the wolves, hear the panicked beating of the heart before me.
Spirit Wolf gave out the barest growl.
The wolf below me whimpered. I don't know what he saw when he looked at me. I did not doubt he was aware of Spirit Wolf.
"Shift." The command was quiet and absolute, spoken around my opponent's ruff.
He shifted faster than he had before, as if he had no control of it. His back was wet from my stream. His ear and nose were covered in blood. The terrified man whimpered much as he had as a wolf.
My teeth were still around his neck.
"Please," he whimpered out, "he's feral, he's going to kill me. Stop him."
"So?" said Mac. "You were gonna kill him. Ain't as easy as you thought it'd be."
I heard Mac move.
"Uh, uh. You damn wolves stay right where you are. Right now, it's one on one. You want to change that? Go four on four? I'm the second one in. I'm guessing Black Wolf here will be number three. We might have to fight it out amongst ourselves first to decide on who's the fourth, so sit back while we figure it out. Otherwise everyone might just step forward at the same time."
I heard the pacing behind me stop.
"Feral," I growled. "I am not feral." My words came out that coarse growling, from the back of my throat. "Kill you? I will not kill you. You dared call another worthless? Omega, I call you! My omega."
He squirmed under me. One of my back paws went to his damaged privates and applied pressure. He whined in pain. If he had still been wolf, the whites of his eyes would be showing from his fear.
My teeth came up from his throat. One front paw went there instead. I stared at him. It was Spirit Wolf he saw. Spirit Wolf looked out on the gathered wolves, meeting every eye.
"NO KILLING."
Many wolves shifted to human.
"No killing," resounded around the field, loudest from those who were against what wolves like the ones I fought stood for.
Spirit Wolf looked once more at the man beneath our paws.
"TO BE WOLF IS CHOICE," he/we snarled out.
Heads across the field bowed down. My wolves, the true wolves, nodded.
Spirit Wolf stuck his snout into the man's neck.
"LEARN TO BE WOLF."
"I will," the man got out between his tears, for he was abjectly crying.
I felt Spirit Wolf focus on me. I felt his love and offered him my thanks. I reiterated my commitment to help these wolves. Spirit Wolf withdrew. I felt a shudder go through me. I felt dizzy. I shifted back to man automatically as Spirit Wolf withdrew, landing on my knees, breathing heavily. I strained to focus on the man before me.
"Are we done here? Or are you still planning on killing me or kidnapping my family?"
"No killing," he whispered, shaking his head.
"Then I ask again, will you run with me, my brother? In a few days? I really want to sleep."
He only nodded. I sighed and stood up, reaching down a hand to pull him up. He took it hesitantly. I clapped him on the shoulder and moved away, letting him figure out how to tend his mangled manhood. I moved toward Dad.
"Please," one of the men standing around called out. I stopped and turned around.
"Can you bring someone back from being feral? My brother..." the young man half-sobbed out his desperate request.
I sighed as I walked over to him. My body ached. I put my hand behind his head, pulling our foreheads together. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with his scent, before letting go and stepping a pace back.
"How long have you been wolves?" I asked
"We were bitten two years ago," he answered
"Does your brother shift forms often?"
"About the same as the rest of us."
"Does it hurt him to shift?"
"Yes, he always cries out when he shifts. He can't hold it in."
I rubbed my forehead a little. I was feeling the effects from fighting and merging with Spirit Wolf. I considered the meaning in what he said . His wording said so much.
"You're told to hold it in?"
He nodded yes.
"And punished if you don't?"
He looked down but nodded. I sighed again.
"Why would he want to shift back to man then, if all he has to look forward to is more punishment? At least he knows some joy as a wolf. Where is he now?"
"Caged, waiting for our return. If he is still a wolf when we return...". He fell silent as his tears fell.
"Which one is your alpha?"
He pointed. The man fidgeted uneasily.
"You plan on killing his brother?" I asked him.
"No killing," he answered back softly. "But I don't know what to do with him then."
"I'll come. I'll help." I turned to the brother, smiling. "It'll be ok, you'll see."
Something about the alpha got my attention.
"What?" I tilted my head waiting for an answer. He remained silent, his weight shifting from foot to foot.
"Look," I said in exasperation, "I don't want to take over your pack. I don't want your territory. I have my pack. My territory as a wolf is whatever land is under my feet. I want those with the wolf within them to understand what they are. No wolf deserves to live in fear."
I pointed to Sheep, raising my voice a little. "What does the wolf want?"
"The sun on our backs, to hunt when we are hungry, the companionship of friends and family," he said clearly and without hesitation. I had to smile.
"And our song across the sky," I added, grinning at him. I looked up at the darkening night. The first stars were shining in twilight's gloom.
I threw back my head, finding that half-shift where my head was mostly wolf, and howled. I sang out a song full of appreciation for Spirit Wolf. It was long and full-throated. Many, but not all, of the wolves sang with me.
A hawk soared along our song across the sky, adding to the refrain.
I was ready to go home.