A flurry of colorful swears that would make any sailor proud left my lips as I shoved Dean into the passenger's seat of the Impala. He was lean, but God was he heavy; I scoffed as I dug around in his pockets in search of his keys. Must've been all the burgers and God knows what else he constantly ate that made him weigh as much as a damn tank.
I tilted his head forward and pressed a few fingers to the back of his head. The spot wasn't large by any means, though it was bleeding enough to have my heart pounding and slight hunger brewing in the pit of my stomach. He was alive, and that was all that mattered.
With a sigh, I pressed my forehead to his warm pants, fanning the freckles dusting his cheeks. "You're going to be the death of me Winchester," I grumbled before releasing him. I was barely in the driver's seat before I had the car started and was pulling onto the road.
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and chewed, worrying the flesh to the point that it stung. I didn't care much, instead of taking every few seconds to glance back at Dean's form and then return my attention to the road.
Except my attention wasn't on the road. I was buried in my thoughts, bouncing between the attack and Sasha's call. My heart thundered in my chest, my fingers jerking the wheel erratically. Something was wrong, I could feel that much. My skin felt like it was crawling, a heat-like fire rising at the base of my neck.
Booth's gone, she had said. Missing. I clamped my teeth down on my lips, ignoring the thin drops of blood that rose between the dry flesh.
A shuffling from beside me and I snapped my eyes over to Dean. He shifted and tilted his head back, his fingers reaching up to brush the tender spot on the back of his head. I nearly swerved when he cracked his eyes open.
"Christ Dean, you scared me there," I growled and settled my hands on the steering wheel once again. "How're you feeling?"
"Like a werewolf handed my ass to me..." he grumbled and sat up, swearing with each movement. I swallowed nervously, watching him from the corner of my eye. "Did you call Sam?"
"No," I answered curtly. "Haven't exactly thought about it." Dean clucked his tongue and winced at the sound, his hand reaching around to touch his head once again. He seemed surprised by the flecks of dried blood that came back. "So was it her? Madison?"
He nodded his head and winced once again as we rounded a corner, the first blossoming rays of the early morning sun peeking between the buildings. "Yeah - shit - bitch was chowing down, didn't take too kindly to me interrupting her meal."
"Think she knows?"
He shrugged and fumbled for his phone in his pocket, his head tilted back against the seat and his eyes closed. He finally wrenched the device from his pocket and immediately dialed Sam's number, tapping his foot with each ring.
"Dean, are you OK?" Sam's voice came from the other end, gravelly and tired. Had he not slept?
"Yeah, now that I'm conscious," Dean snapped and ran his fingers through his messy and partially bloodstained hair. "Your little girlfriend knocked me out. It's Madison, Sam- she's the wolf."
"What? Dean, I've been here all night! She's in bed, asleep," he crowed, the sound of heavy footsteps following his words.
"The gash in your brother's head says otherwise!" I spoke loud enough for Sam to hear. Dean winced and I muttered a soft 'sorry' in response. "You tried to shoot her, right-?"
"-You shot her-!?"
"Did you actually manage to hit her?"
Dean clicked his tongue and sat up in his seat slowly, a grimace on his lips. "Maybe? Sam check her arm, maybe just above the elbow. It was silver, so it should leave a mark."
Sam scoffed and his footsteps lightened to gentle taps against Madison's cold wood floors so as not to wake her. He paused, no doubt surveying whatever flesh on her arms might be exposed. After several long seconds, Sam swore and brought the phone's speaker back to his lips. "Hurry up and get back here, guys."
The call ended abruptly and Dean furrowed his brows at the soft click. "I guess that confirms it."
I hummed in response and drew my bottom lip between my teeth once again. I couldn't stay, not with Sasha so panicked. God, why hadn't they just stayed put?
"I've gotta go back to the motel," I finally spoke, breaking the silence between us. Dean sat up almost immediately, his lips parting in question. "Something- something's wrong, Dean. Sasha called, she was panicked and- and I think there's something wrong with Booth-"
"- I thought they were with Sam-?"
"Yeah, so did I," I grumbled, my grip on the leather wheel tightening. "Look, worst-case scenario, Booth walked off and she and I have to walk around town for an hour looking for him. Just... I don't know, detain Madison until we get back, yeah?"
"Hey hey, don't get ahead of yourself yet," he ordered and turned to face me, bracing his elbow on the seat between us. "Let's help Sam get the situation under control and I'll head back with you-"
"What? Dean, no, you're hurt-"
"- Then Sam-"
"- Sam is going to want to see this case through," I argued, casting him a stern glare. With a sigh, I reached out and gripped his hand in mine softly, an assurance of my confidence. "An hour at the most, yeah? I'll be back in an hour."
Dean paused, deep in thought as he mulled over the possibilities. There was no point arguing - we were both too stubborn once we decided on something. "One hour," he finally agreed, albeit reluctantly. "You've got one hour."
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief as we rounded the corner and Madison's home came into view, the gentle morning light cascading against the windows, thin white curtains drawn. The car idled up the gentle slope of Madison's driveway and breathed a sigh of relief when I shut off the engine.
Dean was out the door before I had the chance to offer any help. He trudged up the front steps, a hands-on the back of his head no doubt taking in the bruise beginning to form.
The hall between Madison and her neighbor's apartment was still, eerily quiet. When we had first arrived the previous day, it had felt welcoming, but now something seemed off. The closer to her door I got, the worse it began to smell. Not... rotting, as it had been in Kurt's home, but sick. Deadly.
The door was ajar when I entered the mixed scent of desperation and illness nearly knocking me off my feet. The door creaked under my palms and all eyes turned to me for a fraction of a second before Sam and Dean continued their conversation.
"- Look, man, I just... I don't know, there, there, there was something in her eyes," Sam pled. Dean scoffed, his hands on his hips and eyes on the floor in irritation. His gaze flicked my way as I passed them in the entryway towards the living room, following the source of the rancid scent.
"She's killing people, Sam," Dean argued, keeping his voice low as he returned his attention back to his brother. "She can't control it. Even if she's telling the truth, it's not gonna change anything."
"I'm not putting a bullet through some girl's chest who has no idea what's happening," Sam snapped, lowering his tone so as to keep his words from Madison. I rounded the corner to find her tied down to a dining chair, her body shaking with fear and sobs.
"Madison?" I spoke softly and placed a hand on the back of her chair, doing my best to keep the awful scent from affecting me. "Madison, you know why you're here, right? How much has Sam told you?"
"You're all insane," she mumbled out, her blue eyes meeting mine, lashes wet with tears. "I'm not a monster, there's no such thing," she practically begged, her lips quivering. I pursed my own lips and glanced behind me, meeting Dean's gaze.
Dean shook his head, watching the pair of us with furrowed brows and worried eyes. Sam moved to stand beside him, his mind racing over the best possible solution. I averted my gaze and crouched in front of Madison placing one hand on hers.
"Madison, I need you to look at me," I coaxed, gaze flicking between her and Dean. She shook her head, eyes latched to the ground and lips pulled back in a teary grimace. "Madison, please?"
She lifted her head slowly, dark locks falling in front of her face. I held her chin up, brushing her hair to the side so she could see me. "Monsters are real, Madison. We don't want to hurt you, we're here to help," I murmured, keeping her face turned towards mine.
She shook her head and knocked my hand from her jaw, her gaze turned back to the floor. "Please just let me go..."
I sat up straighter and met the gazes of the brothers, hoping they would jump in. There was no way to convince her, other than... I didn't want to scare her even more, but it might be the only option. Dean seemed to understand my thoughts and shook his head, mouthing a quiet 'don't'.
I curled my hands into fists and stood abruptly, startling Madison out of her stupor. My footsteps fell heavily with irritation as I crossed the room, pulling the brothers along with me. When we entered the entryway I turned on them, glaring heatedly at Dean.
"What other way is there?" I snapped, not bothering to keep my voice low. "What other way is there to make her believe us?"
"We'll find something," Dean responded, brows furrowed in frustration. "Just not like that. You'll give her a heart attack-"
"She's already a monster!" I snarled. "There's no going back from that. She'll have to see it someday. C'mon Dean, were you eased into the supernatural world, or did your dad shove a gun in your hand and tell you to go?"
Both brothers fell silent. Dean held my gaze with so much frustration that I was almost certain he was going to go lash out at me. I returned his ferocity with my own. After several long seconds, Sam cleared his throat.
"Look, we can decide how to convince her later. For now, we just need to calm her down." He glanced between the pair of us, neither willing to give up the fight quite yet. Sam finally sighed, and with a shake of his head, he padded back over to Madison's side, doing his best to relax her with quiet words.
I exhaled softly once Sam left, my heart racing with nerves and bitterness. "Dean-"
"You should go," he interjected, his green eyes finally leaving mine. "Your pack needs you- we've got things covered here."
I froze, wide-eyed and lips parted in surprise. "You're kidding, right? You've got a damn werewolf tied up in the living room and you're kicking me out?"
"You're the one who said you need to go," Dean reasoned. "Go help your pack - we'll still be here."
I scowled at him, green eyes piercing mine with such a firm gaze that any other hunter would have squirmed. It was the same gaze John had whenever he demanded obedience from his boys. Part of me didn't want to leave him, and I wasn't sure if it was the aching longing in my chest or the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The last time I had a bad feeling like this, Dean was hospitalized and John...
"Fine," I grumbled, chewing on the inside of my cheek. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. They had it covered, they always did. I didn't disagree with that - but I hated that he was using it as a reason to push me away. "Fine. But don't do anything stupid without me," I ordered, leveling an accusatory finger at him. "I'll be back in an hour."
"One hour," he said with a gentle smile, the tension in his brows releasing. I held his gaze for another long moment before I turned and reached for the door.
A hand atop mine stopped me and the flinch that followed didn't go unnoticed. His hand lifted slowly as I turned to face him, instead of moving to cup my cheek. His brows furrowed once more in thought, thumb absentmindedly running over my bottom lip dotted with blood.
"Be careful, alright?" he finally muttered, his thoughts running all over the place. He had the same bad feeling I did, although I didn't realize it yet. He knew something was wrong - Booth wouldn't just wander off like that. He was hesitant to leave me to it, but... they had a case to finish and an innocent girl who needed help.
I flashed the most confident smile I could, but it didn't reach my eyes. It never did. "I'm always careful, Dean," I joked, struggling to hide the warble of worry in my tone. I gripped his wrist in my hand, sliding his hand down my cheek. In a surge of confidence, I pressed a reassuring kiss to his palm, feather-light and hardly noticeable.
I slipped out of Madison's house before he had a chance to respond. With a shaky breath, I collected myself, my cheeks and ears red with embarrassment. Had I really done that? It wasn't the first time I had kissed him in such a way, but God... I was trying so hard to be distant.
With cheeks still dusted pink I shook my head and made my way down the hall. The overwhelming scent of cherries stuck to my skin and clothes for the first time in days; for the first time in days, I was glad to have it with me, if only just to mask the scent of decay.
I stopped for just a moment to drag my weapons bag from the Impala and slip my phone inside before racing down the sidewalk in the direction of the motel. Sasha had the car with her, a fact that I practically groaned at. I couldn't possibly shift now, not in the middle of a city that was beginning to wake up. Instead, I traveled on two feet, panting the whole way. I hated running in this form.
In just about ten minutes I skidded to a halt outside of the motel, its lights still out aside from the dim neon sign, nearly all of its bulbs needing to be replaced. In the parking space outside of our room was the beaten red ford, parked haphazardly and taking up nearly two spaces. I padded cautiously towards it, frowning with each step. It smelled odd, just an underlying hint of foreign scent. Perhaps it was just because of the city.
Sasha was on me the moment I opened the door, her brown eyes welling up with tears once again, arms thrown around my neck in a bone-crushing hug. I stumbled backward, bracing myself against the door frame.
"Thank God-" she gasped out, her throat raw with worry. "I- I was worried you were gone too. He was just gone, I left him for five minutes-"
I shushed her softly, mustering the most comforting tone I could. "We'll find him, he can't have gone far. Probably just wandered off, maybe got lost, yeah? Just tell me where to start and we'll track him down."
Several shaky breaths and a crisp nod later, Sasha was dragging me out the door, her hand clasped tightly around my wrist. It didn't seem that the convenience store was far from Madison's home or the motel - the pair of skinwalkers had been gone for all of thirty minutes, barely enough time for Sam to miss them. To him, it had just been a quick supply run.
The closer we drew, the quicker her steps picked up, bouncing between lengthy strides a gentle jog. With each step she seemed to scent the air, waiting for a familiar scent that she never found. The lack of familiarity only had her jogging faster, pulling me alongside.
The moment we rounded the corner of an alleyway and burst forth into the street, she froze. The brilliant flashing lights of police cars and ambulances had us transfixed, the blinding blue and red reflecting off the battered storefront. Police tape covered the door and windows, an ambulance blocking the view into the store, no doubt also decorated with tape.
I dragged Sasha backward into the alley and dropped my backpack onto the ground, stiff, exhausted fingers rummaging through the contents. The moment my fingers closed on it, I withdrew the small leather wallet and flipped it open, checking that the badge remained safely inside.
Sasha jumped as I stood and shoved the backpack into her arms, heavy from the weapons inside. "Wait here," I ordered in a tone that suggested not nearly as much flexibility as when I left with Dean. Sasha nodded, her lip caught between her teeth in an attempt to bite back a question.
I was always happy to have the fake FBI badge when situations like this arose. I wasn't the best actress, but most people seemed to ignore that once they saw the badge - they seemed to chalk it up to awkwardness and nothing more.
"Hey, hey, you can't be here!" an officer shouted as I ducked under the police tape. I dropped the leather wallet open, revealing the badge within, his eyes flying as wide as saucers in shock.
"I'm working a case in town, happened to be on my way by," I called over the roar of car engines and hurried voices. "Mind telling me what happened?"
"Well gosh, I-" he cleared his throat and placed his hands on his hips, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and the shock of the scene. "It's rather bloody, miss. No witnesses, cashier- well, she's over there now, miss," he muttered grimly, pointing over his shoulder towards a body bag beside the ambulance.
"Any idea how it happened?" I asked, traipsing up and down the sidewalk in an attempt to look professional. He shook his head and scratched his chin.
"It ain't like anything I've ever seen. Looked like an animal attack, to be frank - ripped up, and as far as the docs can tell her heart's gone too-"
I straightened immediately and the cop jumped with me, nerves alight with worry as to what I was going to do. "What?" I snapped and glanced frantically at the glossy windows.
"I said she ain't got no heart, miss-"
"I got that," I waved dismissively, planting my own hands on my hips as I paced. This wasn't good, not good at all - a missing heart either meant another werewolf or... more of us. It was too much of a coincidence, especially with the only known werewolf locked up in her own home. "Is there any sign of a-" I froze, my eyes latched onto the concrete beneath my feet, a rather fresh stain coating it. "... Whose blood is this?"
"That's what we were tryin' to find out, miss. Ain't no other people around here, no one else working this early. Must've been the attacker, we think."
I crouched beside the puddle of blood, beginning to dry against the concrete. It wasn't a steady bleed and rather splatters from... a fight. I swore under my breath and shut my eyes, drowning out the onslaught of noise and scents in the city. My heart thundered in my chest, straining against my suspicions, wishing that I was wrong.
My eyes snapped open at the scent of sea spray and something... foreign. I swore under my breath and stood, the officer jumping once more, gazing at me with startled eyes. With a shaky exhale and forced politeness I gave him a curt goodbye and turned from the scene.
Sasha met me at the corner of the street, wringing her hands and rocking on her heels. "Find anything?" Instead of answering, I waved for her to follow, tracing the faint scent around the corner. The unfamiliar scent came in thin tendrils, mixed with the hint of sea spray and salt.
"There's blood," I finally spoke as we made our way far enough from the scene. "On the sidewalk- it's not the cashiers. Smelled like Booth, but... smelled like someone else too." Sasha inhaled sharply at my words and I could hear her heart, a gentle thud in the back of my mind.
My steps slowed, allowing her a chance to catch her breath. The scent was fading, thinning out until it was hardly recognizable. I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes, sifting through the sensory overload that was the city in the hopes of picking the trail up again.
Instead, I opened my eyes to a mirror of the city, the ground beneath my feet rippling into the darkness with each subtle movement. Sasha was no longer beside me, the space she had once filled cold and empty. I frowned, reaching through the tendrils at the base of my neck that grounded me to my pack.
Booth's lead felt still and cold. It was intact, a feeling that had my instinctive side breathing a sigh of relief. He was alive somewhere, that much I knew. But the connection seemed to drop the further I traced it, fading into the darkness. With an agitated huff, I tugged at the lead.
I shouted at a feeling of sharp pain on my shoulders, blindingly hot, like nothing I had ever felt before. It stung with such an intense pain that I stumbled forward with a gasp, my knees and palms hitting solid concrete.
"Something's wrong-" I gasped out and leaned against the side of a building, slowly dragging myself to my feet. "Shit- Something's wrong, this isn't right. I can't find him, can't feel him-"
"Can you smell him?" Sasha exclaimed, her voice keening with worry. "Please tell me you can track him. Oh God, we should've never left."
My shoulders and back twinged with searing pain, lacing up and down my spine like tongues of fire. It wasn't the burning in my veins that I was used to - this was something else, something sinister. No doubt, Booth felt it too.
"We need to get back to the boys," I panted out with one hand on the back of my neck. The skin there felt hot and damp with a mix of pain and fear. "If we can get back to them-"
I froze at the presence of a new scent that seemed to overpower the city. I clamped my jaw shut and turned my head slowly, peering over my shoulder into an alley that cut between two city blocks. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and elongated, the natural color of my eyes slowly building into a soft gold.
A pair of amber eyes stared back at me.
"Run," I ordered softly, pushing my hand backward into Sasha's hip, who stood frozen behind me. The darkness split around the amber eyes to reveal a set of deadly fangs. "Run!"
Sasha stumbled backward and I took her hand in mine, taking off at a dead sprint down the sidewalks. The sound of a howl ripping through the morning hair had Sasha squawking in fright and tripping over her own feet as I dragged her along behind me.
The sound of excited yips and caterwauling behind me had me racing faster, knowing the beast was not far behind. I glanced up and down the streets as we ran, hissing in anger as passersby left their homes and took to the streets. There was no way I could shift, not in the daylight and not with this thing so close.
A shadow lunged from the darkness and I wrenched Sasha forward, holding her in front of me and away from the snapping jaws that narrowly missed us. She screamed and stumbled forward, her hand still tightly clasping mine in an attempt to drag me with her. A pair of icy eyes and raised hackles lunged forward again, its amber companion yards behind.
Skinwalkers.
Teeth sank into my pant leg and grazed the flesh of my ankle, dotted with scars from my fight with Caeden so long ago. I snarled and yanked my leg forward, the sound of fabric shredding following the abrupt movement. With a hefty shove, I sent Sasha stumbling forward once more.
Excited yips and bays followed our flurried movements, the occasional shadow leaping out in an attempt to grab us, only to disappear and join the chase from afar. Barks and howls from across the city joined the crescendo as we sprinted until my lungs burned and I thought my legs might give out.
The buildings grew shorter and more spread out, the hills rolling and topped with little foliage. We ran with the ocean in sight, cresting hills and dashing between slight valleys. I dragged Sasha sideways, cutting between a few buildings in the direction of the interstate. With each pass over a road or between a house, I changed my direction, praying that the spontaneity of it would have them lose our trail, at least for a few moments.
Instead, the interstate came into view, its winding eight-lane roads twisting and turning between the hills that dotted the landscape. Sasha screamed as I pulled her forward, a sharp howl not far behind us. We stumbled down the hill towards the road, morning traffic speeding down the roadways.
Sasha pulled me backward as I made an attempt to lunge for the edge of the road. Cars whipped past, sending my hair upward in a burst of wind. "What the hell are you doing!?" she screamed over the roar of cars.
"We need to cross!" I shouted back, tugging her with me towards the edge. "We can lose them here!" I gripped her shoulders tightly, her chest rising and falling with heavy pants and her skin looking green from sickness and exhaustion. A roar of triumph from the top of the hill had my veins burning and hackles rising.
"I need you to trust me!" I shouted, pulling her with me towards the road. Her eyes were wide with terror as she glanced between the interstate and the beasts that raced down the hill in droves. First two, then five, then eight, and more howling not far behind. Her hand covered mine as she exhaled shakily and nodded, her eyes glued on the approaching pack.
I gripped her hand in mine and jumped over the guardrail separating the natural landscape from the interstate. She followed closely behind, shaking with each breath, and her once brown eyes filled with a soft blue. Frantic barks followed us as I circled my arm around her waist and urged her forward.
A break in traffic was all we needed to pass the first road. Cars honked as we passed, the wind buffeting us as we paused at the next centerline. A snarl caught my attention and I glanced at the beasts at the edge of the road. One hand on the back of Sasha's head kept her eyes forward, away from the terrors behind us.
With barely any notice I pushed her forward just as another car passed. She stumbled across the road, her legs carrying her faster than she had ever gone before, adrenaline pushing her over the centerline of the next section. I pulled her back into my chest as a car whipped past in a narrow miss, a scream tearing from her lungs.
Behind us, a hound set a tentative paw on the road, its head swiveling from the approaching traffic to us. Others followed, teetering on the edge of the road, watching for a break in the never-ending line of cars.
Sasha pulled me forward in a mad dash across the next two sections, putting us safely in the divot of grass between the two sets of traffic that drove in opposite directions. She gasped out shakily and put her hands on her knees, her eyes facing the next four sections with a resolved terror.
I turned once more to face our pursuers; three had crossed the first section while the others waited for a perfect moment to catch up. My eyes met the amber pair form before, a ridgeback with so much malice in its eyes that I could nearly picture its desire to shred us. Its companion bayed and lunged forward, taking the brief pause between two cars to cross the next section.
Too brief.
A truck came tearing down the road, bowling into the determined mutt, and skidded to a halt in front of where it had been. A spray of blood and a solid crunch followed by a squeal of tires shook the air, terrified yips falling from the maws of the beasts that had to dodge out of the way of the skidding vehicle.
"Go," I ordered, pushing Sasha forward with the momentary distraction. "Go!" She leaped to her feet once more and took her place at the edge of the road. Howls followed us, streaking across the road as traffic slowed around the driver who now cradled the broken body of a woman. They took the opportunity to lunge between slowing cars like rats in a maze.
In a mad dash, we crossed the four lanes, racing down the center stripes to locate a hole in traffic faster. I leaped over the guard rail, Sasha following closely behind. We both stumbled as our feet hit short grass, but that didn't stop us from tearing once more across the hills.
We had left everything but our small backpack in our motel room. Sasha had a cell phone, and between us, we had enough ammo to take out a few of the beasts if we made every shot count. We needed to find a way to loop back to San Francisco and find the Winchesters. If I could get to Dean-
A crushing weight toppled into me with such force that I was sent cascading into the ground, rolling several feet before I came to a stop. An English mastiff towered over me, stumbling as I sent a firm kick to its snapping jaws. The thing didn't move far and was on me once more, a paw in the center of my chest, its claws digging into the fabric and flesh there.
I reached one hand upwards, my nails elongating and the hair on my arms growing thicker and coarser. My fingers closed around the beast's throat, keeping its snapping jaws from my throat, slobber spraying against my skin.
Sasha screamed as another mutt lunged for her. What looked to be a collie knocked Sasha to the ground, any air exiting her lungs with a great oomph. I snarled and pushed the mastiff's head aside, beating its ribs with my fists and knees.
I reached for the mastiff's shoulder joint and dug my claws into the soft flesh where its shoulder met its rib cage. The thing howled as I ripped and tore, swiping its free paw at my hand around its throat. I rolled back onto my shoulders and pushed upward on its ribcage, elevating it off the ground enough that I could lift my hips from the earth and plant my feet on its stomach. With a roar I pushed upwards with my feet, throwing the mutt head over tail, the flesh in my palm tearing as it went sailing.
I didn't give it a chance to reach me again before I was scrambling across the grass towards Sasha. Another mass toppled into me, sending me sprawling on the ground. Teeth latched onto my ankle and I was dragged backward. My nails dug into the rough earth, pulling up rocks and dirt as I struggled for purchase.
Fangs in my arm yanked me onto my back and I swiped out with my claws, catching the cheek and lips of the brute. Flesh shredded beneath my fingertips, blood dripping down my skin as the mutt howled in pain, its fangs releasing from my skin. I crawled backward and lunged for Sasha's attacker. She fought wildly beneath it in a flurry of claws and human teeth ripping flesh.
I sank both hands into the collie's hips and dragged it backward, a yelp tearing from its throat. It whirled on me with fangs bared and muzzle dotted with blood. I pounced on it, feeling my bones begin to snap and teeth elongate as they pierced the back of its neck. It howled in pain as my furred form crushed it into the ground, claws buried in the skin of its ribs and teeth tearing at whatever flesh I could reach.
The mastiff's jaws sank into my back leg and pulled in an attempt to knock me off balance. I sunk my teeth further into the skin of the collie's neck and pulled it upright, its front paws leaving the ground as it flailed wildly. I shook my head wildly and pressed a paw into its back. The pressure from both movements sent a satisfying crack rippling through the animal's body and it went limp between my jaws.
I whirled on the mastiff and swiped outwards, claws raking its face and neck. It snarled and wrenched its head away, glaring at me with dark eyes as I backed slowly towards Sasha. I stood over her as she attempted to stand, one hand pressed to a spot of torn flesh on her thigh.
The scent of pine trees and sap slammed into me like a truck; I stumbled, pushing Sasha further from the approaching skinwalkers, their companions on the road not far behind. The soft crunch of grass beneath heavy boots followed as a figure crested a small hill, the morning light silhouetting the shape of a man, broad shoulder and relaxed.
Sasha, I breathed out in my mind, praying that the link between us was strong enough to support my warbling voice. Sasha, I want you to run.
A small palm dug into the thick fur on my back, gripping tightly at the coarse coat running down my spine. I growled softly, knowing just what she meant, even if she hadn't said it. Not without you, the action said. Her brows were furrowed, sweat beading on her brow as if she was struggling to hold back a wave of sickness.
My lips drew back in a snarl as I faced the figure descending easily down the hill. Behind him were two massive mutts, a Siberian husky with its fangs bared in a nasty grimace, and what looked to be a wolf-dog, its fur ashy with dark gray and black fur.
"I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to make it this far!" the man shouted, his hands buried in his pockets. I narrowed my eyes at him in contempt. Where had I heard that voice before? "You won't make it much farther, I'm afraid." He extended his arms wide as the light shadowing him faded, illuminating a neatly dressed man with a crooked smile and knowing hazel eyes.
Hazel.
My head dropped and ears flattened against my skull as a snarl rang out, shaking the mutts that hung back now, watching Sasha and me closely. I planted my feet wider, my tail swishing wildly. Sasha, I spoke more firmly. Run. Her back straightened at the command, a force behind it that neither of us quite understood.
Her fingers uncurled from my fur, her palm dragging across my skin. I'll be OK, I spoke, an answer to her unspoken question.
"So you do recognize me!" the man cheered. "It's been, what, four months? Too long if you ask me."
Sasha took a cautious step back, her palm leaving my back. A tingle went up my spine as the warmth and reassurance left me. The sound of cracking and rearranging bones followed closely behind and four red paws crunched in the stiff grasses.
"It's a shame you didn't bring your other friend, the redhead. I rather liked him - a good drinking body," the man spoke with a wide smile. My eyes widened as images flooded back to me, of Andrew slumped over the Roadhouse bar with a beer in hand, talking to a man that sounded as if he knew far too much about us. "Bit of a blabber, but a good kid. It's a shame, really, that he wound up with you. The kid had potential."
I snarled and took one step forward. The mastiff skittered backward, earning a snap from the husky by the man's side. The man took several long, slow steps forward as more figures crested the hill, battered and tired but with snarls upon their wolfish faces. There were only six in total now, their companions not far behind them or dead on the side of the road.
I took a step backward for everyone that he took forward. He paused as I pushed Sasha with me, her red cheek against my back leg as high as she could reach. The beasts at the crest of the hill stumbled down and formed a loose half-circle, keeping their distance but seemingly prepared for an ordered attack.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go," he continued with furrowed brows. "As much as I hate it, I just can't let you. I've got things I need to do, and, well... you're in my way."
The group yipped in excitement, the husky throwing her head back in a mighty howl of elation. "There's nothing better than being the strongest, y'know? Knowing that no one can take you out, even if they want to." The man took one last step towards us and leaned forward, a cocky smirk on his thin lips. "You're a threat to that, sweetheart. A threat to my reign. A threat to my war."
He straightened and clasped his hands behind his back, his smile dropping into a serious frown. The glimmer of knowledge behind his eyes was gone, replaced with fire and ambition that I had only seen once before - in the eyes of Chikaltio, when he found himself on my doorstep, demanding my surrender.
"It's the end of the road, Black Dog," he spoke softly now, though his tone lacked the original poisoned friendliness it had once held. His lips twitched into a soft smile and he raised his hand. The air seemed to still, everyone watching with bated breath.
"Kill them."
6519 words.
Edited 05/18/22.