Chapter One The Man
He wasn't interested in making time as his black horse trotted into the field quietly.
All he really wanted instead, was a little peace and quiet. Yet he knew if he didn't come back with a new wolf, he would be totally out of a job, which annoyed him immensely.
Merle Silver had never been one for a lot of mumbo jumbo. He had been training animals for nearly thirty years now. Often tracking down the animals he wanted and bringing them back to the circus where he had come to live for the majority of his adult life.
Even the black horse beneath him was one of his own, high-spirited and roped in Arabia.
She was just the way he wanted her. He never did go in for the broken down spiritless animals that he would often see in the towns, pulling their burdens and going about their daily drudgery with empty eyes. For it seemed to him like something inside had been lost on purpose.
"Animals have souls too Merle," his dad had once said, and he had taught him all that he knew about tracking and training them.
He shook his head at the memory as he came up over the hill and reined her to a stop.
His green eyes scanned the field as he brushed a blond lock of long hair from them. The horse reared up and Merle held on to her with his knees as she came down again, making fretting noises to let him know that she did not want to be there.
"Easy girl," Merle soothed softly, rubbing her neck gently as his eyebrows furrowed.
He looked at the torn up ground, where once fresh green grass had been, noting the red patches of stained grass. He slid off his mount and examined the ground for tracks, noting the difference between the paw prints as he did so. For a trained eye, this ground held a tale of anger and blatant death. As he moved forward, still crouching, fingering the hoof tracks of riders on horse back at a gallop.
Merle dropped the reins of the hackamore and stood up, following the tracks of the wolf with an inhuman silence to his footfalls. His mind sorting through the apparent ages of the animal that had made them, as he made his way up to the front of the wolf den. Where he found the tracks of a very young wolf, and the tracks of a hound going by the den's entrance at a run.
He peered inside the den and inhaled deeply. A warmth to the air penetrated his nose, as well as the dirty scent of a young wolf pup. He laid down silently, then guessed about where the pup would be and like a cobra, thrust his hand deep into the den.
His hand made contact with warm fur and pulled the sleepy pup out of the den. The startled pup yelped at him and started gnawing on his hand frantically. He pulled the pup out of the den and held the pup close to his ribs, his other hand coming up to hold the pup close to his body. As the other hand let go and held the pup's head against his rib cage.
The pup continued his frantic yelping and he rolled on to his side, cuddling the pup close to him as he did so. He awkwardly sat up, gently rubbing the pup's warm black fur as he pulled the pup up into his arms and kept his face away from him so that he couldn't bite him. The pup continued to struggle in his arms for a few more moments, yelping louder.
Merle continued to stroke him, holding him close to him, until the pup finally stopped struggling and whined to himself pitifully. He nuzzled the back of the pup's head with his nose, and the pup looked up at him with startled surprise. Merle blew warm air softly into the pup's fur, and the pup whined at him in confusion.
"Yeah, I know. I'm a dirty human and you're mad at me," Merle told the pup in a soft tone of voice, still rubbing him soothingly.
The pup seemed to be listening to every word he spoke to him intently. Merle searched the pup's dark eyes silently, finding intelligence and waning fear there. He continued to stroke him and the pup laid down in his arms, grooming his fore paws.
"You're a big boy pup, look at those paws of yours. I'll bet you'll be as big as your dad,"
Merle told him in a soothing tone of voice, as the pup looked up at him again.
The pup whined at him, frantically looking around for something. Merle could only guess what it was, and he held the pup close again, as the pup cried pitifully against him. He stroked the pup tenderly, attempting to soothe him. Yet inwardly, he knew it wouldn't help much.
"It's okay pup, you're not alone any more," he spoke softly, wondering what to do next.
It unsettled him to see that amount of intelligence in a wolf's eyes. Yet if things kept going the way they were, this pup just might be the last one in forty miles. He didn't relish having to keep searching for another den, and the pup seemed lonely enough to him. Maybe he'd bond to him and he'd be able to do something with him at the circus, at the very least though, he couldn't just walk away and leave him alone. Not with all the wolf killers in the area up in arms over some imagined offense or another, he'd die in a week from them, maybe less.
He held the pup close as he stood up and walked back over to the mare, still petting him and making soothing sounds to him. The black mare looked at him curiously, for she had never seen such a young wolf before. She sniffed at him and he licked her nose, his tail wagging the entire time. For curiosity had quickly over come his fear, and he had never seen a horse before.
She let out a startled whicker and the pup became very still, sniffing her fearfully. His tail tip still wagged, yet he had tucked his tail between his back legs submissively. She sniffed him again and put her ears forward, as Merle took up the reins and tensed to leap onto her back.
"Here goes nothing and you hold still so I don't fall and break my neck," he told her.
He leapt up onto her back, landing a bit too hard and nearly lost his grip on the pup. The pup struggled in his arms knocking him off balance and he fell off the mare's back, letting the pup go as he fell. The pup leapt off to the side, landing lightly on his feet as the mare let out a laugh that only horse's know. He laid there for a moment, catching his breathe as the pup darted over and licked his face sloppily. Merle laughed in spite of himself and sat up. He wiped his face with his hand, attempting to get the pup's drool off his moustache and goatee.
"I should of known you'd laugh at me Nell. You're always good for a laugh at my expense. You goof ball Arab," he said calmly, rubbing the back of his head as he did so.
The pup had run back over to Nell and Merle watched as the eight year old mare sniffed him, talking to him in the language that only animals knew. He could only hope that she was telling him good things about him, and that he wouldn't have to chase the pup all over creation to catch him again. Yet something told him that he was now curious, as he let out a playful yelp and scampered around Merle, darting back over to play with Nell again.
He got up and reached into his ruck sack as his stomach growled at him hungrily.
Merle pulled out some cheese, and what was left of his jerky, then sat back down again, pulling out his knife and cut off a few hunks of the cheese and jerky. He dropped the hunks of cheese and jerky on to the grass beside him and then cut some for himself. The pup darted over to him again and began eating hungrily beside him as he ate some of it himself.
He stood up and the pup shied from him as he pulled his waterskin off the harness and took a drink. The pup darted back in and finished eating the food, then looked at him and whined.
Merle pulled out a low sitting wooden bowl and put some of the water in it, then set it down.
The pup went over to the water and drank it greedily, then looked back up at him again.
Merle put the water skin back on the horse's harness and then tied it securely in place. He picked up the bowl and threw the rest of the water into the grass, then dropped it back into his ruck sack.
He took hold of the mare's reins and then looked at the pup, who had sprawled on to the ground and now looked about playfully. He smiled, careful not to show any teeth, as the pup panted at him. He turned and led the horse off back down the trail he had followed as the pup looked back at his home for a moment and whimpered in confusion.
Merle looked back at the pup, whistling shrilly at him to get his attention. The pup looked at him startled, before running over to him and playfully nipping at his knees. Merle laughed again and picked the pup up before he could dart off again. The pup struggled a bit, then play growled at him and yipped. He held him gently, yet firmly, as the pup settled down in his arms again.
For a moment, Merle questioned himself about his decision. Looking off thoughtfully at the abandoned den and then at the pup, who whined at him again. He shook his head and rubbed his cheek against the pup's warm fur, sighing heavily.
Slowly, almost regretfully he walked away, and leading the horse off back down the trail.
* * * * * * * * *
River Moon had no idea how long they had been running that day, as his muscles began to complain even more from lack of rest and his empty belly protested. He stopped, panting heavily, as Moonsinger skidded to a stop beside him. His mind was oblivious to Moonsinger's presence as he grew angry with himself for stopping to rest. Yet the den was not far away, for it had only taken half the dark sky with the white disc hanging in it, to find the game they had been hunting.
Moonsinger sniffed the air and looked at the frantic River Moon calmly, murring gently to soothe the haggard Alpha's nerves. Yet River Moon only growled lowly, as he felt a coldness seeping into his heart. It was then that both of them heard the sounds of many horses and barking angry cousins, as well as the sounds of the two leg's thunder again. River Moon looked at Moonsinger and dashed off towards the den again, and Moonsinger dutifully followed him .
When they arrived, he saw nothing and scented nothing there, except for the fact that a man and a horse had been there. He looked about, searching for the pup as Moonsinger helped.
Yet the pup was gone and the sounds of the many horses and baying angry cousins seemed more distant from where they were at. He threw back his head and howled heartbrokenly, as the realization that he and Moonsinger were the only one's left hit him.
Moonsinger joined him in his howl releasing his pain and anger at the sky. He had truly hoped to find at least some of the pack here, yet they were gone. Probably to man's guns and their baying hound's fangs. He licked his wounds as the outraged Alpha continued to howl his agony at the sun. His mind turning in twists and bends that only served to make him angrier.
In a few moments, River Moon fell silent. Crestfallen, he tucked his tail between his legs and stood there numbly. Moonsinger's gaze of anger softened and he went over to him, grooming him and murring soothingly. He could only imagine how the Alpha felt, as his heart attempted to become warm with compassion for him. Yet he too, felt a coldness inside, for he had been their beta, and he had let them all down.
"It's not all your fault River Moon," he whispered compassionately.
"If we had only gotten here a little sooner, he would still be here," River Moon answered in a small voice that was barely a whisper.
"I know," Moonsinger answered in a soft voice, attempting to rally his own courage and fan the fading flames of hope back to life again.
River Moon limped over to the den's entrance and laid down, slowly resting his green eyes. As anger swelled within Moonsinger's heart at the shattered Alpha's grief. Regret chased his anger mercilessly and he darted off in the direction of the men and hounds.
River Moon barely noticed him leave, for he was too caught up in his grief for his dead pack and missing son. His heart was broken and he had no strength to continue on any more.
* * * * * * * *
Silver Lake danced nimbly out of the way of the attacking cousin's jaws as the beast lunged at her mercilessly. Unlike her father, she held nothing but contempt for the angry cousin's and hated them as much as they hated her. The gray she-wolf darted in under his jaws, biting him in the throat as he clumsily attempted to move out the way of the bite. Her jaws hit home and she savagely ripped his throat out, dropping the bloody piece of meat on to the ground.
The angry cousin yelped one last time, as she heard snarled in spite of herself. She ran back towards where her sister had been and found her wounded through the chest by the thunder of the two leg's. She skidded to a stop and panted heavily, her nose searching for the scent of her mother. Yet their were too many scents for her to follow them and she howled for her.
A faint howl answered her and she followed her ears, running as swiftly as she could.
She heard the sound of thunder faintly and then the howl again, as she stopped. She scented the air again and barked sharply in confusion.
It was then that she heard the sound of running coming towards her and she looked behind her in surprise. A cream colored she-wolf came running out of the trees, slowing to a trot as she entered the clearing. Her coat marred by the blood that had coagulated at her shoulder from an angry cousin's bite.
Silver Lake ran over to her mother and began to lick her wound anxiously. Her mother stopped, wagging her tail in greeting, murring soothingly. Winter Sun looked at her daughter, sniffing anxiously as she did so, satisfying her with the scent that her daughter was whole and unharmed. As for her own shoulder, she thought nothing of it, for wounds could wait to heal in safer places, away from the two leg's thunder.
She yipped at her concerned daughter and then pulled away from her. Silver Lake looked at her in confusion, but followed as her mother headed away from the clearing, back into the thick cover of trees nearby. She was heading to the den, where they had left her little brother when the two legs and the angry cousins had attacked them. Silver Lake hoped that he would be all right and whole when they arrived, as her mother trotted onward, ignoring her pain.
* * * * * * * *
Moonsinger raced along the trail left by the fleeing females and the pursuing hunters.
Grief burned white hot within his heart as he seethed with revenge, the hunters would pay for what they had done to the only wolf pack he had ever known. He rounded the copse of trees, never seeing the white, black striped shadow in them.
He rounded the copse of trees, and the Siberian Tiger leapt, landing on top of him.
Moonsinger hit the ground hard, skidding three feet on his side. The tiger ran over to him, taking on the tiger man shape and touched his side. Moonsinger's side heaved painfully as he attempted to catch his breath and move at the same time. The tiger man put a hand on his shoulder, holding him down on to the ground.
"Lee, is that you?" he almost hissed in his ear, bending low over him.
"Yes," he whispered weakly through gritted teeth, as Lee shifted uncontrollably back to the human form and laid there.
"Lee, it's Daitia," he whispered softly into Lee's ear, "It's papa."
"Papa," he closed his eyes, as Daitia's ears picked up the sounds of the hound's barking.
"Lee talk to me," Daitia hissed in his ear, "Where is the wolf den? Where is it safe?"
* * * * * * * *
