Chapter Two Trials Of The Heart
Daitia threw Lee over his shoulders and ran back to his tree where the samurai swords were hanging off of a high branch. He put Lee down on the soft grass and leapt up, grabbing the swords and landing on his feet. Quickly, Daitia pulled his pack out from behind a nearby bush as he shifted to his human form and then rifled through his pack for his clothes. He heard Lee moan softly as he dressed hurriedly, then pulled out some white cloth and dressed Lee's wounds with it.
Daitia watched the path, as the hunters on the back of their horses and their hounds, came up it. The hounds were looking for Lee's scent, as the hunter's watched their dogs intently.
Daitia shuddered in spite of himself as he thought of a time once, when he had watched a pack of six dogs rip apart a tigeress in India. It was not a sight he wanted to repeat, especially not on Lee and himself.
Daitia pulled a grey, long sleeved shirt out of his pack. Hastily, he helped Lee to sit up, so that he could put the shirt on him. Lee's blue eyes were glassy as Daitia pulled the shirt down to his waist. Lee sat their, hanging his head weakly, while Daitia went into his pack for a pair of black trousers. Daitia nudged him in the ribs hard enough to get his attention, as he handed them to him. Lee put them on numbly, as Daitia reached into his pack again, pulling out two pairs of moccasin-like black boots.
"They should fit you," Daitia whispered into his ear gently, handing the a pair to him.
"I'm sorry papa," Moonsinger mewled softly, as he put them on.
"Hush now, all that matters is that we are together again my son," Daitia whispered in a low voice, as he stroked his adopted son's long blond hair.
Lee tried to stand up, as Daitia threw on his own boots, and hastily tied up the pack. He slung it over his shoulder, as Lee fell. Daitia looked directly at the hounds as Lee tried to get up.
One of the hounds looked directly at them, growling lowly as it's copper eyes focused on them. The other dogs kept baying, still sniffing the ground where they had been, only moments before. The fresh blood was in their noses, and they were looking for the source, yet the scent of the tiger had them confused. But not this one, Daitia noted, their was a look of feral intelligence and almost human hatred in the hound's eyes.
It was then that the hound smiled cruelly at them, as the hunter's sat and talked on horseback about how much gold they were going to get for the wolf skins they had. Daitia kept a bland look on his oriental features, as his hands hung loosely at his hips. The hound smiled again at him, focusing on him, as Lee tried to get to his feet again.
Daitia cocked his head to one side for a moment, as the hound chuckled silently, vindictively licking his chops. It was then that Daitia knew that this hound was making it personal, he wanted them both dead, and liked to kill. Daitia steeled his mind, making it placid, for his instincts told him to rip the hound's head off, throwing caution to the wind. Yet his warrior's blood cautioned him not to run off headlong into trouble.
His emotion's calmed after a few moments, and he helped Lee to steady himself. As Daitia put an arm around Lee's waist and he guided him deeper into the trees. Where two trained mustangs grazed on leaves and grass, their bay coats creating almost the perfect camouflage.
"Get on the mustang, don't worry, he won't throw you," Daitia hissed into Lee's ear.
Lee pulled himself up into the saddle, wincing painfully as he threw his leg over the mustang's back. Lee took hold of the reins, at the mustang's neck, as Daitia looked back towards the hound again. Daitia's dark blue eyes, nearly turned black, as hatred for the beast burned within his veins.
"Papa," Lee whispered, touching Daitia on the shoulder, "That's Mr. McConnol's dog, Savage. He'll track us all the way back to the wolf den if we go there. Once he has your scent, there is no losing him. He's a pure killer," Lee watched as Daitia nodded in silent contemplation.
"We'll just see about that," Daitia growled lowly, as he swung up onto his mustang's back and nudged the animal into a canter.
Lee followed Daitia in silence, as he nudged his horse with his knees tiredly.
* * * * * * * *
Savage bayed as Daitia and Lee rode off deeper into the woods, running after them with a fiendish grin on his muzzle. He loved it when his prey ran from him, and his predatory instincts thrilled as he smelled Lee's fear of him. He almost tasted Lee's blood in his mouth, as the wind practically filled his nose with the scent of the wounded werewolf.
The hounds earnestly ran after Savage, for he was the dominant dog in the hunting pack. The hunters followed their dogs at an easy trot, for they felt secure in the fact that the wolves in the area were nearly gone. Yet there was one hunter who had been following Savage's gaze, and had noticed that Savage was chasing men on horseback.
"I think that dog of yore's probably gone plum crazy McConnell. We ain't chasing no wolves, we're chasing a couple of guy's on horseback," Tyler Morris told him, as he trotted his horse up beside Elias McConnell.
Elias McConnell looked at the twenty four year old farm hand, studying him at length.
As the black haired, brown eyed farm hand, brushed his curly bangs from his face nervously.
The older man was nearly forty-five, and he didn't like it when his judgement was questioned.
Yet Tyler Morris fearlessly held his slate grey eyes with his own, demanding an answer.
"Savage knows when ta chase and when ta back off," Elias nearly growled at him, "You can't stomach that, just turn yore horse around and ride out. Nothin' be said about it. If ya wanna continue on, then just shut yer yap and do what I tell ya to do."
"But McConnell, Savage is chasin' some fellas on mustangs. We can't go 'round killin' people, wolves is one thing, but people? I'm sorry McConnell, that's where I draw the line at,"
Tyler fumed irrately.
"If Savage is chasin' 'em, they ain't just men," McConnell sneered at him.
"Yore a fool Tyler Morris," Brett Whittaker spat, spitting onto the ground as his chestnut mare trotted along beside McConnell's buckskin.
McConnell looked at him again, taking off his hat and smoothing his white hair before replacing it again. His weathered face was wrinkled and cruel, just like his own smile.
Tyler shivered, as Brett's narrowed his black eyes and stroked his red beard. Guiding his white stud with his knees, as Tyler pulled his palomino up short.
"They ain't men?" Tyler asked quizzically.
"Their somethin' else, but it shore ain't human boy," Elias told him, as he pulled out his pipe and began to smoke it nonchalantly.
Brett snickered as the other three farm hands kept an eye on the hounds in front of them.
Their eyes mocking Tyler, as he nearly gaped at Elias in disbelief. Elias stopped his buckskin and looked at him, cruelly narrowing his eyes at him.
"What'll it be Tyler Morris?" Elias asked him in a dead pan tone of voice.
"I guess," Tyler gulped, "I'll go with you."
Elias nodded at him, with a slight contemptuous smile on his face. He kicked his horse and the buckskin caught up with the others, as Tyler reluctantly followed him.
* * * * * * * *
River Moon stood up slowly as his mate and daughter came into view. He wagged his black tail and watched as his mate's hopeful gaze fell, when she saw that he was all alone.
He limped over to her and licked her wounded shoulder, murring softly.
Winter Sun shoved her grief aside for her absent pup and licked her mate's neck tenderly.
At least River Moon still lived and that thought alone gave her hope for the pup's safe return.
She murred soothingly to her mate, as Silver Lake looked about for Moonsinger eagerly.
Yet her gaze fell, as she inwardly knew that he was gone. For a moment she felt lost and lonely, then she looked up and saw her father's aching heart in his eyes. She nuzzled his cheek, licking his chin and then sat down on the grass.
"He should have been back by now," River Moon spoke softly, as he laid down on the grass and rested his weary head on his paws.
"He wouldn't lead danger back to us," Winter Sun answered, grooming her shoulder.
"I know," River Moon answered her in a quiet tone of voice, as he regarded his worried daughter with kind eyes.
"Should we go look for him?" Silver Lake asked, her brown eyes full of concern.
"Not yet," her mother answered in a strained voice, as she laid down beside River Moon.
As her own heart broke in two, she realized that she would have to make a choice between her family or the wolf she loved.
"Always practical my love," River Moon told her lovingly.
"One of us needs to be practical," she answered in a sad whisper of a voice.
Silver Lake looked away, as River Moon attempted to console her broken hearted mother.
Sadly, she silently chose her family over Moonsinger.
* * * * * * * *
The pup whimpered as he saw his first elephant eating hay with his trunk. Merle smiled at him, as the pup wagged his tail shyly and hid his muzzle in Merle's long blond hair when the elephant snorted at him. Merle smoothed the pup's black fur gently, as he walked past the elephant, followed by Nell.
The animals all knew Merle in one way or the other, and continued to make noises as he continued through the circus fairgrounds, until he reached his wagon. He kicked off his boots and took his satchel off, letting it fall onto the steps that led up into it. While Nell lowered her head and grazed on the grass nearby them, her ears moving about tentatively.
Merle opened the door up, gently putting the pup inside. He then picked up his satchel and boots, before he walked inside, shutting the door behind him quietly. As he tossed his satchel into a corner, he watched the pup sniff his bedroll on the floor shyly. It was then that Merle tossed his boots into the same corner, and he sat down heavily on the floor.
The pup watched as Merle put his hands over his face and he smelled salty water, as the human made soft sad sounds into his hands. The pup craned his head to the side inquisitively, as he wagged his tail slowly and whimpered at him. He didn't know what the sad sounds were for, yet he could feel the frustration and anguish emanating from him.
"You may be the last pup left alive by midnight tonight in this territory," Merle finally whispered hoarsely, as he broke down crying.
The pup whined blatantly, going over to him as he wagged his tail. He licked his hands and wiggled into his arms, trying to console Merle as he cried softly. Yet Merle kept crying, and finally the pup grew still and murred at him soothingly.
Merle cuddled the pup close, as his tears fell into the pup's soft black fur. The pup sniffed the air tentatively, as he watched the door intently. Merle eventually drifted off to sleep as the pup stayed in his arms and closed his eyes.
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