Endangered Species

Everyone who took my bite got moved to the ground floor. The rooms were interior to the building or had the windows covered with sheets to cut down the harmful UV, not that it mattered. It relieved the space issues in the basement and kept the people close during their change.

A half-dozen doctors were assigned to monitor the patients and document their findings. The healings they saw over the next thirty hours blew them away. Some volunteers were in the final stages of radiation sickness, yet the bite brought them back to health. Swelling disappeared, internal organs regained function, and skin healed before their eyes. They wrote down observations and vitals with wide eyes and shaking heads. It must have been hard for them to watch people die without being able to help, and now they’d watched me heal them with a single bite.

The most shocking recoveries were among those blinded by the light. The doctors could do nothing, finding permanent retinal damage and scarring. The change helped because they started getting wolf vision. It was black and white only and worked great in near darkness, but it was life-changing. Over fifty volunteers went from being burdens to assets in a day. They could see in the dark better than their human peers.

The General walked through with me that next night, shaking his head in amazement. Patients were smiling, thanking him for letting me do this for them. “When can you bite more?”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea, General,” I replied. “These people will start the fevers soon, and the shifts begin after that. I need to be there for both. If I bite more people now, I can’t participate in training for the assault.”

“The soldiers know how to fight,” he replied.

“It’s not the same with a wolf. We must learn to use the mind-link because that is our communication on the battlefield. We have sensitive noses and vision, and we need to exploit that. If they go wolf, they need to learn to move and fight in that form. It’s a lot to do, and I can’t be distracted. They are up against defenders who have been fighting with them for years.”

One of the guards ran up to us, saluting the General. “Sir, there are visitors at the McChord main gate requesting to see Ensign Summers. They said they are from the Renfro Pack.”

“How many, Private?”

“Eight vehicles, at least forty people,” he replied.

I smiled, knowing my Pack had survived and returned for me. “I need them in here, General. They will be invaluable in helping those taking the change.”

“They are civilians, and this remains a military base. Standing orders prevent access.”

“They are the experts we need, sir. Look, I’ve been a wolf for TWO DAYS. Everything I know is what I’ve heard in the last week or experienced in the two times I’ve shifted.”

“We could train outside the gate,” he replied.

“They are my Pack, General. They will fight for me just like these soldiers will, seeking to topple an evil Alpha and save their friends and relatives.” He stared into my eyes, but I was determined to win this one. Pack was Pack, and we needed each other.

“Private, the Ensign’s guests have permission to enter. Escort them here immediately.”

“Yes, SIR!” He took off running while I hid my smile.

“I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot of compromises,” the General complained.

“Nothing is the same now, and you have knowledge of things that were hidden before. Adaptation is the only way to survive,” I told him as we sat at a table.

“What else are you seeing?”

I thought about how to phrase this delicately. “Shelter, food, power, water, sanitation, transportation, communication. These are things we never had to worry about before, yet they are now the most important things in our world. You’re operating by candlelight and digging latrines. It’s time to forget about the old world and focus on keeping your people alive.”

“What do you mean, Summers?”

“You’ve got thousands of people here, so let’s just talk food. You’ll run out of canned food and MREs soon. All food animals are dead, and you have no gardens or crops. It may take years to become self-sufficient, and you don’t have years of food in storage.”

“So what do we do?”

“My ex-mate had his failings, but he always looked towards the welfare of the Pack first and foremost. Dry and canned foods are the short-term solution. Once he had shelter and security, he focused his resources on scavenging.” I gestured towards the city of Tacoma, not far from the gates. “If the rats devour it or the fires burn it up, it’s wasted. You need to send patrols out to not only search for anything useful. Running vehicles, food, toilet paper, medicines, clothing? Bring it all back. You’ve got tons of secure storage. Hell, those airplanes out there are nothing but storage space now.” That got a chuckle. “You need to find out what skills and trades you have available. Lawyers are worthless, while farmers are invaluable. Forget about rank and focus on the outcome. The same rule applies to people who want you to take them in.”

“We haven’t been letting anyone in who didn’t have access before,” he told me. His face reflected the gravity of that decision. “It’s been heartbreaking, hearing them scream and beg from the other side of the fence.”

I nodded at that. “You can’t save everyone, General. You don’t have the resources. Still, you may run into those who can help. Medics, mechanics, electricians, farmers, and fishermen. Restore your infrastructure; clean water, sanitation, and power. Bangor has value because it has underground diesel generators that are still functioning. The military stuff doesn’t matter now except for security.” I could tell he didn’t like hearing this. “I’m sorry, sir. If you haven’t been outside the base, you don’t know how bad it is. If you’re worried about hordes of people begging for help, don’t. I went through entire towns where everyone was dead. I drove through Tacoma and Olympia twice in one night and didn’t see anyone else. The ones you do find? They’ll probably be shooting at you.”

He ran his hand through his thinning hair. “Wonderful.”

We were interrupted by the sound of vehicles pulling up to the curb. “With your leave, General?”

“Go ahead,” he said. I practically ran outside, leaping off the steps and into Ted’s arms. “You made it!”

He quickly put me down, letting Lois embrace me next. Melanie was after that, followed by Oscar. The other members of the Renfro Pack didn’t know me. They’d only heard of me from those four. “Welcome, Renfro,” I said to the group as they gathered around.

“Wow, you’ve got some power, Alpha,” one of the females said.

“I was hoping you’d be Alpha rank, but DAMN, girl,” Melanie said. “How does your wolf feel?”

“She’s strong. She wants her Pack to run with her.”

There were smiles all around at that. The people knelt before me, and I accepted their submission as my wolf brought them into her Pack. I felt something tickling the back of my head and started scratching it. “It’s the Pack link,” Lois said. “Close your eyes, think about a phone ringing in your head, and answer it.”

It took a few seconds, but I focused on the sensation. “It’s Lois, Alpha. Now that you know who I am, you can think of me and send a thought. As everyone contacts you, you will remember what it feels like and know who it is. You can contact everyone or a small group as you get better at it.”

“This is fucking awesome!” It didn’t take long for me to get it all figured out. I took my Pack inside, introducing them to the General. “We’d like to take a run, sir.”

“I’d like to see that.” He was the only human in the entry area, and I didn’t want to freak him out. “Can you turn around until we tell you it’s all right? Shifting with clothes on gets them tangled or ruined.”

“Of course, Ensign.” He turned around, and the forty-six of us stripped and shifted. I shook out my fur, then nosed the General’s hand so he would turn around.

Everyone was staring at me, and they started to drop to their bellies, exposing their necks. I opened the link to the whole Pack. “What?”

“Your wolf is SILVER,” Melanie replied.

“So?”

“It’s rare and special. I think the last silver wolf died around 1950.”

“I didn’t pick it. The Moon Goddess chooses your wolf, right?”

“That’s what we believe, yes.”

“When I was fighting to merge my wolf into my mind, the Goddess stepped in to help us. She told me her people had lost their way, and I was to show them.”

“Show them what?”

“She never said. She told me I was doing fine, that I was her beautiful werewolf, and she was with me.”

Melanie crawled forward, rolling onto her stomach in front of me. “Pure silver wolves are moon-touched. You are much more than our Alpha, Angela. You are Luna’s prophet to our people. Alphas will bow before you and beg for your favor.”

I looked around my Pack members; all had rolled onto their backs and exposed their bellies in submission. I didn’t deserve this, and I sure as hell didn’t ask for it. The fevers were hitting, and Bruce would get his wolf soon. “Rise, Renfro Pack. We have much to do, but my wolf wants to run. Follow me.”

My wolf was giddy during the night run with her Pack. I let her have her fun, because that would be in short supply soon.