Moonlit Fur Chronicles: Torn Fur

Max was twitchy and nervous. Ash tried to console him. “They challenged us. Told us they were going to kill us! We are going to die!” Max exclaimed woefully. “Max, no one is going to die. They don’t know about us. They only think there’s more than Jules,” Ash explained. “We just need to sit tight and wait for them to finish searching.” He took a sip from his mug. Max replied, “What about Robin?” She whined at the sound of her name. “She is too big to pass for a dog.” “What if we make a nice den for her in the basement? Let her out early in the morning and evening?” Ellis asked. Casey shook their head, “No that’s not going to work. She needs more space than that.” Drew nodded, “Casey is right.” I knelt down beside Robin and peered into her eyes. She seemed to convey a message.

“Are you gonna be okay doing this?” I asked her. Robin dipped her head and snorted. “Okay, come on. Let’s get you sorted.” I stood and Robin skipped along behind me. I led her to my room. Quinn was in a recliner with her nose in a book. She glanced up at us. “I’m getting Robin cleaned up.” Quinn blinked and dove back into her book. I ushered Robin into the bathroom. Her large eyes glistened. “You’re going to be okay. I will keep you safe, Drew will help I’m sure.” She blinked affirmatively. I turned around to start the shower. Robin softly growled, her body broke and shivered. Her fur melted away and silky skin stretched over bone. Robin was human again. She cautiously stepped under the water. “Body washes are in the corner, shampoos are in the opposite corner. I’ll leave you to it.” She made eye contact with me, her eyes full of confusion and worry.

“Okay, I’ll help you.” I found a new unused loofah and drizzled body wash on it. She smiled and relaxed as I scrubbed her back. I took my time with her, made sure she was clean and her hair properly treated. Who knew when the last time she had a real shower or was pampered. I rinsed her, dried her, and wrapped her in a warm dry towel. I found a loose tee shirt and dark sweatpants for her. Robin studied them curcuriously. “Been that long huh?” I murmured. I heard raised voices from the kitchen, Robin twitched. “Shhh sweetie, it’s okay. Quinn, please help Robin dress. I’ll deal with the loud mouths in the kitchen.” I passed Quinn on the way to the kitchen. I grabbed her waist, pulled her into me and kissed her. She smiled and stepped into the bathroom. I trudged into the kitchen, “What’s all this?” my voice was firm and low. The yells stopped immediately.

The boys spoke over themselves trying to explain why their idea for Robin was better. I raised my hand to silence them. “I appreciate your concern and brainstorming. Fortunately, Robin has come up with a better plan.” I heard the door to my room open, Drew’s jaw dropped. Robin stepped gingerly forward. Her eyes brightened when she saw him. He raced over and embraced her, she smiled. “I’m so happy to see you Robin!” She nodded and placed her forehead on his shoulder, her version of a hug. Robin looked around and found Kai off to the side of the kitchen. She clutched Drew’s hand and towed him to Kai. She took Kai’s hand, put it in Drew’s and said in a faint voice, “Happy.” Drew looked confused, Kai blushed bright red. Robin pressed their hands together tighter. “Happy,” she declared in a slightly louder voice. I beammed at them. They cast confused gazes at me. “Oh come on guys, it’s not that hard. Robin thinks you two make a cute couple.” Robin bobbed her head, “Happy” she confirmed.

“How can you tell what she’s saying,” Drew asked, amazed. I smirked, “Must be an Alpha thing.” My phone buzzed, I didn’t recognize the number. I answered the phone tentatively. “Reese! Are you okay? I heard the guys got a wolf last night!” Dylan’s voice was high pitched and frantic. “I’m fine and so are my people. Nobody important was hurt,” I answered him. I roamed out the back door and settled into a deck chair. Dylan sighed with relief. “Oh good. Ya’ll got to be careful. The guys are all excited and blood thirsty now. I can’t do much on bed rest. Did you have to break my leg?” I didn’t want to tell him I broke his leg so my nightmare couldn’t come true. “I had to make it believable didn’t I? Honestly I probably should’ve just left him with you…would’ve avoided a lot of drama.” There was silence on the other end. “He quit being a part of my pack long ago. He just now admitted it last night after I rescued him. Go figure. He fought me, tried to kill me, and tried to steal my pack. He lost obviously. He was running away when your boys found him,” I answered his unasked question nonchalantly.

“What? Reese, are you serious? You had a werewolf death match? And survived? That guy fought tooth and nail when we first captured him. Sent three of our guys to the hospital and killed two others. Holy crap Reese!” I shrugged my shoulders, “What can I say? I’m the Alpha.” My skin tingled as I said the words. “No kidding. Well be careful. The guys over here mean business.” I thanked him for his warning and ended the call. I put my hands on my head. “That’s just perfect!” I mumbled to myself. I took a deep breath. I needed to figure out how I was going to solve this problem without too much bloodshed. I sincerely thought the hunters wouldn’t back down and we couldn’t run, we had just built our home. Maybe I could convince them if I had a chance to talk to them.

I sent Dylan a text for the name of the hunter leader. His response was “Chance Stirling”. I stood up and covered myself in a dark hoodie and dark pants. I had to try to parley with these men. I had to find a middle ground so we might coexist. A blood feud could rage for years. I already lived through one, I wasn’t eager to start another. I marched off into the woods, making my way to the hunters camp. It was a long walk. Birds sang in the trees and squirrels chased each other. If not for the sense of imminent doom, it was a bright, cheerful afternoon. My mind wondered, Quinn would be furious when or if I got home. If something happened to me, she or Casey would lead the pack. They were suited for leadership, better than I was at any rate.

The smell of gunpowder, fire, and dead wolf filled the air. I was awfully close. I lifted my hood over my head and pulled it low to cover my eyes. I could still see easily. I silently padded closer to the sound of men’s laughter and jeers. No one noticed me until I raised my voice sternly, “Where is the one you call Chance? I would speak to him!” My words jolted the men, they hadn’t anticipated a young woman to be present much less command authority. “I am looking for Chance Stirling. I have a message for him.” No one moved, you could hear a pin drop. I was beginning to second guess my decision to come out here alone. Someone coughed, somebody else cleared their throat. “All right, little Missy. Let’s hear this message.” I recognized the voice from the night before. He was the hunter who spoke to me and my pack, who had warned us to stay inside. “Let us speak privately.” Chance nodded, he beckoned for me to follow, he sauntered toward a huge tent in the middle of the camp. I spied Jules’ pelt, strung up to dry. One of the hunters was ripping his fangs out to fashion a crass necklace.

We tread over the threshold and deeper into the tent. Topographical maps were pinned to the walls. All kinds of communications equipment and scanners littered the tables. My heart skipped a beat. We were vastly unprepared to compete against the hunters for our survival. This was definitely a bad idea, alone or otherwise. “Let’s hear this message little lady,” his voice was deep and husky. “I have a message from the wolves.” I answered in a quiet rich voice. “Wolves that can talk? Nonsense” Chance interrupted. “They want you to know there is no more reason to fight. You have caught the wolf responsible for attacking your people. They simply wish to live in peace.”

“Live in peace you say? These wolves are monsters, beasts of prey that destroy every living thing around them. Nothing more than rabid animals,” Chance countered angrily. I was getting nowhere fast. I needed to change tactics. “The world you know is but one side of a many faceted gem the world truly is. Most of the time, these facets stay within their boundaries set by Nature herself. Sometimes these boundaries, these lines are crossed and bleed into other facets. You have witnessed such bleeding. The ‘wolf’ you called it, was once a man, cursed by Nature as a result of this bleeding. He was a man albeit an angry pathetic man. When the moon was full, his curse would manifest by breaking his body and reshaping him into the wolf you see on your wall.”

“There are others but they are controlled by a powerful Alpha who will not let harm come to either humans or wolves. The Alpha dreams of a world where humans and wolves can live side by side in harmony, mutually benefitting from peace. As it stands, Mr Stirling, you are the only human aware of the werewolf existence. The wolves are more than happy to stay away from humanity, living a simple peaceful life. All they want is to survive in solitude. You, Mr Stirling, can be the hero of both human kind and wolf kind. You can create a lasting peace between the two races. In the wolf world your name will go down in history as the one who saved wolfkind from a long ugly blood feud. I do not know what accolades await you in the human world.”

Chance was silent for several minutes. I could see the metaphorical wheels in his head spin. “This Alpha, what guarantees can he make that a peace can last? How do I know he truly wants peace?” I felt my skin tingle and warm as I drew in a deep breath, “You have my word the Alpha yearns for peace and will exact a high and just price from the wolf found breaking the peace. I am the voice of the Alpha, I speak where she can not.” Chance could feel waves of strength and power wash the room in an energetic warmth. “She? A lady Alpha?” He prompted. I nodded as gracefully as I could. “If that don’t beat all.” He mumbled. “As a sign of good faith, the Alpha has given you the wolf who harmed your people. You found the wolf beaten and battered, barely clinging to life. The Alpha dealt with him in her own way before delivering him to you.”

Chance rubbed his chin, “That wolf was banged up good and proper. Before we caught it the first time it killed two of my boys and sent three to the hospital. Must a strong wolf indeed this Alpha to do that much damage.” I was silent and waited for his answer. “Answer me this, you said I was the only human who knew about the wolves. What does that make you?” A growl rumbled in my chest, I wished he hadn’t caught that. I felt forced into a corner. I took a deep breath and calmed my nerves. “I am not human.” My voice was soft and smooth. “Mr Stirling, you have a chance to create a lasting peace between us. Please, for the good of all living beings involved, please make the right choice.”

“I’ve heard enough,” Chance retorted. “Good day little lady.” He pointed to the open tent flap. I backed up to the flap, turned around and marched out the door. I perked my ears up and listened desperately for signs of attack. I headed straight for the nearest treeline. I broke into a sprint as I ducked behind the trees. This was bad, very bad.