Little Wolf

At one point, I heard a skitter. I prowled toward it, hunting for dinner. The faint rasping of something sliding across the rocky floor let me know it was a snake.

I considered the emptiness in my belly as I padded slowly toward where the sound had ended. My nose narrowed down the area my prey was resting. Closer, quiet, using everything at my disposal to pinpoint where to strike. I pounced, paws landing on rubbery flesh. I felt the muscles below me twist. My head swung out of the way by pure instinct, darting back in with jaws open wide. Fang connected with flesh, and I bit hard, shaking my head violently to keep it from biting me. I threw it to the side, even as I jumped the other way. I heard it flailing back and forth, and knew my bite struck true.

The smell of blood had my mouth salivating, but I knew how to be patient. The sounds of movement became shorter, until they finally ceased. I moved in carefully, knowing snakes could bite even after death. I ran a paw along its length until I found its head. A few quick chews and I pushed the head away from me.

My dinner had recently had its own dinner. I ate snake and mouse. That gave me hope. Mice meant I was closer to the surface.

I rested for a bit, my belly full. I was tired. There was something I should do, but I couldn"t remember what. I dozed.

I woke up all at once. Human! I needed to be human! I couldn"t afford to get lost in the wolf. Derrick needed me. I shifted, my body stretching. I ached. I was filthy. I could smell what little was left of my dinner. I did a few timetables out of habit. It occurred to me having a habit wasn"t a good thing in this case. I needed originality.

There was the barest hint of light, possible from whatever crack the snake had used. I blinked, pretty sure my eyes were still wolf. There was something. Something woke me. I strained to hear a distant sound...

I shifted back to wolf, unsure of what I heard. I angled my ears, hoping it wasn"t my imagination. I heard it again and my tail moved on it"s own.

It was very, very faint, but sure.

I howled. I didn"t bother listening, I just howled and howled, from deep in my gut, projecting the sound as far up as I could. My song was filled with my love for the wolves I could barely hear in the distance.

I moved toward the sound. My gait increased carelessly as I pushed forward. It was only when I slipped  on a muddy area, where water seeped through the ground, that I paused for a moment. The area I was in was less rocky.

Wolf with man-brain, I told myself. I had to remain focused. I would blow our chance at a rescue if I injured myself or knocked myself out. I took a deep breath, pretty sure I had partially shifted back to man for a second as I took stock of myself.

I took this opportunity to listen once more, hoping I hadn"t lost my tenuous contact with our rescuers. A slight smile graced my lips as the sound of howls reverberated in my being. They were echoing my song. I hadn"t imagined it; help had come. I didn"t know how, but help had come.

I finally stopped below a glimmer of light which came from a small crack at the top of a very high ceiling. I stayed beneath it so my song would reach the sky. I wished the opening was bigger. I wouldn"t fit my fingers through, even if I could reach it.

It took awhile before there was a small crowd above the narrow opening, blocking what little light there was. My wolves had come. Lobo, Lone Wolf, even Sheep! I took in the faint scents of unknown wolves, barely registering from the high opening. My vision shifted as Spirit Wolf showed me the wolves above me for a moment. Arctic had a few wolves around him. I moved around, catching Cherokee"s scent along with his son"s. There were others I didn"t know.

I blinked, my vision blurring.

A snout tried to push its way in the creva.s.se. The young she-wolf gave a yap that echoed around me. I gave a fierce growling bark in return, the sound of it echoing around me, before I chuckled. I was filled with wolffish laughter. The snout jerked away before coming back. I know she heard my hissing laugh. The snout left again.

"Little Wolf?"

I shifted, keeping fur, hoping someone kept the she-wolf from putting an eye to the hole.

"Mac?"

"Yeah kid. Hang on, we"ll get you out of there."

"Watch out for John, he"s in with some drug dealers."

"Don"t worry about John. We nabbed his a.s.s, along with his friends," Mac growled down.

"How many friends?" I asked.

"Two others. Don"t worry, one"s not going anywhere ever again, the other is tied up with John. They"ll pay for what they did. Now, how do we get you guys up here? We got a few charges so we can blow you out if we need to."

"Not here," I called up. "Where"s my dad?"

"He growled something about finding a way in to you. "In" was what he managed to get out. I"m sure we"ll hear if he finds something."

s.h.i.t, Dad had gone wolf. Well, I thought, so had I. It"ll work out. I set the thought of my dad aside for the moment. I tried to figure the distance to Derrick.

"Derrick is in another area. It"s a few miles, at least. Mac, move a little to your left. Put someone across from you. Whose there?"

Lobo whined and I smiled.

"I"m ok. Move, no, the other way Lobo. There, stop! Ok. Make a line from Mac to Lobo and keep going about fourteen to fifteen miles, I think. I wasn"t exactly measuring the distance I traveled. I"ll keep howling out down here as I work my way back to Derrick. He has a broken arm, but otherwise he"s ok. I think I know just the place to set off a small charge."

"Got it. You need food or water?"

"No, I can wait. I just ate not too long ago."

I heard Mac mutter something but couldn"t make out what.

"Ok, we"re moving out," Mac finally hollered down. "Give us a sec for the vehicles to clear out so the wolves can hear."

I couldn"t help laughing at my wolves, unable to contain my joy. My pack. Mine. I felt giddy with relief. I knew at some point while contemplating them my brain had shifted. I was wolf. More, I was the Alpha of this pack. I was on four legs before I knew it, letting out something that was almost a roar. My wolves howled back. I had a new hunt now, for my wounded pack member.

I moved, quickly at first, then slower as the wolves above me put ear to the ground to hear me. I led them as I traversed my previous route. There were times when I could almost feel them above me. I continued to howl as I scrabbled over an easier part of the path.

My howl sent them ahead as I crawled through some low areas. I came out, muddy from the water that seeped through that area. I growled, on alert, when I heard pebbles skittering across the ground.

I stopped, preparing myself for an attack. I crouched down, muscles bunched, prepared to move in any direction. There was a slight growl in front of me. I huffed and heard a whine in reply. I approached carefully.

The wolf before me struggled to his feet. I could hear his ragged breathing. He stunk of fresh dirt and mud. I lifted my head, scenting where he had come from- the small creek, flowing through the ground. He had dug, making a tunnel that collapsed behind him as he came, following the water.

"Stupid wolf," I growled, I couldn"t help myself. I stood stiff-legged. I could imagine how he would round on me if I"d tried a stunt like that! And yet... "I"m glad you"re here," I whispered.

It was arms that went around his neck, a human face that buried itself in his ruff before pulling back.

"Come on, Dad," I said as I shifted back to wolf, "let"s go join up with the rest of my pack."