The dumpers didn't have a pattern for when they showed up. Simply whenever suited their needs, so long as it wasn't dark. Which meant a constant watch had to be kept between dawn and dusk. A rotating schedule was drawn up, every pack member getting their fair share. Orion offered to sub for anyone who needed to be elsewhere during their shift. And whenever he wasn't busy and wasn't on shift, he could be found prowling nearby.
It was day seven when Katrin howled there were trespassers. Orion was on the scene in seconds. There were three as usual. Katrin hadn't made a move, as she had not yet been told she could hunt large prey alone, and had been instructed to wait for others before engaging in combat. At the sight of Orion dashing by, Katrin jumped to her feet and took off after him.
When the two jumped from the forest in (dire wolf form), the humans screamed. One of them pulled out a handgun and began firing wildly. Orion jumped on the man and bit deep into the side of his neck. He was dead by the time Orion let him go.
The pack successfully hunted down the other two. One had jumped in their SUV s fast as he could and drove off, abandoning his partner. That made one easy to catch. The other in the vehicle had required some cleverness, but the end result was the same.
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It was Orion's shift the next time the dumpers came. He saw there were five this time, three of them with guns drawn and eyes peeled. No doubt checking for whatever had kept the last group from returning. The other two were disposing of the latest body as quickly as humanly possible. Orion let loose the warning howl, and impatiently waited for any of his pack to show up. As soon as he saw one he charged the humans.
Four of the humans balked at the surprise of wolves pouncing out of the woods. The fifth managed to keep his wits long enough to get an accurate shot off at Orion. Orion briefly ignored the pain of the bullet ripping through his shoulder, and pounced that shooter. He mauled the man's arm to prevent him from shooting again. For Nathaniel's sake, or rather for the sake of not having to hear Nathaniel lecture him, Orion left the man alive. He did break the man's leg to prevent him from getting away.
Katrin had pulled a gun from one of the other armed ones and was busy subduing that person when the rest of the pack arrived. The two unarmed ones had run at the first sign of attack, and were getting into their vehicle by this point. The third gunman had been trying to get a steady aim, but upon seeing three more large wolves, he fired off one last random shot and ran after the other two humans. After he dove into the SUV, the driver took off.
Melinda stopped briefly to make sure Orion was still combat worthy, not that she expected him to stop if he wasn't. Then she led the pack, minus Nathaniel, after the humans attempting to get away.
Nathaniel stayed behind to watch the two humans, and take care of the body. He had come to feel it was his responsibility to properly tend to the remains of the wolf-blooded left on his pack's lands. First he checked to be sure the two living wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. Then he headed down the hill to the body.
He mulled over the information they had gathered so far, considering how to factor in the dumpings were still occurring here even though the dumpers knew wolves were going on the offensive whenever they showed up. He was deep in thought when he picked up the arm to help pull the body off the sloping ground. Which made him all the more startled when he heard a soft moan of pain as he lifted the body. He froze for a moment, his mind shifting from trying to understand the enemy to processing what had just happened. Gingerly he raised the body and turned his head to place his ear on the chest. Sure enough, he heard a heartbeat.
(She's alive!) he had to proclaim to himself before he could believe it. For a fleeting moment he was ecstatic. Then he realized how severely wounded she was, which brought up conflicting instincts. She needed immediate attention. But why was she still alive? How even? It appeared she had been subjected to the same beatings as all the rest, by all he knew she should be dead. Though it was clear that if she didn't get medical help she would not be waking up any time soon, if at all. He activated his gift of healing to take care of the deepest wound. That would at least give her a fighting chance.
Forgetting about everything else for the time being, Nathaniel carefully carried the woman to the pack's home. Once there he laid her on the closest bed, that being XXX's. He spent the next half hour setting broken bones, finding appropriate containers for applying ice, and trying to avoid making the deep bruises worse.
"Nathaniel!" Melinda's voice cut through his thoughts sharply.
"In here," he called back. He refrained from applying one last bandage. "XXX, you're needed," he added.
Melinda appeared in the doorway with a disapproving scowl. Orion was behind her shoulder with a deep frown. "And just what made you think it was okay to abandon your duty?" Melinda demanded to know. If it hadn't been Nathaniel, she would have launched into a lecture on how abandoning your duty was akin to abandoning the pack when it was depending on you, and all the possible repercussions. There might even be a punishment involved.
Nathaniel motioned for XXX to enter. "Get in here. She's alive. Barely." He glanced at Melinda.
Melinda jerked slightly as her face changed to shock. She pushed Orion off to the side, and made room for XXX to pass by. After Nathaniel filled XXX in on all the wounds and what he had done, Melinda gestured for him to come out of the room.
"I'm sorry," Nathaniel said as soon as he was through the door. He lowered his eyes as he explained himself. "I decided she was more important. If that was wrong, I'll apologize personally to everyone."
Melinda pursed her lips and thought a moment. "You should anyway," she finally decided. "It's simply that it was completely unexpected."
"Which is the only reason you were given a chance to explain," Orion added. "I knew you wouldn't just leave us."
Nathaniel nodded. "She is more important. Keeping her alive should be our priority."
Orion didn't look any more pleased then when he had arrived. But he did agree. "Besides having saved one of them, she should be able to tell us what's going on, without needing persuasion." He looked to Melinda.
Melinda had her eyes narrowed at the woman on the bed.
"What?" both Nathaniel and Orion asked in unison.
"She looks familiar," Melinda replied. "I'm certain I've seen her before. Somewhere... I can't quite place her though."
Both Nathaniel and Orion turned to look at the woman. They all stood silent as they tried to determine if Melinda knew her. Thinking it might be more of a unconscious recognition, Nathaniel opened is spiritual eyes.
Suddenly Nathaniel's hand was on Melinda's shoulder. "It's her," he whispered, "from
the night."
"Yes!" Melinda confirmed. Orion nodded in agreement as well, his demeanor finally shifting to something other than negative emotion. For a few moments the three were taken back, feeling like the original inexperienced, yet bound by a newfound deep friendship, trio they had been that night when she had inadvertently brought them together. Their unshakeable trust in each other had been forged that night. The pack had begun that night. Their future had been set that night. She had helped them save quite a lot. And no one had been able to save her.
"We owe her," Orion broke the silence with.
"Where has she been?" Nathaniel wondered.
Melinda's eyes darkened. She crossed her arms. "I don't like this. Not one bit."
Labels: Story, The Lost Song
