Chasing Luna

Challenge

:Kai:

I stopped abruptly as we came through the trees into the large bowl-shaped clearing that marked the Appalachian Pack's meeting ground and Challenge Ring. There were hundreds of bodies packed into the clearing, I couldn’t believe there were so many, Jacob made his request in private! I informed the Elders of the meeting myself and didn’t elaborate on the subject. Only Jacob, Charlie, and I were aware of the tensions in Charlie’s office when Jacob stated his concerns and made his request. There should have been no more than a dozen curious eyes at this meeting, young pups and adolescents who took the rumor mill too seriously. Instead, there were hundreds of wolves, and though our pack was large with over 100 full members and another 50 or so pups and teens, I knew there weren’t this many wolves this side of the Great River let alone in our mountains. Where could they have all come from and why were they all here?

I was starting to panic, my heart pounding in my chest as Charlie stepped into my field of vision. I tapped him on the shoulder as he stepped past me. He stopped instantly, as I knew he would, and I watched as his expression flickered through several emotions; surprise, fear, understanding, rage, determination, and finally a steely resolve. That look on his face right now, that’s why he’s been Alpha for 7 years, no matter his solitary ruling and demented dreams. His ability to take in a situation, make a split-second decision on what it entailed, and then move past his initial rage...it was incredible the amount of control he possessed. A lesser wolf in his position would have succumbed to madness or death ages ago.

I wish I knew what he understood and what he feared upon seeing all these people in attendance but that would have to wait until much later, and then only if he survived. He started forward deliberately, standing tall and proud and I followed at a distance. The moment we breached the trees a wave of quiet conversation had rippled through the crowd, and by the time Charlie reached the edge of them all they slowly made a path that led straight down to the Challenge ring. I could just barely see the Council Elders on the far side of the ring, a few of them looked troubled or frightened but most seemed simply confused and uncomfortable. Any meeting with the Elders was technically public, but as the issues discussed were typically boring pack and territory affairs, most wolves were content with receiving the news second hand or complying with the relevant commands. Especially with such a large pack of our own, most were too busy to be bothered with unscheduled meetings. As I continued to look around at the masses I noticed that there were very few of our own present and that made me nervous. How could there be nearly a thousand wolves in attendance here and yet no more than a handful of them from our own pack?

Someone was responsible for this. Someone spread the word around the country and continent and possibly the world. And that someone had obviously made it a big deal, a guaranteed must-see Challenge between an 8 year unmated Alpha of the largest pack on the continent and one of his Sentinels, a position only filled by a trusted mated Warrior. Had this been the expectation of our talk with Jacob last week, we would have had this Challenge the next day and not the next week. I didn’t have the time now to make guesses as to who was responsible for this, but I would be damned if they survived till the next full moon. I was livid, I felt betrayed, and it was only my knowledge of Jacob’s typical demeanor that I wasn’t already blaming him, and plotting to kill him should he survive.

“I didn’t want this!” a panicked voice spoke into my mind “I didn’t do this! Please believe me, I wanted this to be kept quiet. I did not want a spectacle!” The voice was quieter than normal, and tinny, as though coming through an ancient radio. I looked around confused, then I realized who was speaking...Jacob. His private conversation that I was hearing was only being rerouted to me, not directed. Jacob was at the far edge of the clearing only visible to me at this distance because of his height and breadth, he was huge even for a Warrior born and always stood out in every crowd. He was looking desperately at Charlie, clearly trying to communicate with him and possibly call off this whole terrible mess. But I knew wolves and I knew Charlie, he never backed down from an expected Challenge and he would force Jacob to Challenge him if he had to. Jacob knew Charlie too though and as he realized that Charlie was blocking him specifically he too began to force his way forward. It took the crowd a moment to realize Jacob’s intent, and the forest erupted in whispered questions as word passed that the Unmated Alpha was being challenged by this monster-sized wolf. I could see the fear and outrage of the few of our own present, and I could see the devilish joy in many of the strangers. This challenge would end in bloodshed and death if Charlie let the energy of the crowd control his instincts.

:Charlie:

...The mass of bodies filling the clearing and surrounding the challenge ring was inspiring and threatening all at once.

I was stunned momentarily trying to fully comprehend what I was seeing, this was not what I expected and I thought I had prepared for the worst, how wrong I had been. Fear passed through me as I realized my lack of preparation for this spectacle, this challenge, for there would be no discussion now, only a staredown and a fight to the death. WHO DID THIS! My inner wolf roared, the rage causing my form to shimmer between human and wolf, I only just calmed myself enough to prevent a full shift at the edge of the woods so close to too many innocents. I knew that this initial rage had deadly potential and I forced it all down, hard. Determined to remain in control of myself, determined to save my friends, and protect my pack. I am the Unmated, the Untamed, the Alpha of the Appalachian Pack. I stepped forward with purpose, letting my feet fall heavily on the ground in warning to those nearest me. They turned, saw me, and whispered to their neighbors as they began to part, leading me toward the Ring.

I fixed my features in place as I moved slowly forward, my mind running through scenarios and possibilities until it settled into my previous thoughts about why Jacob had presented concerns, to begin with. Jacobs' mind-link hit my subconscious just as my theory took root, and the emotions I felt behind his words convinced me of it. Though my conscious thoughts dismissed him and directed him to Kai instead, the emotions were strong enough to channel my rage away from Jacob and into a tool to be used at will. His own fear of the implications of this theatre was enough for me, and I would do my best to save his life. I kept my pace toward the ring slow and deliberate, setting the tone for these strangers, and giving Jacob time to reach the necessary conclusion. I sent a mind-linked message to the Ranking Elder and requested him to make the Challenge Statement once Jacob and I entered the ring. Then I blocked out as much energy and thought from my few pack members present to ensure the energy of the crowd would not completely cloud my judgment. My biggest consolation was that our pack was largely missing from the meeting, and that meant no mind-link between the Challengers and the Witnesses. These witnesses had come far and wide to witness me, the unmated, the untamed, the weakest alpha, be taken down by one of his own. I have been through this before, and I will get through it again.

I had firmly decided that Jacob’s mate was to blame for this, only she could have overpowered Jacob’s better sense and gotten him to request a peaceable meeting in the first place. Then she spread the word outside the pack’s channels, spreading the news to the rest of the world that the Unmated was being challenged by his fiercest Warrior. I was more prepared now for the rage setting in, and schooled it into my body slowly, simmering, waiting for the right time to shift, to fight, to force submission. His mate has severely overestimated him and underestimated me, there is a good reason behind my continued reign. I’ve been an unmated alpha for 7 years and those 7 years have been anything but peaceful for me. My pack is trusted by me and by each other, I was Jacob’s mentor, he was part of the ceremony that Named me Alpha of the Appalachian Pack 7 years ago. I was 19 and he 15, and he had stood by me in every challenge thus far, and stood up for my position against outside and inside doubts. But this last mating season, when his mate got pregnant, his demeanor slowly changed. I figured it was nerves over the pups, as it had been 2 seasons without a pregnancy for them. I let him alone, knowing he would come to me if he needed me and believing that Kai at least would have advice for him should he seek it. Our trust was complete, even that day last week in my office when he finally gave voice to his concerns. I should have known then that his thoughts were less his own and more his mates. I would have to discuss at length what to do with her at the end of this, and she should hope I don’t kill him in the process.

I remembered when Jacob turned 18, how he suddenly followed this pretty little she-wolf around like a lost pup. She was next to nothing in the pack hierarchy, the daughter of a Hunter and Omega, and she was barely acknowledged by anyone outside her rank until Jacob came of age. Suddenly he was talking to her, spending time around her, walking her to and from school. He became her friend, was patient and quiet for 6 weeks while he waited for her to come of age. The day she turned 18 he was waiting at her door for her, the connection and mating bond was instantaneous. The mating call is potent when it hits, and I was impressed at Jacob’s ability to suppress his own desires and maintain a respectful relationship as he waited for her. Most wolves told their mates the moment they knew, despite their destined mate being younger. It made less of a surprise and allowed the couple to plan their mating ceremony, warn teachers or superiors involved and make the entire happening a little more convenient for modern times. But Jacob held back, he wanted her to want him before she felt the call. He succeeded and the bonding moment that happens when mates feel the call together was strong and steadfast.

They were 4 hours late for school that day having wasted no time in completing their bonding ritual and showed up as giddy as pups during a feast without a care in the world. I put him in Sentinel training a mere week later, not waiting for them to graduate from school, I knew he would make a good leader. Now I had my doubts about his mate, perhaps her humility faded quickly and became greed and a hunger for more power…. Should Jacob win this challenge, she would become Luna to the largest pack in North America, and I'm positive she is drunk off the sheer imagination. With no real idea of what that would mean for her life and her pups.

I was nearly at the ring and I looked at Jacob, pleased to see his own resolve, but knowing it wouldn’t be enough. We entered the ring together and from opposite sides, the Elders stood outside the ring to my left. Jacob and I stopped about 20 paces from each other and maintained eye contact, the first part of any challenge. The ranking Elder stepped into the ring and the silence from the crowd was deafening.

The elder spoke in a gravel voice that carried well through the crowd. “Jacob, First Sentinel of the Appalachian Pack, born to Warriors and mated 3 seasons, challenges Charles, Alpha of the Appalachian Pack, born to Warriors and unmated.”

That simple statement sent a wave through the crowd which I tuned out. I maintained our staredown, refusing to look away, my resolve stronger than ever after remembering all that I had gone through, all I had accomplished, to get where I am. I searched Jacob’s soul, challenged his resolve, and waited for it to chip or crack ever so slightly so that I could start the fight we both knew must happen. Jacob’s resolve wasn’t weakening, so I stepped into a human fighting stance and slowly side-stepped disguising my movement forward with the lateral motion. It wasn’t a trick I had used in human form before in a real battle, but I knew Jacob would recognize it and comply. He echoed my stance and took his own lateral step forward, and so we moved in a slow circle, staring each other down, waiting for our moment. I changed direction and stances, trying to break him, but he was steady. He knew from witnessing so many challenges that this was how I won, by breaking my opponent’s resolve before the physical fight started. So I did the only thing I could do next, I lunged at him while shifting to my wolf form.

He hadn’t witnessed this strategy before, and while he shouldn’t have been surprised, he still hesitated and that was all the time I needed to take the upper hand. He barely shifted in time to take the full-frontal assault. Our wolves were nearly the same size, mine just as tall but leaner, and I caught Jacob right at his shoulders with my paws and we tumbled to the ground. I used the momentum to twist around him going for a quick end to this farce but he had recovered quickly from his surprise and I bit down hard on empty space. He rolled to his back and kicked me away, but I leaped at him again the moment my hind legs found the ground. I knew that in a fight against Jacob speed was my biggest boon against his bulk. If I took too many kicks or swipes from his paws I would be bruised and broken before I could win. I was no stranger to this type of battle and the strength of a wolf is determined by more than physical force.

We continued to tumble and kick at each other while also trying to get a jaw full of neck in order to enforce our dominance on the other. I was relying heavily on my speed and stamina, needing to outlast Jacob’s energy and wait for him to falter. The problem with this strategy was he knew it and was actively countering it. My only blessing was that he didn’t have any better strategy than to counter mine, which meant I needed to change it up before I lost my edge completely. I couldn’t let up, but maybe I could fight dirty. We had both been going for the kill shot, so in the next moment, I went for his back leg. He didn’t see me coming and I didn’t hold back, I felt the bones crackle between my teeth and I let him go quickly, my goal was to cause pain and give myself an advantage. A full break could also trigger a rage, giving him a high dose of adrenaline that would likely be the end for me. He yelped when he tried to put that leg into action, and immediately began to favor it. I rushed his good side, thrusting my shoulder against his while tucking my muzzle under his neck. He tried to use the momentum to roll again but his pain and bewilderment from being bit in the leg interfered with his instincts. I took his neck in my jaws and placed one back paw hard in his belly. My other paws were heavy on the ground around him. I put full pressure on his neck and growled sharply, a universal sound that demanded submission to evade death. I could only give him one chance…