The First Wolves

6. TRAINING, TRACKERS AND TRAVELS

Needing a little reprieve from the hours of drudgery, Conri had called for a brief rest as the trek to the mountains was proving to be gruelling for the wolves who had spent the majority of their lives in the villas. A specific group that weren’t struggling with a depletion in their energy were the very excitable pups. Their giddiness was verging on them becoming potential nuisances. Iselda decided to take them into hand, and start an impromptu defence lesson. Jenny laughed as she saw the pups march behind their Gamma, similar to ducklings following their mother.

“A few more weeks and you’ll be entertaining your own little bundle of fun,” Iselda joked as she walked passed, only making Jenny laugh harder.

Iselda stood in front of each pup clapping and praising every one of them as they demonstrated the fighting sequence she had taught them. Strangely, she continued to be drawn to Bruno, who was taking the exercise more seriously than his peers. The little frown on his forehead never smoothed out as he concentrated on every move from the beginning, and became frustrated with his peers who weren’t paying attention. It saddened her to know that Bruno seemed to realise that what she was teaching them had greater importance for them than their simple entertainment. Although the other pups were smiling and having a fun time with their Gamma, they soon began to copy Bruno’s discipline. He seemed a natural leader among all the pups, but more so for those who were without their parents. The precision of their punches quickly improved, and they seemed to take her instructions to heart. Iselda thought it would be a good idea to arrange a pups’ training session. Conri and Fidella had been adamant that every pack member should have a basic knowledge of how to protect themselves, but they just hadn’t included the pups when they made the initial training rota. Finally, their energy had been spent. The pups seemed to stand up taller, and went on a search for Conri and Fidella to demonstrate their new skills to them.

Wanting to propose training for the pups, Iselda went in search of her Luna and Alpha as well. If they agreed, she could begin working on the schedule for their next camp.

“Mothers and she-wolves are singing your praises everywhere, Gamma Iselda. You have more energy than the pups,” Fidella laughed, throwing her arm across her friend’s shoulders, and ignoring Iselda’s attempted display of respect to her Luna.

Unable to keep their excitement suppressed, the pups came running towards their leader, filling the gap between her and their Gamma, asking if she had noticed their sequence. Fidella crouched down, remembering the name of each of them, praising their hard work, skill and respect. The youngest of the pups shuffled nervously forward in the crowd, she wrapped her arms around the Luna’s neck and pulled her thumb from her mouth to speak.

“Luna, will you tell us a story tonight?” She asked, wide-eyed with anticipation.

The older pups scoffed as if they were too old for stories, but they still waited with bated breath for her answer.

“I’d love to tell you a story tonight. It might be a little scary, so I hope you older pups will join us. You’re so brave though that I’m sure you won’t be frightened,” She hinted, and when the pups nodded proudly Iselda growled from behind them, causing them to scream, and then giggle.

In the distance, Fidella could see two wolves racing towards their resting spot. Recognising the red fur of Otto’s wolf, Amos, and the brown fur of Rufus’ wolf, William, she pointed them out to her Gamma.

“Go and get some snacks from Winnifred, and I’ll see you all later for your story,” Fidella told the pups, with her best imitation of cheerfulness.

Iselda watched as Bruno, who once again saw through the illusion created by the adults, challenged them all in a race for snacks and drinks. Creating the perfect distraction.

The urgency of their two scouts caused concern in both of the she-wolves. Otto mind-linked a brief explanation of what they had seen to the pack leaders, before they slowed into a jogging pace at the order of the Alpha. They had to minimise any potential panic in the pack. By the time they presented to the ranked wolves, it appeared as if they were returning from their guard duty.

“Tell me again what you saw,” Conri requested.

“Three days ago we were covering the pack tracks, when I caught the scent of a human. We followed the scent and found two human scouts asleep by a camp fire. We stayed far behind them, but followed their direction. That’s when we saw the legions. Thousands of humans, equipped for a long winter. Clearly, their intent was to follow us as soon as possible, the soldiers who were discussing their orders repeated that they had been told to march to the mountains,” Otto concluded, whispering his report.

Conri took a moment to consider the options. If he continued towards the mountains there was a likely chance that they would be attacked on the way, or be surrounded and starved before they could have a big hunt.

“If the snow doesn’t fall and trap the humans at the bottom of the mountains, there’s a good chance they would just follow us up there and kill everyone,” Einar added in his head, making the prospect of using the mountains as shelter even less desirable.

“How many days will it take for them to catch us up?” Conri asked.

“Two days at most,” Rufus replied.

“We need to outrun them, and outwit them,” Einar commented, angry to be in this predicament so soon.

“What if we avoided the mountains for now, and ran to Sabini? We will find your mate first, and let the army waste their energy running to a destination we won’t be at,” Conri suggested to the members of his pack that he trusted the most.

“They have exceptional trackers of their own. I know this from my time with them. We would have to make them believe that we were still intending to find shelter in the mountains,” Ewan volunteered.

“We would have to use our fastest wolves to sprint to the mountain range, tricking the army into thinking we were still going there by leaving their tracks uncovered. Once they have convinced our enemy, they will divert back to the main pack. Likewise, the main pack would head to Sabini, continue to cover our tracks, and lift the slowest of our group onto our wolves to gain as much speed as possible.” Fidella added, to the fragile plan.

“There’s very little coverage on the map surrounding Sabini, a little forest but too small to hide us indefinitely,” Rufus warned, pointing at the map.

The responsibility was as complex as a spider’s web. They needed to catch their prey while simultaneously building a shelter that couldn’t easily be torn down by their enemy.

“We can use the sewage systems to hide the pack, venture out to buy and steal food or resources and locate Otto’s mate in the process,” Ewan pointed out.

He was confident that this was the best option available.

They had all memorised the sewerage map that they had taken from the House of Heaton. Although the network was different, the mechanisms were the same, and hiding in plain sight seemed such a daring plan that it had every chance of working. A plan that an arrogant general wouldn’t suspect. They nodded in agreement. Rufus smacked Otto’s arm, excited on his behalf that he would soon be reunited with his mate.

Ewan selected ten of the nippiest wolves, and they immediately continued in the direction of the mountains, ensuring they left heavy tracks that would be easy to follow. Secretly, he was looking forward to embarrassing the army as they stomped towards futility. Encouraging his team to urinate as often as possible, and brush their fur along the trees so that they would signpost the direction they were heading in, the Beta was thankful he had listened to Caius’ training as a child. They would easily be fooled by the trap he was setting.

“I can scent them on the wind, but they won’t catch us,” Brodie announced in his head, ever the strategist.

Ewan smiled with confidence, he hoped he would see their reactions when his enemy realised that they had lost an entire pack of wolves. With that hope in mind, he raced ahead, his team following his pace.

With an efficiency that would rival their human enemies, the pack each selected an item to carry. Speed was of paramount importance for successfully undermining the legions’ plans. All the members of the pack who could shift, crouched down and let their wolves take control. The elderly, injured and pups all climbed atop the nearest wolf. When a she-wolf attempted to sit astride Einar, Isla’s growl was so threatening that the woman jumped back in fright. Reluctantly, she made the safer choice to be helped by Rufus, who already had two pups in his care.

“Your jealousy makes me want to claim you again.” Einar linked to Isla.

She flicked her tail up as she turned from him, exposing her intimate beauty, and all the Alpha could do was groan to Conri about how unfair his mate was to him. Winnie couldn’t help but laugh from Isla’s back at their behaviour that needed little translation.

Conri had two pups and Daizus in his care, urging them to hold on tightly. He was a little worried that it would be painful for his elder, who struggled with the discomfort in her leg, but if it was she said nothing about it.

Iselda carried Bruno, who continued to run his fingers through her fur in disbelief, and the mesmerised look on his face made him even cuter. She had had the chest of scrolls strapped behind him, so that if he became tired he could lean back on the weighty container. Ewa, Iselda’s wolf, set off running at a significant sprint, and was enthused by the pup’s laughter. Admittedly, they both had a strong urge to protect the orphaned pup.

Andre, ever the charmer, had been swamped by offers from she-wolves to keep him warm while sitting astride his back. Diplomatically, he managed to convince Hager to take up the space, despite the elder’s protests. Hager’s grumpiness was soon soothed when two of the pups asked for him to lift them up on to the wolf’s back, and it seemed he was taking care of the young, rather than needing to be taken care of.

Although the tension crept over the skin of every pack member, the feeling of racing through the forest brought pure joy to them, especially those who were still unable to shift. It was the sight of all the wolves together that reminded the pack of how far they had come: from subjugation to emancipation. Ideally, they planned to reach Sabini by nightfall. The pups had been reminded to keep quiet, but fear was strangling everyone’s voices. They all shifted back and found the entrance to the sewers. The water lapped over their ankles, and the pups had been lifted onto the shoulders of the adults to save them from the discomfort of wet clothes later on. Finally, the walkway appeared like a prophetic promise, and the pack was constructed ready to cause chaos for its oblivious hosts. Iselda sent a mind-link to the warriors that she had instructed to wait in the trees of the forest, telling them to report all movement in and out of the town, however insignificant it may seem.

Conri looked over to Otto and then at Fidella. He couldn’t comprehend the pain of being separated from his mate for as long as Otto had been torn from his family.

“Tomorrow, we will discover where your mate is, and then your children if they are here. We will complete this rescue with all care and commitment. Nothing will be too much, nothing will be too far, nothing will be good enough until she is in your arms again,” Conri bolstered Otto, before leaving him to his thoughts.

Otto turned the wooden figures of his family in his hands, he prayed to his brother for strength. He prayed to the Goddess for a reunion.

Returning to his mate, the Alpha prayed to the moon Goddess that they would never face the anguish of separation. He pulled her into his arms, tucking her under his body, and let the tingles transport him to a restful sleep.