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Lykos Chapter 12 (Rising Sun)

The Georgia sunset was a deep and hazy russet orange as it drifted through the leafless trees, the ground covered in the forgotten crispy bedding of a more prosperous fall. The scrub brush was dense and dead looking but hid its true life. It was typically peaceful and serene, but when that peace was broken a pair of birds flew out of one of the bushes, taking to the heavens, escaping the coming chaos.

Feet came pounding down through the dry leaves, legs pumping with inhuman strength, propelling the three figures forward. From a distance one might picture them to be nothing more than a few teenagers that had lost themselves on the way to the mall. The young man in the lead had on a red and white long sleeve t-shirt and well worn jeans, his Adidas shoes frayed at the front and a red baseball cap turned backwards over his shaggy blond hair. Behind him was a woman about his age, her silken brown hair waving in the wind, cascading down across a teal and violet blouse, and behind her was a seventeen year old with black spiked hair and vibrant green eyes, wearing a black denim jacket and cargo pants.

As they moved deeper into the woods, though, it was clear how wrong the situation was. All three had a look of pure panic on their faces. Their hearts were beating with trepidation, with adrenaline, knowing their very survival depended on split second responses, to all the training they had ever received... and they had given up their human guises, giving in to their deeper instincts to aid in their survival. All three had pointed, inhuman ears. Their lips were distended, spread over sharp fangs. Their eyes turned from their human tones to a glimmering gold... Even from a great distance, it was clear to the hunter that these were the werewolves he was looking for.

The hunter was in his mid twenties. His long brown hair was pulled back into a perfect top knot, long bangs coming down the sides of his face to hang below his chin. What set him apart the most, though, was the purple pigment spread in a line across his face and around his eyes, almost like some sort of mask. The hunter's crossbow rested across his back, but he didn't reach for it. He slipped his hand into his pocket as he ran and pulled out a strange object.

At first glance it seemed almost like a tennis ball with portions cut away, but closer inspection revealed that it was actually a metal device with green rubber bumpers on the edges. A series if seams cut deep into the device, but it rested in the hunter's hand as a cohesive whole. He clutched it firmly in his hand as he ran, watching the werewolves gain ground. If it had been a matter of their natural abilities versus his, there would have been no way to get away... But hunters came prepared.

The predator hurled the ball forward with incredibly precise aim, watching it spin and spiral towards its destination. The wolves heard something coming through the air and moved apart from one another, assuming it had been an arrow. The ball came down between them and hit the ground, bouncing back up into the air with ease. The blond wolf turned as he ran, watching the strange device start to separate as if it was in slow motion. It came apart into a dozen different pieces, flying in every different direction... and then it happened.

A fiery white bolt of electricity arced from one piece to another, then another and then the bolt split. The crackle of lightning jumped between all the pieces, catching all three wolves in the web of electricity. The surge of energy jumped through their muscles and nerves, over-riding every command the brain tried to send. As the air started to smell like ozone, they fell to the ground. Their bodies landed roughly in the leaves, unable to move of their own will but twitching involuntarily. The shrapnel from the device fell as well, but a few stray bolts fired off, shocking the wolves one last time.

Hot breath blew into the dust as the girl lay there twitching, panting, seizing up. She had never felt anything like it before in her life. Everything that had been done to her, she had recovered faster than a human... but somehow this felt worse - that was, until the boots touched down in front of her. Still seizing, still twitching, she brought her eyes up to look at the hunter as he crouched down in the middle of them all.

"You have no idea how long I have been trying to find you, and if I had found you any sooner... This world would not be blighted with your presence any longer." he said softly, taking a slow breath, "But things have changed, and I am inclined to offer you a deal." the hunter said. The black haired youth tried to growl but only winced, his arm twitching against the ground, using his own strength against him.

"Wh... Wha... What?" the blond asked, panting hard, feeling utterly drained of strength. The hunter smiled at that.

"I will let all three of you go... I'll let you return to your den, lick your wounds, and be the pathetic pack you are. I will not hunt you unless you show up on my radar again... and all for the simple, honest answer to a question." The hunter said softly. The wolves were confused. They could smell each other's fear in the air, they could feel the nervousness, the strain the device had taken its toll on them. They were in no mood to run or fight. They had only the hunter's word to trust in for their survival.

"What... que... question?" the blond asked. A smile crossed the hunter's lips.

"Tell me about the dreams you have all been having." The hunter said.

****

Seattle's primary airport was busier than usual as students filtered through the terminal, getting ready to head back to school after winter break had ended. They were joined by all the travelers that had taken an extended holiday over the new year and had to head back to work. Among them were Artyom and Alexi Yashin, stuffed to the brim with Russian cooking and Abel, their family Keeper.

Abel kept watch over everything from behind his designer sunglasses, complimenting his well kept short black hair and neat goatee. Yom, however, was feeling rather anxious and led the three through the terminal. He'd had some interesting adventures over winter break, first ensuring that Seamus got to his new pack and then new years with his family... But he was ready to be reunited with his pack. It had been too long and he was done with feeling lonely. Alexi no doubt felt the same, texting his wife every few seconds, lifting his phone like a nervous tick.

Yom wondered what the reunion with Marco and the others might be like, how their new semester would unfold. He let ideas of more full moons together give him goose bumps and he shuddered as his mind thought about what would happen when he graduated before his pack alphas. His heart and mind was focused entirely on his return to Echo Creek - until a strange sound picked up from a remote corner of the terminal.

The whistling sound started high and went higher before there was a deafening blast of sound. Yom's eyes clenched shut as his ear drums began reverberating, trapping him in his own head. The sound of the chatter, the luggage, the phones, everything had disappeared beneath a pain filled hum deep in Yom's skull. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, seeing first Alexi's pained face... and then how normally everyone beyond was reacting, moving along undisturbed.

"You must act normally, for your own safety act as though you can hear." Abel's words echoed in Yom's mind. He and Alexi both looked up at the Keeper. Once more his voice filled their heads, repeating the message without him speaking. Alexi gave a soft nod and brought out his phone, texting Marina again. Yom did not understand what was going on, but did the same. He moved over to sit down on a small retaining wall around an indoor tree, composing some random message to his insurance company.

As the boys retreated into their phones, Abel's eyes scanned the crowd with more diligence. He could not hear the hypersonic tone the werewolves were being subjected to, but he knew why it had happened. There were hunters in the air port trying to ferret out any wolves. Yom's jaw was clenched as he tried to cope with the pain, but there were others not responding as well. One young woman had slammed into a wall as it started, clutching at her ears. Another had let out a yelp... and then came a sound Abel could hear, a dart.

The girl against the wall gasped as her neck was hit, the needle injecting her with something. Her eyes welled up with tears before she slumped to the ground and started to spasm. The yelping teenager soon collapsed as well, eliciting gasps and cries for help. Abel watched as people moved to intercept those that collapsed, he saw a few people remain right where they were, acting just as Yom and Alexi were to hide in plain sight, and he saw one person moving away from the activity, away from the pleas of help. Abel broke into a fast stride, disappearing into the crowds.

The hum in Yom's ears slowly started to fade into a throbbing, thumping sound as his ear drum repaired itself. He heard his own pulse first before the sounds of the outside world started to return. Yom slowly slid his phone back into his pocket and turned, but Alexi had already moved toward the collapsed boy. He was pushing his way through the crowd, moving people aside.

"I'm a doctor, make way. Get out of the way!" Alexi shouted. He crouched down by the fifteen year old, looking at his still body. His cheeks were wet with tears, his muscles tight and his face starting to go blue. Alexi found the dart and withdrew it, setting it aside before he reached into his own pocket and pulled out a small plastic kit that never would have made it through customs.

"What happened? What is that?" A concerned woman asked. Alexi said nothing, partly because his hearing hadn't fully returned but also because he knew what was going on. The hunters had used a toxic compound to induce an allergic reaction, a reaction that only affected werewolves. Alexi brought an Epinephrine pen to the boy's neck and injected it, pulling out another to hand to Yom.

"Give this to the girl." He commanded. Yom took the pen and rushed off toward the girl and the crowds around her. Alexi checked the boy's pulse, but it was thready and weak. Worst of all, he wasn't breathing. Alexi pulled out a mouth guard from the kit, put it in place and began giving the boy CPR. Breathing, chest compressions, and the process repeated. Alexi kept at it as moments dragged on into minutes, but then he felt motion. Two golden eyes snapped open beneath him, gleaming for an instant before fading to a soft, pale blue.

The teenager coughed and choked, rolling onto his side, gasping for breath. Alexi pulled back before he stood up, looking over toward the side of the terminal. The girl was laying on the ground but clearly breathing, having been a bit stronger than the boy. Yom and Alexi exchanged glances across the terminal before they both turned, wondering where Abel had gotten to.

****

The temperature difference between Hawaii and Denver was palpable as Marco moved out of the airport. He brought his hands together, rubbing them to generate a little more heat. His backpack was full of clothes he had taken to Hawaii, leaving him with just his blue sweatshirt. Marco pulled his knit cap out of his pocket and began pulling it on over his thick black hair, feeling complete once it was in place. He took one more sharp breath through his nose, feeling the cold Colorado air before he started heading for the bus stop.

As Marco walked, he reached into his pocket to fumble around for his phone, hoping to pass the time with music. He managed to get his phone out and a jumble of cords, but before he could untangle them he paused, lifting his head. Marco wasn't sure what had caught his attention at first, but as the pitch climbed he began to wince, closing his right eye. His ears began to throb, reacting to a distant sound from one of the concourses.

Marco reached up to rub at his ear softly, feeling the ever so slight presence of the lycan point to it. His eyes glanced back to the bus stop and, seeing no transportation there, Marco turned back toward the airport. He walked briskly back toward the terminal before he started to walk along the outside perimeter, moving toward the sound. He winced more as he approached it, wondering what was causing the horrendous noise. It was high pitched, oscillating and full of reverberating percussion - almost as if it had been designed to be as frustrating as possible.

The sound confused Marco and that confusion made him all the more curious. He'd been to the airport a few times since becoming a wolf, but nothing had set him on edge like this before. He glanced around, double checking for any security guards before he moved around the side of the terminal. From there it was a much shorter distance to narrow in on the origin of the sound.

Marco could feel both of his cheeks twitching, his muscles tight as his body tried to fend off the sound. He came to a stop where it seemed at its worst before he looked around. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he looked up - and met eyes with a very hostile looking man dressed in all black, his shaved head tucked into a black sweatshirt. The man looked down at Marco as if sizing him up.

"I know this might sound crazy, but what are you doing? What is that sound?" Marco asked. The man in the sweatshirt's eyes went wide.

"Wolf..." He muttered to himself before he reached into the pouch of his sweatshirt. Marco followed the man's movement with his eyes, catching a glimpse of the gun a split second before it fired. It was just enough time to dodge out of the way. The bullet sliced through Marco's shirt and his left shoulder, blood spurting out from the injury. The hot, burning pain throbbed in Marco's shoulder, but the tingling he felt in his extremities wasn't just from being shot. The werewolf was pissed.

A snarl escaped Marco's lips as his teeth elongated into fangs, his thick saliva clinging to them. His eyes shifted from brown to amber and his ears began pushing into points. Before Marco's fingernails had fully pushed into claws, he was already running. Once he was at the wall, Marco crouched and then humped, arching up and landing on the gantry. There was another loud burst as the gun was fired again, this time without a moment to dodge.

The pain blossomed in Marco's stomach as the bullet cut through his flesh. He could feel the impact with one of his ribs as it shattered. Red began soaking his shirt. Marco looked down at the injury and then back up at the man before snarling again. The hunter's eyes widened and he started to back up, trying to figure a way off of the scaffolding as Marco approached... but then he realized he didn't have to.

The hunter grabbed onto the wall of the terminal, pulling at an improvised device. It was no larger than a can of coffee, screwed into place with a rubber gasket around where it rested against the wall. With a few tugs the device popped off and the hunter aimed it at Marco. Marco let out a roar in pain as his ears went dead, the full brunt of the noise aimed at him. The world around him went silent, depriving him of one of his most essential senses.

It seemed the hunter had hoped in that moment of disorientation to take a more direct shot. He aimed his gun at Marco and prepared to fire again, but Marco ducked down and charged. The hunter tried to fire a killing shot, but with a moving target he missed and hit Marco in the ribs again. A moment later, the man was tackled by a two hundred pound werewolf. The two toppled over the side, falling a few feet before hitting the cement. The gun clattered to the side.

Marco's chest burned with the pain of the gun shot wound, his ears felt as if they had been utterly destroyed. This strange man had known what to do to incapacitate a werewolf. He had been targeting the airport, but didn't count on a wolf already being outside. It was clear to Marco that this man was a hunter, a being intent on his death and the death of everyone he cared about.

The hunter fumbled for the gun, his fingers slipping around the metal ring before pulling it back closer. He lifted it up and aimed for Marco's head. Marco let out a deep, menacing roar before he brought his claws down into the hunter's chest. The hunter's eyes went wide and he sat there, stock still for a moment before blood began bubbling from his lips. He looked at Marco in confusion, as if he hadn't anticipated this outcome.

Marco panted, looking at the life drain out of the hunter. With each beat of his heart it grew fainter, weaker, until finally the life drained from his eyes. Marco remained there a long moment before he pulled his bloody claws out of the hunter's chest. He slowly crawled off of the hunter and stood back up, looking down at the body. Marco tried to come to grips with the fact that he had just taken a life, that he had killed with his bare hands... Marco wondered what would happen now. Would he become a direwolf like Yom had? Would the keepers banish him? It would have been easier to contemplate if not for that god awful noise.

He moved over to the fallen device and brought his foot down, crushing it. The oscillating tone shuddered and abruptly stopped, giving a bit of peace to Marco's healing ear drums - but it wasn't enough, t wasn't all of the sound. Marco looked back at the terminal, still hearing it in the distance. It came from different directions, at least two more spots. It had been a n orchestrated attack and he had only eliminated one of the hunters.

Grief and confusion turned into something new - panic. Marco knew how bush Denver's airport was. It was unlikely he was the only wolf there... If others had been caught in the direct line of fire, they would have been deafened right away. That confusion could have given the hunters a chance to move, to strike, to attack the wolves.

Marco started moving for the nearest door of the terminal, but the stinging and burning emanating from his chest made him falter. In the sock of killing a man, Marco had almost forgotten he'd been shot three times. The wounds were intensely painful and his blood was dribbling down through his shirt to the ground. As much as he wanted to help, he wasn't sure how many more shots he would be able to endure... and in his anger, he had betrayed his true nature. Staying was not an option.

The werewolf glanced both ways before he broke into an open sprint for the fence line that separated the airport grounds from the land beyond. Marco built up his speed as he neared the fence before he pushed off, lunging up and over the barrier before landing on the other side, using an arm to steady himself. It had been exhilarating to leap over the obstacle, but the landing jostled his very injured torso. Marco winced and panted softly, trying to get a grip with his reaction.

Marco panted a few times before he resumed his run, leaving the airport behind. As he ran he reached into his pocket again, drawing out his phone once more. He dialed quickly, holding the phone up to his ear - only to remember his ear wasn't working. Marco grimaced and brought the phone forward again, watching the screen. For a moment it lingered on the photo of Mattias, the keeper healer from Echo Creek before it started to count up. Whoever was on the other end had accepted the call. Knowing he couldn't hear the person on the other end, Marco merely moved the bottom of the phone close to his lips.

"There has been an attack at the airport. I don't know how many people were affected... I... I'm hurt, but I can't let anyone see me like this. I'm going to head for Echo Creek on foot. Send help to the airport, please..." Marco said, wishing the deaf pain in his head would go away. He ended the call and returned the phone to his pocket, hoping time would restore his hearing. Step by step, Marco left the airport behind, heading into the wilderness.

****

Thunder echoed across the heavens, rain coming down all over the Seattle and Tacoma areas. Puddles were forming and thickening, rippling with the heavy drops. Thin, form fitting boots splashed through the puddles as the figure ran at a full sprint. Her hips were curved, her arms tight with muscle. She sprinted for her life, knowing that she had been seen. She turned a corner and skidded to a stop as the large black man stood in front of her, orange eyes scowling.

The woman sneered before she turned and broke into a sprint in the opposite direction, skidding to a stop once more as he blocked her path yet again. A look of dumbfounded confusion crossed her face. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing that he was no longer behind her.

"That's impossible..." She whispered, turning to run again before she felt a hand latching onto her wrist.

"You're right, it is." Abel said. His projection of himself faded from the hunter's mind as he actually had a grip on her.

"It's too late, you can't stop the rising sun." She whispered with barely veiled glee.

"Perhaps not, but could you stop them?" Abel asked, using his free hand to lift his glasses, peering into her eyes with his deep orange ones. The woman tried to break free, but slowly her movements slowed. Her muscles relaxed, her gaze didn't falter. She was defenseless, vulnerable and he was pushing deeper and deeper into her mind. Slowly her cheek started to twitch as he touched on unpleasant memories, working all the way into her past. Everything she knew would be his.

****

Jesse sat on the couch in his pajamas, the cereal in his bowl soggy and reduced to mush. His eyes were trained on the television, not on the reporter standing in front of the airport but on the tagline beneath. Forty one confirmed deaths in a bizarre string of allergic reactions across the country, in airports from Seattle all the way to Florida. Medical examiners had been brought in to study the cases in excruciating detail. Ren stood near by, talking at full speed in Japanese into her phone. She had paced so much that the wax on the wood floor had grown faint, but for the last several minutes she had come to a dead stop, then dead silence.

The young wolf turned, looking at Ren, concern crossing his face. The last few weeks had changed his life forever. He finally felt as if he fit into something, as if he knew his place and purpose. Ren had given him that, but now the attacks had rocked the werewolf world completely. He had no idea if any of the dead were wolves he knew or if the secret would finally slip out. Was this the werewolf apocalypse? Had everything finally come undone?

"Ki o tsukete." Ren said softly before she hung up the phone and lowered it. Jesse slowly set his cereal bowl before he turned, looking at Ren. Ren's face was sad, her usual formality long forgotten. She looked up at Jesse, taking a miniscule breath, "Three hundred wolves... and four keepers... are dead." Ren said softly. Jesse inhaled sharply, his eyes starting to water at the mere thought.

"H... How so many? The news just said forty..." Jesse whimpered.

"Tokyo, London, Mexico city, Hong Kong... The hunters attacked world wide at the same time." Ren said, reaching out for a chair, her hand trembling in mid air before she found it and collapsed rather weakly into the seat, closing her eyes.

"Wa... Was anyone you know hurt?" Jesse asked softly. It was a selfish question really. Jesse knew that the wolves she knew best were the wolves he knew. Ren remained with her eyes shut.

"Yes..." Ren said softly, "A keeper named Hozumi and his pack. The wolves were all afflicted and passed away. He got them out of the airport and saw to them before committing suicide." Ren whispered. Jesse's lower lip trembled and his head slumped down against his chest. He had so many more questions, but he didn't have the strength to ask them. It was all too terrible to picture, too horrible to imagine.

****

The alcohol wipe felt cool to the touch as it crossed the skin, wiping off the purple pigment from the young man's cheeks. He held his eyes firmly tight, avoiding the burning sensation as he got it off his eyelids. Once the pigment was gone, he neatly folded the cloth back up and tucked it into his pocket, remaining where he was sitting on the log. He exhaled slowly, trying to come to grips with what the wolves had told him. They had given him his answer and, to his word he had let them go. It felt wrong, unnatural, but there was so much more at stake.

The young hunter slowly rose back to his feet, resuming the walk back toward his vehicle. As he did, he fetched his cell phone out of his pocket and turned it on. To his surprise, there were sixteen missed calls in the short time he had been away. The hunter froze in place, his heart skipping a beat. He selected the most recent call and set his phone to redial. Bringing it to his ear, he waited for it to click.

"Auel? Is that you?" The voice on the other end asked frantically.

"Kyle, what's going on? What's wrong?" The hunter asked.

"Auel, don't... don't go back to the warehouse, it isn't safe. Homeland Sec moved in. They have the place surrounded, they..." The other voice trailed off. Auel's eyebrows dropped, his face tightening into confusion.

"Homeland security? What in the hell are they doing there?" Auel asked.

"They're looking for us in connection with the attacks." Kyle murmured.

"What attacks? None of the attacks we've done are traceable." Auel growled.

"No, not those... the... attacks on the airports." Kyle replied. Auel stopped dead, feeling a chill run down his back and his blood grow cold. He closed his eyes slowly, counting his breaths before he spoke again.

"Kyle, tell me you didn't take part in that crazy plan." Auel said flatly. There was silence on the other end for a long moment.

"Auel, I had to... The others were insistent, and they couldn't build the audio canon without our tech. Now they're saying we're some kind of terrorist group. Those damn wolves twisted it all around on us." Kyle whimpered. Auel's eyes opened again slowly.

"I warned you all that the plan was insane... Now we may never know what is coming, what has them all so freaked out." Auel said, shaking his head, "Kyle, I'm going off grid. You won't be able to find me. Good luck." He said before he hung up the phone. Auel crouched down close to the ground and set the phone down, pulling gloves out of his pocket. He used another wipe to remove the prints from his phone before he withdrew a bottle of liquid from the pouch on his shirt.

With the lid off, Auel liberally doused the phone with the contents of the bottle. The glass turned from clear toa milky, foggy white as the black casing began to bubble and melt. The case sagged and seeped down before a soft sizzling sound came from the motherboard itself. It took only a matter of seconds before the once fully functional phone was a useless hunk of melted plastic and metal. Auel stood back up and looked both directions before he set back off into the woods.

****

The rumbling of the buss passed up through the seats and into the passengers, an uneven vibrations the ancient combustion engine choked and chugged along, propelling the vehicle. The seats were threadbare, the air was stale and smelled faintly of salty seaweed. It was rather dismal, but it was all Udo could afford to get back to school. He'd been stuck on the bus for days, but they had been in Colorado for the last several hours. Hours that Udo had to be thankful for that he hadn't been on a plane. He sat with his knees up against his chest, his gloved fingers swiping across the screen of his phone.

He'd gotten a text from Artyom about the attack and he'd been following the news ever since. The attack had been branded a global terrorist effort, meant to destabilize faith in travel. There were early reports that a middle eastern group had orchestrated the attacks, but Udo wasn't so sure. One glance at the group's symbol harkened back to Keeper iconography. Udo brushed his blond bangs out of his eyes, looking at the news report, wondering if that was how the game worked. Hunters attacked and the keepers covered it up, masking the controversy before anyone dug deep enough to learn the truth. Udo wondered how many of the first responders were keepers, how many of the doctors and police officers were. Did anyone see any of it?

Udo reached to swipe his finger down the screen but paused, feeling his claw scoring the glass. He hesitated and began to concentrate, trying to calm himself down. Slowly his claw pulled back into the glove and his finger. Udo winced a bit before stiffening, hugging his legs all the tighter against the cold. Udo needed to be with Marco and Yom and Fletcher, he needed to hold them safe and close... and he needed to be held.

Starting a new semester at school didn't even make sense anymore. Living as part of society didn't make sense. He wondered if it would be possible for them to just move out into the wilderness and grow old together, a happy foursome in complete love... But Marco wouldn't go for that. Udo knew Marco would be compelled to get to the bottom of it all, to learn what had happened, to see and understand and stop it from ever happening again. Marco was a crusader Udo admired that in his alpha, but at the same time he knew that could get them all killed. Udo prayed that they would make a difference be without it costing them their lives.

****

Red and blue lights continued to flash at the Denver airport, police cars and swat trucks and homeland security vehicles cordoning off the place. The swirling security lights were only amplified by the bright white flood lights of new reporters going over everything in endless cycles of news reporting. Ren stood at a distance, taking it all in. Her red and black flower dress rippled in the wind, the bitingly cold air blowing across her arms. She had been out in the cold for almost twenty minutes before the door clicked and eased open.

Jesse slipped out, his purple and black DC shoes crisp against the cement. His black jeans hugged his ass and his long sleeved black t-shirt showed off his muscles, but the most striking change since winter vacation started was that once again his hair had been dyed a vibrant purple. It complimented the deep red of Ren's dress. Jesse moved up to stand just beside Ren. She did not turn to acknowledge his presence, but it was clear she knew he was there.

"When you get back to the museum, I want you to go into my office. There's a book in the back library, called Redemption by Dark Claw. I want you to read it while I am gone, but do not remove it from the library... it will be destroyed if you do." Ren said. Jesse did not latch onto the instructions at all.

"Wait, what do you mean while you are gone? Where are you going?" Jesse asked. If his tail had been out, it would have undoubtedly been tucked between his legs.

"The hunters have not attacked as a group like this since the crusades... Their unity, their cooperation is unprecedented. I must go to the shrine in Japan and discuss this with the others." Ren said.

"Take me with you, I'll be your protector." Jesse said urgently. Ren turned and looked into his eyes, smiling softly.

"Perhaps in time... I do hope you can see the shrine one day, but it is not this day. You must return to Echo Creek. You have a new semester of school to attend to." Ren said. Jesse's jaw dropped at that.

"I can't just... That's insane." Jesse whispered. Ren reached up and rested her hand on his cheek.

"The hunters look for discrepancy, for variation, for otherness. Their gambit in the airports worked, and they do not lay down a tool once it has proven its worth. It is too dangerous for you to come with me. The only safe thing is to act as if everything is normal, to go about your life, to help those back home. This will not be an easy time for them." Ren said.

"This isn't an easy time for any of us. You need me..." Jesse whispered, "I need you." He said, sounding like a puppy not wanting to be left behind. Ren smiled again before patting his cheek.

"Perhaps I do, but I need all of my loved ones to be safe more." Ren said, "Remember what I said about the book though once you wake up." She said.

"What do you mean, wa-" Jesse mumbled, but his tongue failed to complete the sentence. With a simple touch of her fingers to his neck, Jesse felt consciousness fading from his mind. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he began to collapse but Ren caught him, carrying him over to the car. She slipped him into the back seat, draping him over the cushion. Thackary turned, looking over his shoulder from the driver's seat.

"I take it he wasn't easily persuaded?" Thackary asked.

"He would have followed me, but it would have been too much of a risk. Make sure he gets to school, and make sure the school is kept safe." Ren said. Thackary nodded gently.

"Be careful out there." Thackary said. Ren nodded.

"Ki o tsukete." She replied in kind, shutting the door.

****

Snow crunched and condensed beneath Marco's feet as they had for the last several hours, but each step came a little slower than the last. Marco's stance was uneven, his arms hanging at his sides, blood dribbling into the snow as he walked. He had tried to keep the road within sight or at least smell, to use it as a way to navigate back to the school... but even in the best of circumstances it was a three and a half hour drive. Traveling on foot wasn't making it any easier.

Marco came to a stop and leaned up against a tree, reaching down to pull up his shirt. His ears had started to pop and shift, the pressure changing as his ears restored themselves... but the bullet wounds were another story. The flesh around the entry wound was turning purple and black, irritated and inflamed by the presence of the bullets that had not gone all the way through.

"Fucking hunters..." Marco murmured to himself, but the thoughts he held were far more dire. Hunters were trained to deal with werewolves. There was little doubt in his mind that the bullets were treated with something, anything to make them more deadly. Whether it was wolfsbane or silver or something else entirely, the bullets were inhibiting his healing and there was only one option.

In the light of the waxing moon, Marco brought his claws out to full length before he turned them in on himself. He let out a barely suppressed growl as he cut into the tender flesh with the claws, working them deeper and deeper. He honed in on his broken rib, feeling the fragments. Blood gushed out of the injury, but despite the blinding pain Marco remained at it.

He felt how much give the pieces had before he isolated the one piece that seemed unrelated to al the others. Two claws closed in around it, latching on before he began puling out. Marco's tightly controlled growl turned into a roar and then a scream of pain before he pulled the bullet out, holding it in his hands. Marco panted for several minutes, looking at the bullet. The tip had blunted with the impact, but there were etchings along it, no doubt to carry whatever poison it had been.

Marco stuck the bullet into his pocket before he reached for the other rib shot. Once more he growled, bore his fangs and dug. The pain shot through his leg like a burning hot poker, causing his toes to twitch. His knee threatened to give out, but at last he pulled the second bullet out. He held it in his crimson stained hand, feeling dizzy from the exertion. He didn't even know if removing the bullets would work once the poison made its way in there. What Marco did know was that the bullet in his stomach would have to wait until he was a little stronger. Once more Marco resumed his walk, heading west, heading toward the one home he trusted more than anything.

****

Udo moved down the hallway at full speed, his blond hair cascading down across his eyes, forcing him to brush it back with his black painted fingernails. He came to a stop outside of Ethan's door and reached up, knocking rapidly. It took a few moments before Ethan opened the door and peered out. Udo was taken a bit aback by the keeper's appearance. He no longer had his head shaved clean, his black hair growing out. Still, Udo had far more important things to discuss and Ethan knew that.

"Come in." Ethan said, stepping back. Udo moved into the room and moved toward the far side, standing by the window, looking out to the campus. The lights along the pathways glowed with an intense orange light, catching what little fog was there. Ethan shut the door behind his visitor. Udo turned, looking at the Keeper.

"Artyom's father is arranging for a private jet to bring him back to campus... Fletcher's flight comes in tomorrow, but Marco... Marco is..." Udo couldn't summon the courage to say the words. His blue eyes were glistening with moisture before thick, warm salty drops began to roll down his cheeks.

"Mattias got a call from Marco earlier. He mentioned the attacks, that he was... injured, but he knew that authorities would descend on the airport. He chose to come back on foot." Ethan said. Udo's eyes went wide, turning from blue to yellow.

"He's ALONE out there, HURT?!" Udo snarled. Ethan had to take a step back, seeing the meek and mild wolf so riled up.

"The twins are out looking for him, and we're trying his phone every few minutes. As soon as he's within cell phone range we can figure out where he is and try to pick him up. Besides, the worst part is almost behind him. It will be dawn soon." Ethan said.

"I can't just sit around here and wait. I need to help find him." Udo said, moving for the door. Ethan followed after.

"You can't just head out there alone, we don't know... if any hunters are following him. It isn't safe!" Ethan said.

"Life isn't safe, but my family, my alpha is hurt. I will not rest until I am by his side, protecting him against everything that threatens him." Udo swore.

"How will you even know where to start?" Ethan asked. Udo gave a soft smile at that.

"I know my alpha... He's cautious. He'll try to remain unseen, but he's not going to risk getting lost." Udo said. Ethan turned and moved over, crouching down to access the cupboards beneath the window of his dorm room. After moving things around, he pulled out a canteen with the keeper symbol of healing on it.

"At least take this." Ethan said. Udo accepted the canteen before bowing his head, finally turning and moving out of the room. Ethan watched him go, reaching to rub his arm. Somewhere in the back of his head he wondered if this would play out to Demeas' advantage or not. Was Marco's pack an asset or a risk? But in the end it was out of his control... He only had to keep Fletcher safe if he wanted to get his brother back.

****

It was amazing how much one's world could shrink when they were in pain, but for Marco it had shrunk down to nothing more than his breath. In and out, in and out, slow and shallow. Each breath was capped with a wheezing hiss. His lungs weren't doing very well. Whatever the bullets had been coated with were taking their toll. Marco slowly opened his eyes, the yellow having faded to a dull rusty shade of brown. He watched his breath turn into faint vapor in the dawn light, only then to realize that the sun was starting to rise. Columns of light pierced through the tall trees, landing in the clearing around Marco.

Marco took a few more breaths before his eyes slid shut, listening to his breathing again. At some point he'd sat down to take a break, but minutes had turned into an hour, then more. It seemed that his strength was starting to fail him even more. His healing had restored his hearing and the first two bullet wounds had closed up, but the last injury was more serious than ever. Marco knew that he wouldn't have the strength to dig the last bullet out for very much longer.

One more he breathed in, then out, steadying his claw tipped fingers before he began pushing them into his chest. His eyes squeezed shut as he hissed in pain, his heart rate accelerating. He grunted and growled, working deeper into his own chest. He could feel the bullet just beyond his reach, eluding him. Marco pushed deeper, straining, focusing every fiber of his being on it. As the claws started to grip the foreign body, an unexpected distraction occurred. Marco's cell phone began to ring.

Marco winced as he nearly lost a grip on the bullet, but he began to pull it back out of his flesh. Centimeter by centimeter, he pulled at it before it slipped free. Marco collapsed back, wheezing for breath, laying on the forest floor. The bullet slipped from his fingers and rolled a few inches from him. Marco whimpered a bit and slipped his hand back into his pocket, drawing it out, accepting the call.

"Marco? Marco, are you there? Is that you?" Came Mattias' voice from the other end. Marco could hear it, but the phone was still by his hip. Marco summoned all the strength he had, bringing the phone up inch by inch until he held it near his face.

"I'm here..." Marco replied.

"Thank the gods... Marco, where are you? Are you okay?" Mattias asked. Marco didn't respond for a moment, gazing up at the sky. The dawn light was so beautiful with its pink light.

"Forest, near the highway... Not doing well." Marco replied.

"The twins and Udo are out looking for you, but we need to know where you are. Can you describe anything about where you are?" Mattias asked. Marco slowly tipped his head back, looking around. Almost all the trees were the same, though there was one that was shorter than the rest. It had waxy oval leaves and the bark looked like it had small bumps almost like acne... but the most distinct feature had to be the plump, almost opalescent white berries.

"I haven't seen a tree like that before..." Marco murmured, his eyes feeling heavy, "White berries... Looks almost like a date tree." Marco said gently, his voice wheezing more.

"Marco, do not eat those berries... That is a lotus tree." Mattias warned, "That should help narrow it down, but... Marco, is your breathing compromised?" Mattias asked. Marco cracked a soft grin.

"What... gave you that... idea?" he panted.

"I want you to look around where you are, are there any small, yellow flowers with starchy looking roots?" Mattias asked. Marco forced his head to turn, looking around before he stopped. Several feet away there was a small cluster of plants that fit the description.

"Don't eat them?" Marco asked.

"No, you need to eat them. That's Lomatium. It acts as a breathing aid for wolves, kills respiratory infections. It will buy you time for us to find you." Mattias said. Marco slowly pushed himself over onto his chest, the phone clattering to his side. He reached out and dug into the ground, pulling himself forward with one hand, then the other. He drug himself along, bit by bit toward the flowers.

Marco was vaguely are of Mattias' voice on the phone he had left behind, becoming more muffled as he moved away from it... But the whole world was getting muffled. Marco's vision was blurring, his hearing was cutting out. Marco felt like the distance between him and the lomatium was growing with every second. Marco reached out to take another grab of the dirt below him, but his arm quivered and gave out. Marco collapsed to the ground, his chest hitting the dirt below. The air pushed out of his lungs, leaving his breath even more shallow than before.

Marco's body felt as if it was no longer functioning. The last of his strength was slipping away. He knew whatever time he had left was short. Marco knew he wasn't going to spend it grasping for flowers, he was going to think of his pack, his mates, his boyfriend. Marco's breathing relaxed as he started thinking of being in a puppy pile with Fletcher and Udo and Yom, curled up to hide away form the winter day. Their bodies would tangle, their limbs mingle. It felt like the most natural thing in the world... and imagining that puppy pile made Marco start to feel warm again. The freezing snow kissed forest was a distant memory. All Marco knew was that he was loved.

TO BE CONTINUED