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Scene #49
Far above the jagged peaks of a desolate mountain range, a
strange noise caused Kylos, the pack’s alpha male to come to a
halt and cock his head to listen. The shrill whining was not
pleasant to his ears, but it was the other sounds that drew his
attention. The sounds that accompany fleeing animals, who have been
spooked by fear of a predator or the unknown were the ones that
drew his interest. The large silver tipped wolf was no stranger to
such things, and silently took in the scene in wolfish amusement.
The pickings might be good for his pack this evening if things
happened the way they often did in such a panic. The silly twits
would lose some to fatal falls and others to broken necks, as the
herds did not even stop to use common sense. Once again his
ears returned to the intruding noise. The whine had become a roar,
and then a strange instant of silence. The kind of moment that is
fraught with tension had not even registered with him before a
large object hurtled itself into his view. It was as if a giant had
thrown an oddly shaped toy box away, and the toys spilled out.
Startled, he almost leaped away in panic, but there was something
odd about this thing. Something pulled him back toward the box,
something that urged him to investigate. He paused, uncertain of
his path. Reluctantly he edged toward the strange sight in the
ravine below. There was fire, an acrid odor that hurt his keen
sense of smell, and the scent of humans. That stopped him cold.
Humans were not his favorites. Oh, some had their uses, but for the
most part they were not trustworthy. Yet, his pride was at stake
here, He had always guarded his territory well. He always knew what
was happening and had always kept himself informed. His scouts were
the best of the packs, and that was important to the pack's
supremacy. He had a prize pack, and was proud to be their
leader. He shook his head and started forward again. This
time the scent of death was heavy in the air. Whatever this was, he
knew it wasn't good. Carefully he picked his way to the first
person. The body was male, and there was no sign of awareness, no
signs of the breath that was so vital to all. This one had ceased
to exist. He carefully moved farther toward the large box. Typical
of humans to like boxes and odd shaped things made of strange
materials. He much preferred the natural caves where his pack made
their homes to the strange enclosures that these humans called
houses. He had seen the village and that wasn't too bad. Natural
materials were used, and they blended well into the forest
surroundings. He had heard tales from other packs of strange
silver towers, and the descriptions made him shiver. He hoped he
never encountered anything like that in his wanderings because it
was just too strange. An odd noise brought him up short,
the sound, a whimper...a gasp...and then a moan of great pain.
Clearly there was a need, but he didn't know if there was anything
he could do. With a huge sigh, he went to see if he could help. He
was not prepared for what he found. There was a golden furred human
female, and if his eyes were not deceiving him, she was about to
whelp! He knew how his mate was at this time, so he approached
with great caution. The pain on her face was evident, and it was
added to by the odd way in which she was twisted. He edged around
her carefully and saw a definite problem. A cloth band wrapped and
tangled around her arm trapped her. It kept her arm bent at an
awkward angle. He slowly reached and began to tug at the offending
band when another whimper passed her lips. She began to moan in
earnest, and the wolf began to tug frantically at the band. She
needed to be free in order to birth her pup, and he had to help.
The band finally gave way with a tearing sound, and he grabbed the
back of the garment she wore and started to drag her to
shelter. He needed help. There was a cave close by, but
others needed to be there. He let go of her clothing, and sprinted
to the top of the ravine and called out to his brothers. The answer
of the pack was a welcome sound. He gave them his orders, telling
them what he needed them to do. He went back to the female, once
more taking hold of the garment, tugging and pulling her toward the
cave and shelter. Time was passing, and he thought it might be
running out for the female. Pups were precious, and that was one
thing he knew without a doubt. This pup may be human, but it
deserved a chance as did its dam, and he would see to it if he
could. Too many things that could go wrong, but sundown
would soon be here. The pack was on the way, and maybe they could
hold on to the female and her pup until the rising. The wolf
certainly hoped so.
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