Chapter 3: Chapter 3
The moon floated above as a watcher of her people. She reflected back a brightness to even out the playing field for all those below. The SpringRidge Pack stared back at her from their sleeping bags and their ebbing fires. For them, an air of tranquility came over them. The wolves were never really far from the wilderness, but living within a society strung them out to the point where just the surrounding scent of pine lulled them in a sense of belonging.
Though,-
A bloodcurdling scream echoed out through camp.
-an illusion of safety can be dangerous.
Eyes shocked open, Cooper rose from where he had fallen asleep. Throwing open the door from the side room of the cabin and looking into the main room, he saw his brother throwing on a jacket, already arisen from the couch where he had rested.
"Stay right here. Don't leave the cabin." Alik demanded, pointing a finger at him before opening the front door and charging out. Cooper immediately strained his ears to hear what was going on, but the panic in the blood and the thick wooden walls of the cabin prevented him from listening too closely.
Only then did notice that Kip was still in the room with him. Still fast asleep, Cooper decided it was best to wake him up. He went to the bed where Kip had accidentally passed out and shook him until his eyes opened.
"Aw shoot how long was I asleep?" Kip sat up and rubbed his face.
"Something happened outside. There was a scream." He went straight to the point. Kip jumped up suddenly and nearly walked right out the front door before Cooper stopped.
"No! Alik said to stay here. You should hide in case something bad really did happen." Cooper insisted. His new friend shook his head.
"I'm a warrior. I swore an oath to protect this pack. It's my job to fight." He went out with a brave face but the shake of his hand on the doorknob didn't go unnoticed.
Cooper waited for a minute, maybe two. He didn't know what to do. The door was wide open. He could hear more screams now. Growls. Yips. And Howls. He took just one step forward. The path ahead was clear. The only thing ahead was an empty clearing covered with abandoned supplies and camps. Beyond it was a line of woods. All the fierce sounds came from a mass within the impossibly dark depths.
His humanity gripped onto practicality and screamed at him to run away. His inner animal and heart howled to run forward. He had always wanted to be a warrior like Kip but in his head he always knew they'd never accept him so he had never even really tried. He wanted to protect. Protect his pack. Protect his brother. Protect himself.
He made a simple and life changing decision and gave into the wolf for the first time in his life.
There were no complex thoughts, only strong feelings. Feelings of desperation. Feeling his body morph and change fluidly in a single motion. He barely noticed it. Barely noticed the change from two feet to four. Didn't really recognize the way he flew forward on those feet and weaved through the trees in a way that looked so natural.
He didn't stop until he found the fight. He saw wolves much larger than him rip into each other without remorse. He slowed as he passed each match but kept going, realizing that he needed to focus on who he really wanted to help the most.
The battle stretched out their pack's numbers until they were forced to retreat and regroup. The rogue wolves, scarred yet fierce chased them into a corner. Alik was there, trying to lead his people. Commanding in a human form with a bat in hand, he too stood to the edge of his doom. A half circle of the enemy wrapped around Alik's small group, pushing them to a side of a cliff. The view beyond the cliff was a beautiful vision of nature but the view below turned the surrounded group white with fear.
Cooper hid behind the nearing foliage, ears pricked but undecided. He couldn't help but notice a canine far too small for battle standing at their Alphas defense. Kip...
"Don't act surprised! Don't act like you didn't deserve this!" As the center of the enemy mass was a large man who seemed no more than six years older than Alik. "Your father and all the others punished my pack for bullshit reasons. They spouted some shit about human rights and decided that was good enough to attack us. You know how hard it's been to keep a pack alive without a territory. We have been at the mercy of the owner of every territory we've crossed through. We've lost kids to mountain lions, women to bears, and men to demons." He roared every word, pressing the group further to the edge of the mountain.
"That wasn't me! It was my Dad who agreed to fight with you and our people simply followed his lead." Alik was forced to try reasoning with him.
"You think I was the one who fucked with human rights? My father did that in the 80s, before I was even born. Didn't see anyone give a rat's ass about that, though." Cooper saw it coming. Saw the Rogue Alpha tense as he was going to attack.
Cooper moved first. The Alpha changed in a flash of fangs and jumped toward Alik with his eyes locked onto his neck. Cooper ran through the foreigners who stood too surprised to stop him. He leaped. His teeth sank into the jugular of the leader, stopping him from hurting his brother. He did it. He was finally able to defend his pack; to help.
His eyes closed. He heard the shriek of his older brother, but he wasn't worried. Cooper had saved them.
He relaxed as he fell. The time it took for him to fully fall did the height no justice. He took no heed of the temperature until water came up all around. The electric cold was overwhelmed by the feeling of the impact. The body below took the brute impact but it couldn't keep him from passing out. His body went fully limp in the chilling liquid. The two bodies were swept along by the current.
---
Cooper opened his eyes and at first only saw the stars and moon above. The first thing that caught his attention was cracking and ripping sounds coming from just a few feet down the bank where he had washed up. He looked but his eyes needed time to adjust. When he finally saw he wished he hadn't.
The Rogue Alpha layed just a few feet away, facing him. His eyes were wide; staring into his own. What scared him was how the body shook as it was torn into. Ribs and innards had been ripped away to gain access to the meat.
A black panther stood with its paws seeping into the blood that surrounded its prey. Its muzzle was coated a deep red as it dug into the hearty meal. The focus of the animal was entirely on what was in it's mouth.
Quietly, Cooper managed to stand on all four paws. The slate gravel below muted the sound of his footprints as he tried to slink away into the trees. He reached the tree line and began to watch every step for twigs and leaves. The success didn't last long.
A low branch snapped off a dead tree as he walked into it. He cringed for a second, listening for danger. A low growl came from behind him.
He didn't turn around. He ran. He willed himself to squeeze through every gap in foliage as to save his own life. The chase lasted for nearly ten minutes before Cooper could be seen panting and nearing a lack of consciousness. The panther kept up easily. It's long legs and cat-like features made for a large stride and a creature at home in the trees.
Cooper rushed forward with his last bit of strength to find a way to lose the danger behind. He passed a dense group of brushes and made a sharp left. He saw a large tree with a gap underneath the roots. Taking the chance, he dove for it. He managed to fit into the burrow completely before he clamped his snout shut at the sight of the feline rounding the bushes.
It breathed with an open mouth, trying to taste his scent. Thick, crimson imbued salvia dripped down from the place of consumption. A drop fell down in front of the hiding place and shattered upon impact with a stone only to splash onto his nose. He struggled not to snort at the vile scent.
The cat stood ready to pounce at whatever, confident and dangerous. Until suddenly a sound like thunder rippled through the sky. The once intimidating cat ripped across the ground, far faster than it had chased Cooper. It ran in the direction they came. The way it looked, it ran for it's life. What would scare a panther that large? A lion pride? Cooper thought of running in the same supposedly safe direction as the cat but he knew he'd get caught by one of the two dangers if he left. His best bet was to stay-
"I know you're there puppy dog."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone