Another Half

May 2012

Blue Ponderosa

Talon raced down the hill, avoiding the large rocks and mole holes she had encountered on the way up. She successfully swerved through the dense forest, grateful for the benefit of having previously walked through this area.

But it wasn’t enough.

She felt the demon wolf behind her, the thundering of his paws on the ground was close, but she dare not look back to see just how close he was. Talon sped up. She made an abrupt right turn and used all of her strength to quickly scale and jump over an immense fallen tree. She snickered evilly when she heard him crash into the trunk tree, yelp, and then growl in frustration.

You’re bad, Blade said. Her wolf’s ingenuity always surprised her.

I’m bad and we love it!

Talon reached the edge of the raging river. They had only seconds before the demon wolf caught up with them.

Jump, Talon! We have no choice.

Talon jumped and landed in the cold river. They shifted in the water.

Blade broke through the water and after a couple of powerful kicks she reached the bank that the river had carved deep underneath the steep river bluff they had just jumped from. She hid under the half-submerged branches of a large thick bush that had grown on the rocky edge in case the wolf decided to jump, too. Once there, Blade remained silent and still.

She heard the wolf arrive on the bluff above. She looked up through the branches and was relieved by the rocky overhang above her; there was no way he could see them.

She heard him huff, likely from the exertion of running, but she also heard him sighing as he sniffed the air. After a few minutes, he howled.

His long howl surprised Blade. It didn’t sound angry or threatening. There was nothing in his howl to hint that he was feeling murderous.

What’s he saying?

He’s calling his mate, Talon said, asking her to join him, that he misses her.

Why does he sound so heartbroken?

I don’t know. Because he really misses her? Because she’s out shopping and can’t be bothered to call him? Your guess is as good as mine, Blade.

The wolf continued to howl with heart-rending sadness.

Is he bipolar? I thought he was chasing us to kill us or whatever and now he’s calling his mate? Like, seriously? Did no one teach him how to focus?

Again, I don’t know! Maybe he forgot about us when he remembered she still has his credit card.

It was over an hour before the wolf finally got tired of howling at the sun and left.

I guess she didn’t show up, Talon said. Good for her. He sounds like an emotionally needy male. She probably got tired of his clingy alpha ass.

After another half an hour of waiting to make sure it was safe, Blade was ready to get out of the water. Her fingertips had turned to prunes, and she had begun to shiver in the frigid water. Nonetheless, she sharpened her ears for any noise above them before she released the branch she was holding onto and floated downstream.

Several miles downstream and another shift later, Talon dog paddled out of the river and onto the opposite bank. After shaking off the excess water, she lay on a nearby grassy patch to let the sun warm her.

So hungry, Talon said. We haven’t eaten for ages. This is wolf abuse—

Talon raised her head and sniffed the air. She got up and quickly hid under the shadow of a large bush.

I’m sorry, Talon. How about we get some small game and then we go find–

No, Blade. We’re starving and there’s a young doe coming this way with our name on it. We're going to get some big game and then we'll find the highway to head home. That alpha won’t hurt Caroline or her baby. They’re not a threat. We, on the other hand, may not be so lucky if he finds us. He chased us hard and he’ll remember who we are. I didn’t catch his scent, so we won’t see him coming.

Goddess, you’re so bossy, Blade said, exasperated. She reluctantly conceded that Talon’s reasoning made sense.

Only when your heart gets in the way of common sense.

Talon lay still, waiting for the doe to approach the river bank. She was glad that the wind was blowing in her direction, the doe had not caught Talon’s scent at all, or else she would have bolted despite not seeing the wolf watching her from the shadows. Talon crouched as the doe came into view several yards away. The doe calmly headed toward the river.

Fine, Blade said. But someday I want to come back and look for Caroline and her baby. Someday soon. I want her to meet Andy.

Talon patiently watched as the doe bent down to drink.

Fine, whatever, she said.

Talon attacked. The doe’s death was quick, albeit not painless.

Dinner is served!

After the large meal, Talon wanted to take a nap, but Blade made her get up and make the several-hour-long trek home, eventually reaching the outskirts of Azul City.

We didn’t see anyone on our way here, Blade commented. No sentries, no patrols. Nothing. That’s very strange.

Not really, Talon said. The war is over and this must be the winning pack’s territory.

Crys and Rachel said it was neutral territory, Blade said.

There you go, then.

As soon as it was late into the night and the streets were empty, Talon made her way into the city. She kept to the unlit parts of the streets as she headed towards their house on Martini Drive. Neither were surprised that the house was dark. She climbed into their front garden and shifted.

Blade pressed the combination of the front door’s digital lock and let herself in. She threw herself on the couch and heaved a huge sigh of relief to finally be home again, and she fell into a deep slumber without another thought.

The next morning, Blade went into her bathroom and saw the word pizza scrawled in large letters with pink lipstick. Pizza was the codeword Blade taught Crys and Rachel for emergency evacuation, or as Crys insisted “Sorry you missed us! We had to leave in a hurry!” At least it was written in pink lipstick, which meant they left with friends, most likely pack members, and not enemies, which would have merited coral or orange lipstick. Red was: We were attacked and ran.

Blade sighed with relief, but the anxiety soon took over. There was only one place they could have possibly left with “friends,” and Blade did not look forward to going there to claim her baby.

After a shower and a change of clothes, she went to purchase a brand-new cell phone and immediately called Crystal.

“Hello?” Crystal’s voice came through on the second ring.

“Crys, it’s Blade. I’m finally home. How’s Andy? Where are you?”

“Blade! Are you okay? Where have you been?! We’ve been worried sick about you!”

“I’m fine. I was taken that day by some wolves, but it’s all good now.”

“Who took you?”

“I think Blue Ponderosa wolves, but I’m not sure. How’s Andy?”

“Goddess above, our pack went to war with them last night. Who let you out? Was it our people?”

Blade laughed. “I let myself out, thanks. I want to pick up Andy. How do I get to your pack?”

Crystal quickly gave her instructions, and within ten minutes Blade was on the road south to a place she had vowed never to visit: another pack.

“We’re just going to pick up Andy, thank them for taking care of him, and leave,” Blade said.

Right, Talon said. We don’t need anyone. Do you think Rachel and Crys will come back with us?

“I don’t think so,” Blade said with a shrug. “And that’s fine. I don’t care. They were afraid of Blue Ponderosa and they’ve been defeated.”

Actually, Blade was going to miss them. She would miss the friendship and camaraderie, particularly with Crys.

So that means that the alpha we saw…

Blade felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

“Shit.”

I know.

“I don’t think he’s at his home pack yet. I’m pretty sure taking over a pack is complicated enough to stay there a couple more days. But, he’ll arrive home soon enough, and we don’t want to be there when he does. We have to leave as soon as we get Andy. In and out.”

In-N-Out. Right.