Lupus

This story should seem familiar as it is my original story Animungus Lupus

I am Spirit. I am Alpha of my pack. I formed this pack myself. Our kind is in danger of extinction. There are very few of us left. I go out in search of those who remain and bring them back to our little sanctuary. I am now searching for someone. I do not know who he is but I know he is close. The goddess spoke to me and told me to find him, and soon. I fear that he may be in danger. And so, my journey begins….

******

Running. Running. That’s all I could think of to do. I had to find this young wolf fast before he decides to do something stupid or worse, he might accidentally expose himself to someone and get killed. I know the goddess looks out for all her children of the night, especially those who walk the path of the moon. I just hope she is looking over this young wolf and I hope I’m not too late.

I know that he is somewhere near the city, probably on the outskirts. But it is a big city, luckily for me; it is also surrounded on both sides by forestry. My pack and I live about twenty miles outside of the city, deep within the forest. We rarely come into the city unless it is absolutely necessary.

It took me five days but I finally pick up his scent. He is closer than I thought but further than I expected. I pick up my pace not slowing down until I basically run into him. I stop and stare in the eyes of the young wolf. I shift shape and tell him to come with me, and that I have been searching for him for the last five days. He doesn’t move instead, he attacks me. 

He leaps at me and try’s to clamp his jaws shut around my throat. I dodge his attack and step to the side. I jump at him human but come down on him full wolf. I snarl and growl at him as I bury my teeth in his scruff making him yelp. I back off hoping I don’t have to injure him further. He lunges at me and clamps down on my front leg. I snarl in pain but shake him off. As he lands on his back I pin him down with my weight. My jaws close shut around his muzzle, causing him to swallow a yelp.  He shakes his head furiously, trying to get me off him but I hold firm. The young wolf manages to get me to let go when one of his claws swipes my eye, forcing me off. Regaining my sight quickly, I lunge for his throat. I miss on purpose and grab the back of his neck instead, forcing him down. I carefully work my way around him still clamping down on his scruff and sit on top of him until he settles down. I feel him shifting and let go, but I do not immediately get off, instead I stand until he is done then sit on him again.

“If I listen to what you have to say will you please get off me?”

I nod.

“Fine, then get off! You’re crushing me.” He growls.

I get off and shift shape. He sits up slowly, winces a bit as if in pain, then pulls a fallen branch with leaves over and covers himself. He stares at me for a moment then turns away, blushing.

“I’m sorry I attacked you. The few shifters I have come across have been less than friendly. I feared maybe you were another.”

He looks back for a moment, then quickly away.

“Could you uh, maybe put something on or at least cover yourself with something? Anything?”

I look down and then back up. A smile stretches across my face. I grab the small pack that fell when he attacked and take out some clothes. They can barely be called clothes though, really they’re more like scrubs people wear in hospitals. I put them on and take out a pair of pants I hope will fit him. I hand them to him and wait while he puts them on. As he does so, I assess him. He doesn’t seem all that pleasing to the eye at first. His short brown hair is a mess, his brown eyes weary, always moving. He’s not overly tall, perhaps just over five foot eight and lean. I notice a small scar along the side of his waist. Looks like a knife wound. I frown.

“My name is Spirit. I’ve been sent by the goddess to seek you out. Our numbers are few and far between. I search for those like us and bring them back to my sanctuary. There, you can be yourself; you do not have to hide what you are. You do not have to live in fear of being discovered and killed. Everyone will welcome you with open arms. Please, come with me?”

He looks at me but doesn’t move. I tilt my head in question and that’s when I notice the blood. I rush to him and reach out, which causes him to react. He takes a fighting stance and leans back. I stop.

“You’re bleeding. I just wanted to make sure you were k and that the wound isn’t deep. We should stop the flow before you bleed out.”

He reaches up and touches his neck. He winces and looks at his hand. His fingers are covered in blood.

“Fine.” He waivers and sits down.

I look. My fangs had pierced his skin when I’d grabbed him by the scruff.

“It’s deep. I’m sorry. If you shift you should heal, at least enough to stop the bleeding. Afterwards, we should get going. It’s a long way home, even running on all fours. By the way, what is your name?”

“Crux. And I never agreed to go with you.”

He gets up and goes behind a few bushes.

“Don’t peek.”

I hear him shift.

“Why? Why wouldn’t you agree? It is a place to be free, to be around others like you.”

He chuffs and shifts again back to human. With so much shifting, he’s got to be ravenous. I sigh.

“As I stated, others of our kind have been less than friendly. Just because you say I’ll be welcomed doesn’t mean it will be true. Can you garantee that I won’t be attacked the moment I step foot on the property? How do I know that none of the shifters you have there aren’t some of the same ones I’ve run into?”

He steps out from behind the bushes and looks at me questioningly.

“I can’t. But, considering you’re not the first shifter I’ve brought back nor will you be the last, no one has attacked anyone. In fact, we are all quite happy being around each other. Plus, as pack leader, I do have some say. I can’t say if you’ve run into any of the others there, but I am confident you won’t be attacked.”

He looks at me with one eyebrow raised.

“Your group is big enough to be considered a pack, and your pack leader? No offense but you don’t look like you could win in a fight let alone against a male.”

I snort.

“I took you down easily enough, and looks can be deceiving. Haven’t you ever heard don’t judge a book by its cover?”

He laughs.

“Fair enough. Fine, let’s go see this place and pack of yours. But, this doesn’t mean I’ve decided to stay. How far is it?” He asks.

“I bet you’ll change your mind once you get there. It’ll take us at least three days to get there if we run for most of it and only stop to eat and sleep.” I say.

“Speaking of eating, I’m starving, do you have any food in your pack?” He asks.

I look down at my pack.

“I do not, but I can go hunt if you’ll stay and make a fire.”

He just looks at me, then nods.

“Fine. I hope you bring back something good.”

I take off my clothes and set them by my pack. I shift and run off in search for food. It doesn’t take me long to pick up the trail of a deer. I slow and hunker down, making my strides a little wider and quieter. I spot the deer. It’s a young doe. It’s about ten feet in front of me. I move in slowly, until I’m less than two feet away, then spring. I aim for its throat but it sees me and turns. Instead of its throat I get its hind quarter. I sink my teeth in deep and use my claws to latch on. It screams and bucks, trying to kick me off. I let go with my jaws for only a moment to get a better grip on the leg. I clamp down lower and feel its leg give, then snap. The deer goes down. Before it has a chance to try and get up again, I run around to its head and bite down on its throat, cutting off its jugular and air supply. I whip my head back in forth ferociously until it stops moving. I shift and drag it back to where Crux is.

By the time I get back with the deer, night has fallen. Crux has made a roaring fire, and has even found a few logs for us to lean against while the deer cooks. I set the carcass in front of one of the logs and retrieve a knife from my pack. I sit and begin cutting into the deer, peeling back the hide to get at the meat.

“Well, you didn’t disappoint.” Crux says, licking his lips.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

I look across at him then down at the carcass.

“If you could find a flat rock or something for us to lay the meat out on that’d be great.” I say, peeling the hide all the way to the back of the deer. I cut that portion off and lay it flat on the ground, wet side up so it can dry overnight. Crux gets up and saunters off. I continue to cut.

Crux comes back with a big flat rock just as I cut the belly open, spilling the insides.

“What are you going to do with those?” He asks, looking at the insides. I look down and snicker.

“Eat them of course.” I say, putting all but the stomach and intestines on the rock.

“Organ meat is very good for you. It’ll replenish your strength quickly.”

He looks at the organs on the rock then back at the deer.

“Is there anything else I can do?” He asks.

“No. Just sit and relax.” I say, going back to cutting hunks off the deer.

Within twenty minutes, I had ten pounds of deer on the rock alongside the organ meat. I sigh and stand. I look at Crux. He looks like he’s about to fall over dead. I can hear his stomach growling, and see the hunger in his eyes as he stares at the meat. Now, since we are shifters, we can easily consume the meat raw and be perfectly fine, especially since we eat raw meat when we’re wolves. But cooking it just adds so much flavor and it’s nice to have hot food from time to time. I laugh as I stand up, breaking Crux out of his trance.

“What is so funny?” He asks.

“You are. You look like you’re about ready to pounce on the rock and devour as much of that as you can.” I say, giggling.

He looks back at the rock then at me and busts out laughing.

“I guess I was thinking about it.” He says.

I chuckle as I look around for a few sturdy sticks to cook the meat with. I find two two pronged ones that will make a great rotary and one big stick that I can pluck the meat onto and begin cooking our meal. I go back to the fire and start stabbing hunks of meat onto the stick until it is full. I then place it above the fire and start rotating the food slowly.

“Why are you out here?” I ask.

Crux looks up at me, seemingly surprised by the question.

“Living I suppose. I decided the best place for me would be somewhere out in the wild away from people and hopefully far away from those of us who are rather unsavory. I guess you could say I am looking for a home, a place to belong. Perhaps what you offer is not too far from what I am looking for. I am just nervous around anyone, especially our species.”

I look down for a moment, then back up at Crux.

“Our species is dwindling. We are on the verge of extinction. I can understand the need for caution, especially around humans. But you should be willing to be around your own kind, even if you’ve been hurt by them before. In order for us to survive, we have to stick together.”

I lower my head so he won’t see the single tear roll down my cheek.

“I don’t want to die, nor do I want our kind to die. This is why I search for others and try to bring them back with me. Not all come, but those who do strengthen my hope at a possible future.”

I look up with a smile.

“I am glad you decided to come with me Crux.”

Crux looks up then down again.

“I don’t know if I want to stay just yet or not. As I said, if there’s anyone within your pack whom I have had a run in with before, I will not stay. My wounds are just newly healed from my last encounter.”

*******

            I wake with a start. I put my muzzle to the air and take in a big sniff, sorting through the scents. That’s when I hear it, a twig snap. I get up on all fours and nudge Crux with my paw. Last night I suggested we shift shape and sleep in our wolf skin to stay warm. He makes a grunting noise and I push my paw down on his muzzle, trying to muffle the noise so I can listen. Crux swipes at my paw and growls. I hear it again, another snap of a twig, this time closer. Crux must have heard it too because he stopped growling. I sniff the air again and that’s when I smell the bear, a big male grizzly. Suddenly the bushes to the right of us explode as the grizzly barrels down on top of us. I jump out of the way of his massive paw as he takes a swing at us. Crux ducks and is missed by mere hairs.

            I growl low and deep, and stand tall trying to look bigger. Crux slinks lower and makes his way behind the bear. The grizzly stands up on his hind legs and roars at me. I take a few steps back but hold my ground, waiting for Crux to be in position. The bear comes down hard on his front legs and starts advancing towards me. Crux leaps on his back as I leap for the bears throat. As Crux lands, the bear swings at me, knocking me hard into a tree. My breath is taken from me in a whoosh of air and I see stars for a moment. I shake my head trying to clear it and see Crux struggling to hang onto the bear. All four paws dug into the bear’s back with a hunk of bear fur in his mouth. I get up and wobble a bit, I steady myself and run at the bear. I leap, aiming for its throat. I hit my target just as Crux is flung off. I sink my teeth in hard, and shake my head madly, trying to cause severe damage. The bear roars in anger and pain and swipes a paw at me. I let go just as his paw comes down and circle for another chance.

Crux circles towards the bears back again but the bear is ready. He turns just as Crux jumps and hits him hard. I hear a crack and know something is broken. I jump and bite the bear on the snout, using my front paws to claw at his head. I must have nicked an eye, because the bear rears back with a mighty roar that sounded of pain as he swipes me with a paw on my back, causing me to let go. The bear paws at his face and runs off roaring and growling. I make my way over to where Crux lays and make sure he’s still alive. I nudge him with my nose, but he doesn’t move, he is out cold. I shift to begin the healing process for the claw marks from the bear. I go off to find some water and leave Crux where he lies.

I find the small stream not too far from where we made camp and begin to wash myself. I take a moment to assess the damage the bear has done. I have a good knot on my head from when I hit the tree and my back will be permanently scarred. I look at my face. My long black hair is a mess, frizzled everywhere. My blue eyes seem less blue and more of a dull grey at the moment, probably due to stress. My normally tan skin is pale from blood loss. I slap the reflection away and clean up the best I can.

I cup my hands for some water and carry it back to Crux, whom I splash in the face. He wakes instantly with a growl of pain.

“Where does it hurt?” I ask.

Crux looks up and whimpers. He moves his paw towards his chest and makes a wheezing sound.

Probably a partially collapsed lung and a few broken ribs. Nothing fatal if he shifts now.

“You need to shift. Start the healing process. If I am guessing right, you might have a partially or fully collapsed lung and a few broken ribs. A few shifts should make you like new again.” I say standing up.

Crux nods and shifts. He stays human for only a moment before he shifts again. He stays laying and begins to breathe easier.

“We should eat what’s left of the deer to regain our strength and then start running if you can. We need to get back to the pack.” I say.

Crux looks up at me nods, and stands up. He hobbles over to the deer carcass and starts to dig into what’s left of it. I nod and shift. I join Crux and we eat our fill.

                       ******

Because of our encounter with the bear our progress towards home is somewhat slow. We can only run a few miles before we have to stop and take a rest so Crux can catch his breath. Although his lung should no longer be collapsed nor his ribs completely broken, I’m sure breathing still hurt. So we took it as slow as I would allow it.

By nightfall, Crux was exhausted, so we found a nearby cave and slept. Rather, he slept. I stood watch for a bit. I lay with my head on my paws staring up at the stars, wondering how the others were faring without me. I let out a low howl in prayer for them and make my way back into the cave. Crux is still sound asleep. I curl up next to him and lay my head atop his and fall asleep.

By morning, I can tell Crux is feeling much better. He must have shifted again at some point. Crux was at the cave entrance with a few rabbits he had caught. When he noticed I was awake he let his tongue roll out and he smiled a wolfish grin. Crux came over and dropped two rabbits at my feet and went back to the entrance to eat his. I look down at them and then back up. I yip a thank you and eat.

This day we made major progress, not stopping at all until nightfall. When we did stop, it was in the clearing of one of my favorite spots. A small waterfall flows here with a nice pool at its base. The pool breaks off into several small streams that go in different directions. Flowers bloom all around the fall and streams. It’s a place unlike any other, something I guess you could say out of a fairy tale. This place is always calm and tranquil and always makes me feel at peace.

I shift and take in a deep inhale. I let it out slowly and smile. By being here, this means we were only half a day away from home. I look at Crux who has shifted but turned away. I snicker and pull out the “scrub” clothes from my pack. I put them on and hand him the clothes I’d brought for him.

“For a shifter, you sure are shy about the naked form.” I say, laughing.

Crux looks at me with a somewhat bemused yet slightly annoyed look on his face.

“And for a shifter you are carelessly not shy about the naked form. Aren’t you worried about being seen naked?” He asks.

“Yes, but I’d rather be seen naked than be seen shifting. Besides, once you live in a pack of your own kind out in the middle of nowhere, where you don’t usually have to worry about the human prying eye you get used to seeing people naked.” I say with a smile on my face.

“By us reaching this place, it means we are only half a day away from home.” I say excitedly.

Crux looks around and smiles.

“This place is beautiful. It feels so calm and peaceful. I feel like there’s no care in the world.”

“I know. This is my favorite spot. I come here to think and to get away once in awhile when I need peace or to be alone.” I say, turning towards the pool.

Crux looks in the direction I am. A smile breaks across his face.

“I’ll race you to the water!” He shouts and takes off running.

I smile. It was nice to see Crux relaxed for a change instead of always tense. I laugh and take off after him, stripping out of the “scrub” clothes as I go. I reach the pool just as Crux is shirking off his shirt and dive in. The water felt cool and crisp against my skin. I came up for air and let out a satisfying sigh. Crux blushes and hesitantly removes his pants and jumps in.

“You will have to get used to seeing others naked if you plan on staying with us. You will see your fare share at the sanctuary.” I say bemused by his shyness.

“Perhaps in time I will, since you seem determined to desensitize me with yourself.” He chuckles, splashing water in my face. I laugh and splash him back. We play for a bit in the water splashing back and forth but before long we shift to our wolf skin and go off running in the forest, hunting for game. I startle a family of rabbits and we chase them down, catching only one a piece. We eat them and continue on hunting until well past midnight.

Me and Crux return to the clearing and curl up near the pools edge. He places his head atop mine and is soon asleep. I smile and for the first time in days, I felt truly safe. I curl in closer and fall asleep.

           *******

The crack of a gunshot had me up instantly. Because Crux had been practically on top, my abrupt ascension causes him to fall over onto his back. Crux however, is on his feet just as fast as I was as another shot rings out. I look around for any sign that the shooter is near. There is nothing at first but then a flock of birds take off from the tree tops slightly to our left as a third shot is fired. I hunker down low a creep across the clearing to the tree lining. Crux is making it very apparent that he just wants to go, but I have to be sure that this shooter, whatever he was, isn’t heading in the direction of the sanctuary. My pack came first. I nip at Crux, trying to signal for him to stay here. He chuffs and follows me in. Annoyed, I growl, demanding he stay put. Crux growls back and sneezes. I nip his muzzle but allow him to follow me anyway.

We make our way towards the shooter slow and quietly. When we were about ten feet away I stopped and got low. I watched the shooter waiting to see which direction he was going to move in. Crux steps on a twig and it snaps. After a minute or two the hunter turns in our direction and fires. Me and Crux both jump and run sideways, me one way, Crux, the other. I growl low and deep in my throat as a warning to the shooter. He takes aim and fires in my direction. I dodge left and run straight at him. He fires again and hits me in the shoulder. I lunge and bite down hard on his arm, enough to feel bone snap. The shooter lets out a howl of pain and bats at my head with his other hand. Crux comes in and bites his leg, causing the shooter to topple. I let go and retreat to where the gun has dropped. I kick it with my hind paw out of the shooters reach. Crux has let go of the shooter’s leg and is circling to get at his throat for a killing blow. I step in between them to stop him. Crux growls and snaps at me. I snap back, and stand tall demanding obedience. I draw my lips back from my teeth and snarl at Crux. Crux sinks his head low but continues to growl.

I turn to the shooter, who has passed out. I growl at him and walk off in the direction of home. Crux just stands there. I turn to him and tilt my head. I shake it in the direction I am going. Crux just stares at me then looks down at my wounded shoulder. He whimpers and saunters over to give it a lick. I roll my eyes and place my paw on his face, stopping him. I did not let on that it hurt like hell and that the bullet is still in my leg. I will have to return to the sanctuary so that Proxy, one of the other shifters and my best friend can pull it out. I yip to say I am ok and nod towards the direction of home. Crux nods.  We stop in the clearing so I can pick up my pack and then we head towards home.

                       ******

As we draw near, I can feel the others and their anticipation with my return. Even though it hurt and exhaustion was apparent, I pick up my speed. I am eager to see everyone and listen to their tales if there are any about the events that have gone on in my absence. However, it doesn’t take me long to feel Crux’s anxiety and hesitation. I slow as we near the entrance to the sanctuary and turn to him. I go up to him and nuzzle his neck, trying to reassure him that everything will be ok. He looks at me with weariness in his eyes. I go to lift my paw to place it on his face in reassurance when I collapse. My wounded leg has given out on me. I lay there waiting for the others to come get us. Crux is in a panic. I whimper to try and reassure him as Proxy and Red, two of the males of the pack come running out. Red picks me up as Proxy looks at the wound.

“She’s been shot and has lost a lot of blood. We need to get her to the medical room immediately!” He says as he assesses the bullet wound. Red looks down at Crux.

“You must be the new wolf she went looking for. You need to shift and tell us what happened.” Red says, voice flat.

I growl trying to tell them not to be hostile towards Crux, but all I manage is a small whimper.

“We have to move Red! Interrogate the new wolf later! She can’t shift until the bullets out.” Proxy yells at Red. Red grunts and they take off with me in tow.

“Keep up new wolf.” Is the last thing I hear Red shout as my world goes dark.

I awake to the smell of home. I take in a deep breath and stop. I feel around and realize I’m human. I must have shifted sometime during my black out. I turn my head as I hear the sound of people talking. From the sound of it Red is having a very heated discussion with Crux while Proxy tries to calm Red down. I throw the covers off me and sit up. The voices stop. The door to my room opens. I gesture for them to come in. Red and Proxy come in immediately and check me over. Crux stands at the door with his head down.

“You two should not be yelling at Crux. He has done nothing wrong, nor is he responsible for me getting shot. This is not how we welcome new wolves. Crux I am sorry you had to listen to Red and Proxy while I was out. I am sure they weren’t being very nice.” I say.

Red and Proxy exchange glances. Crux looks up and smiles a little.

“It’s ok Spirit. They were just concerned for you. I understand. I told them about the hunter we ran into in the forest near the clearing. The only thing I don’t understand is, why did you stop me from killing him? He was going to kill us.” Crux asks.

I sigh and look up at Crux fully.

“I stopped you because I don’t want us to become no better than them. All I want is peace.”

I look at Red and Proxy.

“Where are the others?” I ask.

“They are out hunting, all except Razz. He is patrolling. I am going to go relieve him soon.” Red says. I nod and look at Proxy.

“Thanks for the patch up.” I smile.

“You’re welcome. Just don’t go getting shot again.” Proxy says, nudging my good arm.

“Well, Red, Proxy, may I introduce Crux. He hasn’t decided yet if he is going to stay with us, but I still hope he will consider doing so.” I motion to Crux. Red and Proxy turn and say hello and sorry for the way they acted. Crux nods and says hello to them and to not worry about it.

“Red, why don’t you go relieve Razz so he can meet Crux and eat. I’m sure he’s famished. Also, inform me when the others get back. Proxy, we should start cooking dinner in preparation for the others and to welcome Crux to stay if he wishes.” I say. They both nod and run off. I look at Crux and smile. I motion for him to come sit with me. He hesitates but then comes over and sits. I grab his hand and pat it.

“I really am sorry if you’ve had any discomfort in the short time you’ve been here.” I say.

Crux looks up and smiles.

“No, really its ok. They were concerned for you. I understand. This place doesn’t seem so bad.  How many shifters are there here in total?” Crux asks.

“Thirteen in all. It’s not very many but it’s a start. If you stay, you’ll make an even fourteen.” I chuckle. Crux looks up at me and squeezes my hand.

“I think I’ll stick around, just for a bit and give this place a feel. Who knows? Maybe I will like it here.” Crux says with a smile. I laugh and give him a hug. The future may yet still hold a place for us.