Arriving at a clearing was honestly like déjà vu. I watched an off white wolf and the same gray pup circling each other. This time, though the gray wolf was most definitely the aggressor and the poor off white wolf was just trying not to get bitten or scratched by it. I laughed at the sight which came out more like a light bark. This caught their attention.
'What the hell do I do with this crazy pup?' Asher asked, not looking to please at my amusement over his predicament.
'Is that pup too much for you to handle, Asher?' I asked, attempting to hold back the laughter. This earned me a growl. He really must have been frustrated. I decided he had suffered enough and stepped between them. Standing to my full height, I let out a warning growl telling the pup to stand down. He whimpered slightly but nonetheless refused to submit. I wasn't certain if this pup was impressively brave or annoyingly stupid.
'Asher, shift so we can communicate with the pup,' I ordered.
'Okay,' He huffed but did so grudgingly. After walking behind some shrubs, he shifted and changed into the clothes he had in a small backpack he had been carrying.
'Ask the pup to shift and let him know we aren't a threat.'
"Uh.... Hey.. Um, I mean hello, I'm Asher, and this is Logan. We only want to help. I can see you have some fairly significant injuries. We could bring you back to our pack. The pack doctor is truly gifted." Asher mumbled obviously not sure what to say. In response, all he got was a small growl and a shake of the head.
"Could we, at least, escort you to where you are going? There has been a serious rogue problem around this area." The gray wolf just stared at us blankly.
"This would be a lot easier if you would shift," he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. We were both surprised when the pup nodded and moved behind a large tree to shift.
'I didn't think it would be that easy. He's a very stubborn little pup,' Asher commented. I nodded my head in agreement. Suddenly, the pup bolted from behind the tree, deeper into the woods. He was attempting to hide in the thick trees.
'Stupid pup. He is getting closer to the rogue activity. He's going to get himself killed.' I started running off in the direction I saw him go.
'Logan, why do you care so much? It's not even from our pack,' Asher questioned following closely behind me.
'Because,' I stated like it was an answer. Asher was waiting for me to continue explaining as we raced through the darkening wood. Only I didn't continue, because honestly, I didn't know why I cared so much. Maybe it was because the pup was already hurt, or possibly it had to do with how much I valued pups now that I knew I could never have one of my own.
We came upon the wolf hiding in a bush. It was a feeble attempt, though. The wolf's tail wasn't even concealed, but if that wasn't enough to give it away, he was also breathing very heavily. I came up to the bush and growled menacingly. I needed this pup to know I wasn't playing games anymore. I was annoyed beyond words. We were now more than a day behind arriving at Midnight Creek. Although we no longer required their help thanks to the overly generous Crescent Moon, we still were expected. It would be disrespectful not to show. Also, I wanted to explain how bad the situation was in person.
Like before Asher shifted, so we could communicate with the pup. Only, this time, he seemed less caring and more authoritative.
"Come out of there before Logan drags you out," he commanded as if talking to a naughty child. The pup slowly crawled out on its belly. You could tell by the labored breathing his injuries were getting the better of him. He looked up at us and whimpered.
"Shift!" Asher demanded. The wolf slowly looked up at him and shook his head.
"Are you refusing to shift?" He challenged. Again the pup shook his head. Looking at the pup, he seemed limp almost lifeless.
'I don't think he can,' I informed Asher. He seemed to realize I was most likely right
"Can you shift?" He asked a little more gently, and for a third time, the pup shook his head. I was right, which meant he was hurt pretty bad. His wolf wouldn't let him shift in hopes of speeding up the healing process.
'Inform the pup I will stay here and watch over him while you run back to Crescent Moon for help.'
'Crescent Moon?'
'I know, but it is the only pack near enough, and we can't move the pup alone without leaving ourselves open to a rogue attack.' Soon Asher was racing off to get help. I decided to try to make myself comfortable. I went to lay down next to the pup in an effort to comfort him. The moment I lay near him, he growled at me. I was caught off guard by his sudden sign of aggression. He knew we were there to help. In hopes to not upset the pup any further, I got up and laid a few feet away.
'We're almost to your location, but I must inform you Alpha Phillips is with us,' he told me just before I heard them coming. Alpha Phillips was with them?
'Why is he with you? Is he really that desperate to get me to give him my pack?' I asked Asher not even attempting to hide the anger in my voice.
'I'm not sure. He insisted on coming along.' When I finally saw Asher along with Crescent Moon's pack doctor, relief washed over me. The moment Alpha Phillips appeared the pup again growled. This time, though, I could hear the pure hatred in it. Did he have something against alphas? I looked at the pup and Phillips. Something about the interaction bothered me.
"Stupid wolves........ can't do anything......" I heard Phillips mumbling to himself, but couldn't really make out much.
"Well, none of the injuries seem life threatening, but there are a lot of bite marks and quite a large amount of blood loss. Sh..." The pack doctor stopped mid-sentence after a low growl from her Alpha.
"Shouldn't be anything a couple of days of rest couldn't heal up." She seemed to try to recover. She bowed her head and quickly excused herself. Asher and I exchanged questioning looks. Something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Why don't we get this pup back to my pack and let him heal up there," Alpha Phillips suggested. Seconds after he suggested it, the pup growled and shook its head.
"I don't believe the pup wants to go with you," I said, trying not to smirk as I walked out from behind some shrubs after shifting. I couldn't explain it, but it pleased me to see the pup show such dislike towards Phillips. Asher kneeled down in front of the wolf gently stroking its coat.
"Would you like to come back to our pack, Silent River, at least until you have a chance to heal?" He asked him. The pup seemed to consider it until his eyes landed on me. He looked scared for a moment. Then he shook his head.
"Well, you do realize that you either go with us, Crescent Moon or take your chances out here. And to be honest, I think we both know your chances aren't very good. Especially in your condition," Asher tried to reason with the pup but managed to sound playful in doing so. The little gray wolf nodded his head.
"Does that mean you'll be joining us then?" And again the pup nodded.
'Griffin, send two fighters out fifty miles Northeast of our territory and prepare one of the medical suites. Also, let Alpha Grey know we hit a hiccup and won't be able to make it to Midnight Creek until later this week,' I linked with my beta.
'Are you and Asher ok? Is one of you hurt?' He asked, seeming confused by my order.
'We're fine. We'll be there by morning.'
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