THE PAIN OF WATCHING DEATH

16 FEBRUARY, TUESDAY, CONTINUED

So there we were, somewhere deep in the forest. Cobra was standing in our way hissing. I looked at his team mates who looked completely unaffected.

Torque was checking his rifle butt, just in cased it was damaged when he had rammed it into Cobra's ribs. I looked at Cobra again, he was still hissing softly. From pain?

"Are you hurt?" I tried to ask.

"Oh right." Torque looked up from his gun, "Sorry, are you alright, buddy?"

Cobra just hissed. I think something inside his body was broken. Maybe his ribs.

"I have a specially formulated drink to improve healing." Ink said.

"Really?" I asked. Was there really such a thing?

"It improves a wolf's passive abilities by 43%." Ink promised.

Oh, how interesting.

Ink took out what looked like small plastic bottle, but it had a dark brown murky mixture inside of it, "Here Cobra, drink this."

Cobra had the sense to shake his head.

"Put that away Ink!" Barry ordered, "That's not for wolf consumption."

"It is high quality enhancement elixir." Ink argued, "I took great pains to brew it."

"Have you tested it yet?" I asked.

"Yes." Ink said rather proudly, "The test was a success."

"No!" Barry yelled, "We had the runs for days after that!"

"I thought I was going to die." Torque said.

"Sssssss....." Cobra said darkly.

"But all your passive abilities improved remarkably." Ink insisted, "Including your passive healing speeds, which quite possibly saved your lives."

"If we didn't drink your poison, we wouldn't have needed saving!" Barry yelled more. The memory seemed to be rather traumatic for him.

"I thought I was going to die." Torque repeated miserably, "It was worse than hell."

"Ssssss...." Cobra said darkly.

"Well our Luna was very interested in the formula." Ink was unperturbed by his team's less than encouraging feedback.

My Luna... Yes, he would be interested in something sadistic like that.

"Okay, let's just give Cobra a moment to heal a bit, then finish our patrol and go." Barry decided.

"We are already 8 minutes and 34 seconds behind schedule." Ink warned, "My elixir would save us time."

"Your elixir will kill him." Barry said.

Ink looked completely unconvinced.

And I was beginning to understand why they called it "Cloud Forest", the air was beginning to get damp. I watched as the wisps of fog float around the trees. It was very pretty like clouds in the forest until Barry noticed my line of sight and said, "Don't worry, Alpha. The ghosts here don't bite."

The what now? I watched the wisps appear and disappear, weaving among the trees and into the dark of the night. I was pretty sure they were pieces of mist, was all. NOT GHOSTS. Did ghosts bite? omo. 

"I am 98.8 percent sure its just vapor." Ink said sensibly. What about the other 1.2%? omo.

"I really hate ghosts." Torque whimpered. 

"HAHAHA!" Barry laughed, "Come on Torque! Big guy like you shouldn't be whimping out because of a few ghosts"

"I'm not!" Torque protested, "I just don't like them!"

"Interesting." Ink said, "There has been research on the hypothesis that the physical strength of a man is proportionate to their fear of metaphysical beings."

Of what now?

Luckily Ink was used to rephrasing himself to his dumber team mates (and me), "The stronger the man, the greater their fear of ghosts. But it has yet to be proven."

"Oh, it's true, alright!" Barry nodded expertly, "Us tough guys hate ghosts."

Wait, weren't you just laughing at Torque just a minute ago?

"Ghosts makes my hair stand." Torque said.

"You can't punch a ghost." Barry nodded, and then added in a scary story voice, "Sometimes, you can't even see them."

"There's no such thing as ghosts." I told them. I felt quite sure of that. Dad had said so.

"Shhhhh...." Barry said, he looked fugitively around at the mist, "They'd hear you."

"You healed enough, Cobra?" Torque asked, "I know it's my fault you're down and all, but this place is giving me the heebie-jeebies."

Cobra stopped hissing and straightened up. His hand was still holding on to his side. I wasn't all that sure he was fit enough to go on.

But then Cobra said one word, "Rogues."

Cobra could talk?

Apparently, and he only did so when necessary, "2 clicks. South East, civi. A male, pregnant female, two small pups."

"That's 0.3 clicks outside our radius." Ink said, "Just leave them."

Cobra was suddenly silent again, but his eyes looked pained. From the broken ribs?

{The pain of watching death in silence.}

Death? Whose death? The ghosts? I looked around me. What was hurting Cobra, Boo? GAH! Why was I so stoopid? I was the Alpha! I should be able protect my wolves.

{The rogues family. Weak wolves. Don't bother.}

Then why was it hurting Cobra, Boo?

Boo made a sighing sound.

"Let's go." I decided, and headed towards the rogues.

"But Alpha, they aren't trespassing!" Cobra spoke. Again. And then he was silent. Again.

This lack of communication was very frustrating for me. I turned without another word and headed "South East" or rather, I just followed my internal radar and found the family under a tree.

"Please darling." The man was saying, "We have to keep moving."

The woman and children were huddled together. They looked cold and miserable. The older pup was crying but very quietly, "I'm so c..c...cold...mummy."

Maybe it was because I couldn't smell anything so I couldn't smell the stench of rogues, but they looked like any other wolf family. The older pup who was cold, couldn't be older than Savy.

"Todd, I can't." The woman started to sob, "I can't, or I'm sure to lose the baby."

"If we stay here, we would lose all of them." The man fretted.

"Take one of the pups and go." The woman decided.

"No!" The man shouted at her, "No... Please don't make me do this! My brother... We are nearly at the border. If we get to his home, we will be safe."

The woman didn't answer, "I'm sorry Todd. It's too far. I can't. And our sweet Daisy probably can't either. Just take Jack and go. Better that at least one of our pups live."

"Live...for what?" Todd now sunk down next to her, "I left my pack to marry you. You are my soulmate and all the pack I have..."

"At least think of Jack!" The woman cried out, "Todd! Take Jack and go! Do this for me... The last thing I ever ask of you!"

"I can't..." Now Todd was sobbing too.

"Go Todd. Daisy and I will meet you there." The woman lied. Human. She was a human woman.

The other guys had caught up with me by now. Despite his injury, Cobra had arrived first. He was like a shadow indeed. Silently watching as death waited on this family.

It was a winter night, the family had only the shirts on their backs. No coats...no food...no pack...

After a while, Todd stood up and picked up Jack from his mother.

"No daddy! Don't go!" The young girl screamed, "No daddy! Don't leave us! No!!!"

Her mum hugged her tightly so she could not follow, "Stay with me baby. Stay with me, brave girl. We will catch up with them tomorrow."

Todd's face, the pain drawn on it, and then the hardened expression as he turned away.

The girl sobbed in her mother's arms, but even her cries sounded wretchedly exhausted.

"Hey you!" I stepped out from behind the trees flaring, "Are you stupid? They'll die if you leave them here."

Todd turned around, his tears icy on his face. He knew. He knew he was leaving them to die! I flared again, "Take them with you. It's dangerous and cold out here."

"God...goddess?" The man blinked.

You've gotta be kidding me. Maybe the tears was messing with his sight.

"I can't move another step..." The woman said, "But please, can you save my Daisy? Bring her with her father to a safe place."

"What happened to you?" I had to know.

"Rogue hunt." Todd said bitterly, "The humans were afraid the children and I would attract the blue demon wolves who hunt the rogues. We were chased us out."

"They tried to kill us, my own family! But Todd got us out of the village." The woman said.

"My brother lives in the Gold Packlands." Todd said, "He says it's safe there for now."

"For now?" I asked.

"You must know goddess! There is no where safe for a rogue." Todd said.

"It's my fault." The woman said sadly, "It's because I was a human, that you have to leave your pack to be with me."

"Why?" I asked.

"You are just a child yourself, you would not understand, why are you out here on your own?" The woman asked me.

Wait... I think you had better things to do than worry about me. I'm not the one who was dying.

And I'm not a child! I flared again.

"Shhh..." Todd hushed his mate, "She's the goddess."

"I don't believe in the goddess." The woman said.

Oh boy. Now really wasn't the time. Daisy had stopped crying. She was lying down very still on his mother's lap, but she was breathing.

I sighed and took off my jacket, "Put this on her."

"What about you?" The mother asked, even as she took it.

"Let's get you guys out of here. Gold Packlands right?" I asked.

The adults nodded.

"But I can't..." The woman moaned. She held her stomach.

Eh! Don't give birth or anything! Okay, what would Mum do? How would I know? I'm not Mum!

So I alpha commanded the woman and the baby, "No. Stay!"

There was silence. The woman blinked back tears.

"Okay?" I asked.

The woman nodded.

"Okay, guys, get the jeep." I said.

Barry stepped out of the shadows, but he didn't cross the boundary line, "Alpha... We aren't supposed to..."

The woman screamed. I thought she was really going to give birth, and then I realised she was screaming at Barry.

Todd looked stricken. Jack started crying.

"Calm down." I said. But it didn't work, so I alpha commanded again, "Calm down."

That barely worked, but Jack stopped crying and Daisy had woken up.

"Ink, get the jeep." I alpha commanded.

"Yes Alpha!" Ink stepped out from his hiding place. The family was about to freak out again, but I held up my hand and they managed to hold back.

"We are so dead." Barry said, "Sir is going to kill us. If we survived that, Captain is going to kill us."

"It's fine. It's fine." I waved it off.

"Okay, we're taking you over to the gold Packlands." I announced, "Nobody is going to die tonight - well at least none of you."

Now that his wolf was calm, Todd had the sense to ask, "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

"Because Cobra didn't want you to die."

"Who?" Todd was extremely confused. I guess all the emotional upheaval could do this to you.

Cobra dropped out of the shadow.

"Cobra, if we manage to get this family to safety, you need to do something for me." I said.

Cobra hissed. Jack hid his face in his dad's shoulder. And then he nodded, and "disappeared".

"Why?" Todd asked.

"Nevermind. Just take it as the goddess' answer to your prayers." I advised Todd.

The jeep came out to the main road.

"Oh, boy. If we get caught, we are going to be so dead." Barry fretted.

"You're pretty jittery for a tough guy." I told him jokingly.

Barry took afront, "I'm not jittery. I'm just hungry, okay?"

"Okay, everybody get on. You can eat in the jeep." I picked up Daisy, "Come on princess."

Torque came out to help carry the pregnant woman. Todd looked torn...

"Please, we are only weak wolves...we have nothing of value to you..." Todd started.

"Just get in." Torque said cheerfully once he had put the pregnant woman into the jeep with Daisy and shut the jeep door, "I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but it feels good!"

"That's because you're running with your Alpha, Torque." Boo beamed at him.

"Oh." Said Torque in belated realization, "Wow. I have an Alpha now."

Once we were all in, Ink started the jeep. Barry, Torque, and Cobra climbed up back. They produced energy bars and chocolate and water which they shared with the hungry family.

I was sitting in the front passenger seat.

"I've got some specially formulated nutrition bars in my pockets too." Ink offered, "If you don't mind taking them out, I don't mind sharing them."

"No!" Shouted Barry from the end of the truck, "Don't eat Inks nutrition bars. They'd kill you."

Okay. Noted.

"Alpha, we will be arriving at a road block soon." Ink informed me, "What should we do?"

"Will they let us pass?" I asked.

"There is a 85 percent chance that they would detain us." Ink informed me.

"What's the rest of the 15 percent?" I asked.

Ink answered in all seriousness, "10% chance of being turned away. 2% chance of someone being shot. 0.6% chance of..."

"Nevermind, Ink, pull off road, see if we can travel hidden." I said.

"Yes Alpha." Ink obediently pulled off road. It was bumpy. Daisy puked in the jeep. Nobody said anything. Torque even produced a packet of tissues.

My wolves. I felt very please. So what if they were the "special" team? So what if they were scared of ghosts? They had good hearts. My wolves had good hearts. And that's what counted.

Even Boo seemed to agree.

{Approaching warriors}

She was even helpful.

"Stop the jeep and hide." I said, "There are too many warriors up front."

We found a thicket and parked there. Torque and Barry got to work hiding our tracks.

"What now Alpha?" Ink asked me.

"Cobra! Cobra, how's your injury? Can you do a little recon? How close to the boarder are we?" Because it felt close... So close...

Cobra nodded and "disappeared" into the night. It was really dark... Which meant it was getting closer to dawn.

We needed to get past before the morning.