Dominant Species Ch. 46-50

The gunshot spurred Silvia into action. Bailing out the passenger side while yelling at Zach to get down, she moved to the rear passenger door. Pulling it open, she grabbed Zach and pulled him along the floor until he was out, then popped the release for the car seat carrier and pulled Michelle out as well. She quickly checked both over, and when she was satisfied neither was hurt he handed the carrier to Zach. "Go down this hill and hide, don't come out until I come get you. GO!" His eyes wide, he nodded and started to move down the slope.

Looking to her left, she saw Mitch had scrambled around the rear of the car, he was drawing some fire. His hand was clutched over the wound in his left shoulder. "Can you fight?"

He nodded his head. "I can't move my arm, I won't be able to run." He pulled his shirt off, wadding it up he held it to his injured shoulder.

She went back to the open passenger door and took the shotgun from next to the seat, then grabbed the Glock and the extra magazines that were in the door. She grumbled to herself as she scooted backwards down the hill, wishing she had Rachel's AR-15 instead of the two short range weapons she had now. The muzzle flashes of the shooter were about fifty yards away, slightly uphill on the opposite side of the road. She handed the pistol to Mitch, knowing the shotgun was too much to use one handed. "You protect my children. I'll be back."

Moving down the slope, she started to move closer to the shooter. Her ears were listening for any sound of movement, and she wished now she had those enhanced wolf senses. The shots had stopped, so she had to guess when she had gone far enough. Crawling up the hill, she hid as best she could while taking another look.

The moon illuminated the roadway, she was about a hundred feet in front of her car now. She saw the man, rifle in hand, moving along the other side of the road towards her. His focus was still on the car, which was still running with the doors open. "COME OUT NOW AND YOU WON'T GET HURT," he yelled.

"Like hell," she thought to herself. Taking the shotgun, she carefully aimed and waited for him to get close enough. When she knew she could hit him, she opened fire.

The first blast of buckshot hit him in the hip and leg, spinning him around and down. He fired wildly as he fell, but she racked the action and fired again. The muzzle blast ruining her night vision, so she kept firing until she didn't see movement. After four shots in about five seconds, she was startled when a bullet hit in front of her face, the asphalt bits spraying her as it dug in. It was another shooter!

She rolled back down the hill, and as she moved back towards the car she heard a man scream before it was cut off by a loud growl. Ignoring the sounds, she moved quickly down the hill then back towards where her son and daughter were hiding. Hugging Zach tightly, she picked up her daughter as tears rolled down her eyes.

"Silvia, are you all right?" Mitch called from up by the car. "They're dead."

"Good." She stood up, shouldering the shotgun and taking her son's hand so she could take them back up the hill. "Thanks for taking out that second guy."

"That wasn't me, Silvia."

She was shocked when a large black and tan wolf licked her arm, then sat down. "Donald? What the hell are you doing here?"

He started to change, so she turned away. A few seconds later, the noise of the change stopped and he stood behind her. "I'm keeping you safe. You are all right, aren't you?" He could smell some blood on her.

"Yes, just some cuts and bruises." She wanted to be mad at him, she wanted to tell him to go away, but she was starting to shake and most of all she wanted him to hold her. Her mind fought the warring impulses as she set her daughter in the car seat and her son got back in. Closing the door, she looked back at him, thankful that Mitch had tossed him a pair of shorts.

Tears started to flow and she started to shake as the adrenaline rush of the attack wore off.

Donald moved to her, gathering her into his arms as her body stopped listening to her mind. He picked her up bridal style and pulled her closer. "I'll always protect you, Silvia." She nodded and buried her face against his broad chest.

There was nothing he wanted to do more than hold her like that forever, but Mitch couldn't wait. He set her back in the passenger seat of the car, then moved back to check on him. "I don't see an exit wound."

Mitch nodded, gritting his teeth in pain. "I think it hit the joint, I can't move it." Taking his belt off, he used it to hold pressure on the shirt that was applying pressure to the wound.

Donald could see he was starting to go into shock. "Zach, I need you get out of the car please." When he was out, he laid Mitch down on the big back seat, lifting his legs so they were over the baby carrier. Going to the trunk, he pulled out some duffel bags and used them for foot rests so he wouldn't kick Michelle and his legs would still be elevated. "Silvia, I need to change the tire. Can you keep an eye on Mitch?" She nodded.

"Come on, Zach, time for you to learn how to change a flat tire." He led him back to the trunk, where they moved things around until they had the spare and the jack out. Donald was happy this was a classic car, as the tire was a full-size replacement and not the cheap thin ones that modern cars came with. Zach was glad to have a diversion, he was scared and this was all too similar to the night his father was killed. Donald explained everything he was doing and let the boy do some himself; his natural curiosity and mechanical aptitude showed through. In ten minutes, they were done, and Zach was calm again, not scared anymore.

Donald checked on Mitch again as Zach climbed into the front seat, telling his Mom about all he had seen. Donald frowned, the bleeding had not stopped and he could see the paleness of his skin, and hear the weakness of his heartbeat. He moved around and opened Silvia's door. "Silvia, may I have a word with you in private?"

Silvia's heartbeat had slowed and she no longer had the scent of fear from earlier, he noted as she got out of the car. He held out his hand to assist her out, and his wolf was pleased when she took it. They both sensed the mate bond's effect on the sensation, and although neither would mention it, they both craved it. Silvia tried to avoid looking at Donald as they walked away from the car, as his powerful chest and potent male smell were causing flutters in her stomach, feelings she wasn't ready to deal with right now.

They stopped when Donald reached down to pick up the satchel that carried his things while running in wolf form, it had been dropped when he changed to human form earlier. Keeping hold of her hand in his, he knelt down in front of her, trying to be less threatening. "Silvia, Mitch isn't doing well. He needs medical care, more than I know how to give him. We need to take him back, he needs to go to Salmon to the clinic so Doc Marcus can see him."

She looked out at the road ahead. "My family is out there, so is Abigail's. Can't we push on and find help there?"

"We don't know what or who is out there, Silvia. There could be more ambushes, the people may not be friendly. People will kill to get ahold of a car that still runs, and who knows what other evil is out there. Hell, the towns might not even exist." He looked back at the car. "Mitch may not make it if we don't find help tonight." He could see the disappointment on her face. "We know the road is clear between here and Salmon. If we leave now, we can make it to the clinic before sunrise."

"And then what? Donald, my family could be out there, suffering. Our families don't even know we are alive."

Donald sighed, he didn't want to do this but he knew it might be the only way to keep her safe. "I'll go. Give me what Abigail gave you about her family, and write down the name and address of your family in Missoula. I'll go up there in wolf form, and do the scouting our Pack needs along the way. Meanwhile, you get your children and Mitch back to safety in Salmon."

"Salmon? Is that even safe?"

"Yes, there have been some Pack leadership changes. Josi is now the Alpha Female of that Pack. You will be protected by them, my wolf knows that."

Silvia closed her eyes for a few minutes as she thought. "Fine. Find my family, let them know I am safe."

Donald squeezed her hand. "I will. And, if they need help or shelter, I will bring them to you." Her eyes widened. "I don't know what things are like for them, but we are building something good in North Fork. They are your kin, that means I will treat them like my own. If bringing them to your home will keep them safe, I will do that." He stood up and started to lead them back to the car.

They passed the man she had killed again, and she spit at him as they did so. He looked at her with concern. "I imagine this attack has been difficult for you, I'm sorry you had to go through this."

She looked back to him. "This time was different, this time I was not going to be a victim. I'm not sorry about a damn thing."

When they reached the car, they quickly told Zach and Mitch the plan. Donald opened up the driver's door for her, and she moved to get in. Just before sitting down, she looked up at him. "Donald?"

He smiled at her, then to his surprise she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

"Thank you, Donald." She sat down, one finger going to her lips where matching tingles were still being felt.

"Drive safe, my love." He stood still as she turned the car around and headed back towards the mountains. When the sound of the engine was gone, he packed his clothes, put on the satchel, and shifted into his wolf. Letting out a long howl, he continued his journey north.

Reggie had a lot on his mind, but concentrating was difficult while his Josi was going through the change fever. He checked on her again, using a damp rag to cool her brow, knowing that he should be elsewhere.

Sundown was rapidly approaching, and it was time to brief the messengers.

The five going to the southern Packs were fairly easy; they would go from pack to pack, at least two of them always together for safety. They were excited but nervous, they all hoped to meet their mate at some time and these visits were a good way to find them. I handed each group a letter of introduction, also summarizing the events and decisions we had made in Salmon regarding the humans, and inviting them to the Alpha Summit. He smiled as they said their goodbyes, then went to talk to Tom.

He had the shortest run, but in some ways it was the most crucial. They were sure that Alpha Calvin knew something about Richard's feelings on humans, and he had no way to know about Reggie's assumption of the Alpha position. Protocol would be for the new Alpha to formally introduce himself as he visits his Pack with my Luna, but that wasn't happening. Josi and the other humans were still undergoing the changes, and Reggie had to be here for when they started to shift.

"Should I get Abigail and Silvia to come back with me, Alpha?" Tom's eyes betrayed his desires, he liked the spirit that Abigail had brought and hoped he could convince her to stay in their Pack.

"You can make clear they are welcomed and we would love for them to return, but in the end, it's their decision." Reggie looked out at the mountains, the stars coming out above them. "I know our kids will be disappointed if Autumn doesn't return, those three were thick as thieves when they were together."

"Yeah, I saw that. I'm glad they get along, and I'm also glad that Autumn accepted she will change so well." He watched as the northern lights danced across the sky, none of them had ever seen such a show. They covered half the sky, the colors swirling and dancing. "She should start getting the fevers soon."

"Just remind them that they need to stay near an Alpha, whatever they decide. A young child like that making her first shift, we want it to go well." Reggie thought for a while. "Since we don't know what they know of what has happened here, prepare for the worst. Josi said that they knew of the danger from Richard, that he might attack the humans. Treat this like we are at war, and approach under a flag of truce. Stop at the Pack boundary, howl and shift until they speak to you."

Tom nodded. "Works for me, I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. What a clusterfuck this last day has been." He started to strip, folding the clothes and putting them in the satchel he would wear in wolf form. "What's the latest on Rachel?"

"She's almost cleared to leave the bed. She's not real happy with Marcus, he wanted to give her higher doses of painkillers so she could rest, and she didn't want to be all drugged up because it might affect the baby. Both are doing fine now, he said. He wishes his ultrasound still worked, but everything with the baby still sounds normal." Tom had finished packing and shifted, and Reggie put the satchel in place. "Have a good run, Tom." The grey and white wolf howled once, then took off at a run for the north.

Tom settled into a comfortable pace, moving along the river as he passed through Salmon and continued north. Once the riverbanks got thick, he moved onto the highway. There wasn't much to see, but the smell was getting bad. Humans, animals... everything that had died was putrefying and it almost made him gag at times. Even humans would find it disgusting, he thought. Breathing through his mouth as much as he could, he focused on his pace and his surroundings.

It wasn't that long until he was approaching the bridge that marked the dividing line between the Pack territories. He hadn't smelled any other wolves yet, but the southerly breeze would keep him from picking them up until he was right on top of them. He slowed down as he got to the bridge, then trotted slowly until he was at the center. He sat down, then let out a loud howl. In wolf language, it was a greeting; he listened, and was disappointed he didn't hear an answer. Shifting, he pulled off the satchel and opened it, bringing out shorts and a T-shirt and putting them on.

Nothing happened for a while, but then there was a voice. "TOM! REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE AND DO NOT SHIFT OR YOU WILL BE TAKEN OUT."

"I guess that answers the question on whether they think we are hostile," Tom thought. He looked up at where the voice came from, in the moonlight he could make out Travis, a wolf he had met several times before. "Travis? What's going on? I need to speak to Alpha Calvin, can you take me to him?"

"Why?"

"I have a message from Alpha Reggie." He waited for an answer, but it was just another question, what had happened to Alpha Richard. "He's dead. Listen, a lot is happening now, Reggie and Josi are now the Alphas and they need your help."

He waited a bit more to get his answer, Alpha Calvin was going to come talk to him. "Fine, I'm going to sit down and have a snack then."

"Just stay on your side of the bridge, Tom. I have my orders."

He nodded, and moved back to where the bridge started but he would remain in sight. Pulling out a water bottle and some beef jerky from his satchel, he sat on the guardrail and waited.

Back at the Salmon clinic, the turns were starting to shift. The ones who showed signs were moved to a business on the outskirts of town, chosen because it was away from view and surrounded by an eight-foot-tall chain link fence. Reggie walked around the grounds, there were two dozen people in the process of shifting and more were being brought in every hour. Most of the adults in his Pack were here, encouraging and monitoring each of the shifts so no one went through it alone.

It took about twenty minutes for each new wolf to complete the shift, depending on how much they fought the change. Reggie was called repeatedly, as each wolf completed the shift he would go to them and use his Alpha influence to gain their submission. After accepting them into the Pack, they could learn how to mind link with other Pack members. Soon, there were wolves trotting around the grass, figuring out how to use their new bodies. As they did, they were led out the gate to the next station where "Werewolf Boot Camp" classes were being held.

Reggie was called to the front where a small female wolf, tan with white and black mixed in, was lying on her side and panting after the change. He ran over and brought her into the pack, and when the bond opened he realized who it was. "Welcome to the Pack, Tammy Cordoba!"

Her tongue hung out the side of her mouth as she looked up at him. She licked at his hand and he scratched her behind the ears. "This is so cool," she thought as she looked around with her new vision. He spent a few minutes with her until the next person shifted and he had to go.

He was smiling, there was always a risk with the change and he was happy Marcus' good friend and coworker had sailed through the change. She was ushered out the gate as he continued with his work.

Tammy was practically bouncing as she followed her new pack mate to the park in town where boot camp was being held. Spotting her friend Rachel sitting in a chair, she sprinted forward and raced for her. The stop wasn't graceful yet, in fact she didn't slow down in time and ended up face planting and sliding under her legs, but it didn't matter. Sitting up, she pressed herself to Rachel as her friend hugged her neck and stroked her fur. "Rachel! This is SO cool!"

Rachel laughed at her antics. "Oh Tammy, you and your wolf are going to be a handful! I'm so happy you are one of us now." She pulled back, looking in her eyes, then giggled as Tammy took a wet swipe of her face with her new tongue. "Now go on, you've got a lot to learn and if you stay here with me you'll lose your place."

Tammy let out a yip, then spun around and raced back to the first station, which was shifting. Born wolves aren't shy about nudity, but with them being newly shifted and humans watching, they figured it was best to do this part within tents that had been set up. Since this was a skill young wolves mastered, Rachel had put them to work on this station. Tammy followed Raven into the tent, where she learned how to shift to human form and back to wolf. She was surprised it didn't hurt, but only the first shift does. Once she was able to shift smoothly when desired, she was let out to go to the next station.

The rest of her night was a blur; in the different stations, she learned about how to use her new eyesight, trained her nose to identify specific scents, learned basic tracking, Pack hierarchy and laws, and about the other Packs in the area. Meals were amazing, even if it was raw meat, her wolf loved it and it tasted better than the best steaks she had eaten.

It was a lot to take in, and it was not just from the Pack wolves who were helping them. The newly changed wolves had instincts that were pushing forward. As the new wolves met and interacted, they were already starting to position themselves for rank and dominance within the Pack. Rachel kept things from getting out of hand, but some fights had already broken out.

Since Tammy was a healer, the other wolves automatically granted her that status within the Pack. Her wolf preened herself a little, she may never be a warrior or a leader, but she was respected and valued for the unique skills she had. Healers were a separate line of authority, and her wolf automatically slid into the line under Rachel and Marcus.

By the end of the night, she was exhausted. All the wolves were gathered around Rachel, and took their turns by rank at the water trough. Helpers were bringing in hunks of meat, courtesy of all the freezers in town that no longer had power, and they were all chowing down. The change and the training had taken a lot of energy from them.