FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Lykos - Lone Wolf

Chapter 1

Ben stepped carefully through the woods, half his attention on the moonlit ground before him, the rest enjoying his surroundings. Work had been a nightmare all week as he dealt with numerous absent coworkers and a comparatively larger work load of data entry for the mortgage company he worked for. Much as he preferred to be indoors, after a full week of a stuffy cubicle and fluorescent lighting, he was eager for open spaces and a view of the stars. He stopped in a clearing to look up at the sky, but frowned at the absence tiny pinpricks of light in the skies above. Instead, there was the light haze of the nearby town and the glaring illumination of the full moon, which washed the deep darkness of night in a strong glow that drowned out the celestial wonders of deep space, cheating him of their beauty. He sighed in disgust and frowned. At least the moon was low in the sky, and would set soon, but by then, morning's light would begin to wash across the horizon, preventing the constellations from shining down upon him.

If he hadn't been frowning, he would have been very hansome by most people's standards. Strong eastern European features took second fiddle to a full, short-trimmed beard of dark brown hair that matched that upon his scalp in both color and length. But it was the eyes that drew one in with their piercing hazel gaze, sharp as a knife's edge. He was of average height and build, and dressed in a light black nylon jacket, green polo shirt that was un-tucked, tan slacks and black faux-leather work shoes. He wore no jewelry, not wanting to attract thieves, and carried no cash, so anyone tempted to rob him would find nothing of worth.

He'd had a hard time winding down, so had elected for a late night walk to relax, preferring the quiet of evening when most folks were in bed. There were few people to intrude on his seclusion, which was exactly the way Ben liked it. He was forced to interact with dozens of people on a daily basis, which for someone with... Issues... Like his, the live of a recluse was preferable to the alternative. The man sighed, pushing the thoughts from his mind as they threatened to drag him into another funk. The last thing he wanted now was to dwell on his personal problems.

Ben walked onwards, moving carefully to avoid injury, but paused at the sound of the brush near him rustling. He reached into the right pocket of his jacket and pulled out a black, plastic device that looked like a squared-off box slightly longer than his hand was wide, his finger near the button-shaped trigger. He remained motionless, listening intently. *Don't even try it,* he thought to himself, waiting for the sound to return. It did.

The rustling grew louder, making Ben nervous. This was the hazard of living a solitary lifestyle, especially one that involved late-night strolls. He was on his own here, so if there was trouble, he would have to deal with it by himself. He narrowed his vision and strained his ears, trying to search out the troublemaker by sound. He shifted his weight, repositioning his foot...

Bringing it down on a dried leaf, which crackled loudly as his shoe crushed it into the forest floor.

A roar exploded from the direction of the rustling, the sound that of a large beast. Ben's eyes bulged in shock as the largest, hairiest creature he had ever seen lunged out of the brush, charging right at him. He didn't get time to make out any details.... Except to note that the proportions seemed off, drastically so.

*A BEAR?!?!?* he thought, not knowing what else to call the creature before him.

The thing was huge, hairy, on all fours and possessed a long muzzle full of razor sharp teeth. The eyes... He could only think that they belonged to no sane creature, what with the blood red color and the intense, insane hatred that burned within them.

As the creature reached him, he brought his right hand up in defense, and the beast roared in agony as a hundred and fifty thousand volts of electricity poured through its body when the Taser in Ben's hand pushed past the fur and made contact with the skin beneath. Ben wasn't a fool, nor did he like the idea of guns and knives. The laws of Washington allowed people to own Tasers, so he had bought one, hoping that he would never need it; but in the heat of the moment, he was glad he had prepared. The monster bellowed in pain and rage, then lashed out with a foreleg as Ben tried to back away, the claws ripping through his jacket and slicing into his flesh, sending a searing pain shooting down his left arm. Desperate to drive the beast off and full of adrenaline, Ben lunged forward to punch the creature on the nose. It wasn't bravado that made him fight this way, it was sheer, unadulterated desperation that drove his body to move. Ben wasn't very athletic, so running away would only end with him being tackled and torn to shreds. Fighting off his attacker was the only option he had, and he fought with a near maniacal fury.

The beast snorted and let out a sound that was more a mew of shock and confusion than a savage roar of bloodlust, and Ben brought the Taser in for another assault, zapping the bear with another dose of man-made lightning. As he pulled his hand away, the creature made a snap for his arm, but only managed to rip a small tear through fabric and skin, injuring the man further. Ben hissed in pain, but flung his newly injured right arm outwards, backhanding the thing across the nose and making it shake it's head. Ben reversed the direction of his arm and brought the now battered, but still functioning Taser in again... Catching the feral thing in its left eye.

The bear roared in agony even worse than before as the searing voltage tore through its sensitive flesh, bringing a torment it had never experienced before. Shocked and filled with fear, the massive animal succumbed to panic and took off as the light of the moon faded away, leaving only the bruised, bleeding and battered man standing at the sight of battle, heaving with exhaustion.

*I... I actually beat up a bear?!? Son of a bitch!* he thought, stunned at his own daring. Desperate to get away before the creature regained its nerve and came back for another round, Ben stumbled away, making a beeline in the direction he had left his car...

*****

Kyle hurried through the woods as the first light of dawn touched the sky, pushing onwards despite his fatigue, the claws of his shifted feet digging into the turf. Behind him, Luke, Ken and Steven hurried along, following him as they reached the edge of the woods to find a man of middle age and a college-aged woman waiting for them. Kyle's dark blonde hair fell over his eyes and he brushed it away from the sharp, chiseled features of his green-eyed face covered with stubble. Luke had a mild French influence to his appearance, with brown hair in a near-mullet and chocolate brown eyes with a mustache, while his mate Ken showed strong Japanese heritage topped with short black hair and a goatee mustache, which complemented, rather than clashed with the handsomeness of his other half. Steven had buzz cut hair that was how grown out thanks to the effects of the moon, along with a short beard which covered his Czechoslovakian-heritaged face.

The man and woman who awaited them were clearly related; the family resemblance strong despite being cousins, rather than closer kin, their African ancestry somewhat subdued from the mix of Irish in their blood. The man was clean-shaven, which annoyed Kyle immensely, due to the fact that being clean-shaven for any good length of time was impossible for his kind. Both were dressed for a night in the woods, while the men who had emerged seemed to take the elements as a non-issue, what with their casual attire. The faces of everyone were strained with worry.

"Jack, Jessica. Did you hear it?" Kyle asked as they approached.

"We heard it," Jack answered grimly, turning to look out into the distance despite the heavy abundance of trees that blocked his view. "We need to consult with the other Keepers," he said, pulling out a phone and began frantically dialing. "Did any of you recognize the voice? It didn't sound familiar to me."

The pack looked at each other with nervous expressions, all of them shaking their heads. "It's no one we know," Ken answered.

Jessica's phone rang and she pulled it out and answered it. "Yeah. Yeah we heard it too... The guys say it didn't sound like anyone they recognize... Yes, they're all here... Okay, we'll be there soon." She hung up as Jack paused in his conversation and turned to them.

"We all need to meet at the trail's end for a head count. Let's go."

"You think someone got out?" Luke asked nervously.

"It's a possibility," Jack admitted grimly. "I certainly hope that's what happened, because if not, there's a rogue wolf on the loose, or something worse," he muttered to himself with dread in his voice. *Was it a direwolf?* he asked himself as they began to move. *I certainly hope not. A direwolf is a serious threat.* He wondered with dread. *What would a direwolf be doing here? What if it hurt someone, or worse?* The thought terrified him. He'd never had the misfortune of meeting one, but he remembered what his mentor had taught him about their kind. 'A direwolf cannot be reasoned with. It is pain and rage incarnate, devoid of sanity. If you ever have the misfortune of meeting one, run as fast and as far as you can... And pray that you manage to escape.' He swallowed heavily. Despite his years of experience as a keeper, he felt that a direwolf was way out of his element. He hoped that he was wrong about what they had heard.

Kyle led the way, lost in thought. *Whoever it was, they sounded like they were in pain... Not to mention angry.* He shuddered. *Please tell me it's not a direwolf out there.* He looked back at his pack nervously. They weren't very much, especially by werewolf standards. It is really was a direwolf that had roamed loose that night, they were in serious trouble. *We're not strong enough to handle a dire,* he thought grimly. Filled with dread, he returned his attention to where he was going, forging the path ahead. Ken and Luke walked arm in arm, their hands squeezing that of the other. They were both afraid. They weren't the strongest werewolves. In fact, they were some of the weakest in the region. The thing that had howled out there, neither of them could think of it as a wolf, had sounded powerful. They looked into each others' eyes, sharing their fear without saying a word. the only comfort they had was each other. Whatever happened, they would at least face it together.

Jessica frowned with worry, lost in thought. *Please tell me it was one of ours,* she pleaded. *A rogue wolf is bad, even I know that. And what if it's something worse? I'm not trained for this! I can barely even help form the barrier! This is nuts!* She looked at her hands with shock to see that they were trembling, and grew angry with herself, clenching her hands into fists. *Get a hold of yourself! The pack is already scared enough! Don't let them see how frightened you are... Or smell it, either.* The woman braced herself mentally, mustering her courage. She looked around and was shocked to see Steve, the largest and strongest of the pack, walking slowly, apprehensively, scanning the woods around him with eyes wide with fear. *He looks terrified! No wonder, what with what happened to him before...*

"Steve?" she said gently, and he whipped his head around to look at her. "Come here," she said gently. The big man walked over, a head taller than the human woman, and she wrapped a protective arm around him. "I know you're scared, but you're not alone, okay?" He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "Come on," she said soothingly as they walked, picking up her pace to match his longer stride. "We're all here for you. You're not alone. Me, Jack and the guys are all here for you. It won't be like before. We'll keep each other safe, okay?"

He nodded, but said nothing. "Come on," she said, trying to bolster his courage. "You're the biggest and strongest wolf I know. And if your strength isn't enough, there's your pack and us. We're all here for you. Take our strength and add it to your own."

Steve took along, deep, shuddering breath. "Thanks," he finally said, speaking with effort.

"It's okay. We're falling behind. Let's catch up with the others."

They picked up their pace, hurrying on after the rest of the group, but Steve's eyes kept scanning the woods around them. *Please don't let it be a direwolf...* he begged. *I can't go through that again...*

*****

Ben reached his car and drove home, his arms throbbing dully. As he drove, his hands trembled with shock. *I can't believe that just happened,* he kept thinking to himself, repeating it like a mantra. Part of him was amazed with how he had acted, but the rest of him was scared. He could've died! He took a deep breath to stead his nerves, then focused all of his attention on his driving, casting occasional nervous glances in the rearview mirror.

He didn't stop until he reached his apartment building and returned to the safety of his home. He went directly to the bathroom, the pain having dulled to that if a painful bruise type of feeling. Hoping that he wasn't going into shock, he peeled off the ruined jacket and shirt with a grumble, then the rest of his clothes before stepping into the shower and turning the water on lukewarm to wash away the blood so he could see the damage. As the wounds were revealed on his arms, he sighed in relief. The cuts weren't as deep as he had first thought they were. He got out of the tub, dried himself carefully, grateful that the bleeding had already stopped, then poured alcohol over them, hissing in pain at the stinging sensation. He covered them with band aids and towels as best he could, seeing as how his medical supplies were sparse, then went right to bed.

*Lousy way to start the weekend,* he grumbled to himself. But still, to beat the shit out of a bear and live to tell the tale? Pity he didn't have anyone he cared about enough to tell...

*****

Jack and Jessica looked at Ino in horror. "Everyone?" Jessica asked, growing pale. "You're sure no one was unaccounted for?"

"I'm certain of it," the elderly woman of Japanese descent replied grimly, looking just as worried as the other two. She spared a glance for her nephew Ken, exchanging a worried glance with him as he stood off a ways from them with his pack. "That can only mean one thing... There's a stray wolf running around. It wouldn't be anyone with any connection to anyone from around here, that's for sure. We would know if an out of town relative decided to pay a visit. It could be a stray..."

"Or it could be something a lot worse," Jack added grimly. "What do we do?"

The woman sighed heavily. "We have no choice. We need to search the woods for whoever it is. They might still be around. I know it's unfair to make the keepers do this right after a full moon, but we can't let a rogue wolf wander around loose. You know as well as I do what could happen. It will take all of us, keepers and wolves alike, to search the area."

"Right," Jack said, then turned to the pack. "Guys, we need to search the woods."

"Now?" Ken whined, looking ready to pout despite being in his late twenties. "I'm hungry! Can't it wait awhile?"

"No, it can't!" Jack said, forced to be stern. With a pack like this, he had to be so in order to keep them in line. "You know how dangerous a lone wolf can be. We need to find him-"

"-Or her," Jessica interrupted him quickly, earning her an exasperated expression from her older cousin.

"And make sure -they- aren't a threat to anyone," the man finished. "Jessica and I are very tired right now, but this is urgent. It might not even be a werewolf out there," he said, feeling a shiver of fear.

Steve's eyes widened with fright. "Y-you don't mean?" he asked, beginning to tremble. "A direwolf?"

Jack nodded, looking grim. "It's a possibility. I hate the idea almost as much as you do, Steve, but it might just be. The sound that create made..." he added, looking into the distance with a mixture of worry and fear. "It didn't sound like a werewolf to me."

"I think your campsite wasn't too far away from where we heard the howling. We should start there," Kyle suggested, earning nods of agreement from his pack mates. Jessica passed word along by phone to the rest of the keepers, who spread it to the wolves, many of whom had heard the howling and were jittery with nerves.

"That howl did sounded wrong," a teenage boy who was nearby said with worry. "Like someone in pain." Steve trembled in fright, hoping the lad had exaggerated.

They returned to the campsite with a fair number of others in toe, including James and his pack. "Out of the way, omega!" James said rudely, shoving Kyle aside roughly and making him stumble.

It wasn't until he was out of earshot enough that Luke muttered to them darkly. "I hate that asshole!"

"Did he go after you guys again last night?" Jessica asked with concern.

"Like always," Ken answered, glaring at the retreating alpha with disgust plain on his face. "Why can't they leave us alone?"

"Worry about that later," Jack said, getting the pack back on track. "We should-" he stopped talking as he turned to see that James and his pack were already moving away. "We should stick together!" he called after them.

"We don't need a bunch of worthless omegas slowing us down!" James called back, his voice full of contempt. "Go find something useful to do!"

Kyle bristled at that, but could only tremble in fury. *If only I was strong enough to teach that smug piece of shit a lesson!* But he wasn't, so he couldn't. It was his lot in life to be seen as inferior, and he had no choice but to accept it. That was the curse of living among so many other wolves.

"Forget them," Jessica said curtly. "They're not worth the effort."

"They're not even going the right way," Luke scoffed. "Morons!"

"Which way did the howls come from?" Jack asked.

"That way," Ken answered, pointing with his nose out of habit created by animal instincts.

"Is it far?" Jack asked, sounding tired.

"I can carry you," Kyle offered. "Hop on," he said, phrasing it as an offer, rather than as an order, as was his way.

"This is humiliating," Jack grumbled as he climbed onto the offered back to be carried piggyback, while Jessica did the same at Luke's invitation.

They made good time, and were soon at a small clearing in the woods.

"No..." Steven gasped in horror, his eyes going wide. "It can't be..."

"Steve, what's wrong?" Jack asked, alarmed at the wolf's behavior, who was trembling like a leaf in a hurricane.

"Please no... Not again. I can't handle that again!" Steve whined. Jessica hugged the traumatized wolf, trying to soothe his fears.

Luke scrunched his nose in a mixture of distaste and confusion. "What's that stench? It smells like something was rotting around here."

"D... Direwolf," Steve forced out with difficulty. "That's the smell of a direwolf."

"Steve, are you certain?" Jack asked, feeling the blood drain from his face.

Steve nodded rapidly as he trembled in the human woman's arms. "I'd know that stench anywhere. There's a direwolf here. Please, we have to stop it! I... I can't handle that again..."

The rest of the group gathered close, wolf and human alike, offering their comfort to the frightened werewolf. "It's okay, Steve," Kyle said soothingly. "It's not here right now. It can't hurt us. I can smell that it's been gone-... Oh shit... It wasn't alone." He broke away from the others to begin sniffing around.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked with growing fear.

"I can smell it too," Luke said. "A man was here... A human." Steve had steadied himself enough that the group pulled away to focus on the task at hand, the shaken wolf working to calm himself down the rest of the way. The wolves memorized the scent of the human. It was the heavy, slightly musky scent of a human man, a mixture of sweat, testosterone, cotton, faux leather, rubber and polyester from his clothes, a mild trace of faint body wash and shampoo with no trace of deodorant, cologne or other artificial scents, and would have been pleasant if not for the undercurrent of fear and desperation in it. Steve felt strangely drawn to the scent, and he spent longer than the others did in memorizing it.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, looking around.

"He's right," Ken answered. "I can smell him too. He was wounded."

"A hunter?" Jack asked, feeling his apprehension grow even stronger. First a dire, now a hunter?

"I don't think so," Ken said slowly. "I can't smell any silver or anything unusual. I think he's just a regular human."

"'Is?'," Jack asked uncertainly. "He survived?" he added, feeling dumbfounded that a mere human could withstand the brutal fury of a direwolf.

"What's that strange smell?" Kyle asked the others. "That... Weird tang in the air... It's kind of like an electronic kind of smell."

"I smell it too," Ken replied. "It's ozone."

"Like lightning?" Luke asked doubtfully. "It was clear last night."

"I don't know," Ken elaborated. "It just smells like ozone to me."

"Where's the human?" Jessica asked.

"He went this way," Ken answered. "He was bleeding."

"A lot?" Jessica asked nervously.

"No," Ken told her after getting on hands and knees to sniff around on the ground, finding the traces of spilled blood. "Nothing serious."

"And the dire?" Jack asked, looking for any tracks in the turf.

"That way," Luke said grimly, pointing with his finger in the opposite direction from the one the human had taken.

"What do we do?" Jessica asked Jack.

"I think we should split up," Kyle suggested. "Some of us track the direwolf and the rest go after the human."

"Good idea," Jack said. "Keep in touch by phone."

"Steve?" Kyle asked kindly. "What to help me track down the human? And Luke and Ken, want to search for the direwolf?"

"Sounds good to me," Ken replied with a nod of agreement from Luke.

"Yeah," Steve said, looking pale. "Anything that gets me farther away from that thing."

"I'll go with Kyle and Steve," Jessica offered. Jack nodded, and the group split up. It was the way they always did things. It was how their pack worked; by mutual consent. It was how they kept the peace and functioned well together, although disagreements could bring the harmony to a grinding halt, forcing Jack and Jessica to play referee. It wasn't traditional, but for them, it worked...