Night and Day: The Alpha Nomad

Tragedy at Crescent Pond

Night -

I ran throughout the morning, still feeling the high of last night. I’ve never felt like that before, and my brazen, promiscuous behavior was out of character, but it was something I could not control. My wolf was still in complete control at the time and she took what she wanted, that is until Damon stopped her.

“Someone is excited.”

I blushed remembering his enthusiastic response to my advances. I can’t get him out to my head: his strong features, his golden-red hair, but mostly his intoxicating scent stuck in my nose. I love the way he smells like a campfire and a night out in the woods. I could get lost in his sky blue eyes, and drown in them like a clear bottomless spring.

I wasn’t paying much attention to where I was going while I was daydreaming. I don’t know how far I was from the Crescent Pond and was starting to get lost. I stopped to smell the air to find the way, when I heard a twig snap off in the distance, probably about 100-150 yards away. The hair stood on the back of my neck, but my love stuck mind tried to convince myself it was just another deer.

I don’t think this is another deer, something doesn’t seem right, my wolf warned.

I sniffed the air again, not detecting anything obviously out of the ordinary. More twigs snapped closer, maybe 50 yards away, so I crouched closer to the ground. The surrounding woods were deathly silent, which was unusual. Morning birds should be singing, and I should be able to hear the rustling of small prey through the ground cover, but there was nothing other than the occasional twig snap. I growled softly and snuck into a bramble patch to take cover and watch what was coming.

Maybe it is another wolf, I tried to convince myself silently.

A wolf would not be this sloppy and wouldn’t scare off the songbirds, my wolf reminded. Remember Day and his friends said it is hunting season in this territory, you should leave before they spot you.

If it’s a hunter I will kill them, I growled a little louder.

Don’t be a foolish pup, hunters have guns and can shoot you down before you even sense their presence, my wolf reprimanded.

A shot rang in the distance, and the bullet ricocheted against the pine behind the bramble I was hiding behind. I jumped out of my skin at that close call with wide eyes.

RUN! My wolf screamed in my head.

I let out a whimper and dashed out of the bramble, leaping over a felled Aspen. My heart was racing and I wasn’t sure where I was going to run to, but I should be able to outrun the hunters. As I ran deeper into the woods the trees and brush grew more dense, which slowed me down as I squeezed my way between pines, fir trees, and dense groves of aspens. I had to crawl under fallen logs, and through thick shrubs and thorny brambles. I heard the men behind me shouting and barreling through the dense forest. The forest became so thick that I thought maybe they would be unable to follow me, so I paused to catch my breath.

“It’s in this thicket. I know I saw it go in there, where’s the machete?” One thick voiced man called to his companions.

I’m not going to make it out of here and I trapped myself in a location where I can hardly defend myself, what did I do? I cried.

Squeeze through over there I think I see a clearing behind us, my wolf advised.

It was difficult but I managed to wedge myself between two trees and out into an opening, oh no… behind me was a clearing, but the edge of the forest was against a steep cliffside. There were two options for escape, one resulting in death or severe injury, and one in clear firing range of a rifle. I was terrified.

Damon help me, please, I pleaded silently.

DAY -

Fen, Delphie and I had just found another doe to bring back for the Feast when I felt this unsettling fear. There was no explanation why I would be scared, but I became almost nauseous from it. I began to tremble uncontrollably and could not focus on our target.

What is wrong, Day, Fen linked after he noticed I was hanging back.

I don’t know and I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m terrified, normally I wouldn’t admit my fear to any of my pack members but Fen and I were practically brothers and he needed to know since he would be my Beta some day.

It’s not like this doe is going to attack us, we can easily take her down, Fen reassured teasingly.

That’s not it, but I need to leave, I looked Fen in the eyes.

RIGHT now?! Fen questioned with frustration. We can’t just get this doe and call it? Fen begged.

You and Delphie should be able to handle this one yourself, remember I brought the buck back this morning, I tried to convince Fen. I’ve got to go now, let Delphie know for me that I’ll see both of you back at the pack house.

I snuck far enough away from the deer they were stalking before bolting. Something wasn’t right. I was drawn in a certain direction in the woods. I was headed toward the cliffside for some reason. What is going on?

A sharp pain pulsed through my right shoulder which caused me to howl out in pain. Damn, what was that? The pain wouldn’t let up and it escalated as I neared the cliff. I could not bear it but my wolf urged me toward the cliffside.

I started to limp the pain was so severe. You have to keep running, my wolf urged. Don’t stop now.

I could see the edge of the woods where the cliffside was and burst through the bushes. I looked left and right for the source of my fear. I could not see anyone nearby but I smelled a coppery or iron smell which I recognized as blood. I tracked it to a trail leading back into the woods, towards Crescent Pond. The hair on my neck stood as I also caught the scent of gun powder.

Mate is hurt, hunters are after her, my wolf growled.

I ran as fast as I was able to through the woods to Crescent Pond. The trail of blood continued and even became heavier. I snarled and pushed myself faster.

I wasn’t far from the Pond when I heard Night yelp. She was whimpering and backing away from a group of hunters. There were three hunters in total pushing their way towards her. One held a large skinning knife ready to take her gorgeous pitch-black coat. One held a rifle aimed at her ready to make the kill shot. The third held a rope which he managed to loop around her neck like a dog’s leash. He pulled it taut which caused her to stumble forward.

I wasn’t going to watch this scene any longer and let out a low howl, the signal that we caught our prey. I growled loudly for the hunters to hear me, and leaped into the glade with fangs bared and barked at the bastards who cornered my mate. They turned around in surprise, but grinned as if they won some big prize.

“Well look fellas, this one wants to join this pretty little lady,” the one with the knife chuckled. “Look at the size of it, he must be an Alpha. Remember to take his head, but his coat will look real nice in our trophy room too.”

The other two greasy hunters laughed with their boss. The man with the rifle turned the muzzle towards me and I growled lowering myself to the ground. I was ready for them to come at me. I would lead them away from Night if I could, I needed to take them far away from Crescent Pond I can’t have them finding the rest of my pack.

This might be the stupidest move I’ve ever made in my life, but it’s the only thing I can think of to protect both Night and the pack. I slowly walked up to them without growling or snarling with my head and body lowered to the ground like other wolves do when they are submitting to the Alpha. The man with the knife seemed to be caught off guard and lowered his weapon.

“Hand me the second rope,” he reached for the rope that was handed to him. “Seems someone knows when to give up and accept his fate.”

I saw Night fighting the rope leaping and biting trying to do anything to grab the others attention away from me. She must have thought I was crazy for approaching them so casually. I shook my head to tell her to stop, but she growled at me in defiance. I felt the rope loop slide around my neck as the man tightened the noose. Night whimpered and cried out with a yip as she saw me.

“They must be mates, good thing we got them both so they don’t welp anymore mutts into this world,” the rifleman spat.

We both growled at his comment, but he bashed my head with the butt of the gun to shut me up. Night lunged to protect me, but the man handling her rope choked her by pulling it tight.

I promised I would protect her and look what I’ve done, I whimper.

I knew I had to act soon or she wouldn’t make it with the severity of her blood loss. I had the strength to pull the man who captured me to the ground, but he tried to hang on. I dragged him around to the edge of the glade, which caused the rifleman to lift his gun to take aim. I turned swiftly catapulted the man holding my rope into a tree and knocked him out. The man with the rifle shot but it narrowly missed me as I flew around a thick pine trunk. I launched myself back into the clearing and circled the two other men. The rope around my neck twisted around their ankles causing the men to tumble to the ground. During the tumble the man who contained Night dropped the end of her rope.

She lunged at the men with fangs bared. She pounced on the man who held the rifle and without second thought tore his dominant hand off. The man tried to swat her off of him and defend himself however he could, but she had pure rage in her eyes and I’m not even sure I would be able to stop her from killing the man. The other man managed to stand up and tried to run towards the man who originally wielded the knife. I cut him off and growled at him. He tried to turn back towards Night who had her jaws around the rifle man’s throat. That man was somehow still conscious and screaming for his mother.

I had to focus on the third man, but I heard Night yelp out in pain before the screaming silenced. Her cry distracted me enough to look her direction. She was laying on the ground with a knife protruding from her side. I couldn’t stop myself from running to her and allowing the other man to escape.

Please, please don’t be dead, I pleaded. Oh Goddess no…please don’t leave me.

I howled out thinking I had loss of my mate. I curled up next to her and nuzzled her as the third man attempted to wake the unconscious man. Fen broke through the woods just as the men fled the m******e.

As soon as they were far enough away Fen shifted and ran to us, “Day, what the hell happened?! Is that the wolf from last night?”

I shifted still crouched next to Night’s wolf, “She needs help. Please, get help.”

“Day, is she still-“

“JUST GET HELP, NOW!” I ordered, and to Night I whispered, “Please hang in there, Nightingale. Please just don’t leave me.”