Runt's Revenge

The River's

Zayden and his warriors entered West’s cabin with a single guard, Ben, from the Glacier Valley pack. The lingering scent of both Cassie and the runt teased his senses, muted by the scents of Damien’s trackers who had been here earlier.

“The runt spent a lot of time here, so her scent is everywhere in the area. You daughters scent it strong just outside the cabin, but then disappears. The Alpha suspects that they headed South from here,” Evan informed them.

“Odd, that would take them in the direction of our territory,” Kelly said, eying her twin Kyle.

Kyle continued his sister thought, “Why would your Alpha assume that they would go in that direction?”

Evan shrugged, “I don’t question my Alpha’s beliefs, he knows the girl.”

Zayden was half listening as he moved around the room. The stale scent of West was everywhere here, as was the scent of Alpha Eric. The Alpha had clearly spent a lot of time here.

They walked out the back door and a strong, rusty, familiar odor hit them. It was Cassie, for sure… Cassie’s blood! The sound of cracking bones filled the air as Zayden began shifting, along with the rest of his team. Derrek took over for Zayden, using all of his keen senses to follow the scent to its source. He spoke decisively to his pack members.

“Cassie was injured here,” he linked them, “but apparently her kidnapper was also injured. Cassie must have fought back. Imprint the runt’s scent and find them!”

Ben, who was the oldest and most experienced warrior among them, noted, “there does not appear to be signed of engagement or struggle, Alpha.”

“I detect a faint, but recent, trace of the runt going North, Sir,” said Kelly, their best tracker. “I cannot detect Cassie, but she may have been carried. I would like to investigate it.”

“Me too,” interrupted Lydia. “I will be on Kelly’s team. Perhaps you should try to connect with the Glacier Valley trackers and see what they have come up with, Alpha.”

Scary Carrie, a tactical expert, gave Lydia a scathing look as she linked, “We should try to think one step ahead of the perpetrator, Alpha. We need team members to advance the nearby communities. What are your orders?”  

“Kelly and Kyle, I will go North with you,” commanded their Alpha.

Lydia pouted at that.

“Carrie and Lydia, take the vehicles and start investigating the nearby towns, coordinate with each other,” he continued. “Ben and Dave, go South and meet up with Alpha Damien’s people to see what they have discovered. As distances increase, it will be impossible to stay connected via link, I want everyone to check in, hourly when reasonable, with Nathan by text. Nathan can get ahold of me anywhere via our Alpha-Beta link.”

Zayden’s had included Nathan in the link as well, so that he was prepared to be the point man. The experienced crew had all been wearing their wolf packs, which fit their bodies in either human or wolf form, so they set out on their respective missions immediately.

Kyle and Zayden followed Kelly in a triangle formation. She kept her nose to the ground as they looked for and visual clues that could add information to their quest.

“Grrrr…” she growled.

“What did you find?” asked Zayden

“Very little… the freshest scents have been tainted, somehow mixed with another. … and now we are screwed,” she said as she stopped at the bank of a creek.

“Damn…” Zayden looked up at the stream. The little runt knew what she was doing. Masking her scent and heading straight to water.

Kelly crossed the stream to check out the other side, “Alpha! I detect Cassie’s scent!” she exclaimed. All three wolves raced up the embankment, encouraged by a small whiff of their loved one.

Kyle whined when he found the sock, once worn by Cassie.

“That is Warrior West’s scent on that sock, along with Cassie’s, and a touch of the runt too,” said Kelly confused. She worked her way in ever growing circles around the sock. “There is nothing, f**king nothing,” she growled out in frustration. “They must be travelling in the creek.”

“Upstream or downstream, that is the question,” mused Kyle.

“You two go upstream on either side of the banks and I’ll go downstream,” decided Kelly, “first person to get a hint of something, link the others the others. Remember to scent the tops of any rocks sticking out about the water.”

Zayden was getting increasingly anxious. This was taking too damn long! “Nathan,” he linked his Beta as he searched his side of the bank, “Report!”

“Alpha, all teams have reported in with no significant findings. Lydia is going to check out Pine City and Edgerton, Carrie is on her way to Marston City and then Cider Grove. The Glacier Valley trackers have not detected a trail of any kind. What do you want Ben and Dave to do?” Nathan reported.

 “We are doing better than they are then, but don’t let them know that. Tell Ben to stay with them and report back on their movements. Have Dave follow our trail due North until he comes to a river. He should then follow the river downstream to assist Kelly.”

“Roger that, Alpha,” confirmed Nathan.

It was probably another hour before Zayden caught on to that strange scent again… the mix of West, Cassie, and the runt. Zayden linked the rest of his team and had them sprint to his location. While Kyle and Zayden waited for Kelly and Dave to catch up, they started following the scent trail, being careful not to step on it so that they left clear markers for Kelly to pick up on. Once together again, they followed the trail to a second river. Once there, we found a false trail leading to more socks with the three scents, and again, nothing surrounding them.

“F**K!” Shouted Kelly in all of our minds. “This b*tch is pissing me off!”

“Looks like we have two choices again, upstream and downstream,” linked Kyle.

“No…” Kelly sighed, “No, we have three choices… she may have backtracked to the other creek and continued upstream.”

“Pft…” Dave blustered, “There is no way this kid is thinking that far ahead.”

“I’m serious, Dave,” said Kelly, “She has been pulling out all of the stops. I feel like she is deliberately planting Cassie’s scent, very lightly, in areas meant to delay us. She could just want us to think she took to this new river and doubled back…. She is clever. We need to follow all three paths. At least we know she can’t fly when she leaves the water. There is a trail somewhere along these waterways!”

“Okay Kelly, let’s follow your lead. What next…“ asked her Alpha?

“I think she doubled back… just a hunch. Alpha, let’s you and I follow the trail back to the other river. Kyle and Dave, you two search these river banks,” ordered Kelly.

The sun was coming up. The additional light would only help them as they continued their search.

It was yet another two hours before Kelly yelled out, “I’ve GOT IT! And it is strong this time, both of them!”

Zayden rushed to her side breathing in the comforting smells of home and his daughter… and the other smell… so sweet, like honey… and lavender.

“Uh oh,” said his wolf.

“What is it this time, Derrek,” demanded Zayden.

“MATE!”