Rise of the Underdogs: Jasper

Urgent Escape

As my brothers and I raced toward the sanctuary of our home, a sudden and chilling sound reached my ears: the unmistakable growls of Rogues approaching. The threat was imminent, and the protected land of the Arctic Shield was no longer safe from their reach.

Levi, ever vigilant, came to an abrupt halt. His senses, heightened by his newly-acquired wolf abilities, confirmed what I had already suspected. We were not alone; danger was closing in. His deep, midnight eyes glimmered with a mix of determination and uncertainty as he gazed intently at the Longhouse, almost as though he expected a miracle to intervene and save us from the looming peril.

The coming battle was inevitable, and we found ourselves powerless to prevent its arrival. Our inability to act was not a reflection of weakness or lack of courage. Rather, it was the result of having someone dear to us who needed our protection above all else. Among the six of us, only Levi and I possessed the ability to shift forms, and of those two, only I was trained for combat. The others (River, Carson, Quinton, and Akita) remained unshifted pups, vulnerable and completely inexperienced in any kind of training. The reality weighed heavily on us, shaping both our strategy and our resolve as the threat drew ever closer.

Chaos erupted as someone’s urgent cry pierced the tension. Elder Guy Arden’s battle cry rang out, igniting a surge of energy among the defenders. The air grew thick with the shouts of Warriors, Trackers, and Guards, their voices blending with the menacing snarls of the advancing Rogues. In that moment, it was clear we were not alone: the Rogues were joined by reinforcements, and the sounds of conflict intensified.

More shouts and growls resounded through the trees, while the shadows of children and elders began to move swiftly into the dense forests encircling our pack. Their bodies, guided by instinct and memory, navigated the familiar terrain we had relied on for centuries for hunting and gathering. The urgency of their movements reflected both fear and determination, as they sought shelter and safety amidst the unfolding battle.

Amidst the chaos, the pack responded with instinct and urgency. Some members escaped along the coastline, moving both north and south in search of shelter. Others made their way toward the mountain caves, seeking refuge within the familiar rock formations that had protected generations before us. A few set out in the direction of the setting sun, while others pressed onward toward the rising dawn, determined to find safety wherever it could be found.

Despite our separation, we held onto the hope that, once the danger had passed, we would all be reunited. The promise of finding each other again sustained us as we scattered, each following the path that seemed safest in the moment.

Then I heard something else. Something that stopped me dead in my tracks as I led my siblings into the southernmost part of the forest. The call of the Alpha of Crestal—the pack my father had insulted—rang out, cutting through the chaos with a chilling clarity.

For a heartbeat, everything else faded away: the shouts, the growls, even the pounding of my own heart. The significance of that call could not be underestimated. It was not merely a sound; it was a warning, a challenge, and a reminder of old wounds that had not yet healed. In that instant, I realized that our escape route was loaded with even more danger than we had anticipated. The presence of the Crestal Alpha meant that alliances were shifting, and enemies lingered where we least expected them.

No, the Rogues hadn’t acted alone. They had combined their strength with that of the Crestal pack. tensions were always hot between our pack and theirs, but Father had tipped the scales. He’d challenged an Alpha out of egotistical greed, and it tore apart our fragile treaty. Now their knowledge of the land was paired with the brute strength of the Rogues to demolish the Arctic Shield pack.

Despite the mounting danger, I tightened my grip on my siblings and pressed forward. We had no choice but to keep moving, to trust in our instincts, and to hope that we would find safety beyond the reach of both Rogues and rival packs. Akita, though sobbing from the supposed loss of our parents, held tight. Her thin body pressed to my back as I ran.

What Alpha Evian didn’t know was that I was holding the piece he desperately needed. The one whose death would cause the final collapse of our people was my sister, the next Alpha of our line.

Breaking past a small clearing, we halted, allowing ourselves a brief moment to listen closely to the world around us. The wind, steady and ever-present, carried faint whispers—fragments of distant voices and warnings, urging caution as we moved forward. Beneath our feet, the earth resonated with history and the promise of renewal, grounding us amidst uncertainty. All around, the trees stood as ancient sentinels. We let these sounds and sensations guide our next steps, knowing that every detail mattered in the struggle for survival.

As we made our way across a fiord, the swift, frigid waters surged around us, washing away any traces of our passing. The biting cold of the current numbed our skin, but it also served as a shield, erasing our scent from the land and protecting us from those who might pursue us. As we reached the far side, a fresh layer of snow began to fall, blanketing the ground in a soft, silent cover. Each flake contributed to concealing our tracks, transforming the landscape and making the air heavy with the crisp scent of frost and ice. Surrounded by this wintry silence, it became clear that the snow would help us disappear into the wilderness, leaving no evidence of our escape behind.

“Remember, don’t touch anything the snow can’t cover. The Goddess is aiding us with the snow, so we must do our part.” I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady.

Yet, here I was, only seventeen and now the guardian of five pups who needed my guidance more than I needed them.

Their innocent, longing faces stared at me as we stopped at an unmapped cave. Laying my sister down with the twins, I turned back to the opening. Levi saw me staring, caught the question in my eyes, and frowned.

“Brother, we can shift and create a false trail to lead them away from the younger pups.” He suggested.

I nodded, taking in our surroundings with caution and the characteristic intensity of a survivor. “I will go forge the false trail. You start building up the passage. Make it so that it looks like the cave was covered in with snow.”

“Make it look like a wild wolf den? I can do that. River, help me create the illusion of a den. Jasper will lead the enemy away,” Levi called, his voice quietly soft, but echoing in the cave.

“Is that safe?” River, ever the skeptic, asked as he approached. His moccasins making no noise on the snow-dusted cave floor.

“Carson and Quinton, take my furs when I shift and keep yourselves and Akita warm. River help Levi create the illusion while I create a false trail. We stand together or we fall,” I said sternly.

Akita stirred on the cave floor, her honeyed eyes meeting mine with hope and the ache of loss. “Are we alone?”

“No,” I told her, though I wasn’t entirely sure of that myself. “I can feel other survivors. Our people have blended themselves into the surrounding populations. We can find them later, not to rebuild, but to offer our strength and abilities to the Alpha King in exchange for safe haven. His residence is another week or so’s travel by vehicle, but it will take nearly a month on foot.”

“But…” she argued, obviously worried about the others more than her own survival.

“Enough!” I hissed out in a whisper, my voice taut with urgency and the weight of responsibility. “We can discuss this later once I know we’re safe. The longer we take, the less time we have to cover our tracks and make them believe we got lost in the wilderness.”

My words cut through the anxious silence, reminding everyone that our immediate priority was survival. Every moment spent debating risked exposing our position, and the safety of the pups depended on swift, decisive action. I steeled myself against further protest, determined to lead us through the unknown, trusting that clarity and comfort could only come once danger had passed.

They moved to do as they were told, giving over to the more experienced Warrior than the untested female who carried Alpha blood. Yes, she was born to lead our people, but she was still just a child in a world hellbent on taking everything from her.

I shifted into Kavik, my wolf and partner whose name literally translated into wolverine, meaning fierce, protective, and northern-born. A name that carried the bite of survival and the loyalty of blood. Nudging my clothing toward the twins with my wolfish nose, I nodded once as they acted immediately, wrapping themselves and Akita in the warm furs. River and Levi instantaneously got to work seconds after I left, filling the cave mouth with snow and debris.

Each branches, stone, and bit of snow was well-placed deterrent to make the cave look both abandoned and overtaken by snowfall and making sure the Rogues thought the ridge above the cave had collapsed in a fluke avalanche. Through the illusion, I watched as they threw loose snow, leaves, and broken branches over the entrance floor. It wasn’t perfect, but it would work to cover us long enough for the Rogues and hunters from the Crestal pack to give up.