DARK DAYS

CHAPTER TWO

Two weeks later Micah and the twenty members of his pack were on their regular hunt; they used it more as an excuse to socialize than an actual hunt. If they brought down a kill at the same time, then it was just a bonus, especially during the summer and fall months. During the winter they took it a bit more seriously as their regular mobility was hindered. Fall was gorgeous in the mountains, sure there was the usual changing of the leaves that was pretty and all, but the smells…. the smells were euphoric for the wolves. Anytime the season changed there was an abundance of new smells to discover and investigate.

When Jess shot off into the bushes, Micah, who was a few feet behind knew it could only mean one thing, trespassers. And Jess was not the most friendly when a stranger wandered onto their land, Micah followed along with a few other members hoping that it wasn't going to be another lost hiker incident. Jess had attacked the last one, luckily he hadn't gotten the chance to bite and there hadn't been any search for a rogue wolf issued.  

Micah pushed into the small clearing beside the creek that passed through their land, to find Jess growling and snapping at something lying on the bank. His heart started pounding as adrenaline rushed through him, when he heard the answering whimper that sounded more like a wheeze.   He pushed past the others to see a black wolf laying half in and half out of the creek, pitiful really, he thought. He caught Dante's eyes across the creek and knew what he was thinking. The wolf was injured badly, her paws were raw, she looked malnourished and battered. She was so weak she couldn't muster up any fight even with Jess getting more and more hostile. When he nipped at her hind leg and she gave a sharp whimper Micah stepped in. 

Micah put himself between Jess and the wolf,  "She's an outsider Micah, she doesn't belong here no matter how bad she looks." Freya, one of the older females snapped when she changed form. Micah simply growled at her standing his ground, protecting her from his weary pack. They didn't trust strangers easily, especially ones that mysteriously appeared on their land. Call him weird but he always felt sorry for the underdog, at least until the underdog made an actual threat.

Everyone was there by then, they stood there watching, waiting to see what was going to happen. Micah changed form and knelt looking over the wolf. His hands moved cautiously but skillfully from her neck down her side and legs checking for injuries. She didn't even flinch, she closed her eyes like she was ready to accept her fate no matter what it was, and he could tell that she was expecting the worst.  "Jesus." He whispered feeling three broken ribs on one side alone, "How have you survived little one?"  She whined again when he lifted her front leg to get a better look at the pads of her feet. 

He looked up seeing movement out of the corner of his eye; Dante was knelt down a few non-threatening feet away, "How bad?" he asked quietly.

Micah looked back and the bleeding paw in his hand, "I don't know if she can survive this, it looks like she got into a fight with a truck, and lost. She must have been running for a while to get this cut up."  

Dante watched Micah absently scratch behind her ear, the wolf seemed to find it soothing. "Is it even worth it? To use our resources in an attempt to rehabilitate a wolf who's not even a pack member?" Freya asked innocently, she was one of the few older members who still believed in the kill first ask questions later mentality. 

Micah stared down at the wolf and whispered, "This is going to hurt." She let out a snuff of air very close to a sigh. Micah slid his arms underneath her body, feeling bones shift when they shouldn't have. She made a half hearted growl, not strong enough to do much more. Lifting her Micah turned to his pack, half were still in wolf form, he walked in the direction of the houses. 

"She's one of us, we don't leave our own to die." Micah growled at Freya on his way past.

There wasn't really much that they could do for her while she was still in wolf form, injuries tended to manifest themselves differently on their bodies when they changed. They wouldn't know how bad it was until she chose to change, and she wouldn't change until she felt safe. So all Micah could do was set her up on a blanket in front of the fireplace with food and water, and disinfect her paws so they wouldn't get infected, or at least more infected. 

She seemed happy with just the blanket and fire the first night, she drank

seven bowls of water before closing her eyes and falling asleep. She really looked like a mangy mutt, but he could tell that before she was probably a very fit wolf, if she wasn't she would have been dead by now. 

Micah and Dante sat on the couch watching her sleep the fourth night, "So, what do you think?" Dante asked not taking his eyes off of her shivering frame.

"I think that she's running from something." He muttered, "I'm surprised that she isn't going stir crazy by now."

Dante got up and hunted around for a pack of cards, "She's not strong enough to go stir crazy." He sat back down and began shuffling, "You've made a lot of people uneasy by keeping her here. You could've given her to Wes and Deliah they are doctors, well Wes is Deliah's in training." 

Micah laid his head against the back of the sofa, "This is the only way she'll be safe, I don't trust that certain people won't be allowed in the house and take matters into their own hands." He frowned, "I'm never going to get the smell of wet dog out of that blanket though." He glanced over at her to find her watching him coolly, she closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.