Divided

Chapter 1: Discovered

I will start off by saying that being a wolf these days isn't as wonderful as it used to be. We used to be part of the society, law abiding citizens, who lived in harmony with humans. This was until the president's daughter and her friend were r***d and killed by a gang of wolves. The tragic event set in motion something that would change our lives forever. The hostility towards our kind grew at an alarming rate, and very quickly it became extremely dangerous to howl or yelp. A new law was approved two years later, which made hunting wolves legal. As a result we went into hiding, cutting all ties with the rest of society.

The Bedburg ranch was handed down from son to son, for as many as fifteen generations. It might be longer but I lost interest after the fifteenth great grandfather. Needless to say, I am now the owner of the ranch and leader of our pack. Here on the ranch things are not very different from the old hippy commune that were so popular in the 1960's. Everyone here has their specific role to play - making sure that our self-sufficient community runs like a well oiled machine. I like to think of it as an oasis in a very dry and unforgiving world. A world who is almost as scared of us as we are of them.

We count ourselves among the lucky ones, we caught wind of the hostility towards wolves way before it reached boiling point. We sent out word of a compulsory family reunion about three years ago and everyone streamed to the ranch. Doctors and lawyers left behind their practices, students put their studies on hold, and all our adventurers cut their trips short. Everyone returned home, seeking the sanctuary of the ranch. All of our family members are accounted for, those that are not with us, are living with other packs until the worst is over, and they are able to come home. We are the lucky ones indeed.

And where there are lucky ones, there are unlucky ones as well. There are countless packs who were completely wiped out by the UAC. And when they found one pack, there were usually a trail that lead to another one. The reports of these brutal murders, lead some wolves to break away from their packs, thinking that they would be safer on their own - which was the case, for a while. But our enemy is much greater than us, because the human race have never stood together like they do against the wolves. Even the oldest of the elderly took up arms, in an attempt to defend themselves against us beasts. The superstition, delusion and fear of neighbors lead to countless lone wolves' deaths, and even some unfortunate, socially awkward humans.

The world was waging war on an enemy who wasn't fighting back. They were killing our kind, while we were hiding and waiting for a time when it will be safe to step out of the shadows. The thought of all those innocent lives that were lost, and the fear that someday it would be us, drove me insane. My own insanity worsened by the fact that I could see the tension and frustration building in the pack.

It was soon decided that we had to do something.

We found our purpose in this war, and it was to save the ones we can without putting the rest of the Bedburg pack at risk. Which meant we would focus on the lone wolves, or loners for short. We kept our ears to the ground and our noses in the air. We looked out for cases of possible sightings, and extract these wolves before things got out of hand - preventing unnecessary deaths in doing so. When we found a possible case, we removed them from the hostile environment and provided them with food and shelter on the ranch. Since then we have saved and welcomed over thirty loners into our pack. The new arrivals tend to upset our environment, but sooner than later, they find their place within the pack and everything returns to some kind of normal.

***

The day we found her, we received confirmation that a stray wolf had appeared on the UAC's radar. There were a few sightings and an alarming amount of pet disappearances in a small town, named Concor. The town was located about 50 miles north of the ranch. Usually when wolves appear on the UAC's red flag list, we count them among the lost, mainly because of the risk. However, the short distance to town and an unanimous vote, decided that we would gather the troops and set out that same night.

The reaction of loners towards our attempts to save them aren't pleasant, because at this point, they trust no one. Some times they take flight, but almost always they fight. It's instinct. We basically kidnap them, take them to the ranch, brief them of their situation, and then give them the choice of staying or leaving. To take down a wolf that is backed into a corner and convinced that it should fight for it's life is a very dangerous task. Thus, our operations needs nothing less that proper preparation and planning.

Our troop consists out of four ground men, two lookouts, and me. I usually choose a spot where I can see everything, serving as their eye in the sky. Even though we all had our weapon of choice, we worked mainly with tranquilizer guns and tasers. This was to keep the heat low, and we all agreed that murdering to prevent murder doesn't make sense.

Concor is a very small town with a main road that ran right through it. Clearly not a smart move for a wolf trying to avoid attention. But I had a feeling that this one was desperate. And sure enough, it was a desperate creature we found. It was quite easy to find her thanks to the sharp scent she left. It lead us to a dark wet alley that smelled of rotten food, urine and mold. If it seems ominous, you have the right feeling. Pete, our driver, positioned the beat-up van in front of the alley, blocking the entrance and blasted the spot lights. I was quite relieved to see that the alley was a dead end, which usually makes our task quicker and a lot quieter.

The shadows of the men grew tall as they stepped in front of the van. It seemed like an ordinary alley with dumpsters and boxes laying around. Nothing seemed out of place, and if it weren't for her scent that were growing stronger by the second, I would have thought we had it wrong. As the three men cautiously walked deeper into the alley, Timothy picked up a couple of rocks and started to throw the against the dumpsters. One of the rocks must have hit home, because a dumpster on the left side suddenly spun towards the men, and blocked them off from the rest of the alley. From my view I saw a massive dark figure running further down the alley. I remembered thinking that there must be a passage that we couldn't see. The chase was on. Before I could realize what was happening I was on the ground standing next to Tom and Timothy. I ordered them to stay, in case she managed to get past us, and ran after Ryan who was already hot in pursuit.

I couldn't make much out of what was happening in front of me, it was either my shadow or Ryan who was in the way - but I know she wasn't slowing down and that she was going to reach the wall pretty soon. Just then I heard a loud bang in front of me and saw this majestic black wolf running up against the wall. She would have reached the top of the building too, if the dart piercing her hind didn't startle her. She lost her footing and came tumbling back down. She hit the ground hard, and as she scrambled to her feet, Ryan shot another dart into her chest.

Before me stood the biggest she-wolf that I have ever seen. With her teeth bare and her feral yellow eyes flashing from Ryan to me. She stood firm as a low rumble rolled out from her chest. Something deep in me growled in response. Her hind legs started to buckle, and her growl grew louder - furious, when she realized that her body was failing her. I could hear her heart slowing down, and suddenly she looked more frightened than savage - it was almost as though she was pleading for mercy. Then she collapsed.

It wasn't all that difficult to carry her to the van, because despite her big size we quickly realized that she was merely a skeleton covered with fur.

"What a big catch! I hope there's space for everyone." Pete shouted from behind the wheel as I rammed the door shut. I could hear the excitement in his voice. This was yet another small victory. "You guys are getting better! No one even had to shift this time."

"You are just jolly, because you didn't have to do anything this time." Tom said as he slammed the passenger door shut.

"Talking about shifting. Why didn't she?" Timothy pitched in as he threw a blanket over the scrawny wolf that was sprawled out in the back of the van.

"D'ya reckon we rescued a valley wolf?" Pete shout-laughed. "We should call one of 'em animal rights activist groups and demand our medal."

"I swear Pete, if I find out you are drinking on a mission, you're out permanently." I warned and his laughter quickly died down. "I have no use for a drunk designated driver."

"Relax." Ryan's hand came to my shoulder, and patted me lightly. "We got her, everyone's excited." He looked down at the giant head laying on my lap, "She's in a very bad condition."

"Hand me the muzzle." Timothy opened one of the bags and threw it to me, as I tried to tie it behind her head I saw it wasn't going to fit, "Cable ties." I barked. I managed to lengthen the muzzle strap and tied it around her head.

Once we picked up the scouts we headed home. The road wasn't that long, but it was late and all the excitement tired the men out. Pretty soon it was just me and Pete who were still awake. I looked out of the window at the forest that sheltered the ranch from prying eyes. My thoughts drifted and I could feel my eyes drooping. I jerked awake when I felt her stirring in my lap, and quickly reached for the tranquilizer gun that I reloaded just in case. But she was still again. And as I reached out to touch the ragged fur, I touched smooth cold skin. I removed the muzzle, which hung loosely over a face that I couldn't make out. I fumbled around and found the set of clothes we keep in the van, for situations just like this. I pulled her closer, and decided that four of her could easily fit into that giant we loaded in the van. She felt just as frail though. I figured the shirt would do. I wrapped the blanket around her again, and cradled her in my arms.