Grand Game 131: Amongst the Pack (Patreon)

Day Five. Night.

“Hello, Duggar,” I called back. My gaze drifted down the height of the cliff separating us. “How do I get up there?”

“We will guide you,” he replied.

We?

“We,” Duggar repeated, sounding amused.

My mouth dropped open. I hadn’t projected the last thought, and I was sure the dire wolf alpha had just read my mind. How did he do that?

“There is much we can do that will surprise you,” another voice responded.

I spun around. Less than three yards away, a dire wolf was sitting on her haunches with her tongue hanging out as she inspected me.

I bowed from the waist. It was Sulan. “Greetings, pack elder.”

“You’re still alive, I see.” The white wolf’s eyes gleamed. “And growing fast, too.”

“Where’s Aira and—” I began, then broke off as more bubbles of awareness appeared in my mindsight. My head whipped about, searching for the other presences that my mind insisted were a few yards to my left and right.

Sulan snorted. “But still, you remain a pup.” Before I could retort to that, she went on. “Show yourselves, brothers and sisters. The wolfkin is too blind to see you.”

Shapes coalesced out of the darkness—from within leaping distance—and my heart thudded in sudden fear even though I knew I was in no danger.

Five other wolves accompanied Sulan, all strangers to me. Despite my enhanced senses, I had detected none of them. How had they gotten so close? Their stealth has to be damn high.

I sensed Sulan’s wince. “Stop shouting, pup,” she snapped.

“Sorry,” I muttered, trying to make my internal thoughts small.

“Better,” she remarked. “But when we get back to the den, we will have to teach you some control.”

“The den?” I asked in sudden interest.

“That’s why you are here, isn’t it?” the elder asked. “To find out more of Wolf from the pack council?”

I nodded in vigorous agreement.

Sulan rose to her feet and turned tail. “Then follow us and try to keep up.”

~~~

Sulan and the others led me deeper into the mountains, using forgotten goat trails and hidden paths. I scaled steep slopes, wormed through narrow crevices, and hiked across dry riverbeds. Thankfully, I had no problems following the wolves.

Despite me being unable to spot them while hidden, my night vision was keen enough to pick out their silent forms slipping through the fast-deepening night. Eventually, we came to a halt before a darkened cave mouth.

The den entrance, I presumed.

Duggar sat before it, his bulk filling nearly the entirety of the space. “Come, wolfkin,” he said, “It’s time you meet the council.” Turning about, he slipped into the cave.

I followed after him while Sulan brought up the rear. The other five wolves did not follow. I paused in my steps.

“They will stay above, guarding the den entrance,” Sulan said.

I nodded and hurried after Duggar. The pack leader had not waited. A small tunnel was situated at the rear of the cave and going down on all fours, Duggar had crawled through.

It was a tight fit, even for me. I had no idea how the larger Duggar was managing. Thankfully, after a dozen yards, the tunnel opened up, and we were all able to walk upright again. A few minutes later, the tunnel spilled out into an underground cavern.

Stalactites grew down from the ceiling, glowing blue mushrooms sprouted out of cracks in the rocks, and a still dark pond occupied the cavern’s center. Gathered around it, at rest or at play, was the pack—nearly a hundred dire wolves of all ages—from newborn pups to graying elders.

It made for a picturesque scene, and I had to remind myself that this was a pack in exile.

“We have arrived,” Duggar said, drawing to a halt and looking over his shoulder at me. “This is the pack, or at least,” he added, sorrow slipping into his mindvoice, “all that remains of us.”

“How many have you lost?” I asked cautiously.

“We numbered more than three hundred before the goblins’ coming,” Sulan replied from behind me.

My eyes widened in empathy as I turned her way. More than two-thirds of the wolves had perished.

“Most of those who’ve fallen were amongst our best fighters, their lives stolen while protecting the pack,” Sulan continued. “Now wolves too young—like Aira and Oursk—have been forced to serve as our defenders.” The white wolf sighed. “These are dark days for the pack.”

“But the Long Fangs are no more,” I said in an attempt to reassure her. “Your persecution has come to an end.”

“Or our troubles have just begun,” Duggar interjected obliquely. “Your coming will not be without cost.”

My brows drew down, and I stared at him questioningly, but the alpha’s gaze remained maddeningly opaque. “Follow,” he ordered, swinging around to advance further in the cavern.

My face still scrunched up in confusion, I turned to Sulan for answers.

The elder wolf sighed. “We are not ungrateful for what you’ve done, Michael, but Duggar is right. You bring your own brand of danger. Now the pack must decide how much to risk on your behalf.”

I opened my mouth to question her further, but she slunk past me. “Come, the council will explain everything.”

~~~

Duggar and Sulan escorted me across the cavern under the intense scrutiny of the rest of the Pack. While none of them spoke to me, they did not bother shielding their thoughts. Emotions spilled into my mind: menace, anger, suspicion, and... fear.

I staggered under the mental avalanche, then stiffened my spine to walk with my head unbowed.

Not all the dire wolves exuded darker emotions, though. Some—the younger ones especially—quivered with excitement and curiosity. Still, it did not stop the tension from ratcheting upwards, and while I was not precisely scared, I was grateful for the presence of Duggar and Sulan.

A yap of delight broke the silence.

My gaze swung to the left to see three shapes of black and gray streaking toward me. I barely had time to brace myself before they crashed into me.

My efforts were for naught, though. Sputtering in helpless laughter, I landed on my rump, my arms full of the gamboling pups.

“It’s good to see you fellows, too,” I chuckled as the three tried to lick my face clean off.

“Well met, Michael,” Oursk and Aira said in tandem.

Lifting my head, I saw the two approaching me more sedately than their excited pups. “Aira, Oursk!” I replied, struggling to contain my own relief. I hadn’t realized how much I missed seeing them earlier.

Aira nipped gently at my hand in affectionate greeting while Oursk ducked his tail in a more dignified manner.

“We never doubted you would return successful,” Aira said.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” I replied with a laugh, “I had my own measure of doubts.”

“Yet you still freed us from the Long Fang’s persecution,” Oursk replied.

I was about to respond, then noticed an oddity. Both Aira and Oursk were broadcasting their words, and I realized the rest of the pack was listening intently to the pair and their three pups.

More remarkable still, the oppressive sense of mistrust and fear had vanished entirely.

My gaze darted to Sulan and Duggar and noticed both were watching the dire wolf family and me just as closely as the pack, and while both had their emotions on a tight leash, I sensed a trace of smugness about Sulan.

This was no chance-met encounter, I realized. This meeting had been staged to occur within the center of the pack.

“What is going on, Aira?” I asked softly across the thinnest mental link I could manage.

“All is well. The pack needed to be reassured,” she replied, whisper-quiet. “And now, they are.”

Reassured? I wondered. It was obvious from the reactions I’d received that I unsettled the wolves, but why that was the case, I still did not understand.

“This was a test as much as a welcome, Michael,” Aira said, “The council will have observed the pack’s reaction and will take it into account when making their decision.”

My consternation only grew.

Sensing this, Aira added, “Follow Sulan’s lead when you meet the elders. She will guide you true. Neither Oursk nor I will be allowed to accompany you.”

“It’s time,” Sulan said, gently pawing away the pups. “We must go. The council grows impatient.

~~~

Beyond the large cavern sheltering the greater part of the pack was a smaller cave. Shepherded by Duggar and Sulan, I ducked into its narrow entrance.

Four other dire wolves waited there.

Their coats varied in color from dusty brown to charcoal gray, but like Sulan herself, each had graying muzzles. They are old and past their prime, I thought. These must be the elders.

Four sets of piercing gazes swung my way. “That we are, impudent pup,” the smallest of the four said—a brown-furred wolf. From the flavor of her mindvoice, I suspected she was female.

“Bah! Past my prime??” another growled. “I’m not too old to fight—” he bared yellowing but still sharp fangs—“Or to gnaw through your bones!”

Oops.

I needed to learn how to conceal my thoughts better, or they were bound to get me in trouble amongst the pack. Before I could think about how to soothe the offended wolf’s feelings, Sulan slipped into the cave behind me. “Barak, you old dog, leave the pup alone.”

“Taken him under your wing already, have you, Sulan?” a wolf with a salt and pepper coat asked.

“I have, Leta,” the white wolf at my back replied serenely.

The largest wolf in the cave, and the only one of the four to have remained silent, rose to his feet and limped towards me. By appearance alone, he was ancient. His coat lacked the healthy sheen of the others. Tufts of his fur stuck out in patches, his claws were ragged and broken, and both of his fangs were chipped.

The old wolf swayed slightly as he drew to a halt before me. Duggar padded forward to his side, letting the elder lean on him for support.

The rest of the council fell silent as the oldest amongst them studied me, shoving his muzzle inches from my face. “So, it’s true,” he said. “A scion of Wolf walks amongst us again.” For all that his body appeared to be failing him, there was nothing weak about the elder’s mindvoice.

Seemingly satisfied with his inspection, the old wolf limped back to his former position and slumped heavily back to the ground. “Enough chatter,” he pronounced. “Let’s begin.”

“As you wish,” Duggar replied, in the most subdued tone I’d heard him use. He swung back to me. “Wolfkin, we six form the pack council.” He gestured to the two as-yet-unnamed wolves. “That is Suva,” he said, pointing out the small female. “And this is Monac, former alpha,” he finished, sitting down beside the aging wolf.

I examined each of the council members surreptitiously.

The target is Duggar, a level 67 dire wolf alpha.

The target is Suva, a level 54 dire wolf.

The target is …

…

Dire wolves, once a populous species in the Forever Kingdom, have been hunted nearly to extinction. In days gone by, they were amongst the most respected and feared wolfkin, famed for their hunting prowess, size, and extraordinary mental feats.

These days, dire wolf packs only haunt the remotest regions and sectors. Alphas are pack leaders amongst them, responsible for the protection of their individual packs and for overseeing the interest of all wolfkin in their domain.

Unlike Aira and Oursk, who were only rank one creatures, the pack elders were rank five and six beasts. While I’d been examining the council, Sulan had joined the others to form a half-circle around me.

“Today, we will sit in judgment of you,” the white wolf said.

“Judgment?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even. Matters, I felt, were straying off course. I was here for one thing only: to find out about the path of the wolf. Whatever the council was about, I didn’t have time for it. “Erebus and his followers will be following on my heels soon. I must leave—”

“We are aware of your time limit,” Leta said.

“Nor will what we do here take long,” Suva added.

“Besides, until you show yourself worthy,” Barak interjected with what was undoubtedly a bloodthirsty grin, “we can’t let you go.”

“Can’t?” I repeated, jutting out my chin aggressively.

“Can’t,” Duggar affirmed equably. “The bloodline you bear is awakening, and for the good of the pack—all the packs—we must decide your fate.”

I stared hard at the pack alpha. I didn’t understand half of what he had said, but the threat in his words was unmistakable. If the dire wolves thought I was going to lay down and let them pass judgment on me, they were sorely mistaken.

“I did not come here for this,” I said, folding my arms. “If you do not wish to help—”

“Michael,” Sulan interjected. “Trust us. This is necessary.” She left it at that, saying no more.

I glared at the white wolf, still bristling with anger. I wanted to fling back her words at her, but I could not forget she had saved my life—and at great peril to her own.

My gaze drifted to Duggar. Nor could I ignore the danger the alpha had placed his people in to rescue me from the wyvern. And I remembered too that Aira—who I did trust—had advised me to follow Sulan’s lead.

I let my shoulders slump and sighed heavily. “Alright, what do I do?”