Dominant Species Ch. 57-58

Donald's wolf was on alert as they slept, intent on protecting his mate that was snuggled in to his side where she belonged. As soon as the connecting door opened, his eyes opened and he saw Zach standing in the door. He could immediately smell his distress as his eyes took in the sweat spots on his T-shirt and his flushed appearance. "Come on in, Zach, Your mom is really tired right now, but I can help you."

Zach moved over and sat on the bed facing them. "I woke up, I'm all sweaty but I'm still shivering."

Donald carefully moved Silvia's arms and legs off him and tucked the pillow into her arms. He watched as she sniffed the pillow and pulled it closer, then dropped back into a deep sleep. He rolled off the bed and put his hand on Zach's forehead. He was burning up. "It's the fevers, Zach. The change is underway, you're going to become a werewolf."

Zach started to cry, and Donald sat by him and pulled him into his side. "I... I'm afraid. It looked like it hurt so much..." He closed his eyes, remembering the change that had come to Autumn.

"It does, but the pain goes away, and what you are left with is worth it," he said. "Look at Autumn now; she is happy with her wolf, she has sharp senses, she is stronger, and most importantly she is better suited to survive and thrive. Things are getting bad out there, Zach, and you changing will be a good thing. You will be able to protect your mom and your sister better as a wolf than as a human. That's important, I can't always be here for them." He picked him up, then pulled the comforter off the motel bed and pulled the thin sheet back. He set Zach down, covering him with the sheet, and put his hand on his shoulder. "You've seen what happens now; the fevers will get bad, but soon you will sleep and you'll miss most of them. We'll take care of you until then."

"I'm thirsty, Mr. Donald." Donald moved to the sink, taking a plastic glass he filled it with cold water and soaked a washcloth in it as well. He let Zach drink it down then, as he laid back, he placed the cold cloth on his forehead.

"Rest now, try to sleep. I'm going to check on the others." Donald knew that if Zach was changed, Abigail would be too. He quietly opened the door to the other room and moved to the bed where she was sleeping. Her forehead was burning hot and she had tossed her covers off. She didn't wake up as he picked her up in his arms and brought her back into the other room. He placed her on the other side of Zach, then went to get a cold cloth for her. There wasn't much else they could do, in about 24 hours they would both wake up. -- Duane Molback woke to the glare of the sun in his eye. He was going to roll back over and sleep, then his brain recalled that sunlight was bad and this meant something had happened. He sat up in the bed of grasses he was using to separate his body from the cold of the concrete tube they had taken refuge in; it was a drain pipe going underneath a roadway on the east foothills of the Bitteroot Mountains. Looking to the side, he saw that some of the branches they used to cover the south end of the pipe had fallen, probably due to the wind.

He looked back the other way, over the huddled forms of the women and children he had with him, and saw the north end was still good. Groaning a little as he rolled to his knees and stood up as best he could, he tried to focus on the floor as he walked to the light. The culvert pipe was only five feet in diameter, so his six foot two frame was hunched over. He held a hand over his eyes, his tanned fingers touching the gray that had started on his temples when he turned forty last year. He smiled as he recalled how his Alpha had teased him, telling him that he should use some Grecian formula so as not to scare away his mate when he saw her, since he was starting to look like a grandfather.

He made it to the end, and focused on moving the branches back to where they blocked sunlight again. This was their fourth day underground and there was no telling if and when it would be safe to be out in the light again. When he could finally look up and he verified all was ready, he turned and moved back to his makeshift bed. Laying on his back, he looked at the shadows in the diffuse light and thought about how he had gotten here.

That Saturday had been a normal day for the Wise River Pack in Montana. He was in his office, working on the training schedules and his other duties as the Gamma or Third in Command. He could see the pups playing in the yard out his office window when suddenly the lights went out and his radio stopped. The Pack bond was full of confused voices and reports until a patrol on their southern border reported he thought he smelled other wolves. The Alpha blasted through the link, declaring attack protocol and calling all warriors to go with him to the south.

In retrospect, it was the one false report that doomed most of his pack. As third in command, he was the Luna's guard and in charge of protecting the vulnerable of the Pack. Rushing to the basement, he opened the Pack safe room as the well-trained women and children lined up to get in. He stood guard outside until all were accounted for, then he locked himself in using the sliding iron bars. The thick steel doors and reinforced concrete of the safe room were designed to hold off attackers indefinitely.

He looked around, the room was full of the Pack's young and mothers of young children. Those women who were unmated, with no or with older children were outside the Pack house, forming a last line of defense. He reported all secure, followed by the Beta female's report that the house was secure, and listened to the Alpha's communications as they rushed south.

It wasn't long before they realized this wasn't something they were prepared for. In ten minutes, multiple wolves reported having problems seeing, and getting sunburns on exposed skin. By the time they all realized that being outside was deadly, their eyesight had failed and their bodies were literally cooking in the solar radiation that was pouring down on them. The Luna ordered the women to report to the safe room, but only half of them made it. Their wolf healing couldn't keep up with the damage, and over the next few hours all of them died.

The ones outside were lucky, their deaths were quicker and the pain was over sooner. The safe room was a madhouse, the mates feeling the pain and death of their men and wails filled the dim space. Many lost the will to live, and they begged to be let out to join them in death. It broke his heart to turn them down. Even the Luna had ordered Duane, and he refused her. He was still under orders to protect her, even against herself.

They didn't open the room until well after sundown. When we got outside, the scene they found was horrible. The Pack members who had died outside were red and bloated, their skin burned badly. The Pack cattle and livestock, all dead. When they listened, they heard nothing- no birds, no animals, just the wind through the trees and the wails of the women and children when they located their fathers and family members.

The Luna killed herself shortly after reaching her mate, and for the twenty-two remaining members of the Pack, it made for a lot of work. The warriors were gathered and burned together in a shallow ravine, while the rest were placed in the loft of the hay barn. Duane had chosen this as it was a ready-made pyre and without livestock would not be needed. Saying a few words, he tossed a lit torch into the hay and the remaining Pack watched as their family was sent home.

Duane ordered them back to the safe room before sunrise, not knowing what dangers the sun might bring. It was a wise decision. Looking around, he had six women left and he was the only adult male. The rest were children between six months and fourteen years. It wasn't much, he thought as he went to sleep.

That night was his first visit from the Moon Goddess. She didn't say much, just that he was to journey to North Fork as he would find his destiny there, and those with him would find a new Pack.

When he woke everyone up just before sundown, he told them of what Luna had said and to prepare for the trip. They each packed backpacks with clothes, food, and water, plus a pack with medical supplies. He checked the vehicles, but the only one still running was an old dump truck they used to haul manure and hay.

It would certainly be a fragrant trip, he thought. They put a large tarp in place over the back and tied it down on the outside, then weighted the inside down with mattresses taken from the pack house. Pillows and blankets were then put in place so the young ones could sit or sleep during the trip, and the packs lined the outside. Duane drove, with two of the women in front with him. They only made it twenty miles the first night before they had to seek shelter in an abandoned barn; there were too many vehicles lining the road, too many things that forced them to stop and send a wolf forward to check it out.

The second night was a little better, but the smell of death was now constant. They stopped at a stream just outside of Gibbonsville to stretch their legs and get water, all of them shifting and taking a quick run. Duane froze along with the others when they heard a mournful howl in the distance. He raised his head, letting out a howl of greeting, and they waited. Soon there was another, from a different hill. He sent the young ones back to the truck while he waited.

Ten minutes later, two wolves trotted up to him and shifted, so he did too. Luke and Leia were twins from the Wisdom pack, both had just reached mating age and he remembered them from when they visited looking for mates. And yes, their parents were huge Star Wars fans. "Kids, what are you doing out here?"

"Looking for anyone who made it," Luke said. "Our Pack is gone, we were the only ones to make it. We were exploring a cave when this thing hit, and we got enough of a warning to stay there until nightfall."

"We spent the night looking for survivors, then went back to the cave for the next day. That night Luna came to me and told me we needed to head west to the Salmon River."

Duane rubbed his chin. "Funny, she told me the same thing." He looked up at the moon and smiled. "You may as well ride with us, we've got a truck. Just try to ignore the smell." He led them back to the road and helped them climb in the back, after introducing them to his remaining members he got back in and they headed down the road, next stop, North Fork. -- Beta Candice awoke in a sweat, her arousal heavy in the air after the dream she had finished. Her mate had come to her in the dream; he was tall and handsome and she ran into his strong arms as he ran to her. Their lips crashed together and she ran her hands through his thick hair as their bodies made tingling contact everywhere. She felt the tingles shoot through her body as if it was an electric wire, from her mouth to her nipples to her molten core. No matter how much contact she had, she wanted more. He carried her into her room, closing the door behind her before setting her down on her feet. They looked at each other for only a second before the need to be naked overcame them, and they ripped the clothes off each other before she jumped on him and lined up his turgid length to her sex and smiled before plunging down and...

"Candice, we need you immediately!"

"Yes, Alpha, I'll be there in a minute." She got up, looking at the hotel bed next to her she could see the children were still asleep. Zach was no longer there, but she could smell him next door so she figured he had gone to his mother. She could see that the sun was just below the mountains, so she quietly left the room and headed for the park. As she approached her Alphas and Beta Donald, she could tell something was different. The power emanating from the group was stronger than usual. She couldn't help but to submit as she approached, not her Alphas, but Donald.

"Candice, may I introduce Alpha Donald of the Bitterroot Pack." -- Reggie's wolf moved through the barren landscape, Josi keeping pace at his left side. They moved around the large rocks that were alternately hidden and exposed by the fog slowly moving down the slope. "Do you recognize any of this, baby?"

"No, never been here." They kept their senses alert and both were sniffing for clues as to where they were. She rubbed against him, slowing him down as her senses started to fire. "Slow down... there's something up ahead."

They slowed to a walk and spread out instinctively as they crept forward. They each took a side of a large boulder, and when they were on the other side the fog suddenly cleared and they stopped at the sight, dropping to their bellies at the power of the woman in front of them. She was ethereal in her beauty, He long hair was so pale as to be white, and it almost glowed in the moonlight. Her face was young, yet her eyes were old and held wisdom and power in their soft glow. A white fur graced her shoulders, above the long white dress that had silver bands on the arms and a silver belt at her waist. At her side were two huge white wolves of obvious power. She held her arm out to the two black wolves and her voice filled their minds. "Rise, my children, we need to talk."

"Luna..." Josi looked at her in wonder, her wolf letting her know who this was.

"Yes, my special child. How happy I am to have you as one of mine, and to have you together with Reggie." They shifted to human form, and with a wave of her hand Luna covered her with a dress and him with white pants and a shirt. She opened her arms and they moved to her, she hugged them as the emotions of the moment boiled over. When they could look up, she pulled back and took their hands. "Walk with me, please."

"Luna, why did my parents die?" Reggie was still crushed by their loss, and Josi could feel his ache through the bond.

"It wasn't my plan for them to," she said. "Lisa was making a change in the Pack, and a bigger change in her mate. If not for the hatred of that human, they would have made peace just like you did and I wouldn't have had to push Josi's wolf forward so fast." She looked at Josi with a smile. "It is a good thing you are strong and young, having that Alpha power come out before your shift occurs can be damaging. I had no choice, though, and you responded magnificently. As a result, your town will have peace and your pack is becoming powerful, just as I wanted."

"You don't control these events? I thought you were all-powerful." Reggie looked up at her, a little confused.

"I have many powers, but knowing the future is not one of them. Nor am I the only God, and we don't always work in the same way for the same things. This whole conflict is a result of those Gods who are upset with how humanity has developed, and thinks it is time to start over. I'm doing all I can to preserve my people, at least those I have left."

She pulled them to the edge of the cliff and they looked out over the Earth far below. "So much has changed in the days since the Sun burned the earth. Human nature has shunned community and compassion, and has devolved into power struggles and violence. I don't need the powers of Fate to see what the end will be of this. Mankind will only have a pittance survive the coming seasons, and could be snuffed out completely, if it has no leadership."

She showed them images from the burning cities, the fighting and the violence. "Humans see us as animals, as being violent creatures without humanity because they are afraid of the power of our wolf side. They delude themselves in thinking that this violence is part of our wolf nature, and not part of our common human nature. It always happens that in the absence of moral guidance they behave like this. Your job," she said, "Is to provide that governance and pull humanity back from the brink."

"Do we need to make them all werewolves?" Reggie looked down. "I don't want some of them in my Pack."

"Of course not, Alpha. Never make a wolf out of someone unworthy of being in your Pack. Do not force the change, either. What you will do is take control of your territories and provide safety and governance for those who live there. My Alphas will become the basis of the next world system of governance, as only they can start the change. That change will begin in towns like yours, and spread to cover the land."

Josi looked out at the violent land below and shuddered. "You ask a hard thing of us."

"Not really, you are already doing the things I need you to do. You are cooperating with other Packs and humans, you are reaching out to the other Alphas, and you are taking care of your people. I just need you to focus on what is important and do it while you still can." She squeezed her hand. "Winter is coming, and there will be no crops this year as the sun is burning them all. Wildfires are bound to happen as well. I need you to consolidate what you have in your territories under your Pack control before it is lost to bandits, rot or fire. Use the humans and the wolves quickly, while the food and fuel is still there for you to take. Centralize it and protect it so your Packs survive to next harvest."

Reggie looked out as well. "And at the same time, make things safe for our Pack territories."

"Exactly. You will not be alone, though. All throughout the world, I am visiting surviving wolves and giving them messages. Alphas like you get this message, those who are of lower rank are told where the nearest surviving Packs are. You will see a flood of wolves coming your way soon, the remnants of Packs no longer viable. They will bring the numbers and skills you need to continue your work. Don't be jealous or possessive, your three allied Packs will need to allow humans and wolves alike to flow to the Pack that has need of them, plus many are going to find mates among you. That's also part of my plan to grow my people."

Josi looked at her in confusion. "Three packs? There is just us and North Fork."

Luna smiled. "You will see soon. Keep doing what you do best, which for you is helping humans through the change and training them quickly to join the Pack. Let Alpha Calvin do what his pack does best, organizing the people to get things done that need to be done. Let the third Alpha establish a safe territory to the north, and show you the way to expand outward."

"Who is the third Alpha?"

"You know him already, my child." She led them away from the cliff and back to the rocks. "It is time, when you awaken I need Reggie to take warriors with you to North Fork while Josi continues to work with the human changes. Remember I will be with you as you go forth." The two Alphas looked in wonder as Luna faded to nothing, then the scene faded to nothing and they awoke in bed in each other's arms.

"Holy shit."

"You said it, Josi." He pulled her into his broad chest and held her tight. "It just got real." The pair got out of bed, the sun was just about to drop below the mountains and the Pack was moving about. He quickly contacted his leadership, informing them of the gist of the dream and that Josi would be in charge while he and his warriors rushed up to North Fork to join Alpha Calvin. There was plenty to do, more humans had requested the change and the new wolves needed intensive training and immersion in Pack life to adjust.

Twenty minutes later, Reggie's large wolf howled and was answered by his warriors and the Pack as they set off down the road. He set a fast pace, the twenty-five of them forming a line as they raced through the trees backlit by the fading twilight. The aurora borealis were already apparent, but not as much as in previous nights. The solar activity was returning to normal.

They stopped briefly when a truck approached carrying wounded; Reggie talked to the driver briefly then linked Marcus they were coming. He would never turn down those in need of medical help.