Running with Wolves Ch. 06

Garrett shrugged. "Penny is just barely getting over an ear infection and we need to give her the last few doses of meds so it doesn't come back. We tried to find somebody, but no one was around so we went to go look for someone. We weren't making a run for it. Promise." He gave Flint a small smirk, his eyes catching the light.

Flint didn't understand why he felt the urge to blush, but he fought it. No need to make himself seem like more of an idiot than he already had. "Well you need to go back. I'll go look for-"

"What the hell is going on here?"

Flint spun around in surprise, instantly wanting to groan in displeasure, but again he held himself back. "Beta Lark, I was just-"

"How the hell did you get out?!" Lark made an aggressive move towards the human men. He was a big man, like most Beta wolves, but he was known to use that size to intimidate those beneath him. Flint always thought it was because he had some sort of masculinity issue. He had heard some of the women giggling.

"Look, we were just trying to find some help-!"

True to his reputation, Lark reacted by charging forward and grabbing Garrett by the throat, shoving him against the wall so hard his head smacked the stone, causing the air to rush out of his lungs and his knees to fall to the floor. "I don't give a flying fuck why you are out of your pen! You have no right to be wandering around our Den, you piece of human filth!" He went in for a kick while Garrett was down. Lark's foot landed right in his side, making him choke on his breath and fall to the side. Without thought, Flint ran forward to defend Garrett, but Lark grabbed him and pinned Flint to the wall, holding him against the stone with a forearm pressed to his throat. "You have something to say, basran?" Flint couldn't answer if he wanted to, with his lungs devoid of air and feet dangling off the floor. The world was getting a bit fuzzy around the edges.

"Get away from him!" Flint watched in horror as Dominic went after Lark from behind, a wolf that was easily a head taller than him. Flint knew this was going to end extremely badly for all of them.

Lark saw the human coming and turned to confront him, dropping Flint to the floor. Flint crumpled in pain, but Garrett, who was still gasping on the floor, saw his opportunity. When Lark turned to confront his friend, Garrett drew in a deep breath and lunged for Larks legs. Taken by surprise, Lark fell forwards with a shout, right into the opposite wall head fist. With one swift kick from Dominic, he was down on the ground and stunned, with the second he was out cold.

For a moment, Flint lay stunned. He was coughing in air on the carpet of his Den, while two humans took down one of his packs most brutal Betas.

'Oh, no.'

Flint scrambled to his feet, panting out his words. "We, we need to, g-go!"

Dominic made a sound of agreement. Garrett got to his feet.

Both came over to him and helped him back up to his feet. Garrett even wrapped Flint's arm around his shoulders, propping him up. "You're going to have to tell us how to get back. We were pretty lost when we ran into you."

Flint nodded, pointing down a hall and moving forward after Dominic. It was a bit awkward walking so close to Garrett, but Flint liked the feel of his body so close to his own. He may still practically be a human, but a wolf is a wolf. He didn't feel like pulling away.

*

They were hiding. There was no other way to put it.

When Penny had started to fuss and rub at her ears again, Samantha had been worried enough to ask them to go find someone to get her meds. No one liked when Penny was sick. So Dominic had gone out to look for the Theta that was supposedly going to get what they needed while they were segregated, but when he got to the doors at the end of the hall, nobody came at his call. She had told them she would be back after she returned something she borrowed from the kitchen, but Dominic had seen a sparkle in her eyes that told him she would undoubtedly find a distraction along the way. When Penny continued to fuss, Samantha's hormones began responding to her baby's distress and she started becoming upset. After 20 minutes of trying to get someone's attention they decided to go find the medication themselves.

So they picked the lock.

After taking some direction from Jarod, Dominic and Garrett set out in search of their stuff. Dominic had something to say about them getting rid of all of it anyway. Most of it may be junk, but they were the ones that scrounged, fought, bartered, worked, and did what they needed to do no matter how degrading, to get what they had. No one was going to just take it from them and toss it.

After getting lost and into the altercation with the man in the hall, Flint had guided them back to their rooms. Ben had wanted to hunt the guy down, but Dominic knew the only reason they had been able to take the man down was because he had underestimated them and let his guard down. Flint was also worried he may try to retaliate, so instead they barricaded the door and rigged some soda cans onto a shoe lace with a sign they made from the supplies in the desk that said 'Please Shake Door Bell' (Samantha's idea. She thought it was more polite then making them yell and hit the door). Garrett had looked Flint over for any serious damage, then himself, then Dominic just because he was so banged up to begin with. Samantha had tucked them all onto the bed with food and blankets, which Jarod teased her about. He called her a "fussy mother duck", earning him a smack to the back of the head. They all knew there would be some kind of reprimand for what they did, but Flint assured them that his mother and father would not be upset with them. The one who was really going to get it was the Theta that had abandoned her post at their door. So they decided to just relax in the safety of their room.

Currently they were all just sitting around, waiting for someone to come find them.

Flint was in the center of the bed, propped up against the headboard with a pillow, Dominic beside him sitting Indian style eating more ice cream. The couch had been moved to the wall farthest from the door, parallel with the bed, allowing Ben to prop his feet up while he sat reading one of the books he had 'borrowed' from another room. Jarod was lying across the rest of the couch, also reading a 'borrowed' book from another room. Garrett had taken up his previous spot to relieve the pressure on his bruised side. They were all absently listening to Samantha as she walked around the coffee table bouncing Penny, singing to her.

As they sat, Dominic noticed Flint, who previously had his eyes closed, had zeroed in on the ice cream he was eating. He looked torn as he stared at it.

"Want some?" Dominic tilted the carton towards Flint, stabbing the spoon into the dense clump of frozen cream. Flint looked even more conflicted.

"I... I really shouldn't. Doc Rivers and my family put me on a special diet a long time ago. I'm not supposed to have anything processed like that."

Dominic tilted his head a bit. "What for?" He continued to eat the ice cream.

Flint shrugged. "Supposed to help with my episodes."

"Like the one you had on the road? The ones that are killing you?" Another shrug and a nod. "Is it helping?"

"Not really."

"Will eating ice cream kill you any quicker?"

Flint looked at the ceiling in thought for a moment. "I don't see how-" Dominic bumped the carton to Flint's chest.

"Eat the ice cream."

Flint looked like he was going to argue, but seemed to think better at Dominic's look and grabbed the container. Satisfied, Dominic crawled (as best he could with bruised ribs and an arm in a sling) down the bed and over Garrett, reaching down to flip the lid of the cooler open. He pulled out another carton, this one a fancy custom 'Apple Pie' flavor.

"Damn rich people always have the good stuff."

"What did you find?" Jarod rested his book on his chest to see what Dominic was holding. "No. Way. Is that from that one expensive place with the ridiculous amount of toppings?"

Dominic smiled. "You want it?" Jarod nodded vigorously. "Catch."

Jarod easily caught the half-gallon and spoon that came his way. He wasted no time pulling open the lid and digging in. "Thanks, Dominic."

Dominic smiled at him again and turned back to the cooler, pulling out the last flavor and putting the lid back on top. He moved to go back to his original spot, but accidently sat closer to Flint to where their thighs toughed. Dominic didn't take much notice, being used to living in tight quarters and huddling with his friends in the cold, but Flint seemed to take quite a bit of notice.

Dominic looked to where Flint was staring at their touching legs and went to move. "Sorry. Didn't mean to sit right on top of you like that."

"Wait," Flint's hand moved as if to stop him. He paused his hand, blushing at his actions, but tried to explain. "I don't mind. My, uh, I mean. I really don't mind, it's just..."

"Just what?" Dominic settled back down, reconnecting their legs.

Flint wouldn't look at him, instead he seemed to find the ice cream more interesting to stare at. When he did answer Dominic's question, his voice was quiet. "Well, um. You see because of, the way I am, none of the others in the pack will do that. Touch me, I mean. Not even most of my direct family. Wolves are tactile, so we like to be touching, see others touching. It helps to create stronger bonds and it's a way to establish connection with one another. I'm weak, and sick, so no one wants to really make that kind of bond with me. So it's nice to feel something like that." Flint blushed darker, seeming to realize what he had just said. "I'm sorry. I'm probably making us sound like complete freaks. It's just that it has been a long time since someone has just, touched me, normally. Not out of disgust or pity or to examine me. Just making physical contact to have physical contact. It makes me feel, almost normal."

They all sat in silence for a moment, taking in what Flint had said. Dominic didn't know much about wolf behavior, but he did know what being ostracized felt like when all you wanted to do was be a part of something. So he scooted closer to Flint, their legs completely pressed together, and opened his carton.

For a while they all just quietly relaxed, Samantha's song continuing to rise and fall gently through the verses. Garrett shifted a bit, groaning when the move tweaked his bruised side.

"You all right Garrett?" Jarod set his carton down. "Is it getting worse?"

Garrett shook his head as he settled into a more comfortable position. "No, I'm OK. Just sore. That jackass just has a good kick is all."

"I'll make you an ice pack." Samantha handed Penny to Dominic and headed to the bathroom. Dominic happily took Penny, standing her up on her feet and making faces at her. She didn't seem very entertained by him. Instead she stared intently at Flint, who was watching her back.

"What? Is Flint more interesting now, huh? Am I just old news to you? Do I bore you?" Dominic looked at Flint. "Wanna hold her?"

"Oh, no. I don't think that would be-"

"Here." Dominic placed Penny right on Flint's lap, giving him no chance to argue. "Just put on hand on her back so she doesn't fall- there you go. See? It's not so hard."

Dominic found Flint's look of apprehension and discomfort very amusing. He touched Penny like she was going to bite him. "Have you never held a baby before?"

Flint blushed lightly, still trying to figure out where to grab the baby so she wouldn't fall. "Well, no. I mean, I'm the youngest so I never had siblings to hold. And no one else was really comfortable letting me hold their pups anyway... Am I even doing this right?"

"You're doing fine. Just don't let her head fall back. Put your hand here. See, she likes you." Penny was facing Flint on his lap, her bright blue eyes watching him intently as she munched on her own fist. Flint was looking at her with just as much curiosity.

Samantha came back to the bed, standing over Garrett. "Here you go." She had taken the clean trash bag out of the small can in the bathroom and partially filled it with some of the ice from the cooler and tied it off. Garrett took it from her with a small smile and placed it on his side. "Better?" He nodded.

"Who was he?" Dominic asked Flint. "The guy that attacked us? Why did he attack us?"

Flint sighed, adjusting to sit up straighter with Penny, who was now biting on his finger. "His name is Lark, a mid level Beta who lives in the wing you were getting close to. He's been trying to gain a higher position within the pack so he's been more, aggressive, recently. Trying to prove his dominance over everyone. It's the third time he has tried, but he never gets past Augustine, which I think makes him worse. He doesn't handle losing well. You being human is going to make it far worse though. Humans are seen as inferior to wolves. The only reason we don't fight you is because of your numbers. Any human brought to the Den is fair game when it comes to pack hierarchy. You being new and having no rank means that he can pretty much do as he likes to you. Beating him is going to piss him off more than anything."

"Sounds like someone has an inferiority complex." Garrett grunted, moving the ice pack so it would stay in place. "Just hope we don't see him again."

"Well, once Mother announces that you are Destines he won't be allowed to retaliate against you. As you may have noticed you are very special to us, no one will attack you after the meeting-"

Just then, there was a small commotion out in the hall, followed by the sound of the security door at the end being shaken like someone was trying to force it open.

Dominic instantly knew something was wrong, his mind falling back on the instinct that had kept him alive so many times on the streets growing up. He put a finger to his lips so everyone would stay silent, then motioned for Ben to follow him to the door. None of the others questioned him, and quietly awaited his next orders. Flint tried to say something, but Dom shushed him. He began whispering orders. "Flint, keep Penny with you. Samantha, stay with him and find us something to fight with. Jarod, Garrett, you know what to do." Both nodded, putting aside their book and icepack.

Dominic moved with stealth gained from years of practice to the door of their room. Ben followed just as silently, pressing up against the wall next to him, while Dom grabbed the doorknob. Both men looked to each other and nodded. Dominic turned the knob gently and pulled the door open an inch, just enough to look through to see out into the hall and down to the barricaded doors. Each of the double doors had a large window in it, so he was able to see who was standing on the other side.

First, he spotted the man from the hall that had attacked them, Lark. His eyes were shining gold and his light brown hair was messed up from its combed back style. With him were two other men, both of similar look to Lark but not enough to be assumedly related. Behind them was a much scrawnier guy, who looked to be much younger and borderline terrified. Dominic wasn't an expert by any means, but from what Flint had told him, the forth man was either low ranking or hadn't shifted yet. Lark was reading their note on the door, then snarled and ripped the cans down before trying to break the door down again. The three curtain rods they had placed in the door handles and couch in front of it were doing a good job of keeping the doors in place. Lark was livid.

Dominic closed the door again and moved back to the others, going over to help Garrett and Jarod with moving the bed so they could use it to barricade their own door shut.

"Dominic?" Flint was sitting on the couch, still holding Penny while Samantha gathered all the steak knives from the food trolley. He motioned for Dominic to come over.

Once he made sure the others were good moving the bed into place on their own, Dominic went over to Flint, crouching down so they were at the same level. "What is it?"

"Those security doors are meant for defense if another wolf pack ever breached the Den. Lark won't be able to break it down, but he has a friend that would have access to a key to this wing. The only way to keep him from getting to you is to get to the roof."

"Can we get to the roof from here?"

"There is a ladder in the back of the maintenance closet next to this room. Each floor has one. I can't climb it, but the rest of you can. You will be safe there till my parents realize what is going on."

"What about you?"

Flint shook his head. "I'm too weak right now to make it before they make it through. I'll stay here and try to stall them. If I try to explain to them that they are attacking human Destines, they may back down."

Dominic could hear the catch in the way Flint said those words. "Why does that not sound like a good idea?"

"Lark is one of the most aggressive wolves in my pack. He most likely will not care what I say in his state of mind, especially coming from someone like me. You took down a wolf who is trying to gain more status in the pack and he will be out for blood."

"He will hurt you if I leave you here, won't he?" Flint looked away at the question. "Flint, what will he do if we leave and you are left here?"

He wouldn't look up as he answered. "Wolves are different than humans. If I defend you against someone like Lark, he will most likely decide to kill me." Flint finally looked up, a pleading expression on his face. "But that doesn't matter. You need to be kept safe."

"I'm not leaving you here to be slaughtered, so what else do you suggest we do?"

"Dominic, just-"

"No." Dominic stared right into Flint's eyes. "No one gets hurt, no one dies, and no one gets left behind. You tell us what do we need to do that keeps us all alive. Take a breath and think it through. You know the answer." Dominic didn't break his eye contact. He could see Flint's fear, his worry, but then it changed. Something inside him seemed to shift, and his eyes gained a calm strength. Dominic recognized a man deciding to fight back. "What do we need to do, Flint?"

Flint took in a deep breath. "The only reason no one has come yet is because almost all the pack is congregated in the dining hall. Mother is going to tell everyone what happened while they were away from the Den and describe all the new changes brought on by the treaties and anything regarding you and your group. That is on the other side of the Den. We have no way of getting there."

Samantha came over, placing a knife in Dominic's hand as well as Flint's. "Then what do we do?" She reached forward and took Penny back.

"I need to try and make contact with my father."

"I thought you said everyone was on the other side of the Den?" Jarod was standing next to the door, listening to the others outside.

"Wolves can communicate with one another telepathically. Family members can do it without being in wolf form and my father is the strongest when it comes to connecting minds. If I can bond with my instinct for long enough, I can reach out to him, but..."

"But what?"

"It will most defiantly send me into an episode. I may not survive it."

Dominic shook his head. "I told you I'm not-"

"We don't have any other option." Flint cut him off. "Either you leave me here and go to the roof, or you let me do this and maybe we all survive."

There was a shout outside. Ben pulled the bed back a bit so that Jarod could look out the door. "Someone just showed up with a ring of keys. They are trying to figure out which one works."

Ben shoved the bed back. "We need to make our move now!"

"Dominic." Flint grabbed his hand. He hadn't realized he was shaking. "Let me do this. My parents have not officially recognized you as members of the pack. Lark will kill you in retaliation for what you did and he will not spare any of the others." He made a pointed look at Samantha and Penny. "This is our only option."