South Mountain Pack Ch. 07

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Lorenzo's team had done the same trick with the cayenne pepper. The tracking team led by Jeff Martin, his sparring partner from Sunday, had the same results and they wiped at their eyes with their hands which only made the irritation worse until they stumbled upon a stream.

Vin's team entered the creek several miles away and rested for several minutes. Enzo took little Derek downstream about a quarter mile to make deep footprints on the bank heading into the woods and rubbed Vin and Dom's shirts on the trees nearby. Sophia and Jackie turned their backs while the older boys stripped then shifted, and Sal and Sophia packed their clothes in their backpacks. "Your brothers are pretty," whispered Jackie as she looked at the large chocolate wolves staring at her.

Sal and Sophia strapped the young ones securely to the wolves interlocking the backpacks and used the bungee cords from their backpacks for extra security. The two youngest doubled up on Gianni, little Wade promising to make sure Jackie was safe as she rolled her eyes. Sal and Sophia climbed on Vin and Dom since they couldn't shift and they were off again.

Lorenzo's team once again mirrored Vin's team in putting out a false trail by the creek and the older kids shifted and ran in the opposite direction, Michael carrying the Poffenberger twins, Lorenzo carrying Toni and Maria, Angelo carrying Victor, Alberto carrying two younger boys and Damian and Paulo carrying one boy each with Gabby between her brothers.

The men had settled in, eaten more food and Carlo was getting periodic updates from Todd. Their talk centered on the upcoming football season, how the kids were progressing in the session, kids leaving to go to U of MD, their mates and wondering how they were doing and if they were driving Matt and Phillip crazy.

The women had decided to stay at The Manor House and everyone brought a covered dish or dessert and agreed it was wonderful to have a night without the men. After dinner, they waited for Matt, Phillip and their security team to finish doing a sweep of the area before going out back.

It looked like a Little Tikes showroom had exploded and landed there. There were play sets, playhouses, sandboxes and under a covered pavilion were play kitchen sets and numerous child size tables and chairs and two chests provided them with even more toys. It was a child's fantasy land come true and they played until they couldn't play anymore. As the little ones fell asleep, they were brought into the house and placed in the rec room with a guard at the door.

Matt and Phillip were unable to relax, their eyes continually scanning the yard as their team continued to check in as they patrolled. They took their duties very seriously, to them this showed a level of trust they never experienced in their former Pack and they were momentarily speechless when asked to be in charge of this security detail by Alpha Carlo, Frank and Joe, three men they respected more then anything. They knew they were going overboard with their security, but deep down they would feel like failures if a little one went home with a bruise let alone if something serious happened.

After an hour and a half, five teams had been tracked down and both the evading and tracking teams started returning, the young ones getting piggy-back rides. They were a mess; clothes torn, covered in dirt and mud, twigs and leaves in their hair, bruises and cuts covering their bodies but they were all laughing. Joe told everybody to wash off with the hose, go see Dr. Sullivan to get their cuts looked at and then jump in the pool, get some more to eat or take a nap if needed. Excited conversations could be heard as the youngsters replayed their adventure to their fathers. The fathers looked at Frank, Joe and Carlo understanding perfectly what Joe had been saying earlier.

After two hours, Vin's team stopped near where they sprinkled the cayenne pepper. The young ones were unhooked, Sophia and Jackie turned while the boys shifted and put on shorts. "Everybody ok?" whispered Vin, looking at the young ones. Jackie whispered, "I'm ok, but my behind hurts." Everyone put their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing out loud. "We'll take five," said Vin as everybody opened their backpacks to get energy bars, snacks and drinks.

Anthony's team was having very little luck, as soon as they thought they were gaining ground the trail would end and they had to backtrack. When they found the trail again, Vin had them literally running in circles each loop getting smaller, after the third circle Anthony noticed a pattern as each loop had one less set of prints and the depth had changed. Anthony called a halt and whispered, "They are veering off somewhere a couple at a time, and we have to find it."

They sat the young ones on a boulder near the outer circle as the older ones started looking for tracks and a scent. Ethan saw Alex and Alec waving at him and he went over thinking someone was hurt. Abigail whispered, "I had to make a tinkle and my brothers took me there," pointing to a boulder twenty feet away. Alec whispered, "We smelled Vin on the tree and came right back to tell you." Ethan waved the older ones over and explained what the Whitmer's found.

Anthony immediately scented Sophia on the tree and inhaled deeply closing his eyes. He realized the Carlucci's had jumped onto the boulder then used the overhanging branch to climb over to the tree leaving no scent or tracks on the ground. "Good job, we'll eat and take five" he whispered to the young ones, giving each a fist pump. The older kids got energy bars out of their backpacks prepared to share with the young ones but to their amazement, they got sandwiches, cookies, carrots, pretzels and Sunny D out and placed them on the boulder. "Momma made extras," whispered Alec as he gave a sandwich to Abigail, Mary, Emily and his younger cousins and brothers before offering them to the older boys.

"We've got to see what else they have in those backpacks," whispered Harry Reeder. Anthony asked if they could look and the young ones immediately handed them over. Every one of the backpacks had a small first-aid kit, clothes, bungee cords and zip-locks in varying sizes.

A small bottle of dishwashing liquid, flashlight with extra batteries, pine scented air freshener, baking soda, glue, a small tool set, duct tape, a 50' coiled length of rope, a 6' length of garden hose, thermal blankets, magnifying glass, mirror, a small whisk broom, a pack of baby wipes, 25' measuring tape, binoculars, carabiners, a compass, glow sticks, a bulb syringe, a topographic map of the area, a roll of heavy duty trash bags and cayenne pepper, garlic and cinnamon spices were pulled out of the bags.

"I'm the oldest, I have the stuff the little ones shouldn't, " whispered nine year old Alec, as scissors, 5-in-1 tool, small hand-held garden spade, flares, Swiss Army Knife, a box cutter, 2-pk of lighters all in their original packaging were pulled out of his backpack.

"Who packed these bags, M and Q's love child?" whispered Harry, as the older kids laughed quietly. Alex whispered, "I don't know who Emma is, Daddy and Uncle Jerry did." The older kids started laughing harder and Anthony looked at them and they immediately stopped laughing, as he said, "Ok, let's repack the bags." Each young one grabbed the specific items from their bags; Alex explaining their Daddies made them memorize who had what items so they could get to them quickly.

The third to last team, which was headed up by Scott was caught purely by chance. Scott's team had backtracked, but the tracking team had failed to notice the false trail, so they ran right into Joel Mendez's team who were sitting and taking a break. After being pursued for more than two hours, Scott couldn't believe his bad luck; he really wanted to prove that he was capable of leading a team and proving his skills. Instead of getting mad, he accepted his defeat with grace and was determined to prove himself in the tracking session. When they returned to Frank's yard, his team relaxed but spent their time working on a plan.

The Clan had spent the last week strategizing their battle plan; determined one of their families would win. It didn't really matter which one, as they considered themselves one complete unit, they were good alone but together they were better. It was the way they were raised by their parents; as soon as they were born they were all placed into a crib together, little sets of hands reaching out for each other. It didn't matter if they grabbed their cousin's hands or their brothers or sisters, the bond had been established at birth and Vincent and Dominic watched over them every step of the way. This was why they always had the edge over everyone; they thought as one, felt as one and moved as one.

Lorenzo was in his element; his team was running smoothly and had just finished a break. Alberto noticed Maria putting a Ziploc bag containing dirty shirts and shorts into her pack and asked, "What's that?" Maria whispered, "We didn't tell anyone because we didn't know who we would be teamed with. These are extra clothes from the other part of the Clan, to confuse the scents. We'll exchange clothes when we meet up with them."

The older kids shifted back to wolves, Damian carrying Toni and Maria took the lead with Alberto and Angelo at the tail end; they had twenty minutes to get to their meeting spot and still had to make sure they weren't tracked in the mean time.

Vin's team finished their break and the boys shifted back to wolves, the young ones were strapped on and they took off running. He was taking his team in a wide arc moving them further away before closing in to the prearranged spot to meet up with Lorenzo's team. He wished he knew how many teams were left.

Anthony's team picked the trail from the spot the young ones had found. They had shifted to their wolves and took off in pursuit but this time they didn't run flat out, they were going a little slower determined not to get fooled again with false trails.

Jeff Martin's team had just about given up in their pursuit of Lorenzo's team. It seemed like they had been over the same area numerous times, losing the trail several times before it appeared out of nowhere, it was as if they just fell out of the sky. His team was taking a much needed break to rest and discuss strategy.

Damian was running around the ruins of an old farm house that had been destroyed in the Battle of South Mountain during the Civil War. When the family decided not to rebuild and moved out west in 1862, this was one of the many homesteads South Mountain Pack had purchased. He led the team around the ruins of the barn when he, Toni and Maria disappeared with their screams echoing behind them.

Lorenzo and the others immediately halted and he shifted back moving carefully to where they disappeared noting the deep hole, he hollered for his brother and sister and also tried the bond, after getting no response, he immediately tilted his head back and let out a distress howl. Victor hurriedly unhooked the young ones so everyone could shift and dress. Angelo, Paulo and Michael were fighting to keep Alberto from the edge of the hole, as his only thought was to get to Maria. Gabby moved the young ones away so they couldn't see what was going on, but they were worried about their sister.

Vin and his team immediately stopped upon feeling Damian and Maria's pain and when they heard Lorenzo's howl, Vin answered immediately. Sal told the young ones to hold on tight, they would be moving as fast as the boys could run. The young ones nodded, understanding immediately something bad had happened and leaned forward wrapping their hands tightly into the fur of the wolves shoulders.

The men were laughing and Frank and Joe were filled with pride realizing the two Carlucci teams were the last ones left. Both felt Damian and Maria's pain and they took off running shifting midstride, Larry and Barry Costello right next to them as they felt Toni's distress. They were halfway across the field before hearing the distress call and Joe responded immediately, he opened his bond to Maria, feeling only her pain and when he tried Damian he didn't feel anything.

Carlo looked at George Hammond, Scott's father, and told him, "Get everybody inside and lock it down." Frank and Joe heard the others behind them and recognized the rest of the fathers whose children were still out there plus Dr. Sullivan.

Annie and Rose were sitting with the women laughing at the antics of the little ones. Sensing Maria and Damian's pain, they grabbed each others hand and felt their mates urgency to get to the children, seconds later they heard Lorenzo's distress call.

Anthony's team immediately shifted direction upon hearing Lorenzo's howl, and he felt relief when he heard Vin's response. He sent his response and it was followed within seconds by Jeff Martin's.

Matt and Phillip upon hearing the call ordered everyone into the house, they had been made aware of the situation with the Millers and weren't sure if this was a diversion. The women grabbed the little ones rushing inside and Matt ordered the house to be locked down. As an extra precaution, the women went into the basement and the little ones were moved from the rec room into the safe room with six men guarding them. The door to the basement was alarmed and Matt, Phillip and the rest of the team watched the monitors and patrolled the house. When everything was secure, he contacted his Alpha.

"Alpha Carlo, we heard the distress call. Everyone is secure and we have locked the house down. Is there anything else we need to do sir?" said Matt. "Thank you and make sure the women and little ones stay safe at all costs. Let me know if you need more security and I will send more men. We are on our way to Lorenzo now and I will update as soon as we know anything," replied Carlo.

"Todd, we had a distress call from one of our teams, we are on our way there now. Make sure your house is locked down, I will notify you of what is going on" said Alpha Carlo. "Yes sir, we locked it down as soon as you left," responded Todd.

The men at Frank's house were getting messages through the bond from their mates that they were safe. They were waiting for their Alpha to tell them what he needed, until then they made sure the house was secure and the youngsters were safe.

Vin's team was the first to reach Lorenzo's. Everyone unlocked the young ones as quickly as possible and Sophia brought them over to Gabby while the boys shifted and put on clothes. There had still been no response from Damian, Toni or Maria and Alberto was pacing back and forth barely keeping his wolf at bay he was so filled with distress. Vin got a flashlight, but even with that and his advanced sight all he could see was shadows.

Anthony's and Jeff's team showed up moments later. They shifted and dressed as Lorenzo filled them in on what had happened, as Anthony was going to comfort Sophia he remembered the contents of the Whitmer's packs and asked who had the glow sticks. They were in his hands in seconds and he broke two of them and threw them down the hole, making sure not to step to the edge, but to be on his belly as he looked over, Lorenzo, Vin and Dominic scooted to the edge also.

In the eerie green light, they could see them about 25 feet down. Damian had tried to protect Maria and Toni as he was on the bottom with his right arm around Maria's head and Toni was cradled against his chest with his left arm, his hands interlocked and holding them in place. "Do you all see what I see?" asked Anthony quietly and they nodded their heads.

"Dad, we can see Damian, Maria and Toni at the bottom of what looks like a dry well at the original Reeder homestead, they're about 25 feet down. Maria's left arm is broken and so is Damian's right leg, we can't see any injuries on Toni but she is crying. Maria is moaning but Damian isn't doing anything, he is breathing though it's shallow," said Anthony to his Dad, Frank and Joe.

"Okay son, we should be there in about fifteen minutes and we have Doc with us," replied Carlo as he opened the bond to include all the men who were with him.

Dr. Sullivan contacted his mate at the clinic and explained what happened. He told her they needed backboards brought to the Alpha's house since it was closest to where the youngsters were, and to get the operating room ready in case they needed it. She said everything would be there in 10 minutes and they would have the operating rooms on standby.

Carlo contacted George and told him to send men to his house to pick up the supplies and bring them to the Reeder homestead and for him to let Matt know what was going on.

"Anthony, is there any way you can get to them? I need you to do the assessment until we can get there," said Doc. "Yes sir, there's not much room down there, it's only about 5 foot in diameter so one of the girls would be better since they are smaller then us," said Anthony.

Anthony told everyone what Dr. Sullivan wanted, Sophia said she would go since she had completed her third level First Aid course and everyone agreed. Before Anthony could ask, the Whitmer kids handed him rope, carabiners, a flashlight, three thermal blankets and a first aid kit as everyone else stared in amazement. "You've got to see what else they have in those backpacks," Ethan said to the other older ones. "You won't believe it."

"Okay Doc, Sophia is going to assess them, and I'll let you know their condition as soon as possible," said Anthony. Vin and Dom were securely roping Sophia as Gabby emptied a backpack and loaded it with the needed supplies. "We'll need the garden hose too," said Anthony and it was in his hands in seconds.

"I'll be waiting, we're a little over eleven minutes out," said Doc. The men were running at full speed, Frank, Joe and both Costello fathers already contacting their mates to let them know what was going on.

Anthony and the Carlucci's slowly lowered Sophia from one side while Angelo and Alberto laid on the opposite side each holding one end of the garden hose pulling the rope towards the center since they were worried about the sides collapsing. A full minute passed before they heard Sophia say, "I've reached bottom. Give me a second to unhook myself and get the flashlight and everything out."

She went to Toni first, who was crying softly. "Hi sweetheart, it's Sophia, where are you hurt?" asked Sophia in a soothing voice. "My foot hurts," she said, "Damian held me but when we hit bottom, he landed on my foot." "Okay, can you move it, or does it just hurt?" asked Sophia as she quickly ran her hands over Toni. "I can move it, I'm not hurt anywhere else, Damian protected me real good," Toni said. Sophia got the flashlight and shone it in her eyes, noting her pupils were equal and reactive; she hollered her assessment to Anthony.

She moved to Maria next, noting her broken left arm and being careful not to bump it, "Maria, can you open your eyes for me?" Maria slowly opened her eyes and said, "Is Toni okay? How is Damian? My arm hurts and I want Alberto." Hearing what Maria said, Alberto's wolf began to pace back and forth and growl, their mate needed them and they couldn't get to her. Alberto hollered down, "I'm here Gattina, waiting for you but we need to make sure you aren't hurt worse."

Sophia shone the light in her eyes and saw her pupils were equal and reactive. "I'm okay; except for my arm and my hip. My arm broke when I pushed us away from the wall, that's when Damian broke his leg, I heard it break. Check him out please, Sophia, he saved us both, he held us the whole way down."

Anthony hollered, "I already told Doc, they should be here in about seven minutes."

Sophia looked at Damian, startled that he was watching them; she first checked his eyes, which were both equal and reactive. He said, "My legs broke, my shoulder hurts, and I'll have a bruise on my ass, I mean behind from landing on Toni's shoe, other then that I'm good. You might want to ugh, cover me up, I'm kinda naked here. I shifted as soon as we started falling to protect them." Anthony hollered down, "I told Doc, they'll be here in five minutes."