For those who want to finish the chapter:
**********
But the pain washed away as quickly as it began. My mind was floating suddenly as a wave of magic filled me. Suddenly, I could hear his voice in my mind. It was as thick and sweet as honey.
“You are pack of my pack, young one,” said the voice. I knew I was bleeding, but I couldn’t seem to feel it. I could hear Sue trying to call to me. It was a struggle to hear her.
The liquid baritone continued. “You will live for me, through me, and we all will live for you. We will protect you and you will always be fed. Be now one with the Sazi, Anton.”
I came to myself with a dozen noses sniffing my head. I abruptly remembered part of my training on Carmine and Linda’s island after Sue’s near-death. One of the Sazi psychiatrists explained that the packs only functioned in the modern world because one person can control the individual wolves.
“If individual wolves were autonomous,” Dr. Betty had said, “The world would quickly learn of us. Close to the moon, most lesser wolves can't control themselves when prey is near. Humans were once prey to our kind. Now if we were to attack them, it would be war. The humans would slaughter us. People always destroy that which they fear. Only by having a leader strong enough not to be affected by the moon can the natural instincts of the wolves be restricted to proper prey. We insist that lesser wolves remain with a pack so that the pack leader can maintain control.”
It made perfect sense. But I hate the others thinking that I am a “lesser wolf.” I knew I was going to have a hard time going from being on the highest rung of the food chain to just slightly above dirt. I also disliked that I had to struggle even harder to reach Sue when Nikoli was in my head. I promised myself that I wouldn’t be a lesser wolf for long.
I stood shakily. It was unnerving to see Nikoli’s face painted with my blood, and the other wolves tentatively licking at it.
“Now, my pack, let us begin the hunt!” He turned, launching himself into the woods in a blur of speed. I found myself following behind him with the rest of the pack before I even realized I was moving. It was like being in a slipstream behind a semi. Where he moved we followed.
We ran silently over the carefully tended grass toward the trees of the park. My senses were sharper than I could ever remember. I heard a small mouse scurry under the leaves as we approached. Birds ducked their heads and hunkered down in their nests. Even the great horned owl flew higher into the trees. We were a force of nature to be reckoned with as we moved through the woods. A panicked pounding of hooves sounded to the left. Nikoli turned fluidly toward it. I felt my body move left in a silent command that required no words. An image flashed in my head. The pack would split and cut off the prey. I was to surge forward and overshoot the deer the pack herded toward me.
My feet barely touched the leaves and fallen logs of the deeper woods. I skirted rocks I couldn’t see in the darkness and followed unknown paths effortlessly. My body seemed to know this place. Or perhaps it was Nikoli who knew the way.
A small clearing appeared. This is where the feast would take place. The pack would push the deer to me and I would take the lead animal down. The rest of the pack would attend to the other two. There were three deer. I could smell them now and hear the breaking of branches in their frantic flight for survival. But they would not escape. I would see to that.
I waited patiently as the thundering hooves grew louder. Just a few moments more. I crouched on a fire-blackened log to spring from above as moonlight surged power through my veins. The power fed my hunger. The hunger intensified the power and then rolled back on itself, like a snake swallowing its own tail.
“Tony!” The voice was a shout in my head. I struggled to keep my mind on the prey. “Tony, Bobby’s here with me. We’re back in Chicago. He has to see you right away. He needs your help. It’s urgent.”
The words had no meaning to my animal mind. I knew Sue’s voice. I was glad. It was good that my mate would be here for the kill. So close. Just a few moments more.
Sue seemed to understand that I couldn’t think. She tried to make it simpler. "It’s Bobby, Tony. The snake from the island.”
An image came to my mind. A python. We’d hunted together for birds. But there was no time to respond. With a crack of breaking branches the first russet form bounded out of cover. The scents of musk and fear were nearly overpowering.
I leapt with all my might and grabbed the lead deer by the throat. It turned and screamed as the other two animals tried to get around our battle. But it was too late. The pack had them. I rode the stag to the ground, twisting quickly to avoid taking a head shot with its hooves. It struggled to right itself but my teeth dug in deeper. Hot salty wetness filled my mouth. It was the finest thing I’d ever tasted in my life. I could feel Sue’s pleasure in the background as she too forgot where she was or what she wanted to say. There was nothing beyond the moment. Time slowed until everything had a crystalline sharpness and didn’t start again until the deer’s eyes stared blankly into space.
Blood lust took me. I gorged myself on the still warm flesh and sweet metallic taste of blood. I was ravenous, insatiable. Never before had my hunger been so great. Snarls and growls erupted behind me. One of the others tried to push me away from the kill, but I bared bloody fangs before turning back to the feast.
I heard the soft pad of footsteps as my pack leader moved behind me.
“No, Alena. Let him be. It is his first kill with the pack. You enjoyed the same luxury.” I felt Nikoli’s hot breath right next to my ear as I tore and swallowed as fast as I could.
“But be very clear, young one. This will be the only time you will ever feed above your station.” He moved his face so that our eyes were almost touching. His lips pulled back in a toothy snarl. The magic he raked across my skin made me gasp with pain.
“If you ever again attempt to feed before I have had my fill, it will be my great pleasure to sate my hunger with your flesh.”
*********
**********
But the pain washed away as quickly as it began. My mind was floating suddenly as a wave of magic filled me. Suddenly, I could hear his voice in my mind. It was as thick and sweet as honey.
“You are pack of my pack, young one,” said the voice. I knew I was bleeding, but I couldn’t seem to feel it. I could hear Sue trying to call to me. It was a struggle to hear her.
The liquid baritone continued. “You will live for me, through me, and we all will live for you. We will protect you and you will always be fed. Be now one with the Sazi, Anton.”
I came to myself with a dozen noses sniffing my head. I abruptly remembered part of my training on Carmine and Linda’s island after Sue’s near-death. One of the Sazi psychiatrists explained that the packs only functioned in the modern world because one person can control the individual wolves.
“If individual wolves were autonomous,” Dr. Betty had said, “The world would quickly learn of us. Close to the moon, most lesser wolves can't control themselves when prey is near. Humans were once prey to our kind. Now if we were to attack them, it would be war. The humans would slaughter us. People always destroy that which they fear. Only by having a leader strong enough not to be affected by the moon can the natural instincts of the wolves be restricted to proper prey. We insist that lesser wolves remain with a pack so that the pack leader can maintain control.”
It made perfect sense. But I hate the others thinking that I am a “lesser wolf.” I knew I was going to have a hard time going from being on the highest rung of the food chain to just slightly above dirt. I also disliked that I had to struggle even harder to reach Sue when Nikoli was in my head. I promised myself that I wouldn’t be a lesser wolf for long.
I stood shakily. It was unnerving to see Nikoli’s face painted with my blood, and the other wolves tentatively licking at it.
“Now, my pack, let us begin the hunt!” He turned, launching himself into the woods in a blur of speed. I found myself following behind him with the rest of the pack before I even realized I was moving. It was like being in a slipstream behind a semi. Where he moved we followed.
We ran silently over the carefully tended grass toward the trees of the park. My senses were sharper than I could ever remember. I heard a small mouse scurry under the leaves as we approached. Birds ducked their heads and hunkered down in their nests. Even the great horned owl flew higher into the trees. We were a force of nature to be reckoned with as we moved through the woods. A panicked pounding of hooves sounded to the left. Nikoli turned fluidly toward it. I felt my body move left in a silent command that required no words. An image flashed in my head. The pack would split and cut off the prey. I was to surge forward and overshoot the deer the pack herded toward me.
My feet barely touched the leaves and fallen logs of the deeper woods. I skirted rocks I couldn’t see in the darkness and followed unknown paths effortlessly. My body seemed to know this place. Or perhaps it was Nikoli who knew the way.
A small clearing appeared. This is where the feast would take place. The pack would push the deer to me and I would take the lead animal down. The rest of the pack would attend to the other two. There were three deer. I could smell them now and hear the breaking of branches in their frantic flight for survival. But they would not escape. I would see to that.
I waited patiently as the thundering hooves grew louder. Just a few moments more. I crouched on a fire-blackened log to spring from above as moonlight surged power through my veins. The power fed my hunger. The hunger intensified the power and then rolled back on itself, like a snake swallowing its own tail.
“Tony!” The voice was a shout in my head. I struggled to keep my mind on the prey. “Tony, Bobby’s here with me. We’re back in Chicago. He has to see you right away. He needs your help. It’s urgent.”
The words had no meaning to my animal mind. I knew Sue’s voice. I was glad. It was good that my mate would be here for the kill. So close. Just a few moments more.
Sue seemed to understand that I couldn’t think. She tried to make it simpler. "It’s Bobby, Tony. The snake from the island.”
An image came to my mind. A python. We’d hunted together for birds. But there was no time to respond. With a crack of breaking branches the first russet form bounded out of cover. The scents of musk and fear were nearly overpowering.
I leapt with all my might and grabbed the lead deer by the throat. It turned and screamed as the other two animals tried to get around our battle. But it was too late. The pack had them. I rode the stag to the ground, twisting quickly to avoid taking a head shot with its hooves. It struggled to right itself but my teeth dug in deeper. Hot salty wetness filled my mouth. It was the finest thing I’d ever tasted in my life. I could feel Sue’s pleasure in the background as she too forgot where she was or what she wanted to say. There was nothing beyond the moment. Time slowed until everything had a crystalline sharpness and didn’t start again until the deer’s eyes stared blankly into space.
Blood lust took me. I gorged myself on the still warm flesh and sweet metallic taste of blood. I was ravenous, insatiable. Never before had my hunger been so great. Snarls and growls erupted behind me. One of the others tried to push me away from the kill, but I bared bloody fangs before turning back to the feast.
I heard the soft pad of footsteps as my pack leader moved behind me.
“No, Alena. Let him be. It is his first kill with the pack. You enjoyed the same luxury.” I felt Nikoli’s hot breath right next to my ear as I tore and swallowed as fast as I could.
“But be very clear, young one. This will be the only time you will ever feed above your station.” He moved his face so that our eyes were almost touching. His lips pulled back in a toothy snarl. The magic he raked across my skin made me gasp with pain.
“If you ever again attempt to feed before I have had my fill, it will be my great pleasure to sate my hunger with your flesh.”
*********