Savage Moon 06 - The New Breed - 36. Chapter 36

Even though I was WAY too terrified to take my eyes off of the attacking members of my brethren, I tried to close my eyes for a quick moment to see if I could block out all of the chaos and noise around me long enough to concentrate. I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to be focusing on...but I started taking deep breaths and balled up both of my fists, hoping to figure it out pretty damned fast!

"Wesley! Wesley, what are you doing?!?!?" Isaac screamed, his voice cracking and breaking me out of my trance. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Dexter haphazardly scratching, slipping, and sliding, his way towards us on the roof. Also, I could see John Boy's sharp claws reaching out to pull him up as well. It just...it wasn't working. Not without being one with the union. Not unless I...

Wait...maybe that was the key. I've been working so hard to keep Cyrus out of my head that connecting to my other abilities had become nearly impossible. It's not like I had to worry about him finding me or seeking me out. He was already here. Maybe...just maybe, I can...

"Wesley!!!" Isaac shouted in a panic, and I reached out to pull his arm and protect him by putting him behind me as we backed away from Dexter's insanely disordered approach.

"Listen to me...ok? You dash right...I dash left. Wait until he gets close..." I said. It won't work on John Boy, but Dexter had clearly lost his fucking MIND to the point where I know that he would definitely try to go for us both at once. His feet were slipping, but he kept crawling forward. "Not yet! Not...yet..." I could feel Issac trembling as he scurried towards us, saliva splashing all over the rooftop as he barked and growled at us with a fury.

We kept backing up until we came to the end of the rooftop...Shank and Razor bearing their fangs as they waited for us to fall. And then I felt the entire CABIN shake as Kriegar crashed into it again with his shoulder! So much so that it caught Isaac off guard, and he screamed as he lost his footing and fell to his knees, unable to grab a hold of the roof as he slid down the left side and was nearly about to roll himself right off of the top of the cabin and down to the ground below.

"ISAAC!!!" Without thinking I dove after him and began to slide down as well, both arms outstretched as he kept rolling right out of my reach.

"Wesley....ugh...!!!" He was able to grab a hold of one of the rain gutters at the very last second...a thin piece of metal that wouldn't be able to support his weight for more than a second or two if I didn't catch him! But I realized that I was sliding down too fast as well, and had to use one of my arms to reach out and try to grasp a hold of the roof to keep us both from going over the edge.

I grasped and I clutched and I did all I could to slow down...but then...

A sharp pain shot through my arm. My hand began to cramp up and my fingers arched all on their own, my fingertips bleeding as my nails elongated and dug deeply into the roofing tile, leaving long, animalistic scratch marks as it tried to slow down my decline.

I felt my eyes burning, but didn't have much time to think about that. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, and I had JUST enough time to use my other hand to grab a hold of Isaac's wrist as the fragile rain gutter began to give way and rip off of the roof. Isaac cried out for help, but I was able to stop myself from sliding and catch him before he fell!

Both of us breathless, I could hear Dexter rushing down to tear me to shreds before I could get back up on my feet. I couldn't let Isaac drop, so I strained and struggled with all of my strength to pull him back up so that he could, possibly, get back on the roof and fend for himself for a few moments while I tried to come up with some kind of plan. "Unnnnnghhhh...C'mon, Isaac...grab the side! You can...unnghh...you can do it!"

Isaac tried to get one leg up on the roof, but Shank and Razor were already rushing to that side of the cabin, both of them barking loudly as they jumped up and did their best to sink their razor sharp teeth into Isaac's dangling ankle and drag him back down to the ground so they could violently shake him like a bloody rag doll and rip him, limb from limb! Isaac gasped as their snapping jaws got closer and closer to him, with Shank actually biting the sole of his left shoe and hunching his back, yanking on it until the whole shoe came off.

He was far from out of harm's way, but I didn't have time to worry about that right now! The second that Isaac rolled on to his back and was safe on the roof again, I rolled to my feet to face Dexter, one on one. Something that, in hindsight, probably wasn't the best of ideas.

Looking down at my hand, I saw myself experiencing a very small part of my werewolf transformation! That one arm was my only weapon! And for now, it'll have to do. I braced myself as Dexter jumped up into my arms, scratching, growling, biting, slashing...wiggling to the point where I couldn't even hold him still! I did my best to push him back, but he just kept coming. I had never seen such a crazy and rabid attack before! Not from ANY animal! He was so spindizzy that it was hard for my eyes to even track his movements for more than a second or two! Jesus Christ!

I didn't realize the damage that I was taking until I felt the torn rags of my shirt sticking to me with heavy splashes of my own warm blood. An intense fever washed over me, attempting to heal me up, but Dexter was WAY too fast for it to have much of an affect at all. For every scratch or bite mark that tried to close itself back up, he made ten more somewhere else. And just as I fell backwards with Dex on top of me, almost rolling over Isaac and tussling like a couple of crazed ferrets...I noticed John Boy had made his way onto the roof as well. Much calmer...more calculating.

Where Dexter was all fury and rage...John Boy was going to be a LOT harder to deal with once he jumped into the fray.

John Boy's silver contacts seemed to glisten brightly as he stomped his way forward, and Dexter was slashing away at me as if he were lost in some sort of a night terror. His shrieks were ear piercing, and he began to go directly for my eyes with both claws. I remember what he said...about my eyes...

...He'd eat the up! He'd eat them right out of my head!

Feeling a dire need to protect myself and survive...I felt my body changing a bit more. Not completely, but in small parts. I used my one strong arm to grab Dexter around the throat and choke him, pushing him up while he sputtered and gasped and did all he could to bite my hand, even though he was physically unable to. I felt the wolf hair itching as it grew out of that one arm, and Dexxter savagely scratched and slashed at me as much as he possibly could, but I eventually found the strength to literally throw him backwards onto his ass and get back up on my feet!

My other arm began to strengthen, my other hand also growing claws, and my eyes began to glow brightly as my body did all it could to adjust. It felt as though my body was growing to twice its size, and suddenly, the amount of oxygen that I was breathing in wasn't enough to support it. Deeper inhalations were necessary, my heart beat faster, my emotions went wild and...even though I couldn't transform fully...at least I had more tools to work with to guard myself.

I could feel Cyrus' presence in my head. I could almost feel his anger. The audacity...the hubris...to use my abilities to go against my own pack. How dare I do such a thing? After all 'Father' has done for me. Maybe...maybe, I shouldn't. Maybe I have this...wrong...? Is that what I was thinking?

I already left one home...now I'm going to leave another? One with a calling? My pack? My brethren? Without my brethren...I am nothing. I am...I am nothing...

Slaughter the lamb, Wesley. Slaughter the lamb...and be born anew...

It made me dizzy to fight off his influence. No! I'm not listening to you! I won't fall into this again! I want to go HOME! This isn't right. Nothing about this is ok. Let me go! Please, Father...?

Let me go...

Dexter's anger seemed to intensify as he hurled himself back at me, and I reached out to push Isaac further out of his reach. This time, despite the hard damage that my body was taking from Dexter's hysterical attacks...I felt a bit stronger. Speaking out loud, I told him, "STOP! Dex...I need you to stop!" He paused for a moment, which I think surprised both of us, to be honest. And he tilted his head to one side briefly while I secretly waved for Isaac to get out of striking distance. Dexter snarled angrily at me...trying to fulfill Cyrus' order...but something about my presence seemed to have a certain level of control over him too. It kept him still...even though I could feel him fighting it with every fiber of his being.

I think John Boy could see what was happening, so he howled out loud to break Dex free from my influence, and he went after Isaac...who only had a small chimney between him and certain death at the moment.

Dex shook himself free from his trance and attacked me again. Meanwhile, John Boy went after Isaac...but I noticed that he was still coughing and wheezing a bit from the Ammonia that I had smeared all over his face. His senses were still a bit disoriented, and the way he was stumbling about, still trying to rely on them to guide him towards his target...it gave me hope that Isaac might actually be able to outmaneuver him on his own. At least for a minute or two....

As Dexter recklessly swung at me, left and right, I used my clawed hands to fight back. I was actually pretty surprised at how easily they were able to cut through Dexter's young flesh like a plastic spoon through a mound of Jell-O! I actually gasped and held back when I realized that I had nearly ripped a hole in his throat by instinct alone. GOD...did I really just do that???

Bleeding and furious, Dex never stopped! We both began to slash at one another as fast as our arms would allow, spilling so much of each other's blood on the roof that it became slippery from the disgusting gore of it all! We both began to lose our footing...and as Dexter's wolf form began to bite me all over...neck, shoulders, arms...wherever he could find a place to sink his teeth in...I felt my jaws length and my teeth grow just as sharp. I began to bite him back, but much harder than I think he ever expected. Blood gushed out of him like a fountain, and he whimpered out loud as I actually began to dominate him in this one on one confrontation. I was still mostly human, but I was strong enough to take him on now, and with a bloody hand, I picked Dexter up by his throat, and I turned my head to see Cyrus, Sebastian, Scout, and Kristen, just standing there...in human form...with serious scowls on their faces as I finally began to realize what I might be capable of if they pushed me hard enough.

With a loud growl, I THREW Dexter off of the top of that roof and watched him fly all the way down to the ground, sliding until he stopped right there at Cyrus' feet. FUCK YOU!!!

Isaac was trying to dodge John Boy by moving from one side of the chimney to another, keeping himself from being slashed to ribbons. But I was quick to move in and help him. I couldn't believe it. I don't think I've ever seen John Boy act as though he was actually 'blind' before. However, attempting to assume dominance over him so easily was a mistake.

John Boy heard my footsteps on the roof, and immediately slashed me right across the stomach! So deeply that I had to use both arms to hold myself together. It felt as though I had been cut in HALF with a single strike! I fell on my back, tears in my eyes, breathing hard as John Boy towered over me, reveling in the sight of me helplessly trying to drag myself backwards away from him with one wounded arm.

It hurt....oh GOD, it hurt!

But...just as I thought it was over, John Boy raised his head in the air. Using both of his hairy werewolf arms to try to wipe away the chemicals screwing with his highly active senses...and he howled up at the night sky, as if to alert the others to what was coming.

Something had gotten the jump on him.

Shank and Razor howled in unison as well, and the rest of my pack began to back up slightly and hop down from the roof and away from the cabin without warning. I looked over to my right to see the most sour and loathsome look cross Cyrus' face as he stood his ground...almost unwilling to leave. And then...

The sound of a motor revving up to full speed...

As it rapidly approached the cabin, it was the monstrous wolf form of Kriegar that stepped in to protect Shank and Razor from the impact...but what an impact it was!

A swiftly moving blue and white pick up truck came barreling through the woods...and it rammed into Kriegar's belly without even slowing down! With a loud CRASH and a huge dent in the front of the truck, the driver made one hell of an impact. Kriegar was knocked back almost ten feet, his back slamming up against the wall of the cabin, and then the truck's high beams came on to expose the rest of them. Whoever was driving that thing...they did NOT come to play any games today!

He popped out from the passenger side, and he had a shotgun in his hand, firing a loud warning in their direction as he marched forward a few steps.

Now, I'm not used to Cyrus backing down from a challenge. Not him, or anyone else in the pack. If anything...they claimed that they needed ME to keep them from ripping people apart at random so as to stay out of trouble. But there was something...'different' about all of this. I could feel it in my connection to the rest of the pack. A very simple order...telling the others to stand down. And then...

...To retreat...

The wolves all received the order, and without hesitation, they ran off without looking back. And they ran FAST! But not so much out of fear. At least, I don't think that's what it was. From what my calling was telling me, Cyrus simply had a better plan of action for this that was sure to come into play later on. So this was a temporary delay in my inevitable execution at best.

I was so confused that the burning sensation of my mortal wounds attempting to heal themselves had all gone numb. I heard the others howl in a sinister sort of harmony as the order was given, and all of my brethren were commanded to take off and head back out into the woods. All at once.

I didn't...I just...I couldn't understand what was happening here. But I was thankful for it. Sooooo, very thankful!

I could feel the ache of my slightly warped body parts popping back into place again, that hair on my arms falling out, and my jaw realigning itself as those sharp fangs receded back into my gums. My whole body felt as though it was on fire. It burned. Oh my GOD, did it ever burn! I curled myself up in a ball for a few moments to make sure that the shock of what just happened to me wasn't blinding me to the severe injuries that I've suffered over the past ten minutes or so...but after that, I began to look around to see if Isaac was still present. Still ok. Still alive.

He seemed to be having difficulty catching his breath. His elbows wrapped around his knees, softly sobbing to himself as he barely escaped another life threatening situation. I felt like such an asshole. Even bringing him into all of this mess. He didn't deserve any of this. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair!

"You boys alright up there?" Came a scraggly voice from the ground below.

I was still a bit too sore to even roll over and see who was talking to us, but I was able to turn my head enough to see an old man with a gray beard and a worn out fishing hat step out of the driver's side of that truck. He seemed concerned, but didn't wait long before checking to see the damage done to the front of his truck after ramming it right into Kriegar and knocking the wind out of him. Can't say that I've ever seen anybody do that to him before either.

While Isaac was still visibly trembling with fear, I managed to whimper out, "Who are you?"

With a deep smoker's grunt, he said, "I'll take that to mean that you're alright. Fine, if you don't answer my questions first."

"We were...we were just trying to rest here for a little while. That's all." I groaned, still feeling John Boy's cut the deepest in my belly.

"Just trying to rest here in MY cabin, I take it?" He said. "Word to the wise, boys...if you're going to break into somebody else's home, even the humble ones out here in the middle of nowhere...you should expect there to be some kind of security measures in place to let the owners know when you're squatting in a place you didn't pay for."

"Sec....security measures...?" I stammered.

"Yeah. Alarms, boys. You set them off the second you stepped on my property." He grumbled. "Took me hours to drive all the way out here to see what the heck was going on. Thought you might have been a deer or a raccoon or something at first...til' I saw you fucking with my hunting cameras. Ruined my whole night, coming out here."

Both Isaac and I looked over the side of the roof to make eye contact with the old man, and then scanned the area around us to make sure that Cyrus and his crew weren't lurking in the shadows somewhere, just waiting for the right moment to pounce on us again.

"Come down from there." He demanded. "You boys are going to help me clean up this mess. What did you do to my cabin? Uckkk...is that ammonia? How much shit did you break?" He said, finally lowering his gun.

Hesitant...Isaac asked him, "How, exactly, do we get down from here?"

The old man told him, "The same way you got up there, I assume." And he walked towards his front door. "Don't be all night. Move it."

Isaac and I both took a breather, but we didn't make him wait for long. Whoever this old man was, he might be our only way out of this...