I watched as she disappeared into the darkness. Each powerful roar from the gun sent waves of fear through me. I watched as the man who had captured me raced out after her and the feeling of helplessness that washed over me was unbearable. There was nothing I could do to help her and, even knowing that, I still loathed myself for it.
Eventually, the noises stilled and I saw the man return. I felt relief when I realized he was alone. He stopped in front of the cage and glared down at me. I could feel the anger in his eyes and felt a growl raced up my throat in response. He made a grunt-like noise and kicked at the cage before heading inside his home. For a moment, I saw the smaller human just inside the door and something in her face alarmed me. I couldn't understand what it was; not that I had the time as the door slammed closed. Once again darkness surrounded me.
While I was still confused by the feeling, a sudden cry echoed through the silence. My heart leapt in my chest as I realized it was Abby's call. She was okay and that alone was enough for now. I called back to her and heard the man yelling from inside his home in response. It startled me a bit, but the silence quickly returned. The worry and fear still prickled deep within me, but just knowing Abby got away calmed me.
I was jerked awake by the sudden movement of the crate. There were four men now and each of them stood at the corners and began lifting the cage. I snapped at the bars, but they were unphased. The cage roughly fell onto a hard surface and this strange ear-splitting sound rang through my ears as the cage was pushed farther back. Something slammed closed in front of me and I jumped. I watched as the man who caught me spoke with the others. While I desperately tried to make sense of their conversation, I caught a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye.
I jumped away from the outstretched human hand and realized it was the smaller human girl again. She pulled her hand back and watched me intently. There was something about the look in her eyes that I just couldn't figure out. It was like she was waiting for something. I don't know why, but I thought that maybe I should say something. Before I could the man said something loudly to her and she disappeared on the other side of the strange wall. I heard a loud roar and cowered down against the bars and strange surface.
All around me was moving like a quake and I looked around quickly. A sudden jerk, some more unknown growling, and it felt like I was moving. Slowly, I backed into the farthest corner of the cage and watched as the man's house got smaller and smaller, retreating from view. The woods kept passing by us faster than I could ever imagine and it made my stomach turn. I wasn't sure how long it went on like this, but the trees had all but disappeared before we stopped. I heard one more strange growl as everything stilled. I could see the strange cave-like structures from the night I had left Abby's side all around us.
Several humans were walking all around. Some of them looked at me and gasped in shock, others merely looked at me with disgust. Some didn't even look at me at all, like they were oblivious. Then there were the few that even tried to reach out and touch me. I growled or snarled when one got too close for my comfort. I saw the man and the smaller human girl walk around in front of me and disappear into one of the strange structures.
Shortly after, another group of humans came and I was beginning to be pulled toward them. I went to snap my teeth at them, but the screeching sound rang through my ears again. I reflexively coward down at the pain and before I knew it, the cage was back on the cool strange earth I was unfortunately becoming more and more familiar with. Even more people began to stop and gawk at me, now. Eventually, growling and snapping at enough of them became exhausting. I found myself balled up the farthest corner again and merely watched for those that got too close.
A long period of time went past and fewer and fewer people were out and moving about. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding and felt myself relax slightly. Suddenly, I heard a strange cry of excitement come from one of the smaller humans. I looked towards the sound and saw him just as he squatted down in front of the cage. He wasn't too close to the cage and he had some strange animal wrapped up in his arms. He stared at me with wide, excited eyes and I just stared back. I began to growl as a hand inched out towards me, but as I breathed in, something stopped me.
A familiar scent flooded my nose and caused the growl to catch in my throat. There was something so comforting about this scent, but it still seemed foreign to me. Another larger human man came up to stand behind it. The human man placed a hand on the smaller one's shoulder and helped it to it's feet.
As the two of them stood there, talking lightly amongst themselves, I found myself inching towards them only slightly. I kept sniffing the air, trying to figure out what this scent was that was wafting off the two of them. Suddenly, it hit me as the two began walking off. Somewhere within that strange scent… Was the faintest blend of one that I could never mistake… Abby's scent. As they began to walk away, I couldn't help the whines that broke from me. They were guttural. How could these humans have Abby's scent on them. Fear and worry burned in each cry as I fought to contain them.
The cage suddenly jostled with a loud noise, causing my attention to divert. I looked up into dark eyes that belonged to another human man. His face was stern and cross as he stared down at me. Almost instinctively, my lips curled back into a barely audible snarl. He reeked of some obnoxious odor, but buried underneath it was Abby's scent yet again.
"Father, please don't hurt him!"
Alex scrambled back in front of the cage and grabbed his father's arm, pleadingly. Mathew Moon looked down at his youngest son before looking at the wolf in the cage once more. He let out a grunt and then stepped past him. Claude came back to his brother's side and touched his shoulder again.
"Alex, come on. We've got to go."
"… It looks like the wolf Abby told me about in her stories. See? He's got white fur and blue eyes just like the one Abby talked about."
Claude stared down at his brother before looking towards the wolf himself. Alex moved closer to the cage and knelt right down in front of it this time, much closer than before.
"Alex-"
Claude's voice came out with a slight alarm, but was cut off as Alex spoke to the wolf.
"Don't be scared…," Alex smiled as the wolf seemed to study him, "My big sister used to tell me all about wolves like you, but she's gone missing… But we came to find her. And she wouldn't be happy if we did anything to hurt you."
It was almost like time froze around them as Alex's eyes locked with the wolf's. Alex moved first, causing the wolf to jump slightly. He placed the toy wolf he held in his arms at the edge of the cage and sang the lullaby Abby had taught him. Claude only watched, somewhat mesmerized as the wolf inched closer.
"Abby sings me this song whenever I'm scared…," he trailed off after he had finished.
Alex slowly rose to his feet and took Claude's hand. Claude was jerked back to reality and looked down at his brother who merely smiled up at him. Before he could speak, their father returned with a man and his daughter. As they approached, the wolf let out a deep growl.
"Claude, this man claims to have seen your sister out in the woods. He agreed to take me where he saw her. You'll need to stay here with Alex and his daughter."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Claude and the other two men began to discuss things amongst themselves as Alex waved sheepishly at the man's daughter. She stepped out from behind her father and smiled softly at Alex before glancing towards the wolf.
"He's pretty, isn't he?"
Alex nodded quickly, turning to look at the wolf with her.
"My sister always talked about a wolf like him."
The wolf and the girl's eyes locked and she smiled gently. The wolf grabbed the toy Alex had left by the cage before curling back into the farther corner again. Alex let out a gasp of excitement and the girl turned back towards him suddenly, holding out a hand.
"My name's Elevie."
"I'm Alex!"
She looked over Alex's shoulder to see the adults were still talking before tugging Alex behind her and up into the store behind them. Alex looked over at his father and brother, but then gleefully went along with her when he made out Claude's nod of approval.
As the two younger humans ran into the structure behind me, I tried to steady my pounding heart. When the younger human boy made those sounds, it sounded like the song mother's would sing to their pups. I had even learned it from the den mother to sing to Corbin… But how would a human know it? The sun had begun to set and I found myself curled up around the strange thing the human boy had left behind. I wasn't even sure why I had taken it. I stared down at it curiously and buried my nose into it's strange fur. It smelt like Abby… I still wasn't sure what it was, but at this moment, it was the most important thing to me.
The moon was just coming out, when I felt the cage move again. I looked up just in time to see something being thrown over the cage. With it, came a strange darkness. Barely any light managed to shine through it. I could only make out their shapes, as I felt myself being lifted up again by a group of humans. They sat me down on some strange fur that smelt unnatural. Then, another loud thud sounded from somewhere nearby.
Despite the fear that kept pooling within my stomach, I could still smell the mixture of Abby's scent and the humans that smelt like her. Somehow, it helped me to feel more at ease.
I raced back to pack after hearing Devon's call that night. I knew there wasn't anything I could do on my own. Luckily, I had my family. I told Benry what had happened and, while he was rather disappointed and annoyed, he knew the sense of urgency this situation required. He managed to gather up a few of the stronger wolves and I led him back to the town. I led Benry and another of the wolves, Jasper, deeper into the town, as Benry had instructed the others to wait behind. It would be easier to stay hidden if less of us were on the move and the others could be on watch for anything strange happening.
I led Benry and Jasper carefully, avoiding the porch lights and street lamps. It appeared that after my last roam through the town, the streets and homes were better lit. Which meant fewer places to hide and avoid them. Nonetheless, we were able to reach Isaiah's house. Only Devon and his cage were no longer there. Isaiah's truck was also gone. Fear gripped my heart like a vice as I inched through the shadows closer to the home.
"Abigail…"
"He was here," I growled out, softly, motioning to the impression the cage left in the ground and the white tufts of fur that were scattered about.
"But he's not now."
Benry's voice came out with a softer tone. I turned to look at him and, as soon as I recognized the sympathetic look on his face, I shook my head violently. I took a few deep breaths to ground myself before I began to look for any kind of clues. Benry followed suit as he and Jasper searched around the backside of the house. I found footprints that matched Isaiah's scent and followed them to where it looked like the truck had been. I was ready to alert the others of my findings when a light inside the house quickly flicked on.
I froze where I stood and saw Benry and Jasper coming back towards me. I let out a warning growl just as the front door opened. The other two froze, hidden just outside the light and I looked up, ready for a fight. I was surprised to see Elevie instead of Isaiah. She wiped at her face as she smiled softly, closing the door behind her. She made her way down the steps and stood just at the last one.
"Hi, Abby."
The words sounded almost unreal to me. I understood her clearly and felt a shiver run up my spine. I saw Benry move from the corner of my eye and Elevie jumped slightly upon seeing his readied stance. His lips curled back to flash his teeth, but I stepped up to put myself between them. His body stilled and I felt his dominating aura run through me. I lowered my head instinctively, but held my ground. He let up his guard slightly and I turned back to face Elevie.
"... Can you understand me?"
She nodded lightly in response, but kept her eyes fixated on the other two wolves hiding just beyond the light. Her eyes shifted back to mine quickly and she let a small smile catch her lips. Just as she was about to speak the shrike from before landed on her shoulder. She brushed a finger along the bird's breast feathers before turning back to me.
"The shrike told me you'd be coming. I was starting to get tired."
"Elevie, we're looking for-"
"Devon? I know," she giggled.
"Do you know where he is? Where'd they take him?"
The shrike muttered something in Elevie's ear and she whispered something back. Elevie touched a finger to her chin in thought.
"Elevie," her eyes fell back on me, "We need to find him. Please."
Her stare on me held and then she turned to head up the steps. I felt my heart lurch forward painfully and Benry stepped up into the light now.
"We don't have time for this, Abigail," he growled out, Jasper stepping up just to his side.
Elevie stopped at the top of the stairs as she opened the door and she looked down at the three of us over her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Abby. I can't tell you. It's not time yet."
I went to protest, but she gave me a soft smile, stepping inside.
"Trust me. You'll get him back. Don't worry. He's safe."
With those final words, the door closed and the light inside went off shortly after. I stood frozen where I stood. My emotions were pulling me in every direction and my head was spinning. Benry stepped up beside me, now and kept his eyes fixated on the door.
"I take it that's the young Crow?" I was just able to make out a nod to reply. "Looks like she's more foe than friend."
"... No… I mean, maybe… I don't know. She said he was safe. I just… Don't know…"
My voice came out broken and no more than a whisper. What was I supposed to do now? Jasper's voice pulled me back into reality and Benry and I looked at him.
"His scent stops where these strange prints start," he started, nodding to the tire tracks that lead onto the gravel road, "I think our best bet is to follow these and we'll find Devon."
Benry looked at me, briefly, before turning back to Jasper and nodding his head. The two of them started off following the tire tracks. I glanced back towards the door. "He's safe." Elevie's words echoed in my head. I wasn't entirely sure I could trust her words, but I didn't have much of a choice. I forced myself to look away as I followed off after the others.
"Well, by the looks of it they weren't in the area anymore," Mathew Moon sighed in annoyance, "I still can't believe my daughter is still going on about this nonsense."
"Kids these days," Isaiah chuckled to himself as the two pulled up to Isaiah's home in the truck, "Don't know what I'm going to do about Elevie."
As the truck came to a stop, Claude opened the door and came out on the steps. Matthew was the first one to get out, followed by Isaiah.
"Did you find her?"
"No," Matthew gritted out, stopping at the edge of the steps, "But according to Isaiah's recount, that Reeves fellow was with her."
Claude swallowed hard before letting out a shaky breath of relief. Matthew eyed him skeptically, but before he could speak, Elevie came running out the door with Alex in tow.
"You won't believe it, Father! Elevie saw more wolves last night!"
The three adults all tensed up and exchanged concerned looks between each other. Isaiah knelt down to stop his daughter, holding him at the shoulders.
"Elevie, when did you see wolves?"
"Last night." Her voice came out so nonchalant and relaxed. "They came looking for the other one. I just came outside to-"
"You went outside!"
Isaiah's voice rang with concern and he went on to scold his daughter. Elevie tried to protest, but was constantly silenced by her father's lecturing. Claude was caught up trying to apologize profusely, having been asleep with Alex when all this happened. All the while, Matthew Moon stood in a less than engaged manner. He suddenly felt a tug at his arm and looked down at his youngest son. Alex began pulling his father away from the small scene and Matthew followed almost begrudgingly.
"Alexander, what is it?"
"... What's Mr. Crow going to do with the wolf?"
"Mr. Crow sold the animal."
Alex looked up at his father in a shocked state, before continuing with a quieted voice and letting his eyes fall to look at his feet.
"He sold him?"
"To a local trapper."
His face went pale. Matthew moon was as blunt as you could get and not even his son was spared when it came to this. Alex understood good and well what that meant and tried his best to stop the tears that were starting to form.
"But that means they're going to kill him!"
"That's just how things are, Alexander. So, stop crying."
He wiped at his face to catch his tears before continuing.
"... What if I wanted him?"
Matthew stared down at his son incredulously, but Alex just looked up at him with the most serious expression he could muster.
"Alexander. Absolutely not. We are not bringing some wild animal into our home."
Alex tried to maintain his confidence, holding his father's gaze, but then felt it crumble altogether. He tried to hold in his tears, but ended up running past his father and the others. The sudden action caused the other three to look up in confusion. Claude watched as his younger brother disappeared into the house and then turned to look back at his father. Isaiah mentioned something to Elevie about continuing their conversation later and then sent her inside as well.
"Is everything alright," Isaiah asked, once sure Elevie was inside.
"Yes, of course."
Claude watched as his father had no emotion or concern about his features when he spoke. Rather than talking to that brick wall, he decided it was a better route to try talking to Alex himself. When he came inside, Elevie took Claude to her closet. The two children had shared Elevie's room while Matthew and Isaiah were gone. Claude pulled the door open slowly and saw his brother curled up in the corner, crying into his arms as they were clutching his knees to his chest.
"Alex…"
His head popped up slightly and Claude felt his heart sink at how red his eyes were. Before another word could be spoken, Alex had flung himself into his brother's arms and buried his face into Claude's chest. Between the sobs and insistent soothing, Claude made out his brother's cry, "He's going to die!" Claude heard Elevie sniffle behind him and turned to see the young girl was bursting into tears as well. Instinctively, he pulled both kids into his arms and held them.
Once the two had calmed down enough, Alex was able to tell Claude about his conversation with their father. The two children practically passed out, having exhausted themselves with all the crying. Claude stepped back out into the living room once they were soundly asleep. He saw Isaiah sitting at the dining table and asked about his father. Isaiah nodded towards the door and told him that Matthew had stepped out for a business call.
Claude stood by in the doorway where the hall met the living room in a bit of an awkward manner before clearing his throat and heading for the chair next to Isaiah.
"Mr. Crow, my brother tells me you've sold the wolf?"
Isaiah gave him a rather questionable look before giving a small nod in response.
"Nothing is official yet. We're meeting later this afternoon. I've got that mutt locked inside my boat house for now. Didn't want it too close to the house with Elevie."
At that last comment, Isaiah shook his head with an annoyed sigh. They fell in silence again and Claude began toying with his thumbs on the table. He knew that if he went through with this incredulous idea, he was sure his father would disapprove. He swallowed hard as he tried to gather himself before looking up at the other man.
"I have a proposition for you, Mr. Crow."
I felt the soft warmth of the sun just barely through the strange covering over the cage. I blinked my eyes open slowly and no sooner than I had, I heard a loud thud. More light was evident now and blinded me as the covering was pulled back. I made out the face of the man that had trapped me and let out a warning growl. He said something in his human speech and then his face contorted into a lopsided grin. More human men came in behind him and I was being lifted up again.
I started snarling viciously, making sure to keep the small thing with Abby's scent protected. They were still unphased by my actions and protest as they had been before. It's not like I thought they'd fear me like this, but I at least wasn't going to let my guard down. They carried me a short while before I was placed down again in some strange cave like space. It didn't smell like stone and the surface beneath me almost felt like moss, but much rougher. I forced myself into the corner as something fell in front of this strange cave's mouth, capturing me inside. As I tried to look for any signs of familiarity, I realized the air was still. My ears perked up and I looked around frantically. All around me, now, I smelt Abby's scent, almost like I was being engulfed in it.
Suddenly, I saw a human hand grab hold of a small wall behind me. I jumped and forced myself into the other corner, closer to the strange cave's mouth, growling until I saw the rest of the small human pop up from the other side. I recognized it as the small human from before. He smiled at me in a different way than the others had. I felt myself relax a bit, unconsciously. He had reached a hand out closer, but we both froze when we heard the loud noises from outside.
"Claude, what's the meaning of this?"
Claude finished writing out the check on the outdoor table before handing it over to Isaiah. Matthew Moon's voice was harsh and seemed to silence those outside as he approached the family car. Isaiah gave Claude a small nod before stepping back to his truck, not wanting to get in the way of Matthew's directed anger. Claude put his checkbook back into his inner coat pocket before turning to his father who now stood before him.
"I made an investment."
"An investment," Matthew scoffed, "Giving into your brother's silly whims is not an investment. You're bringing a wild animal into our home. That thing will eat us in our sleep."
"Believe me, Father. I'm not that naive."
Claude felt his father's heated gaze boring holes into him at this point and tried to muster his courage before continuing.
"The wolf population has a history of being in short supply. I spoke with Mr. Crow about taking care of his wolf problem and, by doing so, benefiting the family. So, I made a starter purchase."
"Get to the point."
Claude met Matthew's eyes directly and it took nearly everything in him to maintain it. Claude had never done anything that would grant his father's disapproval, until now. It gave him a rather complicated feeling, one that invoked both fear and strength from within him.
"I've contacted a conservation center just outside of the city. They'll be taking the animal into their care. In addition, I was able to make a sizable deal with their affiliates, ensuring their business with us until the unforeseen future."
He glanced briefly to see Alex through the car's window. He was watching the wolf expectantly. Claude felt a small smile tug at his lips.
"And, if by doing all this, it somehow makes Alex happy at this time." His eyes went back to his father with a sudden pierce to them, that he swore made his father taken aback for a split second. "Then, I for one consider that a win-win."
The two fell in silence, neither of them breaking the intense eye contact they held. It was Matthew who spoke first, letting out an almost whisper of a chuckle. However, there were no humorous features about him.
"Very well," he started gruffly, stepping up to his son's side, their shoulders brushing each other, "Just remember. When this fails, I'll be garnishing whatever money you wasted on this little "project" from your inheritance. We don't have time to be wasting business resources just so you can play "big brother"."
Matthew pushed his way past his son, forcing Claude to take a step back to catch himself.
"Alexander is going to have to learn that he doesn't always get his way. Less he ends up like your troubling sister."
Claude felt a heated anger run up his spine, turning to retort to his father's comment, but Matthew was already closing the door to the front passenger seat as he got inside. Claude felt like his face was on fire. He caught a glimpse of Isaiah moving in the corner and looked to see him getting in his truck, where his daughter was waiting. Isaiah looked and gave him another small nod before getting in his truck and pulling off.
Claude took in the deepest breath he could before walking around the car and taking his seat beside Alex. His brother gleefully smiled at him before Claude instructed him to turn around and sit. He saw the flash of nearly onyx eyes watching him in the rearview mirror and looked up to meet his father's narrowed gaze. Claude waited until his father broke the stare, before looking out the window with a stifled sigh.
"Ready, Mr. Moon?"
Matthew nodded to the driver and the Moon Family began their return home.