It was the smell of the deer that brought my wolf out.
One moment I was standing by the cave entrance, my back sore from sleeping in weird positions and my balls aching from all the sex last night. I felt something pushing in my mind, then as I started to lose control of my body I could hear and feel the change coming on. Lissa had told me about what would happen, so I tried to relax and just be an observer, because that was what it was like when the wolf took over. There was pain, crunching of bones reforming, snapping of tendons and stretching of skin. It was all over in a few seconds, and she promised that later changes wouldn't be like that. I was glad, that wasn't fun.
She was right about what being a wolf was like. It was like wearing a virtual reality headset for gaming that was being controlled by someone else. You could see, hear, smell and feel everything but you were powerless to control what happened. I wanted to yell for Lissa to tell her what happened but the plug had been pulled to control my voice. I could just watch as my wolf surged forward into the snowy field outside the cave.
I was amazed by the senses my wolf had. My eyesight was better, not having the color vision but it was incredibly sharp and even in the shadows I could see well. My hearing was off the charts, and the smells were assaulting me on all sides. I tried to pick out the scents, but human experience smells are nothing like these. I watched as my wolf loped through the forest, nose up occasionally to sniff for deer as we silently moved closer. I heard Lissa yelling for me, but my wolf didn't even turn around. I could see my silver and grey paws below me as I slowed down about five minutes later. The smell was much stronger, now I knew what deer smelled like. I could sense the difference between the bucks and the does as my nose picked up the scents carried in the light breeze. We were coming up on the edge of a ravine. I watched in fascination as my wolf hugged the ground, belly crawling to the edge to look over.
I could see half a dozen does and one large buck along the crick that ran through the ravine. The group was moving along towards an open field, grazing along the way. I knew my wolf had hunting instincts, because as a sniper I recognized the stalking techniques he was using. We kept brush and vegetation in between us and the deer, moved slowly and stopped frequently, and froze when there was any movement towards me. It took about five minutes to make it down and get close enough to one of the does to have a chance.
BANG!
The sound of the shot spooked the deer, and they took off before my wolf could react. I could tell immediately that it was a large caliber rifle round, but that didn't matter as my wolf jumped up and took off after one of the does. It ran up the side of the draw and into the forest, and it had enough of a head start that my wolf gave up the pursuit. A few minutes later we were retracing our steps, when the scent of humans came, mixed with another scent. One I recognized. Lissa. My wolf was nose to the ground, tracking the trail she left when we heard the sound of an engine. Creeping to the edge of the treeline, I watched in horror as Lissa was dressed in extra coats and bundled onto an ATV before being driven out. My wolf watched but did not move, the instinct to avoid humans and their guns, I figured.
We watched for quite a while, one human down there field dressing a buck. My wolf eventually lost interest and headed back for the cave. He sat outside it and let loose a mournful howl, his companion was gone and he was alone. As the sun set, he went inside and curled up on the bed. We slept surrounded by her scent.
In the morning the wolf still had control. Stepping outside the cave, he watered down the entrance before heading back towards the lake where I had set up the hide. He was tracking the trail we had made to get here. It didn't take long to get to the lake and nothing but my smell was left there. My wolf searched around, and I could tell that he had picked up the scent of the pack from a few days earlier. Something Lissa had told me came to mind- that wolves are pack animals, they are driven to form groups, and become unstable when alone too long.
My wolf must have agreed, because he started following the trail of the pack around the lake and into the woods. Being detached from control let my mind wander. It was a beautiful day, Christmas was coming, and carols played in my head. "Over the river and through the woods, To grandmother's house we go, the nose is the way, to find our way through the bright and drifting snow, oh!" Yeah, I know. Sue me. I'm just a back seat driver here.
We covered maybe ten miles before we came upon the pack compound. As we got closer, the scents became much stronger and fresher. We made it almost to the shop before we were noticed. A man was putting wood in a wheelbarrow one moment, and the next was a brown and black wolf surrounded by shredded clothing. He let out a warning howl as he approached us, hackles up and snarling. My wolf stood his ground, and must have been threatening enough that he stopped. In less than a minute we were inside a circle of wolves.
One wolf strode confidently into the circle with me. He was larger than me and power radiated from him. His fur was brown in color with a white patch on his face and ears, and I could see a little gray in his muzzle. My wolf started to whine as he came closer, his posture demanding submission from my wolf. I was praying my wolf would give up. If there was a fight, it would be short and bloody for me.
My wolf rolled over and presented his neck. The big wolf took my neck in his teeth and squeezed gently before releasing. Sitting back, he smoothly shifted into a man. "SHIFT, all of you." The wolves surrounding me immediately shifted back to human form, unconcerned with their nudity as that was normal for them. My wolf gave up control and my body shifted as well, leaving me on my back in the snow.
"Doug, we need to talk. The rest of you, go back to your work. None of you are to harm or interact with this man unless I direct it." They nodded their heads and walked away, averting their gazes from us. He offered me his hand and helped me to my feet.
"That was interesting."
"I bet. My name is Joel, I'm the Alpha here. Was this your first shift?"
"Yes, it happened yesterday afternoon."
"I figured that. Let's head back to the house. Lissa is all over the news now and we need to talk about the both of you." The cold didn't affect me as much as I thought it would, and it didn't bother Joel at all. He stopped at a box on the front porch and tossed me a pair of sweats.
"We go through clothes like you wouldn't believe. We buy cheap sweats, shorts and T-shirts at Walmart by the cartload just to keep up." Dressing quickly, I followed him inside and into his office. He sat down behind the large desk and gestured for me to sit at one of the wooden chairs in front of it. The seat was slippery and the chair tilted forward a little, forcing me to use my thighs to keep from sliding off. Joel grinned a little as he saw what was happening. "That's a little tip I picked up when I read a book on Admiral Rickover. He messed with the chairs because it kept people slightly uncomfortable and focused when he talked to them."
I smiled back. "Yeah, I can see that. I guess you can pick up tips from anywhere, we're a long way from the Pentagon." I was actually shocked to be here, there was a big smelly turd in the room and it was time to get it out in the open. "Lissa told me that the wolf I shot was the Alpha Bitch of your pack and your mate. I'm truly sorry for your loss. I had no idea." I held his gaze for a few moments but his eyes were cold and distant. I could see the emotions in his face, anger, pain, sorrow and pity warred across them.
"I don't know if I'll be able to forgive you for what you did. Emma was my best friend and the mother of our twins. I have a hard time looking at you and knowing that you will cause our babies to grow up without her." I tried not to show emotion and just listen. "Let's face it, this thing sucks all around. Snow never wanted to be a wolf, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You've been put through hell because we couldn't let anyone know she was a member of our pack. My pack will never trust you. They know you sought revenge, but Emma was like a mother to all of them and we all felt the loss."
I slowly let my breath out as I thought carefully about my next statement. "I can sense how my wolf wants to be part of a pack, but I could never ask to be part of this one. I respectfully request assistance so I can leave here and try to make a life with Lissa before it is too late."
Alpha Joel tapped his fingers on his desk. "Long term we can help with that. Do you know what happens when a wolf pack has a strong new leader come up within its ranks?"
I thought back to my research. "Well, either the Alpha is challenged and the loser is killed or driven off, or the younger wolf just leaves."
Joel nodded. "Yes... especially if that wolf wants to mate with another wolf in the pack. It is common for pairs to head off together, to form a new pack. It is not an easy life, there are many challenges and many such pairs don't make it, but I think that is the option I would prefer you to have. Not because I'm afraid of what would happen if you challenged me, but because of Snow. She loves you, you know. She always has."
