Alaska! Not far from the Arctic Circle.
"Who are these bozo heathens?"
Lucien leered at his elder brother Stanos while in their wolf forms, the two of them immortal shape changers. Hiding out in the timberline above the cleansed crash site of a once downed cargo plane amid chaotic military activity they observed retired General Harlan Ambrose Harker lead a hand full of soldiers in dark clothing designed to battle the temperature yet remain stealthy. "You overheard them before they headed out here Brother. You tell me."
"The guy with clout is a General. I think he's retired though, so my real question is who are his foot soldiers? If he's sipping daiquiris laced with Metamucil in his glory days, how is he commanding this unit?"
"Hired help. Mercs most likely. Speaking of feet, they've discovered my tracks. Let us hope they simply presume a wolf searching for dinner." Stanos notes a soldier kneeling to examine his left behind paw prints with more interest than any normal hunter. Lynn Dawson, Aurora's mother opted to mention she had just come out here earlier to inform them of her own tracks so that would at least run a bit of interference. However, they weren't interested in her size 7 boots, more on the fact Stanos had erroneously ventured out in his Dire Wolf size so his prints were huge and weighing heavy. Even he had to snarl at his mistake. Seeing the tracker looking toward the trees both brother's inched back into the thicker brush. Stanos having already morphed into a smaller breed prevented being seen easily.
"Whoa?" Lucky paused to sniff the air. "Brother? I just caught a scent of immortality."
"Anna's blood! I sensed it as well. I'm not certain what to make of it yet. It seems as if she was the only one left behind." Telepathy was a good thing to possess when being silent.
"I smell death too. Yet, the only active scent is Tailchaser's." Lucky continued inhaling the fresh air about him. "Well, Wendigo droppings somewhere out there. Leaking fuel into the Earth. That had to leave a mark, wouldn't it? Chemical scent too!"
"Whomever stepped in to examine the crash site scrubbed it as best they could, removing all that wasn't characteristic of nature. Something such as blood and chemical is always overlooked when it bonds with the ground soil."
"Right! They can't clean up the odor of blood, immortal blood especially. If these morons would leave, we might be able to track Anna's scent."
"To where? Once she was likely loaded onto a transport the scent becomes faint. How did Garameth's pack all vanish at once?"
"Right! Do you think the guys who cleaned this place trapped them and took them somewhere?"
"Use your nose, Brother, and our mental connection. Garameth is no longer of this plane. We knew this while in Montana when our bond was spliced. He has departed this dimension. The stairway to nothingness should be here but it is not."
"You think the cleaning crew took the staircase?
"I do not! Nor are there any foundation marks where it might have resided for who knows how long. Mental impressions at best."
"So, what's our next move?"
"We find someone who can see through the veil."
"A'Bomi!"
"Yes. If we can locate a Breacher. Finding any A'Bomi is difficult. They hide in plain sight yet beyond mortal comprehension. Their factions spread throughout the planet. Likely deep within Gaea."
"Lynn looks terrified." Lucky lowered his snout as if reacting to sadness.
"Of course, she is. Bad enough we freaked her out without these guys spooking her. She feels trapped."
"So, do I."
"Agreed! We stay to protect Lynn if necessary."
"Right! Garameth would expect that of us. For his Den Mother, Aurora."
"We owe it to the family. Listen! The soldiers are informing one another of wolves nearby. Let us hope Lynn does not reveal we are here."
"Unless she slips up by accident, I think she's on our side. With her daughter's history with the military, she's more likely to side with us over them. Half of her fear right there, I'd guess."
"Perhaps! She is holding up better than most who know of our kind might." Caught off guard the brothers hear a voice and turn growling. A lank gentleman in black draws back his parka hood, training a strange looking gun on them. Grey hair at the temples but distinguished in a Bond villain manner.
"Hello gentlemen. Let's not go vicious, shall we? If I say sit, will you hold it against me?"
"How did you sneak up on us?" Telepathy spoken between they and him seemed odd.
"Enhancements!" He tapped his temple with a glove. "High end, I am. You may call me Peregrine, a messenger if you will. I'll mean you no harm as long as you return the favor. Shapeshifters, I surmise? It doesn't matter. There's no need to fear us we're obviously all here for the same reason. The General down there only wants his son back. You, I would guess a family member if it brought you out of hiding. Mrs. Dawson there seeking answers to her missing daughter. We're all in this together."
"What's going on up there Perry?" Harker snarled into his walkie talkie.
"Communing with the neighbors." Peregrine spoke respectfully, "Guns lowered if you will General. We will join you shortly."
"Will we?" Lucien winced with uncertainty.
"Oh, for goodness' sake." The soldier used his gun in two rapid snaps, darts impaling the fur coats of both brothers before they could react. Seconds later both Stanos and Lucien were weak as kittens. "Please try and relax, the effects are only temporary. What I've done is place a nanite tracker into you both. No matter where you run, we can follow. While my telepathy has range, I would undoubtedly lose sight of you with some distance between us."
"There is more." Stanos sniffed his shoulder where the dart was introduced, his jaws gripping the injector and removing it to a thin spatter of blood.
"Yes. I'm afraid we value your input in this situation so there is a suicide distance should either of you bolt. You might make it within a mile then... boom. A mile and a tenth for good measure. Forced removal of the trackers within and they will detonate. If there is immortality involved, well, good luck. Friends otherwise! Shall we adjourn to the ravine below? Oh, for the record? I was able to creep up on you both because my body has no scent, I presume you've realized that."
"No footsteps either." Stanos realized.
"Yes. My suit here prevents vibration and replicates the odors of the environment. If you notice I'm an inch off of the snow beneath my boots. Simply a decrease in gravity. After me Gents." He takes the lead and makes his way down the cratered ravine. Stanos and Lucky scowling at their misfortune follow behind without threat.
"What in Sam Hill?" Harker noted his man Perry escorting two large wolves from the hilltop. Seeing them Lynn gasped and felt even more at a loss. Armed soldiers stood prepared to fire should there be any signs of attack, laser pointers marking their fur as targets secured. Peregrine motioning the armaments to be lowered seemed a good sign that neither team was truly hostile.
"I need to pee." Lucky whined. Of all of his brothers he was the weaker constitution in times like this. Not fear, merely cornered.
Stanos kept an open mind. Mostly to avoid his thoughts being read.
********
The other side of the dimensional crossroad, even a chicken would wonder why he was there.
"I still can't get over my acid trip. All that cum on me gave me insight into the soldiers' lives." Aurora Dawson pondered as she watched the troops break down camp and prepare to mount their horses. "The History Channel would love me if I took them the things I've seen. Kind of makes me want to let my pack jizz on me so I can learn a bit more of their pasts too."
"I can piss on you." Mathias, aka Yukon looked up at her preparing to hike his hind leg. Noting her glare, he changed his mind.
"You do and I'll kick your bladder through your ass and say go fetch."
"I'd grow another one. At least, I think that's how it goes."
"How exactly does this immortality stuff work, Mathias?"
"All I know is I age gracefully. You see any gray hairs on my black?"
"You shape change asshole. You could probably ward off the age spots."
"True dat! All I know is I have perfect bowel movements and my old bones don't creak. Days go by in a blink and I know no end."
"Which keeps me wondering about Tailchaser. She was beheaded and bled out so that has to say something about immortality that you guys just haven't ran across."
"I miss the ole' girl. She was like a daughter to me."
"Tell me about her, the real her, not the canine I knew."
"Anna Coranova, born in Siberia in 1804. One of the youngest in our pack. She ran off to see the world and found us. Sweet kid, always looking out for others."
"Were her parents shape changers?"
"Not that I'm aware of. Her dad was a caribou Shepard. Her mom a simple wife and mother. Not all of us have driving genes carried down. Mine did but like Lingo over there, he was a runt that was scorned by his kin for being pretty useless growing up. He wasn't very strong until he grew older. Hell of a sled dog though. Like Anna's kin he just happened to grow into what he was destined to be. When his dad tried to kill him without success after finding out he was different Lingo took off and never looked back."
"That's so tragic. Parents can be so cruel."
"Not your mom, she always brought me treats."
"I wasn't referring to my mother Yukon. She's a wonderful soul. God, I miss her. Why did we have to bring her up, now I want to cry."
"Sorry Aurora. What about your dad?"
"I have no idea who he is. Mom just... it's funny you bring him up." She frowned, "Odessi mentioned she knew who he was, but I stopped her from telling me. After mom warning me, he wasn't such a good person I've tuned out any desire to know anything about him."
"Worried he might end up being like your ex?"
"Antonio? I wouldn't call him any ex, we just slept together a lot. After he let his unit, my unit... yeah, let's not make me any more emotional, okay?"
"Sorry Den Momma! Over there!" He nodded with his snout, "Looks like that Baronas guy just discovered your handprint on his horse's noggin. How is that critter not dead?"
