Den Mother Pt 07 Huntress Moon

Weeks ago, while leaving Alaska for parts unknown... not really... the Arctic Circle along a specific Lay Line.

"Cyclops 1 you are clear to land." Came a beautiful female voice over the radio. One that made its pilot spark up a vivid grin, even as his co-pilot gnashed his teeth at his partners apparent ignorance of protocol. The crafts ID seemed ironic how a Cyclops had only one eye.

"Copy that Stone's Throw Base." Pilot Byron Cromwell was thinking with his dick. "Cyclops 1 ready to drop in and say hello."

"Did you bring a case of champagne with you?" The co-pilot Simon Basil used his hand to promote a throat slashing motion in hopes of rescuing his friend. Ignored Byron maintained both courses and just kept on flirting.

"I knew I forgot something."

"You're lucky, we have a case left over from your last acquisition drop."

"Pop the corks and fill those glasses Stone's Throw. See you shortly." Simon Basil turned his eyes away the second the cockpit door ushered open rather forcefully.

"What part of go dark do you not understand Cromwell?" A voice of authority made the pilot cringe. "Do I have to remove your tongue? Or worse?" No reply was informative enough. He wanted to say she started it, meaning the dispatch operator Olga but had no desire to put the innocent woman in harm's way. Byron was chivalrous like any good fellow from the UK. "Good answer."

Overshadow was her name, the commanding officer of the unit called Illuminus. Her true name Mercedes Raoul but known silently to her forces as MercHADES because she was hell to work for. Deadly to all who crossed her path with the sanction applied to pull the trigger at her discretion over the slightest defiance. Clocking in at 5'7, 125 pounds of well-defined daily workouts in variant forms of combat, she was chiseled. Long black hair pinned into a bun behind her head, dark eyes behind black shades she was often compared to the Baroness in G.I.Joe. A tattoo on her right temple of a bat closed out her authoritative demeanor.

Turning away from her pilots she headed back inside the aircraft. Their ride which was a cross between a heavy burden chopper and a jet with menacing wings was definitely high tech and certainly built for stealth. Illuminus were her dark retrievers, Illuminati her dark masters. Today however, her eerie cargo delivery meant she was in charge until unloaded into proper channels. Channels that meant the concealed research base hidden out there in the isolated wilderness of the furthest pinch of Alaska along Russian borders. Stone's Throw Research was a well cloaked Area 51 if you will. Not even satellites high above could see the facility should Google Maps be consulted. Only certain eyes were privy. Even Alaska's hidden base under Mount Denali was well known compared to Stone's Throw. No Black Pyramid here deep underground that place was designed for something far different. Stone's Throw was devoted to research while Denali was pure tech.

Upon touchdown just outside a pine tree covered area, the pilot Cromwell eased the hydraulic exit ramps back toward a temperature-controlled canopy to protect those workers inside who were prepping to receive his cargo. Mercedes cargo technically! Shutting down meant his job was done and he could head inside for coffee and hopefully a few hours to get some much-needed quiet time with the dispatcher named Olga. Fuck the champagne!

Overshadow was first to depart her craft to ascertain who was taking claim over her prizes. Meeting with an older man of his 60's with gray hair, bushy beard included, they made idle chat.

"Dr. Kurevski."

"Good day, Overshadow. All went well?"

"As it always does. Take your pets and let me get out of this hellhole."

"Pets? Hardly! Two Sasquatch, a male and a female I see in your report. Now that is intriguing."

"Not that intriguing they're both corpses."

"They are very hard to come by. Evasive critters I must say. Blink and gone!"

"I'd say blame it on your demon. Looks to me like they had quite a battle. Demon was ripped apart as well it appears. Why would you people dare to transport that thing in a civilian flight? You have no one to blame but yourselves for its loss."

"How unfortunate. You are correct Overshadow. Trust me my superiors have chewed me a new one over it. When the Wendigo was discovered in the Yukon and captured safely, I had high hopes of studying its behavior. So much for that. If I weren't so valuable, I'm certain you would be putting a gun to my head."

"At the cost of three dozen Canadian soldiers. There is still time for that Killshot."

"Noted! Regardless, we now have our hands on something we might be able to use later."

"Let me guess, cloning it?"

"Perhaps! It would give us a live one. Same for the Sasquatches."

"Soulless creatures."

"Do you truly care?"

"No! Soulless here as well. I need a shower. You have two hours to collect your packages. Hairy Christmas Doctor!" Even a mean bitch was prone to snide humor. They were close to the North Pole after all.

"Indeed!"

He was ready to open up his presents.

********

Elsewhen... where... the other side of thin air...

"Do you think I should call Luna back to me? That Roman soldier Baronas did touch the hand print I accidently left on the brow of his horse. Might I have infected him somehow?" Aurora Dawson continued to confer with her elder pup Yukon aka Mathias Longfellow, to her other side the Inuit shape changer Folly aka, you couldn't pronounce it if you tried.

"He doesn't seem in any pain or discomfort." Folly darted her gaze while trotting along on all fours in her wolf form. "The horse appears fine as well."

"Let Luna enjoy her man while she can." Mathias growled slightly, "We all know at some point all of these fine soldiers will likely die here while we keep plodding along. Your touch must be loosening up toward it being deadly."

"A good thing. I hate not having the ability to touch whomever I want." Aurora sighed, "And, no I'm not just speaking sexually. Hurting innocent people or worse tears at the soul."

"Try outliving anyone you ever had feelings for." Mathias grumbled, "I still feel the touch of my sweet Carlotta."

"Carlotta?"

"Aye! We met in Spain, she was a resistance fighter, a fine swordswoman I might add. I was older, of course."

"Dirty old man." Aurora smirked. "Dirty dog you."

"Don't make me nip at your heels."

"Remind me later and tell me more about your lovely Carlotta. Right now I worry about Garameth. He's keeping his distance from us in taking on that scouting mission up ahead all by himself."

"Strongest of us all Aurora." Folly pointed out, "He can take care of himself."

"I don't doubt that. I have to worry about my team is all. Right?"

"All in this together Juggles." Mathias chuckled at the fact every footfall Aurora took her large breasts whipped about. If not for feeling no pain she might have swollen tits and possibly a batch of bruises. Nope! Perfect complexion! Flawless even, what few moles she had when she was normal had even faded away. It was as if she were reborn inside and out. Even her hair was shiny and full like she had just washed it. Hygiene did not seem to be an issue, her scent often smelling of blossoms. Her DNA had obviously evolved in more ways than one. Good for her!

"Juggles? Quit eyeballing my tits you old fart. Before I tell Carlotta, you were panting over me."

"God rest her soul." He sighed. "Like thee, she had an ample bosom. How she could perry with her swords was beyond me. They certainly assisted in distracting the enemy."

"And you I'm certain."

Snapping another glance back at Baronas and Luna, Aurora spotted something, well more than a few somethings. One was the fact Luna was reaching around Baronas and was jerking him off in the saddle. Two, she spotted something she hadn't seen before now. His horse had another palm print on his upper shoulder where Baronas had obviously patted his horse.

"Oh, shit! I did infect him."

"What?" Folly leered at Baronas and frowned at Luna's behavior. "Luna is such a nympho. She will be riding backwards on that cock before long."

"Whistle her in Boss." Immortal pup Lingo trotted up to join his leader.

"It's not her. Do you guys see the handprint on the horse's right shoulder?"

"I see nothing but the one on its brow." Mathias indulged.

"Nor I."

"Maybe only my eyes can see it. I know I'm not hallucinating so it must be my eyes. Remember I used telescopic vision back in Alaska. I also saw in the dark like it was daylight. I think I'm seeing things that none of you can."

"How well I know." Mathias laughed, "You keep catching me licking my nads."

"This could be serious Yukon. What if when Baronas palmed my handprint on his horse it absorbed into his own. He is obviously touching Luna."

"We be magic Lass. I highly doubt that you or he would intentionally harm Luna."

"I hope not."

"Baronas is still breathing so that is a good thing."

"As is his steed." Lingo complimented Folly's statement.

"You're right. I'm probably just being too motherly."

"You are our Den Mother, Aurora." Folly yipped.

"I love you guys. We've been moving for hours I think I need to pee."

"Pull up some grass." Mathias nodded to their right. "Leg's as strong as yours you could easily catch up."

"I could, couldn't I? Join me in the tall grass Girlfriend?" She winked at Folly.

"I could probably squat."

"Take a hike Boys."

Soldiers traveling in procession watched Aurora and Folly vanish from their trail into the thicket and presume the obvious. Hearing Baronas snarl at the top of his lungs drew their attention back to the road, then over to see Luna licking her fingers winking back at them. They all wished they had such a lovely passenger. Too their left keeping pace was Orion in his large black, wolf form. Strangely, the wolf stuck it's tongue out then proceeded to lick his lips. Dicks were getting hard! BI-OH WOLF! Beowolf! Orion laughed at his own jest.

Toward the front of the dual transports Odessi Kilpatrick the Australian oracle rode upon the back of her loyal guardian caretaker Amoreus, looking out over the rest of the soldiers. Unable to speak without her tongue she was ever silent save for shared eye contact telepathy, or in the case of Aurora complete telepathy no matter where they faced. Aurora's adaptation power set had evolved being around the girl long enough to let it all sink in, so to speak.

Ever worried of former her master's coming for her, even killing her for her betrayal she darted her eyes about hoping to witness the future to forewarn her new caravan family here. Her visions were not always arriving in a timely fashion. Matters worse her conscience was still being tortured over abusing Garameth the Ghost in making him take her sexually. Her temptations became too needy, and her judgment dulled. Now she had tarnished what everyone had thought of her. She could even see it in the eyes of the Roman's, worried she might one day take over even them. If not for the General's faith in her she might have been thrown aside and left to die. Being a paraplegic with no arms or legs she would easily be dinner for some predator. Just thinking this made a vision pop into her head.

"Aurora! Look out behind you."

Squatting a few feet apart from one another Aurora and Folly bantered, Folly telling Aurora she should sit in the grass and wipe like she and the other wolves did after a dump. Aurora laughing at her said, "I'm killing enough grass just being in here. Makes me worry I'm altering the future like that whole Butterfly Effect theory."

"Look beneath you Aurora." Folly tilted her nostrils toward the grass.

"What?" Shaking her ass of droplets Aurora stood up and glared at her wet spot. "Oh! The grass isn't fried. I guess even my kidneys are adapting. At least I saved Mother Earth a few blades."

A sudden scent drew Folly to stand on all fours and growl toward the thicket behind them. "What is it girl? Sorry! Folly?" Just as swiftly Aurora hears Odessi's telepathic warning and stands tall. The ladies were ambushed by a fast-moving creature that had stayed upwind. Whatever it was had the intelligence to outwit the noses of her pack until now. Folly morphing like lightning into a larger werewolf form stood just shy of Aurora's seven-foot height, joining her Den Mother defensively. In a surgical attack out of nowhere came another beast.

"Oh, Fuck me! I've seen the Park movies those are Velociraptors?"

Avoiding the lizard Folly howled out loud startling the troops and her fellow pack members. To their defense Orion and Blue Eyes burst into werewolf form and charged into the grass. The rest of the pack as directed by Mathias stood guard over the Roman's.

Teeth and claw unable to pierce Aurora's skin she battled her attacker frantically, whipping about almost as if she were on fire. Fists pelting the Raptor in its side broke ribs making its jaws release her shoulder in a painful squeal. Once toppling to the ground, it retreated into the grass as fast as it showed up. Folly dodging her own prehistoric assailant found her hip clipped and blood drawn. Screaming out as Orion and Blue entered the fray the two of them ripped into the Raptor and tore limbs off of it. It was kill or be killed as simple as that. Nature of the beast!

Aurora plucking up a weeping Folly bolted from the grass just as Garameth returned from sensing his pack's misfortune. In Dire Wolf mode Garameth stood as tall as the horses in passing. The Soldier's breaking formation circled Odessi for protection, swords drawn. Behind Baronas, Luna felt her sister wolf's pain and leaped off of her saddle. Darting through the barricade she raced to Aurora and Folly's side.

Resting Folly in the thinner grass by their path Luna crouched on her knees. "She will heel shortly. I am here Sweet Folly."

"You guys heal that fast? She's bleeding like, well, a bitch."

"Be calm Aurora. She needs to focus on her wound."

"Shit! There goes Ghost."

Aurora was nearly run over by Garameth's trajectory. Storming into the thicket as Blue and Orion killed their Raptor, Ghost pursued the second one, it's blood now a dead giveaway as to location. Speed slowed by its agony the second Raptor was easily overtaken by Garameth and ripped in half. Dragging its corpse back to the Romans lunch was served. Between two Raptors there was enough to carve up and share. Dropping the lifeless bodies, the pack circled Folly and awaited her healing process.

"Will she live?" Concerned, General Calahaus rode his horse to their side peering over the group at Folly's bloody fur.

"Yes!" Luna spoke up, "Delve up the beasts and feed your bellies, she will need an hour to heal such a deep wound." Aurora of course had to translate English to ancient Greek with hints of later era Latin. It was obvious that the time period they had journeyed from was on the cusp of change.

"I am glad." A wave to two of his soldiers they dismounted and prepped dinner, Aurora dictating Lingo and Boogie to go get firewood. Everyone was looking out for one another.

Amoreus carrying Odessi into their midst allowed the girl to share a tear for Folly. Aurora standing up caressed the girl's cheek wiping the wet streak off on to her thumb. In the blink of an eyelid Aurora had a vision of her own.

"Kodi?"

********

The night prior, presumably, beneath a canopy of gnarled trees it was hard to tell.

"I miss you dad!" Kodi Prescott was tough, he couldn't even shed a tear while succumbing to heartbreak. Abnormal considering that he used to be picked on in school until he bawled his eyes out. Now? The dam was well built. "Where am I? All I can remember is the crash and the Bigfoot battle and Miss Dawson trying to... why was she naked in the cold?" That part was definitely vivid. Kodi had never seen a naked woman before that moment. Now he understood why his father used to whistle at her.

That part of respect hadn't dawned on him until now. Wolves taking human form he also recalled, then a strange stone staircase leading to nowhere. "Then I was here in the dark. It's so quiet. No animal calls. No insects annoying me. I'm not even cold, yet I can see my breath." He exhales into his palm and realizes he couldn't even feel the heat coming off of his release. "Huh!" Just as he looked directly at his palm the breath cascading it turned his skin green in a very instantaneous glow that faded as fast as it happened. "Whoa! I'm hulking out." He was a boy so comic books were definitely a pleasure. DVDs at that!

Chattering noises drew his attention toward the treetops, for once he heard life. "About time! I was wondering if maybe I was dead." Pondering his words, he suddenly concluded that he didn't care if he was deceased, at least he might see his father again. Bad enough he had lost his mother when he was five in a skiing accident, one involving a very sturdy tree.

"Kodi?"

"Say what!?" He turned, startled at hearing his name but hardly frightened. Before him glowing white stood what appeared to be his mother Cassandra Prescott surrounded by a vapor. How weird was it that he just thinking of his mother? "Mom? You're dead. Uhhh? Where's dad? I mean if you're here why can't he be?"

"Away!" Was her sole reply.

"Am I dead?"

"No."

"Where am I?"

"E'Dom!"

"Uhhh? Where is E'Dom?"

"Beginning!"

"Why are you only giving me one-word answers?"

"Must!"

"Why?"

"Difficult!"

"Meaning trouble communicating from the great beyond?"

"Yes!"

"You know what happened to me? The plane crash? Dad killed by something..."

"Son."

"Yeah?"

"Not!"

"I'm not following mom."

"You!" A difficult second word forced, "Not!"

"Not what?" He managed to get the nerve to walk right up to the spirit and fan away the vapor around her. "I'm not your son?"

"Inside!" As she speaks, he lowers his eyes to his chest and palms both pecks.

"Inside?"

"Yes! Son! Inside! You!" That effort was exhausting.

"Okay, I'm not understanding any of that at all."

The ghost of Cassandra peers up at the trees just as a loud destructive thud lands behind him making Kodi jump. As if sensing where it was Kodi stepped over to it and used his foot to tap something substantial. It was too heavy to move but it did press in on contact. Trying to pierce the darkness his vision suddenly altered. Now as if broad daylight he could see what was before him. "Whoa! A boar."

"Eat!"

"Ummm? I'm not hungry."

"Must!"

"Not raw, I'm not. Build me a fire."

"EAT!"

"Nope! I'll stay at the table all month if I have to. We went through that stage when I was a child." With his altered vision he turned to face his mother's spirit but found her gone. In her place stood a massive Wendigo somewhat similar to the one in Alaska, only a female with eight breasts and much larger. Grossed out but still fearless Kodi cleared his throat. "So, you're not my mom. Inside you said?" Again, he touched his chest. "I think I can feel... oh, shit!" His palms touching his bare chest his flesh went green and almost x-ray in nature. Witnessing claw-like palms touching his but from within he knew.

"Son! Inside! Live!"

"Dollar in a swear jar when I get home but... FUCK!"

He might need a lot of pickle jars.

********

Stone's Throw Base, the Arctic Circle. The future for some, the past for others.

"Be careful with those body bags. I don't want any of our test subjects damaged any more than they already are." Dr. Ivan Kurevski barked at his worker bees in sterilization suits which were yellow with black stripes around the arms and legs, thus the bee reference. Observing them from a distance to avoid a suit of his own he advised the mass of workers struggling to lift the two large Sasquatch containers, resulting in a forklift transport. The smaller body bags containing the corpses of the shredded Wendigo and the headless woman were much easier to carry. A sole worker holding up a smaller black satchel was shown to the good Doctor.