He pondered her description for a moment before he shook his head. "Nope, can't say that I do. There isn't any creek running along the east border so you must be thinking of another place."
Emily chuckled. "Actually, I just made that up to see if you really did know the border. Where you need to take us is to an old road called Slovenly by the locals. Do you know where that is?"
"Yep. Once herded some cows along there." He leaned toward me and gave a wink. "Mind you I wasn't supposed to be there because the range land was about fifteen miles east of that, but that had the best grass in the whole county."
"Now it has the best entrance into Lance's territory," Emily told him.
"How soon can we be there?" Luke spoke up.
"Oh, I'd say about ten hours if we go by the long roads, give or take an hour," Wilson guessed. "I've got a couple of five-gallon buckets of gas in the back that we can use to refill so we won't find any trouble in the towns."
Luke frowned. "How are the towns? Are Lance's men causing much trouble still?"
Wilson pursed his lips and gave a nod. "Yep, but don't you worry none about the folks in those small places. They have more guns and guts then those bullies have brains, and can handle themselves. Not forever, mind you, but long enough to let us get done what we need to."
Luke's frown turned upside down. "It's good to know we can count on so many people to keep Lance's men distracted."
"Yep, and speaking of counting, your group here looks like they could use a little counting of sheep. Especially that Protector in the back." Wilson nodded at the reflection of Adam in his rear view mirror. "He looks like he swallowed a frog and the thing's still kicking around inside of him."
"He thinks my mate and I are going to cut your throats while you sleep," Emily explained.
Wilson raised an eyebrow. "That'd be a mighty poor way to be thanking us for taking you along for the ride."
"It is nice to be taking an open-bed ride for once instead of in the back of some dark-tinted vehicle or truck," Emily agreed. She slid back and plopped herself beside her mate. The pair faced Adam who stared at them unblinkingly. Emily smirked at him. "You can stare all you want at us, but I'm going to get some sleep." She snuggled against Ian and closed her eyes.
Ian pointedly stared back at Adam. "We won't help anyone by exhausting ourselves with paranoia," he agreed. He, too, closed his eyes and leaned his head forward for some rest.
Wilson smiled and glanced at Luke and me. "You two can get some sleep, too. If that fellow there or I see something funny we'll be sure to holler."
"That's very kind of you," Luke replied.
Wilson snorted. "Just being nice doesn't need that pretty a speech. Just get some rest and leave the driving to me." I both trusted him and feared for my life as we barreled down the country road in the middle of the night without any headlights.
"We should rest," Luke whispered to me.
I sighed and mimicked Emily when I snuggled against my own mate's shoulder. "Not a problem," I murmured.
17
We bumped along countless miles and made a few stops to rest and pour another container of gas into the truck. There were about half a dozen of the five-gallon drums left and not much sunlight on that long day by the time we reached the ten-mile stretch before the northwestern border where Manutia met Prospera. I was shaken awake by Luke, and my bleary eyes viewed the setting sun ahead of us on the horizon. The geography of this part of the werewolf lands was flat with tall bunches of wild grass and a few clumps of small birch trees. Against the natural habitat stood a long stretch of chain-link fence with some the sharp icing of barbed wire on top.
I glanced to Luke who had his lips pursed. "This doesn't look good," I commented.
"That's because it isn't," Wilson chimed in. He stopped the vehicle fifteen yards from the fence and glared at the chain link. "Last time I went by this place this wasn't here."
Emily leaned into the cab through the window and glared at the fence. "Lance doesn't waste time patching up holes if he finds them, and he must have found this one."
"So what do we do now? Full reverse?" I suggested.
Luke shook his head. "No, we break through here and find Callean."
Emily looked at him like he was nuts. "Are you crazy?" She pointed at a thin black wire between the very top of the fence and the barbed wire. "That's part of a security system. If we break that then they'll know we're here and will send a pack to deal with us."
"How long before the pack comes?" Luke asked her.
She shrugged. "Depends on how close one is right now. I don't smell anyone, but they could have the de-scenter in their systems and could have passed by ten minutes ago. Hell, they could be here right now."
"Then it could be only a few minutes?" he guessed.
"Yes, but what's important is they'll know we're here, unless you want to tell them and have our little adventure here cut short by a quick battle," she countered.
"I do want them to know we're here," Luke replied.
Emily and my mouths dropped open, Wilson raised an eyebrow, and Adam and Ian in the bed jumped to their feet. "Are you mad?" Adam asked Luke.
"No, but I am desperate. The only plan I can come up with to find Callean is for him to find us," Luke explained. "The most effective way he can find us is if everyone knows we're in the region."
"But that would make it a suicide mission, and I'm not going to get myself killed with a stupid plan like that," Emily protested. She pulled her head from the cab and turned toward the end of the bed, but Adam stepped in her way and glared at her. She snarled back. "Get out of my way, Boy Scout."
"I won't allow you to leave without knowing for sure you are not against us," Adam replied.
Emily opened her mouth and out came a loud howl. Unfortunately, it wasn't hers. The noise came from the deep grass and few bunches of trees along the fence. My werewolf ears told me this was a call to attack, and in a moment a dozen half-transformed werewolves sprang from the grass. To add to the trouble, four of the attackers had their fully-transformed friends on thick chain leashes that led to collars. They were far larger than a normal wolf, more like a bear than a giant dog. There was a cold, feral look in their eyes that told me something wasn't right about them. Every scrap of humanity was gone, replaced by the ferocity of the wolf that was ever-clawing inside of us.
Emily, Ian and Adam raced to the front of the bed and looked over the cab at our adversaries. Emily's eyes widened in fear. "Feroce!" she yelled.
Wilson shifted the stick and slammed on the pedal. We barreled backward and our friends in the rear of the truck nearly tumbled over the top of the cab. Our foes with the leashed wolves untied the leashes and released the salivating monsters. They sprinted after us with their wild yellow eyes filled with hunger for flesh.
The wind whipped into the cab through the rear window. I held onto the dashboard and locked my arms to keep from sliding forward. "What the hell are those?" I yelled at Luke.
"Feroce. They are what are created when a werewolf remains in their full wolf state for too long," he replied.
"How do we stop them?" I asked him.
Wilson shook his head. "You don't stop them, you just run, now hang on!" He spun the wheel and we performed a tight one-eighty. Wilson slammed his foot on the accelerator and we flew forward, but not fast enough.
The feroce dove at the tailgate and three of the four managed to grab the metal. They pulled themselves into the bed and snarled at our three friends in the rear. The other feroce followed ten yards behind us as we bounced down the dirt road. The normal werewolves were thirty yards behind and losing ground. Ian, Emily and Adam dove as far apart as the bed would allow when the feroce jumped toward them. They landed at the head of the bed against the cab. One of the beasts noticed the open rear window and thrust his claw inside the cab. It swiped and swung at us, and I yelped and dodged the swings. Luke grabbed the window and slammed the glass shut on the creature's arm. The glass and metal cut deep into its arm, and it howled a
nd pulled its wounded arm out of the truck.
The other two feroce kept our friends busy. The creatures snapped their powerful jaws and tried to grab any leg or arm within reach. Our friends had little room to dodge, and soon one of Ian's legs was captured by the sharp teeth. The creature yanked his leg out from under him. Ian cried out and grabbed the side of the bed to keep the rest of his leg from being swallowed by the feroce.
Emily snarled and dove at the feroce while Adam kept the other one entertained. She half-transformed and crashed into its thick, furry body. Her long teeth bit into its neck and the beast loosened its grip on Ian's leg enough for him to pull out his wounded limb. The beast, angered at the loss of its easy meal, turned on Emily. It swung its head around and snapped at her clothes. She jumped on its back, and clawed and bit at its tough hide.
Adam had his hands full with his unwanted guest. He dodged its snapping jaws and jumped atop the cab. Adam's feet slipped on the smooth roof and he fell onto his stomach with his hands grasping the rear of the roof. That made him face-to-ugly-face with the feroce. Fortunately, the feroce Luke injured stumbled back and toppled into his friend. The pair tumbled to the rear of the bed and Adam scurried into the kind-of-safety of the bed before he lost his grip on the roof.
"A little help!" Emily growled. Her foe had turned into a bucking bronco and she rode him with all the agility of a pig on a jet ski.
I tried to get the window open, but Luke held me back. "There is no room in the bed," he pointed out.
Adam rushed forward and slammed his shoulder into the feroce. At the moment of impact Emily stood on the back and pushed off the feroce's back with her feet. Their combined push shoved the feroce into its two companions at the rear, and the whole lot tumbled into the tailgate. The short metal didn't keep them from falling and they toppled out of sight, soon to be seen on the dusty road behind us. The two uninjured feroce got back on their feet and joined their running brethren at chasing us down the road.
"Ian!" Emily shouted. She rushed to his side as he sat up against the side of the bed. His pant leg was torn open and the wound from the deep teeth marks bled freely.
Adam came up behind her, and she turned to him with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Do you trust us now?" she growled.
The former Protector didn't say a word, but merely stooped and pulled off his jacket. He wrapped the thick cloth around the wound, his face firm and his lips pressed tightly together. When the job was finished he turned his attention to the rear of the truck. The five-gallon buckets lay on their sides near the tailgate, battered and bruised. One of them was punctured and slowly leaked our precious fuel.
Adam stood and strode over to the tailgate. On the ground beneath him raced the three feroce, their snapping jaws a promise of what they would do to us if they managed to get back into the bed of the truck. Adam picked up the leakiest of the capped buckets and waited. The feroce inched closer. Wilson's old truck couldn't outrace these monstrosities, not without a smooth road and about a hundred more horse-power. Ten yards, five. They could jump into the bed again. The three monsters howled in glee and dove at the tailgate like before. Adam threw the bucket at them.
The bucket struck the front wolf square in the head. The cheap plastic broke into a million pieces against that hard head and splattered not only that feroce, but the other two as well. The sticky oil didn't stop them from grasping the tailgate, and they snarled up at Adam.
Adam pulled something from his pocket, and in the dim light of twilight I saw it was a match. He struck it against the tailgate and nonchalantly tossed it at the feroce. The match fell onto the forehead of the middle feroce and the creature caught like a pile of dry twigs. It flailed to put out the fire, but the flames were fed by the wind and jumped to its companions. All three feroce were now aflame, and in their frantic clawing they lost their grip and fell off the truck. The last I saw of them were three figures rolling against the ground trying futilely to extinguish the flames. The wolves were now cooked weenies.
Adam turned back to us and I saw that his face was calm but determined. "They won't be following us," he spoke up. For the first time I understood why he'd been made captain of the Protectors. Even Emily's mouth was agape at Adam's ruthless efficiency in dispatching our foes.
Wilson broke the tense silence. "If you're done having your fun then I'll get us across another way I know. It'll take a while longer to get anywhere, but we'll get there," he offered.
"If it avoids more attention then we will take the longer route. If Callean is watching the border than he will soon know we're here," Luke agreed. Behind us a thick trail of black smoke rose into the sky.
18
Wilson drove us onto a nearly-invisible dirt-and-grass road, and we once more bounced and bumped our way to the region border. The drive took an hour, and by the time we reached our destination the sun had set and darkness covered the truck. My wolf eyes allowed me to see another fence in front of us, and Wilson stopped the truck as he did before. He leaned over the wheel and scowled at the chain-link. "Damn, but they've been thorough."
Luke opened the door and turned to our driver. "We will part ways here," he told Wilson.
Wilson frowned. "I told you I'd get you in there, and I mean to keep my word."
Luke shook his head. "The situation has changed. We must ask that you care for our two friends there." He nodded toward the bed where lay the wounded Ian with Emily beside him. Ian's leg still bled freely and there was little healing evident. It would take time before he could even think about putting weight on the limb.
Ian and Emily looked at each other, and Ian gave a nod toward her. Emily stood and turned to us. "I will go with you," she offered.
"It would be better if you stayed with your mate and protected him," Luke argued.
"Let her come," Adam spoke up. All of us looked to the former Protector in amazement. He scowled back at us. "If she wishes to come with us then let her come. We will need the help, and these two won't. Once Wilson leaves the border they will have very little trouble with Lance's men."
Luke smiled and bowed his head. "Very well. If you insist on accompanying us than I won't argue further."
Emily smirked. "Then I'm coming."
I raised my hand. "Um, how exactly are we going to get over the fence?"
Luke chuckled. "We won't be getting over the fence. We are wolves, after all."
"And that means what?" I asked him.
Emily jumped over the side of the truck and walked up to our open door. "It means you better not care about breaking a nail because we're going to dig our way under the fence."
Luke and I piled out of the cab, and Adam jumped from the bed. Emily and Ian squeezed hands one last time and Wilson leaned across the seat as I held the passenger door to shut it. He smiled and winked at us. "You be careful now and don't get into any trouble without me."
I returned the smile. "I don't think I can make that promise."
"Well, then try your hardest not to get into too much trouble." Wilson glanced past me at Luke. "You keep your mate safe. She's a good girl."
Luke bowed his head. "That is a promise I can make."
"Good, now get along before more of those feroce come sniffing for you."
I slammed the door and Wilson backed up the vehicle. He spun it around and bounced off into the night. Ian waved at us from the bed, and Emily waved back until they were beyond sight. Then she stiffened her upper lip and turned to us. "What are we waiting for? Let's get this dirty job done."
She wasn't joking when she said it was a dirty job. All those times I'd watched a dog make a jailbreak from a fenced yard the dogs had made it look easy, but for a werewolf stooping that low and digging a hole large enough to fit our bodies wasn't much fun. Our backpacks were set aside and used as chairs while we waited our turn at the digging. The others watched for signs of de-scented guards and their feroce pets. There was also a problem with the depth of the bottom of the fence.
The hole was two feet deep and Emily
was at the turn digging to China. She stood, popped her back and growled at the metal. "They must have used a trench digger to bury this fence," she grumbled.
"Undoubtedly, but the fence can only go so deep," Luke replied.
Emily returned to the digging and in a few minutes she yelped. We turned and I saw her cradling her cradling one paw in the other and glaring at the ground. "I found the bottom. They stopped digging the fence when they hit the bedrock." We moved over to the hole and Emily climbed out to give us a look. Sure enough the bottom of the fence lay atop a sheet of rock. She leaned down and kicked at the rock. It didn't even leave a scuff mark. "We could look for a spot that has deeper dirt, but that could take a couple of days."
Adam glanced at the top of the fence. "Then we have no choice. We must climb the fence."
I looked at the barbed wire at the top of the chain link and frowned. "How are we supposed to climb over that?"
"You won't," Luke spoke up. He grabbed me and hefted me over his head.
I flailed and tried to grasp his arms. "Hey, what the hell are you-ah!" Luke tossed me into the air and over the top of the barbed wire. My clothes scraped the sharp points, but I landed safely on the other side. Not well because I landed on my butt, but safely.
My back was to the fence so I turned around and glared at him. My glare didn't last long as I caught our bags thrown by my evil mate. "You could have warned me!"
He smiled back at me. "I preferred the surprise."
I turned away from him, crossed my arms over my chest and hunched my shoulders. "I don't like surprises," I muttered.
"You're not getting me over that like a sack of potatoes. I would rather climb," I heard Emily argue. I glanced over my shoulder in time to watch Adam stalk toward her. She snarled and tried to fend off his hands, but he tossed her over his shoulder and marched her back to the fence. Her legs kicked and she squirmed, but to no avail. "I can climb!" she screamed.
"The fewer of us who are injured the better the chance we have against Lance's men," Adam pointed out.
"I can take all of them with one-hey!" Adam lifted Emily over his head as Luke had done to me and he threw her over the fence. She landed like a sack of potatoes next to me, and glared back at Adam. "You'll pay for that!"