Red Hood: The Hunt (15 page)

Mrs. Remington grabbed them by the hair and dragged them into the lodge.  Marcus followed after pointing around the camp.  He sniffed the air, then pointed some men toward the cabin we had been in.

We watched the activity below as they all searched, Marcus returned in one of his expensive suits and all the men and women rotated from searching to getting dressed and arming themselves with shotguns and  rifles.

There had to be a couple hundred there.  Then they all fanned out under his orders and started to canvas the perimeter, spiraling outward.  It was time to go.  We could stay ahead of them now, and find our way out of the national park the mines were situated in, to find help.

Just when we started moving, Marcus yelled out in a booming voice that traveled up the ridges.  “You are out there somewhere, I can smell you.  We have innocent men, women, and children positioned all throughout the range here.  I have compelled all of them not to shoot you if they see you, but to kill themselves with silver rounds instead.  The death of innocents would be on your hands.  Just surrender now and I'll make sure you don't suffer when I kill you.”

I cursed, “Rahat! La Dracu!”  He would slaughter innocents to get us?  He was evil incarnate.  I felt the subsonic growl welling up from Daria as her muscles tensed to spring down the mountain.  I tightened my grip on her shoulder.  I snapped at her, “No! That's what he wants you to do!”

She swung her head to me and growled. I locked eyes with her and curled my lips back, showing my own small fangs bearing down on her with my will as I growled back.  She lowered her eyes, flattened her ears to her skull, and her tail tucked between her legs. She dropped to the ground rolling half over and exposing her neck and belly to me.

But then she glanced up at me in confusion. 
Oh God!  I made her submit again.  What the hell is wrong with me?
  She was already frightened enough being a wolf now and doesn't understand her own reactions.  She rolled to her feet, snarled and growled and snapped at me in anger for what I had just done.

I took a knee in front of her.  “I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to.”  She shoved her snarling face right into mine.  I just kept eye contact and said, “Here, I'm sorry.”  I looked down and exposed my neck to her.  I pushed my neck against her jaw and she opened her mouth and brought her fangs down on my throat.  She put just enough pressure to hold me there but not quite enough to break the skin.

Then after a second she released me.  I looked at her then placed my forehead on hers, looking into her human eyes.  I smiled. “There, now we've both submitted to each other.”

Then I chuckled at a random thought.  She pulled back a bit and tilted her head in question.  I smiled at her. “I just realized I've gotten farther with your wolf than with you.”

She shook her head rolled her eyes then surprised me when she suddenly lunged and pinned me to the ground with her huge paws.  The she got a smug look on her face and licked my face in one big, dog slobbery slurp again.  She hopped off chuffing as I wiped the slobber off of me.  “Ewwww.  Was that necessary?”  I smiled internally, it was as if she were claiming me as a mate.

She just nodded smugly then stared down the mountain.  I murmured, “Well we can't risk running, just in case he is telling the truth about having innocent people kill themselves if we do.  We need to come up with a plan.”

She turned and looked up to a crack in the cliff at our backs.  It was almost twenty feet up, with a silent leap, she soared gracefully through the air and disappeared into the crack.  I shook my head and smiled, she was getting more and more graceful in this form.  I leaped to join her.  It was the entrance to a cave.

She yawned hugely.  I realized that I was beyond exhausted too.  We'd be no good to Prue and Beatrice like this.  She curled onto the floor of the cave and looked at me.  I sat in front of her and laid back into her fur and she curled around me, protectively.  I contemplated that, nobody had ever taken care of me in such a long time, I think I liked it.  We could afford a few minutes of shuteye.  Good lord she was warm, and she smelled fantastic.  I closed my eyes, just for a moment.

When I awoke, I was so warm and comfortable, then everything came rushing back in.  I ran my fingers through Daria's feathery soft undercoat, curling my toes in satisfaction.  I buried my face in her belly fur and inhaled her scent deeply.  I couldn't stop my smile.  I looked up to an amused looking wolf face just above mine.  I noticed the sun deep on the horizon from the cave entrance as she yawned big enough to swallow me whole.

Then she noticed the sun too and leapt to her feet, only my speed and agility stopped me from being unceremoniously dumped onto the cave floor.  I stood beside her as she whimpered.  My hand absently dug into her pelt to rest my fingers against her skin.  I nodded. “Yes, we've lost most of the day.  We need to end this before sunset.”

We took a minute to examine the mining outpost from our new vantage point, I knew her wolf eyes were as sharp as mine and could see everything just as clearly as me.  I gathered that there seemed to be a rotating search party as we saw one group arriving and another one leaving.  Marcus was there, walking in and out of the lodge to give orders.

For a brief moment, I wondered why he was not out on the mountain, leading the search for us.  Then I realized something.  It was because he was in his human form now.  He was... hiding, in the lodge, waiting for night when his wolf came out, then he would lead the hunt.  My lips quirked up into a predatory smile.  Daria nudged my hip and I looked down into questioning eyes.

I pointed down to where Marcus was re-entering the lodge and said, “He's afraid of the Red Hood.  The Alpha is showing weakness in human form.  No doubt he'll lead the pack once he changes in...”  I looked at the sun on the horizon.  “...thirty minutes or so.”  I saw a smile spread on her face and her eyes narrow as she looked down the mountain, it looked so out of place on such a dangerous looking wolf.

I pulled back into the cave, she just automatically followed as I subtly guided her with our contact.  I looked at her.  “We need a plan.  If we can get to him before sunset and eliminate him, the curse should be broken.  I don't feel much like fighting hundreds of werewolves again.”

She nodded and pranced away from me a few steps, then made a gruff sound and thumped her chest with a large paw. She motioned her head away then raised the paw toward me and motioned her head the other way and growled and snapped her fangs in the air. She then flopped onto the ground with her eyes shut and her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.

I couldn't stop myself, I laughed at the overacting.  I chuckled. “That was terrible.  But it is a good idea.  You create a distraction and I'll slip into their base and take Marcus down.  You really need to work on your acting.”

She stood with a cute indignant look on her face if a wolf could look indignant, or cute.  Then she turned her back to me and dug in the ground with her hind legs like she was burying me.  She turned around and chuffed with a doggy grin as I laughed at her insult.

I smiled as I absently stretched out my hand at my side and she trotted beside me so I could dig my fingers into her thick fur and scratch her.  I looked down. “You detective McQueen, are a mean woman.”

She tilted her head like she was contemplating that, then locked eyes with me and nodded.  I swear she looked smug.

I grabbed a bolt from my crossbow and drew a basic representation of the base of operations below.  I pointed at the far side, at the treeline beyond at the main road to the west.  “You draw the guards out over here, they will be expecting that so they will probably send a group to the east.  I'll instead come in downwind from the south and skirt the office building toward the lodge.  The shooter on the roof will hopefully have his attention on you.”

Then I asked, “What did you have in mind for the distraction?”  She just grinned and her lips slid up her fangs.  Alright then, I guess I'll know when to move.  I nodded.

I looked at the sun over half way behind the horizon.  “We have only ten minutes to pull this off.”  She nodded then we turned to the cave entrance and ran at it, diving out.  It felt like I was flying with my cloak billowing behind me.

She made virtually no sound as she landed gracefully like she was simply in mid-stride instead of dropping around twenty-five feet.  Then we split up, she disappeared quickly into the forest, I watched her go.  She looked magnificent with the oranges and reds of the setting sun reflecting off her shiny coat like fire.

I closed my eyes and chided myself.  I was attracted to Daria no matter her form it seemed.  The thought actually made me happy.  I was even happier knowing that if things went according to plan, I would have that curse removed from her and we could be together again.

I moved quietly into position.  I had about thirty seconds to contemplate what Daria was going to do to pull the guard's attention when a wolf howl seemed to vibrate up through the soles of my feet and fill the entire valley.  It carried a wave of power with it, I felt the draw and caught myself in mid-step 'wanting' to go to it. 
Wow!  That was the power of an Alpha!

Some men were running toward the west, some sort of looked confused and started hesitantly moving west.  Some men and women got their wits about them and organized to head east while others snapped the enthralled people out of it as they charged west with their weapons raised.

Moments later I heard the snarling of a vicious animal and people screaming when a large grey wolf dove out of the tree line into their ranks.  Fangs and claws shredding, she growled in challenge to all and that growl even made me shiver slightly, in that primal fight or flight way.  I looked at her as I moved through the base, she stood over the bodies of three men, her fangs are barred.  I have never seen a more awe-inspiring display.  I whispered, “Ea a fost beutiful!”

She was moving almost too fast for the eye to follow as she avoided automatic weapons fire.  Bodies were flying and blood was everywhere.  I noted the smell of silver burns and the fact that the men she had taken out were not breathing. 
True dead?
  Did her fangs have the properties of silver?  She would yelp on occasion when she was hit.  I worried, but I also knew that not even silver rounds could take her down.  With her wolf healing, the enemy could hurt her and slow her down, but not kill her unless they did too much damage.

I got to the lodge and entered a side door and made my way down the hall.  Mrs. Remington stepped out into the hall in front of me with a shotgun. My hand shot out and grabbed her hair and yanked her backwards to come down with her neck across my knee, snapping it.  It was so odd to see her eyes following me as I lowered her to the ground, she'd heal from that in hours.  Unless I killed Marcus.

I drew my two long silver blades as I approached the main room just to hear Marcus' voice call out to me.  “I know you are there Red Hood, I can smell you, you may as well come out.”

I sighed and stepped out into the room ready to fight.  He was in the middle of the room with a smug look on his face.  Standing beside him, still naked were Prue and Beatrice.  Daria's sister had tears streaming down her cheeks as she held a gun to the mayor's head.

The moment they saw me, Prue pulled the trigger and the mayor's lifeless body fell to the ground with the smell of silver burn.  Prue made a distressed sound and put the barrel of the gun into her mouth.  Marcus spoke, “Now that I have your attention.  I suggest you drop your weapons before I instruct this little whore here to pull the trigger.”

I stared at him then at Prue, my hands tightened on the hilts of my blades.  I knew why I hesitated.  I wouldn't have let that stop me if it were anyone else in the world.  One life sacrificed to free the world of the evil of the lupine curse was acceptable.  But this was Daria's sister and she would never forgive me.  I didn't think I could live with the woman I loved hating me.

Marcus turned to her and opened his mouth.  I blurted out, “Wait!”  Then I bent and laid my blades on the ground.  He smiled and pulled a revolver out of his waistband and said, “All of them.”  I opened my cloak and it took some time to pile my weapons on the ground.  He raised his gun when I went to unsling my crossbow.  I slowed down and placed it on the ground.  He motioned toward the door with his gun and I started toward it. He glanced at Prue. “Come along Sabina.”  She followed us outside.

Marcus saw the great wolf decimating his men and then he looked around to the treeline and yelled,  “Come out Detective McQueen.  I have your sister and the pain in the ass Red Hood.  Call off the wolf!”  Daria's head snapped over toward us and she slashed the last man standing near her with her claws.  Then she flattened her ears to her head, pulled back her lips and growled, there was power in the noise as she stalked toward us her tail straight out.  Her pelt was covered in blood and she limped slightly as she favored a rear leg.

The wind shifted slightly and Marcus' nostrils flared and his eyes went wide.  He asked, “Werewolf?  In daylight?”  Then he opened his mouth and sniffed again. “Ahhh Detective McQueen, you were bitten last night, I thought I smelled your blood at the mine.  I always thought you were a bitch, and now you truly are.”

Then he got a wicked smile on his face. “Which means, you are mine and this is over.”  He said in a voice that held a power that had the stench of evil in it, carrying the magics of an Alpha, “Sit bitch!”  Every woman gathering around including Prue sat quickly, I even felt the draw and resisted.

Daria half sat but whimpered and stood.  He snarled at her, “I said SIT!”  She again half sat but then her lips curled back and she snapped at the air and growled in defiance, I felt the tide of alpha magics roll off her and it washed over us like a wave.  Everyone around looked confused and averted their eyes from her in submission.

Marcus was spitting as he screamed, “SIT!”  I almost sat that time, there was so much power being thrown around, and the rest of the people around us did sit.  She whimpered then sat.  My heart fell, he had made her submit.

Marcus walked around her looking at her.  “I've never seen such a large bitch.  You still have your mind, and you have some Alpha abilities?  He reached out a hand to run his fingers through her fur as he examined her.  I caught a wink from her as she flinched back from his touch.  She wasn't compelled, she was faking enthrallment.  He grabbed a handful of fur and skin at her ruff and yanked her head toward his and he locked eyes with her and hissed, “Hold still!”  She averted her eyes and flattened her ears to her head, her tail going between her legs.

She whimpered and he said, “Good girl.”  Then he looked over at me cruelly.  “I think I'll make her a pet after I have her kill you.  Make her act like a stupid dog and walk on a leash.  Let the other males have their way with her on full moons like tonight.”  He was goading me.  Daria's lips were quivering in anger, but she restrained herself.

Then he stopped. “What did you hope to accomplish coming to the negotiations?”

I almost growled, but Daria nudged her eyes toward the man beside her who was scratching her ears, already making good on his threat.  I said, “By killing you the world can finally be rid of the lupine curse, the curse of Marcus.  The others would be free...”  I paused. “I would be free.”

He quirked his eyebrow. “So the Red Hood was part of our summoning?  You are a fool to want to end it.  You gained everything we sought, without becoming the beast, a slave to the moon.  How did you accomplish it?”

It was my turn to arch an eyebrow. “We?”

He looked genuinely surprised. “You don't know?  You of all people don't know about The Five?”  He chuckled in amusement, I could feel sunset just seconds away.  He continued, “Us five brothers Marcus wanted to obtain the power we deserved so long ago.  Well except for Cristian, he was always weak.  We sacrificed an innocent to summon the beast that would grant us everlasting life and the power to reign over man.”  Marcus was a surname?  Good lord, there were four more of them?  Then it suddenly made sense why I did not recognize him as Marcus but Daria did, we were after two different Alphas.

He sneered in disgust. “Only the being we summoned into us was a trickster and punished us for daring to call upon him  We only had the power we sought on the full moon, but he stopped us from using it by changing us into beasts like himself.  A cruel trick.”

Then he said, “So I devised a plan to control the one thing that could kill us.  Silver.  Then we could infect the rest of the Clean Bloods and rule over them all in our beast form by the moon and compulsion in the daylight.  My brothers thought I was mad, and it took a couple hundred years, but here I am about to accomplish it.”  He smirked. “AND kill the Red Hood all in one fell swoop.”

He looked down at Daria. “Detective, would you be so kind as to tear her throat out?”

Everything happened at once.  I saw the last rays of the sun extinguish over the horizon.  Marcus dropped to his knees in pain and the others started changing.  Daria was a blur of motion and fangs as she latched down on Marcus' throat and shredded it.  The stench of silver burned flesh came from the foaming ragged hole that remained.  Marcus grasped at his throat as the light of life drained from his frightened and shocked eyes as I pulled out my derringer I had kept concealed, and fired, striking him in the forehead.

Then Daria landed on the ground yelping and howled in pain.  Her body arched and spasmed.  About half the others stopped transforming and became human again while the others still changed.  Moments later, Daria's yelping became the screams of a woman in agony.  Then she went limp.  A naked and unconscious woman laid in the place of the huge she-wolf.