Random T-Storms volume 3

III. Bonds of Death

         A shadow swooped over Yal, accompanied by the terrified squeal of a young rodent too young to know a safe place to run and too late to learn it. Yal’s sensitive ears couldn’t tune out the events to follow. The thud as the rodent was dropped into the eagle’s nest. The snaps as the rodent’s limbs were broken. The muffled whining as the eagle began to feed. Yal quickened his pace, trying to escape the symphony of pain.

         He had yet to figure out why so many predators reveled in their prey’s horror. Vishen had once said that taking delight in another’s suffering is the heart of a predator’s existence. He’d hunt to scare his prey... to watch the animal struggle in vain and cry in envy of his power. What Yal hated about this the most was that Vishen would often hunt when he wasn’t hungry; a complete contrast to Yal who only hunted when he was starving. While Vishen would aim for the tail of the rear, Yal attacked vital points. As a result, Yal was an expert hunter who strived to make sure that his prey never felt pain.


         On one occasion, Yal witnessed Vishen catch a young leopard, dragging it a mile to a cave to clean it, not breaking any limbs until he began to feed, saving the vitals for last so he could be serenaded by the leopard’s crying. Yal had wondered what the leopard must have felt for the last couple of hours of its life, with a hulking wolf slobbering over it, relishing in its terror. The leopard must have hated Vishen.

Hate.


         That was what Yal feared. If someone died hating him.

         Yal made his way to Siiva’s lair. He wasn’t looking for a mate and she never pressured him. She simply enjoyed his quiet company.

         Siiva was out at the moment so Yal curled up in his usual corner. Ritico was there, however. When the cat saw Yal, he turned in the other direction. Because their first meeting had been such a violent one, Yal ignored Ritico trying to ignore his resentment. Because the cat hated him, Yal made a private oath to protect Ritico for as long as he was alive, so he wouldn’t die hating him before Yal was already dead. Yal still wondered at Ritico’s relationship with Siiva but didn’t press the subject. Much to Yal’s surprise, Ritico initiated the conversation for the first time.

         “It’s nearly spring.”

         Yal’s ears perked. “Yeah.” He agreed, wondering if what he said was a statement or speech filler.

         Ritico shot a glance in the wolf’s direction. “Don’t you find her attractive?”

         Yal looked at the cat, upset with the topic.

         “She needs a mate, not a bodyguard.” Ritico continued, stretching as he stood up. “And you’ll be killed soon if you stay alone. You’re not the only hunters around here ya know.”

         Yal raised his tail slightly. “I don’t care what happens to me.”

         “Or her?”

         Yal wrinkled his nose and sniffed the air. “I know that scent…” Yal began circling Ritico. “It’s a cat, isn’t it?” Yal licked his chops and knelt in front of Ritico. “Don’t forget your place, mongrel.” he growled.

         Ritico smirked and brushed the wolf’s muzzle away. He wasn’t in the mood to be threatened. Yal was taken aback by this and bore his fangs. Before he realized it, Ritico’s head was lodged in his mouth. Yal snapped back to reality when he noticed the cat’s tail thrash about as he tried to break free. He spit Ritico out and backed up. The cat retreated to the furthest corner of the lair a saliva-soaked mess. Yal tasted blood in his mouth and looked to see what his victim was grabbing.
It was his right ear.

         Yal felt embarrassed and ashamed at the same time. This was the first time he’d bitten Ritico but it hadn’t been the first time Ritico had provoked him. Yal turned to leave the cave, afraid the cat would begin whining.

         “Forget it. You’re breath’s nasty, that’s all.”

         Yal turned to find Ritico wiping his face clean.

         “But you need to get with Siiva. You might resent being a wolf, but you still have a wolf’s instincts.” The cat pointed to his bloody ear. “You didn’t eat me, but you didn’t spit out my blood, either.” Ritico smiled. He’d struck a nerve. “You’re not the only wolf out there too. A single she-wolf doesn’t stand much chance, alone, does she?”

         Yal looked at Ritico, thoughtfully. Ritico motioned for him to sit down. “Give it a chance. If things don’t work out between you two, you can eat me. That’s a promise.”

***

         Zepha tried to live off of vegetation and dew, but occasionally needed meat. Whenever possible, she would seek the remains of a dead animal, but it was very difficult to find scraps this time of year. Reluctantly, Zepha sniffed the air for a meal as she traveled, hoping to come across a sick, dying deer. All she could detect, however, was a rabbit. It was in a shallow hole and was still, either sleeping or hiding from her. As the scent drew nearer, Zepha could see the hole. The rabbit was a few feet down, hoping it wouldn’t be found.


         As Zepha came closer, her sensitive ears told her that that rabbit was very aware of her approach. She crept more rapidly, crouching as she strode, trying to guarantee that a last minute chase would end quickly. Within a meter, the ‘lub dub’ became a pulsating boom. The rabbit shot out of the hole towards Zepha, making it just under the coyote. Zepha was quick to react, and swatted the rabbit with her tail, knocking it off balance. Before the rabbit could recover, Zepha caught it with a paw. The coyote noticed the rabbit’s terrified look and turned away.

         “You almost made it.” She thought as she closed her eyes and squeezed. In a few seconds, she felt something snap and relaxed her grip. Zepha devoured her meal quickly, leaving no meat behind. Now she could live another day at someone else’s expense. Zepha sighed, wishing she was an herbivore.

         Ritico lay on a thick tree branch, watching the events unfold. This coyote didn’t seem to take pleasure in her hunt and hurried to leave, as if she was ashamed of eating a rabbit. He also noticed that the wolves were on opposite sides of her, waiting in ambush.

         Zepha noticed the numerous eyes on her, but continued her stride. When the pack revealed itself, Zepha stood very still. The alpha looked at her with a frightening glint in his eye. Zepha turned, looking for an escape path.

         “You’ll make it harder on yourself if you try it.” The alpha warned. “Way I see it is you owe me for a rabbit.”

         “You didn’t mark the area here!” Zepha protested. “How could I know this was your territory?”

         The wolves crept closer and the alpha smirked. “The strongest always claim the rights to hunting grounds.”

         Zepha took a step backward. “But what good would a little rabbit do a whole pack? There’s just one of me.”

         “You just answered your question, coyote.” The alpha snarled. “You’re alone.”

         “Not exactly.”

         All eyes turned to find a lone wolf approaching from behind Zepha.
The alpha grinned ear to ear.

         “Glad to have you back, runt.” Vishen teased.

         Yal stepped in front of the coyote and faced the large wolf, nose to nose.

         “So you put on a bit of weight and you think you’re a threat now? Vishen mused. “Interesting. Nobody interfere.”

         Vishen leapt back, causing Yal to stumble. The aggressor capitalized, knocking Yal on his side.

         “Let’s see…” Vishen spoke confidently, stroking his old omega’s fur in mock embrace. “Does it still smart a bit when I do this?”
Vishen clamped his jaws over Yal’s stomach and grabbed the Yal’s free paws so he couldn’t struggle. The smaller wolf howled in pain, desperately trying to break free.
Zepha tried to assist, but Vishen’s cronies denied the attempt.

         “Please! He’ll die!” the coyote protested.

         Vishen spat out some of Yal’s blood. His mischievous grin had transformed into a look of pure hatred as he stared at the wolf who lay at his mercy. “At the very least,” Vishen began. “He’s a deserter and a traitor to his kind.”

         “Traitor? I don’t even know him! We’ve never met before!”

         “He’s the worst kind of being. We took him when he was a hopeless lost puppy. Taught him to hunt. Protected him from enemies. Gave him a reason to live. And he thanks us by running off without even a goodbye.

         Yal squirmed under Vishen’s weight. “I didn’t…”

         The alpha silenced Yal’s attempt at a rebuttal, punching his eye. Yal bit his victim again, sinking his teeth into the omega’s flesh. Even now, Yal was no match for Vishen.

         Ritico scratched his head, mulling over his options. The coyote would have to overpower six wolves to even get close to making a difference and Siiva wasn’t even in the area. Ritico found himself jumping into a tree above Yal and the bully. Just then he sensed it. Siiva was close. Relatively. Across the river.

         “Don’t die yet.” Ritico thought, leaping to another tree. He would make it to the riverbank in time. He had to.

         Ritico thought as he ran, a bit conflicted and confused. He couldn’t stand Yal, but Siiva was a different story. How could he face her again if he did nothing? She’d be able to read it on his face.

***

         Ritico made it back to the spot first, stopping cold in his tracks. The cat had seen more than his fair share of gruesome sights, but he still wasn’t prepared for this. Siiva was a close second. She’d detected the blood a few meters away and assumed she would be able to handle the sight. This all changed when she met up with Ritico.

         There was a coyote lying flat on her stomach; her tail bent unnaturally. A soft whimpering came form the coyote, indicating that she was at least half-conscious. Yal, on the other hand was an immobile pool of blood and other fluids. His body had been decimated and desecrated by the pack. Siiva thrust her paw under his nose. A slightly warm breeze melted over her claw. He was breathing.

         “It was the one he’d talked about before,” Ritico nodded at Yal. “Vision or Vicious or something like that.”

-end part 3