Dominant Species Ch. 01-06

Josi limped over to the fire and nodded to Rose as she lowered herself down. "Sorry about them, they kind of have a need to be noticed."

Rose smiled. "It's all right, Chip knows better than to touch with anything he doesn't want cut off." She noticed Chip grimaced, but didn't say anything as he fed the fire with more driftwood. Cheyenne and Willow joined the group as the dinner, a hearty meat stew, simmered over the fire.

"WOW, CHECK THIS OUT!" The group looked over at Bethany, who was now pointing into the sky. The clear sky was no longer blue, but was filled with moving greens and blues that danced from horizon to horizon, at least as much as they could see. It was the most amazing Northern Lights display they had ever seen, and it was in the late afternoon sky.

"What is that?" Cheyenne had her sunglasses on and was looking around. The group moved closer to the water where they could see more of the sky. The light display was unreal.

Instead of going away, the display got more and more colorful and intense over the next twenty minutes. None of them could look away until they heard Britney scream in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"My skin... it's burnt. REALLY burnt." The girls got up painfully and started to make their way back to the rest of the group, but they weren't moving fast. Bethany had a death grip on her sister. "What's wrong, Bethany?"

"My eyes... I can't see! Everything has gone black!"

--

"Megan, this will feel a little cold at first but it won't hurt you, all right?" Marcus spread the lubricating gel over the internal ultrasound probe while he smiled at her. Megan was young, only 18 and newly mated, and lucky enough to get pregnant right away. She was nervous, anxious and about every other "-ous" you could think of. He looked at her mate Al, who was seated behind her on the examining table and was holding her head in his lap. Marcus always tried to keep the female between him and the male mate, it kept the mate calmer and kept him from getting hurt as often. Mates could be extremely protective, especially if their females were in pain or pregnant. He kept the examining blanket over her stomach and thighs, her legs spread in the stirrups as he worked it inside her slowly.

The portable ultrasound machine kept the focus of all three as he did the exam. "See, that is your bladder... and here," he pointed to a little jelly bean like thing on the screen, "is your baby." Megan started to cry as she watched, and Al stroked her face as he told her how much he loved them both. Marcus worked quickly, taking the needed measurements and printing a few photos. He switched on the audio, and soon a rapid whooshing sound filled the room. "That's your baby's heartbeat. Everything looks fine, I'll see you again in four weeks for your next checkup."

He removed the probe and shut down the machine, then cleaned off the probe and removed his gloves. Reaching down, he tore off the photos and handed them to Megan. "I figured you'd want these." She nodded, tears still streaming down her face as he took her legs down and pulled her dress back in place.

"Our little peanut is going to be a strong one." Al had pulled her up so her back was resting on his chest and her head was on his shoulder. He kissed her cheek, then moved down and nuzzled the mating mark where her neck met her shoulder. She shuddered, mating marks were very sensitive and the sensations were magnified and sent directly to the groin. She was just leaning her head back for a kiss when the lights went out.

"Just stay here, we probably blew a breaker." Marcus walked out of the small exam room, there was almost no light since the concrete walls had no windows and the shade was pulled on the exam room window. He walked out of the room, and looking around noticed that all the lights were out. He walked to the desk at the front and picked up the phone.

There was no dial tone, no clicking, no nothing. He pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his lab coat, but it didn't turn on. The screen didn't even light up, it was completely dead. He tossed it on the desk and walked to the front door. Pushing the door open, he looked around in the bright afternoon sun and froze.

The northern lights were so intense they lit up the daytime sky. His mind went back to one of the shows he had watched late one night after his mating, while Rachel and he rested between rounds of sweaty sex.

It was a "Top Ten Extinction Events" program on Discovery. Supervolcanoes, comets, pole shifts, and EMP attacks. Whether from a natural event or enemy attack, the electromagnetic pulse wiped out power lines and electronics, bringing society back to the days before electricity. It also destroyed the ozone layer and released huge amounts of radiation.

His mouth dropped, and he ran back inside. This wasn't his Pack, so he didn't have the Pack bond to talk to the Alpha.

Rushing back into the room, he looked at Al. "Contact your Alpha, tell him our country may be under attack. He needs to get everyone underground RIGHT NOW."

They rushed out of the room, heading for the Pack safe room in the basement of the clinic and town hall they were in. Marcus grabbed his medical bag, then followed them to the stairway. He could see people running towards the main building. They were well trained and disciplined, no one was panicking and the families were sticking together. Some had even grabbed "go bags" from their houses before making their way here.

He watched as Luna Kelly Pierce helped move the young ones down the stairs while Alpha Calvin made one last circuit of the small town, making sure everyone was gone. He was the last one down the stairs before the hatchway was closed and locked down from the inside.

"What's going on, Marcus?" Alpha Calvin's eyes almost glowed in the near darkness, a candle was being lit on the far side of the cavernous basement room that was their safe place. Those who had cellphones were frustrated as they tried to get them to work, none would even light up. The LED lights in the room were also dead, despite the battery backup that was meant to keep them going for days.

"In a moment, the power is gone, electronics stop working and we have aurora borealis displays in the middle of the day." He raised his voice so all could hear. "All are signs of an electromagnetic pulse. It could be a huge solar storm, or it could be a nuclear warhead exploded hundreds of miles above us. In any case, we need to stay underground for a while." He looked over at Megan who was sitting on a bunk in the back. "No young children or pregnant women should leave here unless absolutely necessary. They will be more affected by radiation. If possible, only older males and women past childbearing age should be allowed out, and only then at night and even then not before midnight."

Alpha Calvin nodded, then looked at his Pack. "No one leaves without my or Beta Donald's permission. I want the women and children to stay near the back, where we have the most dirt and concrete above us." He walked among them, sending them calming messages. "We are prepared for this, we practice hiding out for days in case of attack. We will get through this together. Now, Luna Kelly will organize a schedule for meals and child care, while Beta Donald will be in charge of setting up a watchbill for lookouts and patrols. If you have any concerns, bring it up to your Betas or to me." By now he had touched or looked at every one of his forty one Pack members. "Let's stay busy and make the best of it."

Once everyone had settled, he motioned for Beta Donald and Marcus to join him at a table near the stairway. Calvin looked directly at Marcus. "How bad is this going to be?"

Marcus sighed. "I don't know. Whatever happened, it was enough to turn every computer, every electronic device we have into a doorstop. We have these chips everywhere, from refrigerators to cars. Anything that is dependent on them is junk now." He looked up at the lights. "I doubt you'll get power back easily. Focus on simple stuff, like portable generators and well pumps. Maybe you can get something to work. Water and food are the first priorities. After dark tonight, you should send people out to gather all the food and water they can find. Anything perishable, cook and eat it soon. You've got 24 hours or so before stuff thaws out in the freezers."

Calvin looked at him. "What about you?"

He grimaced. "Something like this... it's not a local thing. It's regional, national, even worldwide. My family is in danger. I have to be with them." He looked around. "You don't have any significant medical issues, so with your permission I'll leave after dark tonight. I'll see if I can find a vehicle that runs."

Beta Donald scowled at him. "And if not?"

"Then I run."

Donald laughed. "Blinky the Three Legged Wolf is going to make a run for it?"

Marcus punched his shoulder lightly. "Yep. You didn't see my new toy, did you?" He reached into his bag and pulled out an artificial limb made for a dog, but scaled for his size. "I'm not the fleetest of foot, but I can manage."

Donald looked it over, smiling as he did so. "Knobby tire... so you've got four paw drive?"

"Yep. I can't sprint, but I can keep up a good pace, especially on level ground. I'm still getting used to it."

Calvin looked off for a moment, and then smiled as the Becker twins walked up. There was a silent conversation between them, and then their father walked up to join them. Marcus waited patiently for the Pack conversation to end.

Finally, Calvin turned to him. "I can't let you go without an escort, we need you to stay safe and I don't know what is out there. Eric and Derek will go back with you, they can also carry some of your gear. They have relatives in your Pack, so they can stay there for a day and then come back." He paused and looked at the pair of 19 year olds. "With no other communications, runners are the only way we can make sure our Packs stay safe. I'll write a letter for you to take to Richard for me. It's important we stay united in this uncertainty." Marcus nodded.

After dark, a number of men left the shelter and spread out among the small town they lived in. Marcus went to the clinic, packing what he needed and distributing it among the packs he and the Beckers would be carrying. He stripped down and removed his artificial leg, stowing it all in his backpack. He then explained how the dog leg worked before shifting. Eric placed it on his leg and tightened the Velcro straps before Marcus tested it out in the hallway.

Once shifted, he didn't have any communication that didn't involve physical gestures or wolf vocalizations since he wasn't in their Pack.

When he was satisfied with the leg, he moved to the front door. The boys let him out, then stripped and shifted into their own wolves- dark grey with black masks and feet. You could only tell them apart by smell or by their mask, which was heavier on Eric's left side and more even with Derek. With a chuff, they started an easy pace down the road, heading for Salmon.

--

"I can't see!"

Bethany's scream jolted Josi into action. She ran out on the sandbar, Cheyenne right behind her. Taking Bethany's other hand, she began to lead her back towards the tents that had been set up. "Willow, open the tent and open up a sleeping bag!" She watched as Willow ran into the tent, tossing other equipment out as she made room. Bethany was crying as she was led across the sand; Josi could see she had a severe sunburn, and some areas were starting to blister already.

"Oh god oh god it hurts!" Brittney was just ahead of them, and since she could still see they were going faster. Cheyenne helped her lay down in the tent on the right side; the whole front of her body was a lobster red.

"How the fuck did this happen? They were only out there for half an hour!" Willow was looking at her in shock, carefully removing the bikini from her so it wouldn't irritate the burns.

"I don't know. Move aside, we're coming in." Josi carefully led a sobbing Bethany in the large tent. Making sure she was only touching her back, she removed her string bikini and then helped her lay down. She couldn't even grab her arm from the pain, she had to keep her hand under her armpit.

Once she was settled, Josi took command as she always had in their group. "First off, everyone find your sunglasses. WEAR THEM, even in the tents, or cover your eyes with a shirt. Put on shirts and pants if you can, cover as much skin as you can handle. Whatever happened today, the sun is something fierce so stay out of it as much as possible. Willow, get some water from the river and a couple shirts, use them to help cool off these burns. Don't pop the blisters, and keep away from any open sores. Cheyenne, you find something to cover their eyes and then look in their bags for their sunglasses. I'm going to talk to our guides."

She reached into her pack and grabbed the poncho from the bottom, unfolding it she put it over her clothes and put the hood over her head.

Unzipping the tent, she went down along the shadows of the canyon wall towards the tent their guides had set up well away from their two. As she approached, it was clear why they had picked an isolated location so far away. She heard it well before she got there.

"Oh God... fuck yes... pound my ass hard! Yes! Yes!" She could see the movement inside the tent as she approached, they had the rain flap back to give the air a chance to circulate inside, and that gave her a view of Chip's muscled ass driving forward into Rose. He had her legs up on his shoulders and was holding on to them with one hand while the other was holding her ass up.

Josi froze in place. She wasn't completely innocent, she had gone as far as heavy petting with her previous boyfriend and had seen some porn on the computer, but seeing things live wasn't something she was prepared for. She watched in fascination, taking in the horny and fit young couple just ahead of her. Despite the situation she was in, she felt herself getting flushed. She couldn't bring herself to interrupt, so she watched as they continued to go at it just ten feet away.

He was straining as they moved to a finish, her moans became almost continuous as she frigged herself to a climax. "Oh God.. Chip... I'm coming... I'm COMING!" She started to spasm as he speeded up even further, until he let out a groan and drove forward hard. Holding her still in his arms, he listened to her scream as rope after rope of hot jizz were shot into her ass. When he was done, he pulled out and lowered her to the sleeping bag, their combined juices soaking the beach towel she was on. "Holy shit, honey, that was intense!"

Josi was at their tent now, but she moved to the side so she wasn't in direct view. "Get dressed, we need help."

Rose screamed and scooted back on the sleeping bag, while Chip just turned around, his cock still hard and proud. He looked at Josi, then looked back at Rose with lust in his eyes. "Why, do you want some of this too? We could make room, I'm sure Rose would be up for a threesome."

"No." Josi turned around. "Britney and Bethany are hurt, both have serious sunburns and Bethany's lost vision. I need the first aid kit, and we need to get help here fast. Now pull your shorts up and help, we haven't much time."

She waited while the guides got clothes on, wondering how they were going to get out of this fast. The canyons were steep and people were scarce, they hadn't seen another group on the river today. Soon Chip was out of the tent, a small first aid kit in his hands. "Let me see that." She opened the kit; a quick glance told her it was practically useless, a collection of band aids, an ace bandage, and a quick-ice pack. It was suited to scrapes and bumps, but nothing for burns.

Chip started to walk towards the girls' tents. "Come on, I'll see what I can do. I got first aid training."

Josi laughed. "Really? We all had that in Brownies. Between us we have plenty of experience, and the girls aren't going to be seen this way by any man who isn't a doctor. I'll take care of them, but I need help. None of our phones work, and I don't know this area."

Rose had made it out now and was next to him. "My phone didn't boot up, battery must be dead. We'll have to go get help." She put her arm around Chip's waist. "How far back to the landing?"

Chip thought for a moment. "We're about eight miles downstream right now. There is a road up top, if we can climb out of the canyon and get to it we can make good time back there. It's four o'clock now, we should be able to jog back and make it before dark."

Josi looked at him with concern. "Something is wrong, look at the sky. There's no way the girls should have gotten so badly burned in so short a time."

Rose laughed. "Girl, we've been out on this river all summer. We don't burn. You girls just stay together, we'll go get help. Come on, Chip." She went into the tent and started to fill a backpack with bottled water and dried food.

Josi stepped in front of him. "I'm serious, something is wrong."

"Just take care of the girls, I got this." With a smirk, he walked off downstream with Rose, looking for a place they could climb out of the canyon. Josi got a feeling in her gut she wouldn't see them again.

She turned back, first aid kit in hand, and went back to her friends.

--

Rachel was mixing the batter for brownies, while Mary was cleaning up the dining room after a late lunch. The pups had been put in Raven's room for their afternoon nap, both were exhausted after playing out in the above ground swimming pool all morning long. It was normal for them to nap together, they had been best friends as long as they could remember and often cuddled up for naps in human or wolf form.

"So what do you have planned for dinner," Mary asked. Ever since they had kids, the two families had eaten together, alternating days in each other's kitchen. It kept the amount of cleaning down and since they were all family it was fun getting together; even with two houses next to each other, they behaved more like one big family.

The Pack owned a large spread of land just south of Salmon, Idaho that backed up to the mountains and national park lands. They weren't the largest pack at 21 members, but they were strong together. Their Alpha pair, Rachel's parents, lived in the center of their land in a big Victorian house with the white picket fence. They lived across the road from them, they had carved out half acre homesites along the road and now there were seven houses total.

"Marcus said he would be back late, so I'm making a venison roast and potatoes." She looked out the window and smiled wistfully. "I love him, but I sometimes wish his job wouldn't take him away so often. You're lucky, Tom's fire house is located close enough he can come home for lunch." She smirked a little, then looked at Mary. "Or a nooner."

Mary blushed and looked away, she was busted. She had hoped Rachel wouldn't notice that Tom had eaten lunch quickly and then they had been together in their house for twenty minutes before he went back to work. "Let she who has never snuck a quickie in my kitchen cast the first stone." She tossed the washcloth over to Rachel, who caught it and rinsed it out in the sink.

"Hey, that wasn't my fault... kind of. And it worked, I got Raven out of it." She laughed and they were just about to go to their living room when the power went out. "Shit. I'll check the breaker."

She went down to the basement and found every breaker in the panel was tripped, and the whole thing was giving off an acrid smell. Leaving it alone, she went back up the stairs where Mary was waiting. "Let's take the kids to your house, maybe you still have power."

Mary nodded and turned towards the stairs, but both froze as their Alpha's voice blasted across the Pack bond. He had tried to call his daughter when the power went out, but when his house phone AND his cell phone were dead he assumed the worst.