Guardian Wolf Ch. 04

We were still trying to work the giggles from our system when Robert received a phone call from Caleb. He said that Henry reported Grigor leaving last night and said he would not be back for several days; he said he was taking an extended vacation. Caleb said he had done some digging into several of Grigor's regular haunts; no one remembers seeing the man. Caleb said he checked the local airports and train depots; no one fitting Grigor's description had boarded anything. If he is in hiding, it must be something local; something within driving distance of Manhattan. Robert immediately asked Dmitry if he knew of such a place. Dmitry immediately smiled and said there was. We were going to New York; we were going after Grigor.

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"The next day was a Saturday and everyone was gathering for funeral services. Believe it or not, a couple members of our pack are licensed morticians and prepare all the clan bodies in the surrounding area for burial. We have a plot of land deep within the forest to the North that we share with the Archer clan as a cemetery. It is nestled in a grove of pine trees that opens into a meadow; it is a very beautiful place and most everyone wants to be buried there. I'll show it to you on our pack run next month. Most of our pack has one or more relatives buried there, mostly guild parents who have passed on, but a few are pack members who have died over the last couple centuries. Dane and Gustav, along with some other omegas had worked feverishly the entire week in the pack woodshop to build and fashion their boys' coffins. Cole and Mikhael were buried in matching oak caskets with heavy brass adornments; the whole look and feel of their caskets was very masculine. One of the omegas is skilled with a chisel and he carved our family crest into the lids of the coffin. He then used a hot iron poker to score and blacken in the details. It is a tradition that pack members attend naked; our bodies are buried nude and friends and family place small tokens and mementos of affection over their genitals to cover their nakedness. The idea is that no one should be ashamed of their body in this life or the next; the only thing that should cover one's nudity in the next world is the memories of friends and relatives left behind.

I remember when they brought the girls' caskets in. James and Marcus had worked hard to finish the tiny caskets. The coffins were made out of rosewood and stained ebony black. An omega who worked in metal had fashioned two plates that bore our family crest out of tin and fixed them to the coffin lids. The lining of their coffins was all linen and lace; it was very pretty and feminine. Several of the females had taken it upon themselves to crochet little pillows for the girls to rest on. I remember thinking how much love and attention had gone into constructing and fashioning the tiny coffins. Kyle stood behind Amber and held her while she wept. The tiny little girls where laid to rest side by side in a single grave; they came into this world together and they would leave it the same way.

Robert officiated over the ceremony and he spoke well of Cole and Mikhael, of their undying loyalty and devotion to the pack. I recall his voice cracking and a tremble was introduced to the tone as he spoke of his granddaughters. He called upon the pack to join him in a special run to commemorate them and to fulfill something they would never have the privilege of doing. You see Rachel, letting our wolves run free and wild is probably the single greatest thing our race can do. It is hard to describe the sheer bliss and liberation one feels as the wind passes through your fur as you race amongst your pack...your family.

After finishing his speech, Robert shifted and waited for me to as well. Wordlessly the entire pack shifted. Kyle and Amber came to be behind us. They would never challenge Robert to lead a run; it is something only the Alpha can do. But being directly behind the Alpha pair is considered a great honor. This run was for them and their children after all. With a howl to signal the pack Robert leapt for the tree line. We ran for what seemed like hours, allowing our natural instincts to push away the negative feelings our human sides were experiencing. The run ended in the meadow outside the cemetery.

Without any word Robert came up behind me and mounted me. As we experienced the heady feeling of being joined we allowed all the negative feelings we had experienced over the week to bleed out of us. The pack paired off with their mates and began to rut in time with our coupling; those unmated stood guard and looked on as spectators. Kyle's massive brown form gently mounted his little mate's cinnamon form. Their coupling was tender and unhurried. It was more about starting to heal than experiencing an orgasm.

Remember Rachel, in our culture sex is more than just procreation and physical enjoyment; mating in wolf form is about coupling body and soul with your mate. It is one of the most profound and spiritual experiences we have in our world. You share everything with your partner when you are mated this way. You share physical nearness, sexual enjoyment, you share your feelings and your thoughts as you work together to achieve a single goal. When Robert finally came in me, he howled long and hard as he emptied his seed into me; I joined in chorus as my own juices flooded across his loins. The pack echoed our call as each mated pair reached orgasm. It remains to this day one of my favorite pack runs ever. It was a sweet and tender moment to commemorate the end of a dark and tragic moment in pack history.

Robert shifted immediately following our coupling and stood naked to address our pack. The moment of love and tenderness had passed. Now was the time for revenge, for retribution against those who had harmed our family. Robert stood proudly on a knoll in the meadow while he spoke,

'Our dead have been buried and vindicated. Their murderers are dead and their bodies now lie as charred ruins in a mass grave. The time has come to end this vendetta against our clan. We did not start this war, but by the gods we will finish this. The man we seek is named Grigor Khrushchev, a thief and murderer from Moscow who seeks only power and riches. He came to this country seeking to expand his criminal empire and find a measure of legitimacy for his actions. Grigor is the owner and CEO of Black Fjord Security and Telecommunications. They are the ones who have waged war upon our pack; they are the ones who have shed innocent lives and destroyed family's lives in the petty search for power. Their leader is a tyrant and a madman; he seeks to rewrite his history and portray himself as a king among men. I say he is a charlatan and a fool.

His methods are full of cruelty and murder. He threatens and manipulates men and companies for his own selfish ends. For far too long this demon has grown fat on the misery and pain of others. Grigor thought he could use similar methods against our clan to force our company to capitulate the plans for the communications array. Grigor Khrushchev is everything that is wrong with the human world. He mistakes strong morals and good business ethics with weakness; he is too narrow- minded to see beyond his own petty desires. He was foolish to mess with our clan and his employees have paid for his follies with their blood.

I am pleased to announce that we have discovered the coward's location and we will soon leave to end this feud. A young man named Dmitry Kerchanko, a boy sent to our compound against his will to fight for a cause he doesn't believe in has given us the information necessary to exact our revenge. Before you judge this poor youth for his actions know this: without his help and knowledge, it is most likely Amber and her friends would be dead now. This man traded his life and his knowledge to aid us in our moment of need. Both I and Kyle have found merit in sparing his life; Dmitry has pledged his life and his services to the Wolfe clan. He betrayed his own father, his own flesh and blood to rescue the lives of the innocent. He is Grigor Khrushchev's son but refuses such association. He is son to Grigor by blood only and he curses being kin to such a monster. He sits night and day next to Jennifer as she recovers in the hospital. The young man feels true remorse and guilt for his actions. Kyle and I have seen fit to forgive his transgressions and welcome him into the clan. What say you?' Robert said.

The entire clan lifted their heads to the sky and howled their acceptance. If their Alpha and his son accepted such a man, then he would be welcomed into the clan with open arms. From that day forward Dmitry Kerchanko was part of the Wolfe clan, he was pack.

'Very well, Dmitry is pack and we will never speak of Grigor in his presence again. Grigor is dead to this young man and he wishes a slow death upon his father for the pain and suffering he has brought our pack and those who we call family. Grigor has fled to a cabin hidden in the Catskill Mountains of New York. My brother Caleb has moved his pack into the area and awaits our arrival; he says the coward is still there and is surrounded by a large force of men. Dmitry says these are most likely the most senior and experienced commanders of Black Fjord security. They are well trained and fiercely loyal to Khrushchev. I have asked Caleb to hold the perimeter and attack only if Grigor tries to leave.

I have called the airport to have them begin fueling and readying the company jet. We fly to Stewart International airport and then on to Piolis Brookside airport. Ground transportation will be waiting to take us within a few miles of the cabin. We will be in position to attack when night falls. The Gulfstream V can hold sixteen people. I have already asked Kyle, Amber, Dane, and Gustav to join Maggie and me on this raid. I ask for ten volunteers to join us. Do I have any takers?' Robert asked.

"Rachel, you should have seen it. The entire pack howled as one voice; everyone wanted a chance to seek revenge for the pack. Even the younglings were yipping and running around in anticipation. There are few things that show such devotion and loyalty to an Alpha than when he asks a pack member to put his life on the line. I could feel a strong sense of pride well up in Robert as we stood witness to such courage and honor in our pack. Knowing my husband he would have taken the entire pack if we had the means to. A man's loyalty will dissolve like sugar in the rain when facing a hundred angry wolves. Suffice it to say, Robert ended up picking our top betas for this mission; we would need all the experience and discipline to face such a dangerous enemy. But leave it to my husband to make the entire pack feel like they are contributing to the cause. He can be quite the showman when he puts his mind to it," Maggie chuckled.

"After the funeral, we quickly packed what we would need for the trip. We were at the airport within the hour and were wheels-up twenty minutes later. We landed at Piolis five hours later. It was mid evening when we arrived and the sun was just starting to set. True to Robert's word, there were four Tahoes with drivers waiting to take us to the Catskills. Caleb had tasked four of his best omegas to bring us to the rendezvous site. The overall trip would last about two hours because of the uneven terrain. It was almost ten in the evening when we arrived.

Caleb and his beta Dirk were waiting for us. Caleb said that he had twenty-five of his best patrolling the woods. He said he judged the enemy strength at around fifty men. They were in roving patrols of four that alternated every hour; they had tactical radios and the latest NVG's. There were sentries posted around the cabin and the immediate perimeter and Dirk had spotted a sniper on the roof next to the chimney with what looked like a Dragunov sniper rifle. True to Soviet standards, the guards were all carrying AK-47's and what looked like Beretta 9mm pistols. Caleb said that Dmitry's intelligence was correct and accurate; the men present were all seasoned soldiers.

Despite their years of training and experience, they were being a little sloppy. They didn't expect anyone to be in the area and where using an unsecured radio channel to communicate. His comm's guy Bunker was all over it with his mate Bianca translating what was being said. From the chatter it seems there were a total of six guards inside the cabin guarding Grigor, with ten more guards outside the cabin and the immediate perimeter. The remaining guards were walking around a two mile circuit in the surrounding woods about ten minutes apart. Caleb said he had two wolves shadowing each group in anticipation of striking; they remained upwind of the guards and so far none were the wiser to their presence.

Caleb said he brought a son-in-law who was from the foothills of the Appalachians to take care of the sniper. Brian, who everyone simply calls 'Bubba', was the quintessential hillbilly from a small pack of the Hunter clan. He was deadly quiet and could stalk prey for hours. Despite being pack, he still enjoyed hunting with bow and rifle from time to time and was damn near surgical in his precision," Maggie paused to laugh, "I have met Brian before, a sweet boy who married Caleb's youngest Mollie. The poor boy has a college education but will slip back into his backwoods dialect from time to time, when he gets flustered. I admit I have the hardest time keeping a straight face talking to him at times. But he knows he does it and takes all the ridicule with good humor."

"Anyway, Caleb says Brian was already hidden away in his perch 500 yards from the cabin and was sighted in to take out the sniper on command. The remaining eight were being held in reserve to take the cabin directly if needed. Robert was visibly impressed with Caleb and said as much. You see Caleb is one of the few of our kind who joins the military. Most do not wish to become involved with human politics, but some wish to serve their country and do so honorably. Caleb has actually been in the military three times over the years; he says he is only protecting the pack when he protects our country. I remember Edward wasn't too pleased with him when Caleb said he wanted to enlist at seventeen. But what can a father say when his son wishes to fight for one's country? He only hugged Caleb and told him to be careful; despite our near immortality, war can be a very dangerous place for us.

Caleb first served in the 82^nd airborne. He parachuted into Normandy as part of the 504^th parachute infantry regiment during Operation Boston. We were all very worried about him until Edward let us know that Caleb's mate actually lived in Paris. The conniving old bastard somehow knew that Caleb would find his girl after the war. It turns out after the Allies liberated Paris, his mate Giselle was giving away flowers to all the soldiers on the tanks as they rolled down the Champs-Élysées during one of the victory parades. Caleb says he grabbed her hand as she passed a bouquet of flowers up to him. Two hours later they were at her father's place for the Rites.

Edward and Elizabeth had managed to sneak into occupied France to surprise them both. Neither one will say a word about how they got in. Edward just laughs and says that is his greatest secret. To this day it still bugs the crap out of me how the old goat weaseled his way into the country. Whenever I complain to Robert, he just laughs and shakes his head at me. He tells me not to worry about it, that there are some secrets we are not meant to know. Caleb served twice more in Vietnam and again in Desert Storm. Whenever anyone asked about his resemblance to his former self, he simply remarks that he is his own son or grandson. He has gone from Caleb Wolfe to Caleb Wolfe II to Caleb Wolfe III; the little shit is not very original when it comes to identities," Maggie chuckled. Rachel simply stared at her as if to say, 'hurry it up.'

"Okay, okay. I'm getting to the end of it. Jeez, you young kids don't appreciate a good story anymore. I blame the damn television and the Internet. It has fried your young brains and destroyed whatever attention span you would have developed. The whole lot of you are a bunch of iPod listening, MTV watching, ADD -- riddled mush minds! Just remember this moment when you are trying to tell your children a story and they are looking at you like you are looking at me now!" Maggie complained.

"Your right Maggie, I'm sorry. It's just that I am getting a little antsy about tonight. James has some damn surprise planned for me and it is driving me crazy. He won't tell me what it is and I can't read it from his mind; it is really starting to tick me off! I know I need to show some patience, but I have never been good when it comes to surprises. I really do want to hear the rest of the story. Please continue," Rachel apologized.

Maggie had to chuckle at Rachel's predicament. She knew exactly what she was going through; she was exactly the same way when it came to Robert and his surprises.

"No need to apologize baby. I get the same way when Robert has a surprise for me. He gets all giggly and secretive about the whole damn thing; drives me up a fucking tree, quite frankly. They can't just keep the secret to themselves, they have to tease you with it and dangle it in front of you, just out of reach. Don't worry. I don't have too much more and then you can go find the hubby. He is probably well tenderized at this point and will be looking for a shoulder to blubber on. Just ignore the big baby if he starts whining too loud. Like you said, if he can't handle a couple of teenage girls, how can he handle his own mate? I love your attitude sweetie; don't take any of his shit!" Maggie said.

"Okay...where was I? Oh yes...the cabin. So Caleb had pretty much everything ready for us when we arrived. The patrols were being watched, the sniper was ready to be neutralized, and his pack was ready to aid us in taking the cabin. Robert was very proud of his youngest brother. One thing I have always admired about Wolfe men is they don't let rank and pride get between families. They express gratitude and admiration as readily as they do displeasure; they publicly appreciate one another and their accomplishments. Some families find it difficult to show affection between the Alphas and the lower ranks; ours has no such problem. Don't let it creep into the pack later dear, it can be more dangerous than cancer. Always appreciate and acknowledge the work of others. It goes a long way to keep those around you happy and content.

Each of us quickly disrobed in the car and shifted to follow Caleb and Dirk. After a quick run of a couple of miles, we all gathered together in an old bear cave. Caleb said that Bubba was ready and things would begin once Robert gave the signal, which would be a long howl, followed by a short bark and another long howl. This would alert those following the patrols to listen for Brian's kill shot. The pairs were well trained and fully prepared to attack in concert each of the four man patrols. Each pair was to answer back with a predetermined howl to signal their mission was successful. Once all eight patrols were neutralized, the main force would attack the cabin while the rest would gather in reserve. The plan was simple and elegant. It ensured the largest chance for success while minimizing casualties. With a nod, Robert shifted and led the pack to the edge of the tree line. He signaled Bubba to take the shot with the series of howls. Bubba's rifle answered seconds later as his .308 Winchester placed a round squarely between the sniper's eyes; a mass of brain and skull fragment painted the side of the brick chimney. All hell began to break loose as screams and gunshots rang out all over the small valley.