The First SaR Mission Ch. 08

"All of this preparation will still be useful if your request is granted because and I guess this is obvious you and your family would be turned where you are. The process would require about two days to complete. I know that you must be getting tired of all of my warnings but be prepared, as your first shift into your wolf will likely be painful. Future shifts should be very much less so and the more times that you have shifted the easier and smoother they will be. Also when you shift for the first time you may have to be forced into the shift. I will come out there and I should be able to force the shift. This is because new wolves usually shift on the night of the next full moon but we won't wait for that."

"Once you are 'bit' you will soon become unconscious and begin to run a fever. This is when your DNA is being altered. Any injuries that you had going in should have healed or at least be well on their way to having healed by the time that you wake up. During the time that you are unconscious, there will be someone tending you at all times. When I force you to shift I will ensure that you don't go rogue. There is the very remote chance that your immune system will overcome the Were vector and you will become immune to being turned. I have heard stories but I have not seen it in my one-hundred and twenty-seven years. So I wouldn't worry about it."

"Have you any questions or comments for me Anna?"

"No Sir. Just that I don't drink but could use some nerve tonic about now."

"Yes, Anna. I can understand that. We don't see all that many 'turned' Werewolves. The only ones in recent years have been humans that mated with Werewolves and were turned in the mating ritual."

"What is the 'mating ritual'?"

"Ah, Anna, you have a great many surprises in store for you. I hope that when you and Aaron are comfortable in both of your skins you will partake of these things that are gifts to Werewolves. The mating ceremony (or ritual) is akin to the wedding ceremony in its purpose. However, it is very different in its details."

"First off, Werewolves don't exchange rings at their wedding. In fact, Weres generally do not wear rings at all. The reason for that is that when you shift there are two problems. One obvious problem is that if you had a ring on when you shifted your wolf doesn't have fingers. The bigger problem is that your wolf will probably have half again the mass of your human form and the toes on your forepaws are usually much larger in diameter than your human finger. Need I explain further? The same thing with clothes. Most often you will sort of 'explode' the clothes that you are wearing. Large strong belts can be a bigger problem. So, by all means, get naked before you shift. Otherwise, it can get rather expensive and sometimes painful. But I digress."

"Ok, and I hope that you aren't bashful. You won't be after a few years as a werewolf. Anyway, the mating ritual joins two Weres in more than just formality."

"Anna, do you know what telepathy is?"

"Well, I know what the myth is."

"Oh, Anna, it's no myth. Between mated pairs, it is called the mating bond. You and Aaron will be able to share your thoughts. Not just guess at what the other is thinking but actually communicate at some distance. Now, I think that even Werewolves would go crazy if they could not control that ability. So, you can 'shut it off' as it were. But unless you do your thoughts will seem like a conversation in a quiet room to Aaron and vice-versa. And I have to admit this is based on what happens in a family of born Werewolves but you should be able to apply the same ability with your children and they between themselves. It is sort of a 'family party line'. If you don't want to listen or send your thoughts just don't pick up the phone."

"Now, the mating bond can be accomplished in the privacy of your bedroom but within the pack, it is almost always done as a celebration in a clearing under the full moon and with the entire pack watching or participating along with the mating couple. The actual ritual process is for a mating pair in human form and naked to copulate with the pack cheering you on. When you orgasm your mate can, of course, feel you coming. When he does he either partially or fully shifts and bites you at the junction of your neck and shoulder. Now, he will twist and tear the wound for the express purpose of causing the most visible scar that he can. Werewolves do not scar easily so the bite must be fairly vicious. You for your part are in the throws of your orgasm which due in part to the erotic setting and the telepathic help of the pack will probably be very intense. It is now your turn to reciprocate in kind. The pain is experienced as an erotic pulse and the orgasm that you experience is generally the most intense orgasm you will ever experience."

"It is generally best to do this outside hence your presence in an open clearing. The reason is that it is very normal for the orgasm to be such that one or both partners completely lose control of their bladders etcetera. It is usually messy. We turn the lawn sprinklers on for several hours afterward. It is considered good manners to share the sensations by keeping your pack bond open to the entire pack. The pack bond is much like your family bond but usually a bit less intense. Anyway, during your copulation, most of the already mated pairs in the pack, as well as many casual partners, are arrayed around the clearing also engaged in copulation and they also keep their pack bonds open. So the universal experience is a sort of 'supernova' orgasm."

"The scar left by the bite is called the mating mark. It is the equivalent of the wedding ring. A Were that is marked is monogamous. They will not normally be approached by another Were with sexual intent. And that works both ways."

"There is also an Alpha bond. The pack's Alpha can do some interesting things with his bond. His is much stronger and has a much longer range; he can make 'conference calls' and sense the well-being of every member of the pack. It's like the world's most congested party line. Although he can tune it out or sense a particular pack member. If a pack member is hurt he knows it instantly."

"And there other perks for a Werewolf. Take for instance healing in minutes or hours depending on the severity of the injury or being two or three times as strong as his human counterpart and five to seven times as strong in his hybrid form and his wolf being able to run fifty miles an hour, for respectable distances. The biggest perk, I suppose is family. The pack really is one big family. Blood relations have nothing to do with it. You will never face trouble alone. The pack will come to your aid just as you will go to theirs. You may not understand it yet but wait until you experience your first run through the forest under a full summer moon with the entire pack beside you."

"The primary obligations for a Werewolf are to obey his Alpha and to keep his wolf under control. Not to stifle him, but to tame him. As far as obeying me; I don't generally interfere in pack members lives unless they misbehave or we have some operation such as this that calls for overall organization. The Alpha's responsibility is to protect and nurture his pack and its individual members and to work for their general happiness."

"Ok, Anna, is there anything you would like to ask at the moment?"

"Oh yes, Alpha. It's just that I don't know what the questions are yet."

"Well, Anna, I hope this works out to your satisfaction. I look forward to having you in the pack. I also believe that once you have started to learn how to be a part of the pack, then you will find it to be a wonderful life. With a little luck, we will soon be chatting before witnesses. Goodbye for now.

"Alright, George, we need to discuss what is coming up"

"Did you find some medically trained people?"

"Yes, Alpha. I have three. Two of them were combat medics and one an EMT."

"Have they looked at the patients yet?"

"No, Alpha. They had just arrived and were shifting when you called"

"Alright, George. When they have completed their evaluation call me and let me know what they found."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Alright, George, what does the weather look like there?"

"Not good, sir. Thick haze, drizzle and there is either fog or a cloud layer about twenty-five or thirty feet above the ground."

"George, there is a pair of National Guard SH-60 Seahawk helicopters with volunteer crews that are going to try to extract the patients. If they hold to their timing then they should be there within the next hour. The only communication that we will have is a VHF radio here in the radio room. So if you need to communicate with them you will have to call us and we will relay the message."

George steps back into the campsite which has come together to be as comfortable as possible given the materials at hand. Having a surplus of orange waterproof parachute cloth and miles of parachute cord the volunteers have rigged a large shelter, forty feet long, ten feet high, ten feet deep, and closed on the back and both ends. Two warm fires burn just outside and in front of the shelter. The final effect was a large warm, dry space that could comfortably shelter everyone. Piles of pine needles had been gathered and dried by the fires and used to carpet most of the floor area. Makeshift beds have been made for the injured from cloth stuffed with pine needles. All in all, it is not a bad campsite.

*****

[15:28 Wednesday, crash site]

"Unit 41 to base camp."

Rob Fox has the radio watch...

"Unit 41, go ahead"

"Please advise the Alpha that we can hear multiple helicopters above the fog and clouds but have seen nothing thus far."

"Roger '41'. Will do."

Jack had been monitoring the radio and came running into the radio room.

"George, we are monitoring the VHF on guard channel but have had no communication yet. Advise if you see anything happening."

"Roger base camp."

[15:40 Wednesday, over crash site]

Onboard an SH-60 call sign: Sentinel-1, somewhere above the clouds and fog...

"Sentinel- 2, I'm on the coordinates they gave us..."

"... hold your altitude. I'm going to sink into this soup and try to blow some of the fog away with my downwash"

A minute later...

"Sentinel - 2, I'm showing one-hundred and forty feet RA but it's erratic. There's something down there and I don't think that it's a warm sandy beach."

"Sentinel - 2, One-hundred feet RA, still erratic."

"Sentinel - 2, ninety feet RA."

"Eighty feet."

"Seventy-five feet."

"Seven- (whump-clang) -Whoa! There's lumps in this soup! Lifting out!"

"Sentinel-1, What happened 'Tigger?'."

"I think that it was a very light tree strike. I'm not feeling any imbalance, but I'm pretty fricken' sure that I'm not going back in there. My wash didn't do anything but stir the oatmeal. I never saw a damned thing. I think it must be trees. That's why my Radar Altimeter had the jitters. It was just painting tree tops"

"Sentinel -2, Have you got vis on me."

"Roger, I'm high on your six"

"Good. Let's float up 500. It's time to talk to these guys. I don't think this is happening. I do not want this to turn into a total Charlie-Fox on us."

"Alright, 'Rabbit', let's hold here a minute. I'm going VHF to see if I can raise these guys."

[16:12 Wednesday, over crash site]

Sentinel-1, broadcasts on 121.5 mHz...

"Sentinel flight of two on guard channel to, SAR base camp"

"Sentinel flight, SAR base camp, we read you"

"SAR base camp, are you one-twenty-three-point-one capable?"

"Sentinel flight, roger we are. Shifting to one-two-three-dot-one. W-Q-H-B-six-six-seven channel clear."

Fox adjusts the radio set 123.1 mHz...

"Sentinel flight, SAR base..."

Jack comes running into the radio room...

"SAR base, I... don't see how this is going to work. We have already taken one tree strike. I'm loath to set down into that soup again."

"Ask him how thick the clouds are."

"Sentinel flight, Alpha sends. Asks, how thick is the lower cloud deck?"

"Sentinel, returns. Top of the layer is at three-hundred feet A-G-L by radar altimeter. We were at seventy feet A-G-L when we took what I think was a light tree strike, but my radar altimeter was about to go Tango-Uniform. I think that it was pinging tree tops. We never broke out, so it may go all the way to the ground. We tried blowing a hole with rotor wash but that didn't work. It just stirred the soup."

There is a long pause; no one has any new ideas...

"I'm sorry guys; I don't have any more tricks in my toybox."

With a pained expression but resigned to the situation Jack speaks to Rob Fox...

"Thank him and send him home."

"Sentinel flight: Thanks for the try. You have already taken a big enough risk. We don't want bird feathers all over the place. We're calling this game on account of fog. We'd invite you in for coffee but the drive-through is fogged in. Thanks again. You boys have a smooth flight home."

"Thanks, SAR base. Maybe next time."

"SAR base camp W-Q-H-B-six-six-seven channel one-twenty-three-point-one clear."

"I'm sorry, Alpha. I don't think that they could get in there with a seeing-eye dog."

"Yeah, Rob. Just another day at the office."

[16:30 Wednesday, base camp, dining hall]

Jack addresses the wolves that have returned from the search and the press with an update on the situation.

"Ok; everyone that went out in the search teams... Has everybody had something to eat since getting back? Just in case the grapevine hasn't gotten the word to everyone, here's what has happened, is happening, and what is going to happen, in a nutshell. This is for the press as well. The crash site has been found. There were four passengers on the plane and there are four survivors. However, three are injured. All three of the injured are in serious or critical condition." The crash site is located approximately fourteen miles out via the best trail from this base camp. That trail is quite difficult even for four-legged wolves. Extracting the three injured survivors on litters using standard climbing techniques would require an estimated three to four days. We believe that the father and the young girl would not survive the trip. The young boy is an unknown."

"The weather continues to be far below an acceptable condition for flying. "We have just released two Seahawk helicopters to return to their base. They made a truly heroic attempt to land near the crash site. They could not. One very nearly crashed in the attempt when its rotor struck a tree. They are ok, but we have called off the attempt to get a chopper in there. We don't need to crash any more aircraft."

"There is an unexpected kicker to the situation. The only crash survivor conscious and relatively uninjured is Anna Dawson, the mother of the family. Through her own inquiries to some of the Werewolves tending her family, she has discovered that the injuries to her family members would not likely be fatal to Werewolves. Anna has requested that she and her entire family be 'turned'... Yes to Werewolves. You pack members know how complicated that issue is for us. Technically, I think that I can grant that request, however, to eliminate any biased decisions on my part I have put the issue before the Were Council. I believe that her request is rational and reasonable. I believe that her reasons are these:"

"First, her four-year-old daughter is in critical condition with third-degree burns over eighty percent of her body. Those of you in the know, know that being unable to medevac her out immediately to a burn unit puts even her short-term survival in question."

"Secondly, her husband who is still unconscious has two badly broken legs. The breaks may be compound fractures. I'm sorry but I have not had a chance to speak to our medics on-scene. Those can also be fatal and may require emergency surgery. Again there are no immediate means of extracting him."

"Third, her six-year-old son is unconscious and had been complaining of pain in his abdomen. This might be indicative of internal injuries. Prognosis: unknown"

"Finally, regarding Mrs. Dawson, as it was relayed to me; "where they go, I go."

"Now hear me! I don't want any of this to be said in the presence of any of the survivors. I am sure that the mother knows these facts but I don't want it thrown in her face. This includes the press. You are hearing the full truth as we know it. I know you must report it. I also know that one day soon you will be trying to interview her and the other survivors. If you hound her with this I swear to Luna, Were Council be damned, I will hunt you down and eat you! Is that clear?"

From an anonymous male reporter: Sir, are you threatening the press core?

"No, sir, I am not. I am threatening any news hound that might sneak in here under the guise of being a professional who might put 'scooping' the story above the well-being of the people that he or she is here to report on. So ok, maybe I won't eat them but keep the image of a chew-toy firmly in mind. Now, it was my decision up front to keep the press fully informed on what was happening. Much of it, you are getting live from our radio traffic. I am not inclined to hold anything back and thus far I have had no cause to change that position but in return, I demand that you treat these people with 'kid gloves'. They have been through a series of events that would leave many in this room as whimpering puppies."

"Now, where were we? Yes. I have put this before the Were Council. If they permit me the authority to grant this request, I am inclined to do so. At a minimum, at least one member of her family probably has no other options and frankly, I don't find it to be so bad to be a Werewolf."

"Now... Granting me the authority to fulfill this request is not the same as directing me to fulfill it. As the pack Alpha for the pack involved I still have the final say-so. To ensure that this is her decision, that she has a reasonable understanding of the consequences of proceeding with the 'turning' and that this fact is understood by one and all I will interview her by radio. There will be two human volunteer witnesses and you ladies and gentlemen will be allowed to listen to that radio conversation live in this hall. I have already advised her that, if this request is allowed to proceed then before I grant the request I will to the best of my abilities describe the most important pros and cons of becoming a newly turned Werewolf. I will ask her some questions that she will have to answer to my satisfaction. Finally, I will ask her one last time whether she wants to proceed. I have also advised her that there will be two witnesses and the press listening live. So you will need to understand the stress that she will be under."

"Alright let's move on. We are going to proceed as if the request had been denied. That is, we are going to do our best to stabilize and treat the crash victims at the site. If we must wait for extraction we will need the best facilities we can create in that remote location. Alternatively, if the turning should proceed we will still need a place of similar description."

"A newly turned human will typically run a high fever and may be unconscious for around two days during which time that person must be tended twenty-four hours a day. It is necessary to bath them to control their body temperature. Fortunately, other healing will continue unabated."

"To create these facilities we will pack in large nylon tents (one for each patient). The tent's inside surfaces will be washed down with a disinfectant. One cot with mattress, pillow, and plenty of clean white linen sheets will be placed in each tent. We will keep the tents, for the most part, closed up to keep dust pollen and hopefully bacteria at bay. We will maintain as sterile a condition as possible."