The First SaR Mission Ch. 11

Story Info
Weathering the storm...
8.9k words
4.82
6.1k
8

Part 11 of the 12 part series

Updated 06/08/2023
Created 12/06/2016
Share this Story

Font Size

Default Font Size

Font Spacing

Default Font Spacing

Font Face

Default Font Face

Reading Theme

Default Theme (White)
You need to Log In or Sign Up to have your customization saved in your Literotica profile.
PUBLIC BETA

Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.

You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.

Click here

-The Full Moon Retreat-
Episode: The First Search and Rescue Mission

Chapter 11:

Weathering the storm...

To the reader:
Thank you to those that have been following this fanciful tale. A special thank you to those that taken the time to rate it and comment. I have learned much with your feedback to guide me.

So, chapter 11... We've learned that the Dawsons are on their way to 'fur-dom'. God, I love a happy ending! But, when was the last time in your life that you rode your easy-chair around the last turn and shot straight across the finish-line? Yeah, me neither. I usually carom off of the wall, a couple of times; dig a few divots in the infield and skid across the finish line upside-down, spinning and on fire! Well, it's better than looking like a total fool and not finishing. What could possibly go wrong?

Thanks to my wife, Diane for a quick proofread.

[11:00, Thursday, the campsite]

The weather remains dreary. The valley is shrouded in a cold, heavy mist and light rainfall continues. A steady train of mud splattered wolves, packing in supplies has been slogging into camp since a couple hours after daybreak. An untold number of huge paws have trod the path between base camp and the campsite, turning it into a slick, muddy rut. The Dawsons still sleep fitfully, constantly tended by one of the medics. George decides that enough supplies and equipment have arrived to start getting the camp reorganized for their long wait for the Dawsons to change. He starts giving instructions to the wolves in camp.

"Ken, get some help and move the Dawson's cots down to this end of the shelter. We'll start setting up tents on this end then we'll move them all into one."

"Ok, everyone, let's modify our shelter. When we put it up, yesterday, all we had to work with was a bunch of the ten foot squares of orange, waterproof parachute cloth. We ended up with a giant, waterproof, orange soccer goal, forty foot long, ten foot high, and ten foot deep, with one side and both ends closed. That has worked out pretty well, except that it proved to be a little shallow when the wind would blow the rain in under it. Now, we have eight new nylon tents. The instructions, packed with them, say that they have ten-foot by ten-foot footprint. So, the idea will be to take out our back wall and both end walls and rearrange the cloth so that we have a twenty-foot by fifty-foot top canopy. We'll set the tents up in a 'U' shape with four tents across the back. Arrange those tents so that their fronts are under the canopy by two feet. That will keep their doors in out of the rain. Then set up two tents on either end, facing in. Butt all of the tents up against one another, as close as possible. The tents will become our back and end walls. Be sure to stake the tents down extra well... What we should have then is eight tents, all with their doors protected from the rain by the top canopy and an eighteen by forty foot covered area. We'll have to keep the fires outside of the canopy unless someone can think of a way to prevent them from burning the top canopy."

[12:30, Thursday, the campsite]

The re-arrangement of the campsite is complete. The living area is reasonably dry and snug. There is enough tent space for everyone to sleep on a cot with warm bedding if they choose. George now proceeds to give instructions on organizing people and supplies.

"Ok, the setup looks good, now lets put the supplies in the two tents that are on the ends of the 'U's legs. Those are the most exposed, but the supplies won't complain. Someone start setting up cots in the tents. Put the Dawsons in one of the corner tents. I think that we can use one cot for both children. They're small enough. If there are any of you that would prefer to puppy-pile then we can leave the cots out of the number of tents that are appropriate. Ken, you and your compatriots can start tending the Dawsons. There is supposed to be 'D5W' and 'normal saline' IV drips in this stuff, somewhere. They probably need it, especially Suzy Dawson. When this stuff is all settled...we have some cookware. We need to check to see if we have everything that we need, but if so, then does anyone want to go out hunting. Venison or rabbit stew would beat the hell out of another MRE! I hope that there are coffee and tea in there too."

[18:15, Thursday, the campsite]

Suspended above a low campfire, under a wooden tripod, simmers a large pot of rabbit stew, to the left a coffee pot ensconced in coals, an aluminum 'Dutch oven', with biscuits rising, on the right. The encampment had taken on a livable air, in spite of the miserable weather. Immediate chores complete, the crew stood and sat around looking, every bit, the picture of 'hungry wolves.' In their tent, the Dawsons, well into their fitful hibernation, were fed from plastic IV drips. The camp was placid and quiet for the first time. The wait had begun.

[18:30, Thursday, base camp, the operations room]

Berry Thornton is giving Jack bad news that he has just received from the weather forecast office.

"Well, Berry, do they, at least, give a guess as to when it'll get here?"

"All that they will say, Jack, is late Friday night to the early hours of Saturday morning."

"Great! That's all we need a big storm rolling through. Did they say how long it might last?"

"The guys at the National Weather Service said that the frontal passage will be violent with high winds, heavy rain and a lot of lightning. They said that the front is starting to stall out, so, it will be moving slowly, and the most intense part might last several hours in this area, and then give way to a steady, heavy rain. They expect that the rainfall rate could be as much as an inch and a half per hour and might continue into Saturday night."

"Damn it! Did they predict frogs and locust, too?!"

"Well, there is no way to get those people out of there. I can, and I will warn them, of course. It sounds like we have most of Friday to send them anything that we are going to. With that much rain, they're not going to be able to keep a fire going. I can send them more MREs, but they need heat, too. I wonder how far they are from that stream. That stream drains the whole valley. It could get fast and deep, in a hurry. I wonder how important it will be to save that plane wreckage. It's sitting right in the stream."

"Berry, do you have contacts with the NTSB?"

"Yes, but, it's, just a phone number, Jack."

"Would you get in touch with them, and ask if they will want to see this plane. The crash site is going to be washed away, but I am going to hire a helicopter to retrieve my equipment when the weather clears and I want to bring the plane out as well. I'm wondering if we'll be able to keep the plane from being washed away."

"Of course, Jack. I'll go call them."

"Thanks, Berry. I really appreciate all of your help. All of these agencies and people don't know me from Adam and probably wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Now, I had better raise George on the radio and tell him the good news."

Jack pulls the radio from his belt and calls George.

"Base camp to unit '41"

"This is '41'. Go ahead Alpha."

"George, you are going to just love this news. The weather bureau is forecasting a strong front to move through, Friday night. That's tomorrow night. Possible high winds, intense lightning, but the real kicker is an inch and a half per hour rainfall sustained through Saturday. George, That stream the plane is sitting in, drains the entire valley. At an inch and a half per hour, my worst case estimation is that thirty-three point-two-million cubic feet of water per hour will be running through that streambed. Is the camp far enough from the stream that it's safe?"

"Gawd, I don't know. We're maybe a hundred feet back from the lake, but barely a foot above it."

"Ok, George. First priority; make sure that the camp is safe from high water. It will be fast moving, too. Second priority; do what you can to withstand the high winds. Third priority; see if you can anchor that plane to some trees so that it won't wash away. Fourth priority; heat. I don't imagine that you are going to be able to keep a fire going in that rain. I am going to try to get some propane camping heaters to you. Fifth priority; food. I am going to send down some more MREs, but I am also going to try to get several propane backpack stoves to you. Now, is there anything else that you can think of that you need?"

"Alpha, there isn't much that we don't need, but in the end, we will get by with whatever we have, when we can't get any more."

[18:45, Thursday, the campsite]

George calls everyone together to tell them of the coming rough weather, and to divide them up into teams to start making preparations.

"Everybody, listen up! I just got off of the radio with the Alpha. He called to tell me that the National Weather Service has forecast heavy storms in this area for tomorrow night into Sunday morning. They are calling for high winds, intense lightning, and an inch and a half of rain per hour. We are stuck here, so we have to prepare. Our first priority will be making the camp safe from high water. The second priority will be to try to prepare for high winds. First, we need to determine if we are going to have to move the camp to higher ground. The Alpha made a rough calculation based upon the area of this valley, upstream of us and the inch and a half rainfall rate. The upstream portion of this valley will collect thirty-three-point-two-million cubic feet of water per hour and all of it must drain through this streambed. That works out to be, well over a half a million cubic feet per minute. Going down this creek, right here. The question to solve is, will that flood this camp or wash it away?"

"Next, the Alpha wants to secure the aircraft to prevent it from being washed away. I think that there is some climbing gear in the supplies. We can use rope from that to secure the plane to a tree. If we need to move the camp, then we need to all work on that. When we set it back up, we need to set it up with high winds in mind. The Alpha is going to try to send us small propane heaters and cook stoves before the storm hits, as a fall back he is sending more MREs." There are groans from a dozen wolves.

[19:00, Thursday, the operations room]

Through his Alpha bond, Jack sends to Leon...

"Leon, where are you?"

"Here, Boss!"

"We may have severe weather moving in for tomorrow night and I have another shopping list for you to go fill. It is all sporting goods and I want you there when they open tomorrow morning. Take the sat-phone and try to call in the order tonight, for you to pick up first thing in the morning. If they are short of anything see if you can find it anywhere, nearby."

"Can you read me the list, Alpha?"

"Are you ready? Here we go... get twelve small, propane-powered catalytic heaters, that use the one pound disposable propane bottles, get three, two burner camp stoves. They must be able to use the same one-pound propane bottles. Buy six-dozen one-pound bottles of propane. Get six, aluminum cooking pots and pans sets, good size ones. Get a couple of armloads of the freeze-dried camp meals, enough to feed a couple of dozen wolves for two or three days. An assortment is fine."

"Ok, have you got that?"

"Yes, Boss."

"Good, make it happen, my friend. We need to get that stuff down to the crash site tomorrow before the weather closes in. Do you think that we can do that?"

"Alpha, you know that if it is possible then I will get it done."

"I like your attitude, Leon. I'm sorry for running you ragged. We just seem to be 'event-driven."

"No rest for the wicked Werewolf, Boss."

"Amen, Leon."

[19:20, Thursday, the campsite]

George is speaking to all of the wolves, including those that were assigned to determine if the camp has to be moved.

"So then, we're agreed. We have to move. We need to scout out a new location for the camp. We will move upslope until we are sure that we are safe. I want everyone's input on choosing a new campsite location. Keep in mind that we need enough space for the camp, but we need enough large trees to tie ropes to suspend our canopy. Once we have our new location, I want the tents staked down to the max, and maybe a rope across the tops of the tents so that they can't blow down. Look up in the trees for 'deadfall.' We don't want anything falling out of the trees on top of the tents or canopy. When suspending or guying things tie them to multiple places, so that no matter how the high winds hit them there is a rope resisting the wind. Keep in mind that the canopy has to be able to dump a lot of rain. Use support poles if you need them. Tie them good at the top and anchor them at the bottom. Above all else, think! "Will what I am doing work, no matter what the wind and rain does?" If not try to make it stronger or ask others for ideas. Got it?" There is a chorus of "got its!" "Good, then go do!"

[21:55, Thursday, the campsite]

The camp has been moved to gain, at least, five feet of freeboard. The camp is safe, within reason, should the stream swell from the heavy rain. The tents and canopy have been securely staked, tied, and guyed - as ready, as possible to meet mother nature's worst. The Dawsons were carefully moved, still on their cots. Tired and hungry, everyone finally sat down to bowls of rabbit stew and biscuits. They consumed the entire five-gallon pot of stew. Most decided that they would be more comfortable sleeping in puppy piles. Ken Ambrose and George remained in human form, Ken to tend the Dawsons George to be able to answer the radio if needed.

Base camp settled in for a good night's sleep. Leon set his watch alarm for 03:00. Peace finally reigned over all the Full Moon's people and the human counterparts in camp with them.

[05:00, Friday]

Life begins to stir at both the crash campsite and base camp. Sleepy eyed wolves and humans are ready to face another day. Leon is long gone for supplies. Anna has been asleep, (unconscious), for twenty and one-half hours.

Anna is dreaming again...

~~~Anna is stretched out on her stomach, hands stacked beneath her cheek, legs spread wide, again, fully nude, lying in the sun. The smooth, stone surface warm and comfortable, a thought wafts across her mind; "this toasting your buns in the sun could become addictive!" Her quietude would not last, though.

~LeWolf: "Anna,... Annnah,..."

"Aw... kiss my crack! What is it?"

~LeWolf: "Anna, we're wolf, now, ya' know? We can do that."

"Yeah, don't remind me!"

~LeWolf: "Anna, I'm a bit worried. I haven't sensed Aaron's wolf, my mate. I think that he is still sleeping. He needs to wake up and make his peace with Aaron's human. If he continues to sleep, he will not be aware of what is going on around him. If he is startled awake, he may become confused and scared. He may go defensive. That would not be good."

"What can I do? I'm unconscious; remember?"

~LeWolf: "I remember, Anna. There is a storm coming. I can feel it. If he is awakened by a loud clap of thunder, he may come up fighting."

"Ok, I know that is not going to be well received. They may want to kill him, and Aaron, too. What can I do?"

~LeWolf: "Nothing, just now, I suppose. But, if he does come up angry, you must let me come forward, quickly. He is my 'true mate,' I should be able to comfort and quiet him. And, besides, he could easily destroy your human. I could survive his attack, though. If I sense trouble, I will wake you."

"Ok, What do I do then?"

~LeWolf: "Make sure that you are naked, then get down on your hands and feet and call me forward. Do this quickly. I will hear you, even if you speak aloud. Just Say: "Wolf, I need you." I will come forward and we will morph into wolf form. We will shift very quickly, so, that he doesn't have time to hurt our human form. Oh, and Anna... This will be your first shift. Sister, it is going to hurt... a lot. It won't do you any harm, though and after four or five more shifts, it won't hurt at all."

"So I just assume the position and say: "Wolf, I need you!", and, you will do the rest?"

~LeWolf: "Yes, Anna. That is correct, but remember: naked with your cute little butt in the air!"

"If someone tries to stick something in my cute little butt, you have my permission to knock the stuff'n out of them, but, don't kill them."

~LeWolf: "Understood, Anna. Now you may go back to your sunbathing. I'll stand watch."

"Thank you, wolf. I do not want to loose our mates."

~LeWolf: "Sleep well, Anna."

[11:43, Friday, base camp]

Leon returns from his shopping spree...

"Good, Leon, your back. Were you able to get everything?"

"Yes, Boss, but I had to mix brands on a few things. It will still work the way you wanted, though."

"Leon, why don't you get something to eat and then try to get some sleep? I may need you, if this storm gets bad, tonight. Although I don't know what we could possibly do for them, down there."

"On your way find Jay and tell him that we have more stuff to go down. He has been playing the role of "wolf dispatcher," and, doing a pretty good job."

[15:35, Friday, the campsite]

Heaters and stoves arrive in camp and wolves begin unloading the packs. George is speaking to his friend Eric Mac Gille Fhaolain...

"We moved and didn't leave a forwarding address, but you found us, anyway."

" Yeah, better tracking noses than bloodhounds."

"I see that you brought us all kinds of good stuff."

"Yeah I didn't see them pack it, but there is a bunch of propane bottles and a ton of dehydrated camping food."

"Oh, good! I was expecting to have to send out hunters again. More rabbit stew, you know."

"This valley is going to be short of rabbits when you all leave."

"I want to stuff my wolves full of whatever is in these bags and put them to bed. I want them to get some sleep, because, if it as bad tonight as the Alpha is expecting, then we aren't going to be getting much sleep after it rolls in.

"Yeah, it sounds like it'll be rough. But, you can't pay to get this much excitement."

"I figure that with the wind driving the rain, it will pound water right through the tent cloth. We are going to be soggy dogs."

"The Alpha was trying to arrange a hunt and cookout, or cookin, I guess, but, that got put on hold, everybody is afraid that the storm will take down the big tents. No one wants to be in the middle of cooking if that happens."

When all of the packs are unloaded, the couriers leave to return to the base camp. George assigns two wolves to assemble and distribute the heaters. He has two extra canisters of propane and one extra set of lantern batteries placed in each tent and has the camp stoves assembled.

[16:30, Friday, the campsite]

The camp is quiet, again. George has all of the tents and rope-work double checked. The evening meal is prepared using some of the packaged camp meals. The wolves are told to try to rest and sleep if they can, for this may become a sleepless night. Aden Alton, (medic), and Bellamy Colton, (EMT), tend the Dawsons.

[20:00, Friday]

The forest is dark and still, though frequent, diffuse flashes of lightning can be seen in the western half of the cloud covered sky. The clouds hang low overhead and the usual heavy mist drifts through the air.

[22:00, Friday]

The sky pulses bright and often now, clearly illuminating the ground through the trees. The flashes seem to be more overhead now and an occasional, deep rumble seems to shake the ground.