Head Wolf

Chapter 12

Arthur POV

The number one fact about a raid was, if it was well planned, you die. There was no other option because it was a sudden and violent attack that would end before you realized what was happening.

This raid was well planned. It had all the elements of success except one—we knew about it. Our spies saw a platoon of more than a hundred human soldiers creeping, before dawn, to hide in the thick forest around the fort. They installed their ORP (Objective Rally Point) exactly where we had predicted—a mile down the east side of the mountain. Their security team settled in the less dense areas, their support team on our walls.

They were subtle, but this was our territory. We were the land, the air, and the sky above.

The moment their assault team blew up the main gate and barged in, shooting their machine guns and throwing smoke bombs, we counter attacked. Our men engaged with their support teams, and we— geared with gas masks, earmuffs, and rifles—made them dance to the beat of our bullets.

I leaned against the large pillar as bullets cracked and whistled around me. I held my semi-automatic rifle by my side, counting in my head. The plan was to alternate our shooting so we wouldn't give the enemy time to recover or to retreat.

When the king jerked back to his hiding spot. I turned my rifle to the courtyard and shot. The fog swallowed my bullets. I could only hope they'd hit the shadows I saw moving.

Attacks were chaos, no matter how planned they were. If we wanted to win the day, we needed to trust our wolves' instincts.

I pulled back, discarding my last magazine as the second squad opened fire. Like a tic, my head jerked to the left as two human soldiers entered the doorway that could lead to the command room. I had no reason to look that way as the battle was on my right. But it was Instinct.

I whistled to have the king’s attention, then signed,

Two fingers, Two.
Index and thumb around my wrist, enemy.
I then jerked my head towards the doorway.

The king pointed his finger towards me and then to himself, then jerked his head towards the same doorway. I signed ok, and we ran at our full speed until we reached there.

The king peeked from the doorway. He looked back at me and signed ten then two with his hand.

Twelve humans sneaked in, and no one noticed?

With all our knights engaged in the fight, the alpha king didn’t think. He trusted his wolf's instinct, and I followed. Like two stealthy predators hunting their prey, we tiptoed until we reached the rear of the squad.

The corridor didn’t have any hiding spots. It would have been an easy kill if we had ammunition. Now we had to get our hands dirty. We grabbed the closest soldiers and snapped their necks. They didn’t scream, but the thuds their bodies made when they fell alerted their comrades. They whipped around, pointing their weapons. We charged at them, before their slow fingers could press the triggers. I pulled the barrel pointed at me and punched its owner. As the soldier fell to the ground, the others snapped out of their surprise. They launched at us.

Humans weren’t as weak as our tales made them look. The bedtime stories my father used to entertain us with while growing up, were exaggerated. I doubted I could blow in those humans’ houses with a mere huff and puff. I was tempted to try, though. I took a deep breath, but a blow to my stomach knocked it out of me.

Damn. I coughed. I’m so annoying. Why can’t I stop joking in serious situations?

I turned to the pack of humans surrounding me and punched the man to my right. He fell, but stood right back up before I could land a punch on the second soldier’s face. He attacked again.

I hit right and left, not slowing down for a second to think. I followed my instinct, and in no time, I was surrounded by four soldiers. The other two were out cold. A blow to the back of my neck made the world blur around me. It didn’t stop my hits. I managed to back to the wall, forcing them to stay in my field of vision.

The king was doing well. With three men down, the three remaining were no threat, especially that one of them was as small as a pup.

It was in no one’s interest to breach the treaty we had with the humans a thousand years ago when we went into hiatus. But this reckless attack gave us the upper hand regardless of its outcome. Yet, it was a slippery slope fighting with humans. We needed to gain more points for what would inevitably come. Not shifting in front of them and winning on the ground would give us that. The real battle was the one on the negotiation table.

I blocked the right hook that was aimed to my face and delivered one of my own. They ducked, but they were slower than they should. My fist connected with the man’s jaw, and I heard a crack. A satisfying one.

The man dropped to the ground, and behind him, stood the king, in the silent corridor, smiling down at the soldier who was punching his stomach. All sounds of battle had died down, only the echoes of the soldier’s grunts were heard.
“The fight is over, Verculum,” said the king.

You and your inoffensive insults. I rolled my eyes at this giant nerd. Latin? Who speaks like that?

“Just snap his neck and let’s start cleaning,” I said as I crouched beside the falling soldier and took his rifle.

The king said something but didn’t finish his sentence. I didn’t hear a word he said as fast steps closed in. I clutched the weapon and turned to the king for guidance. He grabbed two rifles and pushed the soldier behind him.

Fighting it is, then. I nodded. More humans. This should be easy. I thought, ignoring the tightness in my chest.

“Command room,” he didn’t need to say more. We needed a shelter. But before we could make a move, the doorway was filled with men, not humans—Julius, the traitor, and his rogues.