42
About a month after the manimals were shot, the alarm was sounded. They had escaped. They had injured Martin, their guard.
Shaun organized a search party. They needed to be found. They were very dangerous to everyone.
Scott was not too sure if Martin was going to survive if they were in their wolf form when he was attacked.
The Councils wanted our squads to be larger than normal. No one was to be out alone. We agreed.
Elder Camarillo was inspecting their cell. Paddy, Quinn and I walked over to him.
"Is there a problem Sir?" Paddy asked the Elder.
"Perhaps, I can not see where they were able to go through the cage."
I walked around the outside of the cage. I found an exit. It was where the chamber pots were removed and emptied. As animals they did not use it but they did relieved themselves near it.
I told Elder Camarillo.
"That means they are able to change inside this cell." He shook his head. "They do not have the same restrictions as we have." He whispered.
"No Sir. I do not think they have." Quinn agreed.
Paddy shifted into a weasel then searched the cell for other openings. The only one he found was the chamber pot hole.
He came back out of the cell and shifted.
"They were foxes Sir?" Paddy told the Elder.
"Thank you Paddy. That explains how they were able to leave this cell. I wonder what they were when they attacked Martin?"
"We may never know unless Martin tells us." Paddy said.
"You are right." Elder Camarillo nodded. "I am going to go and check on him."
We watched the Clan Elder walk across the square and go down the family corridor.
"I think he thinks it is his fault they escaped." Quinn whispered.
"Perhaps. Let us go and find them."
"All right."
I had finished walking around the cell and turned down the prison cell corridor away from the square.
"Kylie where are you going?" Paddy asked.
"They went this way." I whispered.
They were both surprised.
"Are you sure?" Paddy said. "Forget I said that." I nodded.
We followed their scent down the corridor to the main pool. No one was swimming at the moment. Paddy and Quinn shifted into otters and searched the pool.
I walked around the pool. I found their scent on the other side. I slapped the water to bring my men to the surface.
Paddy's head popped up.
I signed to him. 'They came out here three hours ago.'
A few seconds later both of them were out of the water dressing then by my side a few moments later.
I pointed to a small hole in the side of the wall. We looked at each other. Unsure whether to jump in or go for help. I reached up and took down one of the wall torches and threw it into the hole. It lighted the way down to the next level.
I dropped down the hole. Paddy and Quinn were right behind me. We landed on one of the storage levels. Quinn picked up the torch. Their scent went deeper into the hill. We followed their scent to the lakes on the opposite side of our main entrance. They had found a back exit.
Paddy was outraged. "How is it we did not know about this?" We stood staring at the exit.
"I do not know Dad. I have come down here often with John to bring supplies up for the kitchen." Quinn said. "I never saw this exit before."
Out in the forest we moved faster their scent was only two hours old. We were closing in.
We were at the Council's cabins on the lake. It looked like they were trying to find a place to sleep for the night. It was almost nightfall.
It was not long before we found them sleeping in one of the Council's cabins. Paddy shifted and contacted his father.
"They will be here shortly." Paddy whispered while he dressed.
Quinn stood to one side in deep thought.
"What are you thinking Son?" Paddy whispered.
"I wish I could put up a high fence and keep them here."
"You know that might not be a bad idea. This lake is surrounded by the hills. We could put the fence on the other side of the ridge where they will not be able to see it." Paddy said.
"The fence will work as long as they do not change into birds and fly over it." I told them.
"How fast do you think it will take us to build a fence?" Quinn asked.
"If we all help. One night. We will use the trees for fence posts."
"Good idea. Uncle Cory has a lot of building material in the barn."
Shaun, Cory and the rest of the squads came to us.
"Where are they?" Shaun asked. We pointed to Councilman Carlos' cabin.
"How did they come here so fast and without any of us seeing them?"
"They came out the back exit?" Paddy said.
"What back exit?"
We showed him.
"Amazing. I never knew that was here." Shaun exclaimed.
"Neither did we." Paddy said. Shaun turned to him. "How do you want to capture them?" He asked.
"We were thinking of keeping them here." Paddy said.
"How?"
"Put a fence around them." Quinn said.
"A fence?" Shaun tilted his head to one side then looked up at the ridge. Paddy and Quinn smiled when he looked at them again. "Below the ridge line on the opposite side." Shaun said then he noticed their smiles. "You were thinking the same thing." They nodded.
"All right. Kylie, you and your squad will keep watch. The rest of you to the barn for supplies."
Hugo, Curtis, Athos, Ramon and Mariela made their way around the cabin. We stayed at our posts until dawn. Athos and I climbed into some trees and the rest shifted or transformed and hid in the brush.
The manimals staggered out of the cabin and went to hunt for small game.
Paddy landed beside me. We watched them hunt. Once they were out of sight. He shifted and told everyone to go back to the cave.
The back exit had been covered with a door that had branches and brush on it.
We went in and bolted the door closed.
Paddy did not say anything until we were deep in the cave and far away from the door. "There will be a steady patrol around the fence to monitor them. Tonight while they are sleeping we are going to build some sentry cabins along the fence." We nodded.
"All right time for breakfast."
The manimals stayed in their enclosure hunting small game during the day and sleeping at night. Quinn set up a perch for all the parents to watch their children. One of them would be there during the day. Even Elder Camarillo would spend the occasionally day there.
