Wilderness: Enemy of my Enemy

Chapter Two// A Means to an End

A fire cracks with the music of crickets chirping. Like a star in space, the fire burns bright and alone, attracting even the blindest of flies. Surrounding the fire are the pack guards, Griffith, Genevieve, Runt, Doug, Vincent, and Jeremy and acres of trees. A pickup truck stood on the far end of the clearing, parked alongside an eighteen-wheeler. Griffith sits on a stump slightly resembling a thrown. Genevieve lays on the ground, by the fire, on her back staring up at the night sky. Runt sits forward on a rock, listening to the cracking of the fire just in front of him. Doug sat back against the same rock, twiddling with a ukulele, Vincent feels his silver-colored hair, finding a silver needle, similar to a porcupine's, and pulls it off. He tosses some dry wood into the fire, moving it around with the same needle he pulled from his hair. Jeremy sits on a big log just behind Vincent staring down a frog that seemed to be dancing. unblinking, Jeremy continues looking at the frog while it dances out of sight from the rest of the group. His nose drips blood as his head quickly jerks back. The frog, free from Jeremy's control, hops away deeper into the woods

"How much longer are we waiting for your father and the rest of the pack guard? Asks Genevieve.

"They said it'll be several hours from New Jersey, they should be arriving soon. They had just finished meeting with the elders. We need to know what our move is before we inform the elders of what's happening... Or what's to come. First and foremost we have to protect our people and the humans living within our territory." Explains Griffith.

"What makes you think your father will want to protect the humans?" Asks Genevieve.

" My father loves tradition. He's a traditional man. The pack guard was made to protect the vulnerable from the Wicked Mythos, the mythical creatures who aren't too fond of being non-hostile. Humans and our brethren who aren't part of the pack guard are part of said vulnerable group. Whereas others, like the werewolves we fought in the bar, would be considered wicked mythos. Since it is an honorable position, being a pack guard, it is very sought out for. That's why more than half of our kind are part of the Pack Guard. We all want to be heroes." Answers Griffith.

Before Genevieve could speak again a slight noise caught everyone's attention. They all stared in the direction of the cars. Genevieve stood up reassuring them, admitting it is probably a raccoon she heard earlier hiding in the bushes while she collected the sticks. Her arm then turned silver, molding itself into a thin, hard bat as she crouched and snuck over behind the trucks. After not responding for a minute, Runt and Griffith glance at each other with slight worry. That's when they hear Genevieve confirming from afar that it was a raccoon, as she holds up it's corpse like a trophy. She tosses it aside, then informs the others she'll be taking a nap in the eighteen wheeler, with a laugh, and she hops into the truck's cargo, closing the big doors behind her.

Doug sneaks toward the direction of the raccoon's corpse and then makes his way behind Runt. Doug pokes Runt, "I wonder what raccoons taste like?", holding the corpse of the raccoon, moving it around like a toy. Runt flips off the rock he sat on hitting the ground while the others blew up in laughter. Runt rushes himself to his feet, face red like a tomato, and glares at Doug. Smiling, Runt tackles Doug to the floor as everyone continues laughing, and pins him as Doug finally cries uncle. Runt grabs hold of the raccoon corpse and Chuck's it like a baseball into the forest.

Over the laughter, in the direction Runt threw the raccoon, Griffith hears a bush shuffle. Thinking it was probably the raccoon reaching the ground, he realizes otherwise when a twig snaps directly behind him. Griffith twists himself around to be caught face to face with a giant werewolf. The werewolf spreads it's dirty paw across Griffith's face, pushing him halfway across the clearing. The other pack Guards roll over to aid Griffith. Griffith comes to a stand to find they've been surrounded. The werewolves block the path to the trucks and there is nowhere for them to run to.