A Boy Among Wolves

Chapter 6

Danny-

"Dude. Have you ever seen this many different shifters in one place?" Asks Brenden in a quiet whisper. No real need to be quiet; everyone can hear everything.

I just shake my head and look over at Dad as he talks to the other leaders of our pack. Between Astoria and Seaside, there are about 900 shifters, mostly wolves like us. Tonight the leaders of both wolf packs are in attendance, alongside the mountain lions, the coyotes, the bears, the foxes, and hell, even the deer shifters. Those were the real surprise; it's not that we'd actually try and eat them....but the distrust runs deep.

"After what we all saw at the school last night. I'm not shocked that they all came here," I say back.

Dad said the deputies didn't find any trace of the creature. The school's security cameras gave off a vague massive shape.

"Madison! What are we doing here? We should be out hunting this thing down," shouts Gavin Parker, the alpha of the Seaside pack. Just down the road from us. A much smaller pack, but just as loud as Dad.

"We don't even know what it is," says Mr. Kramer, Theo's math teacher, and a coyote shifter. "I saw it last night. It was twice the size of a bear, and it looked more like a monster."

"It's nothing that we can't handle," snares Mr. Parker.

"Typical wolf mentality," groans one of the deer shifters. She's not the only one making that face right now. "Some of us don't live in packs. We can't all go out there and fight this thing."

"Why don't you go watch Bambi and eat some grass," shouts a Seaside wolf.

"ENOUGH!!!!!" Shouts Dad in a deep rumbling voice that brings even the other leaders down a peg. "Enough. That's why I called you all here. So we can figure out a plan."

"We still don't know what it is," says Mr. Kramer quietly. The coyote is a survivor, defensive to our offensive. "Anyone have an idea?"

I hear a throat clearing, and I turn to see grandpa walking into the room. A previous Alpha; respected even if he isn't in charge anymore. "It's a shifter who's eaten a human," he says in a gravelly voice.

This starts a commotion. "We don't eat people. None of us have for decades or longer," says a female wolf from Seaside.

Grandpa stares her down, and her husband stands in a defensive position. " that's because humans were hunting us down. They still are, but we're smarter now. Whatever this is, it doesn't care about our rules. Those rules keep us safe, but they limit our powers and strength."

"So you're saying that the humans are in danger? Are they the goal?" Asks Mr. Block. Father of the mountain lion twins at school.

"Who knows. Whatever this is, it's not from here. All the groups have everyone accounted for. It came from someplace. I need all of you to reach out to your connections in Seattle and Portland. If there were animal attacks, then they would have an idea," says Dad. "We need to stay out of the woods until we know more." The groans and shouts start. "LAST NIGHT,"'he shouts and then continues in a normal tone, " it came close to the high school, in plain sight about 20 of our kids and dozens of humans. It doesn't care. I don't want our kids to be their next victims. We should all stay out of the woods. Winter is coming anyways, but also push your human friends to stay out as well."

"Easier said than done," says a Fox.

"I know. Humans think they're invincible," says Dad. "But try. Once you hear back from the cities, tell me. We're all in this. The sheriff is going to issue warnings thanks to a lot of us being on the force."

The leaders all nod; their packs or herds or whatever won't push back now. The groups disperse soon after

"Think that'll work?" Asks Brenden as we start to help clean up the room.