The Rare Feral

Chapter 2

(Y/n) had been hiding out in Tongass National Park ever since she'd killed the three strange mutants that seemed to be after her and her father. The mutants had attacked her when they had followed the two feral's to where (Y/n) was taking on all comers at bare knuckle boxing. And one of the men, a large mountain of a thing, had even come into the ring to take her on. She knew she had noticed the three before. Sensed their smell from other places that she and her father had been. And even though a little part of her thought that it would be better for them to stay together, she had forced her father to escape. Leaving the tigress to face the three other mutants alone.

But a feral is a feral, and no matter how big and bad an opponent may be, she had been taught never to give in. Never to surrender. And soon the three men that had been sent after her, had been dispatched. The biggest man laying at her feet in a pool of blood, his throat ripped out, as (Y/n) let out a roar that shook the even the earth around

Despite all her best efforts, she hadn't been able to find her father after the incident. Even though (Y/n) had been to all his usual haunts, and contacted the few friends that her father had, he seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. She had worried for the first couple of weeks. But after that, she had resigned herself to the fact that dear old dad had vanished for a reason, and she would find him when he wanted her to.

Tongass was proving a good place to camp. (Y/n)'s father had taken her to the forest when she was much younger. Taking the opportunity to teach his daughter all the skills that she would need to survive in the wilderness. Life had always been difficult for the pair; (Y/n)'s mother had died when she was a mere babe in arms, and her father had had no idea how to raise a child, especially not a daughter. But he had done the best he could, teaching her to fight, hunt, fish, and live, no matter what life threw at her.

The female feral hadn't been able to do anything but smile when she had seen the wilderness again. It was even more beautiful than she remembered. The rivers were full of salmon, and the forest full of black-tailed deer so she had never gone hungry. The howls of the wolves that roamed the grassland made her feel safe, as she slept perched in the branches of old cedar and spruce trees that dominated the woods. They were (Y/n)'s extra alert to danger. If her own senses failed her, she could always rely on the animals. For if there was something in the forest that shouldn't be, their cries would wake her from her slumber.

(Y/n) crouched over a small puddle in the forest floor. Looking down at it she scrunched up her nose in disgust. This was the worst part of making sure that she wasn't found by anyone else. Especially anyone that may be sent by the same people that had sent the last three idiots, but it had to be done.

She scooped up the liquid in her hands and began wiping it over her body. Her own aroma was far too strong, so the only way to fix it was to basically dowse herself in doe urine. It was something that (Y/n)'s dad had done in Vietnam, masking his own odour from the enemy, so that it was harder to detect him. And it had been one of the first things that he had taught her. Never to make it easy for the enemy to pick up your position. And since the incident, (Y/n) didn't know where an enemy may come from next, so every precaution had to be taken. The only good thing about it, was that the smell would sometimes attract a larger black-tailed buck, and that's what (Y/n) was hoping for now. A large buck would keep her fed for days, and meant that daily trips down to the river to fish in the cold water would not have to be endured.

Just as (Y/n) finished up bathing in the foul liquid, her ears pricked up as she heard the unmistakable sounds of the rota blades of a helicopter getting closer and closer. Quickly, she leaped up into the nearest tree, and climbed up into the canopy, scanning the horizon for the incoming chopper.

She reasoned that it could be anyone. Tourists taking a scenic flight over the national forest, rangers surveying the area; or worst case scenario, someone looking for her. But whatever the truth, (Y/n) wasn't about to let anyone know that she was there. Her father had taught her too well, so she retreated under the canopy of leaves as she sighted the chopper that was still some distance away.