Monster
The convoy of three jeeps rumbled up the narrow mountain road under a moonless sky. Cass sat in the back of the lead vehicle, squeezed between Roan and Kiran. Five resistance wolves and a massive bull with thick, curved horns rode with them, all of them armed and quiet.
The time for Cass' first mission for the resistance was at hand. His fur bristled with excitement and nervousness, but this was what he asked for, or more accurately, this is the life he wanted to be strong enough to endure. And he also wanted to do his part, those panthers had tried to kill him, his sister, Roan... Cass didn't want to stand by and let that go.
Cass’s new wolf nose picked up everything: gun oil, tension, the faint metallic tang of cursed silver bullets, and the underlying fear rolling off some of the resistance fighters.
Kiran leaned over, whispering, “You okay, new wolf?”
“Yeah,” Cass murmured, claws flexing against his thigh. “Just… never done anything like this before.”
Roan’s paw settled on his knee, warm and steady. “Stick close. We move as a pack. Don't worry, we're going to be hijacking cargo from a couple panthers, and we have the silver. They are outnumbered and outmatched. Just be smart.”
The commander, a grizzled older wolf with many scars across him, faint, signs of repeated regeneration, finally broke the silence as they neared the intercept point.
“Discreet is off the table,” he said flatly. “These panthers aren’t just transporting cargo. They’re trying to start a full-scale war. We’re here to dispatch every last one of them and find out what the hell they’re moving.”
He reached into a locked case and handed each member of Roan’s pack three cursed silver bullets.
“Use them wisely. One shot to the heart or head usually does the job. Anything less and they’ll regenerate. Don't waste them, and beyond all else, do not let them fall into the hands of the panthers if things go sour. You can keep the rounds after the mission.”
"Does the enemy have cursed silver too?" Cass asked. The sudden thought was terrifying. Bullets that even he, with his new wolf body, couldn't survive... bullets that could kill Roan or Kiran in a single shot, or injure them badly.
"Panthers, not that we've seen or heard, but other anthro factions are known to have some supply, and we never know who we're dealing with in the end."
"Got it..." Cass said.
They set up fast. Explosives were planted on the road. The pack and resistance fighters took positions in the treeline, weapons ready.
When the panther convoy rounded the bend, the lead jeep hit the charges. The explosion lit up the night, flipping the vehicle and sending two others skidding to a halt.
The pack rushed in, weapons raised.
“Hands up! Surrender now!” Roan barked.
For a moment, the panthers looked like they might comply.
Then something tore through the reinforced cargo hold of the middle truck with a screech of rending metal, the whole vehicle tilting. More pounding and tearing, and the resistance trained their weapons towards the commotion.
A massive, four-legged beast exploded out of the wreckage. It was too dark to see clearly, just a lumbering silhouette, thick hide, and glowing blue eyes. It hit the ground hard enough to shake the road.
Before anyone could react, it launched into the air, wings snapping open, and landed on two resistance wolves. Bones crunched. The wolves howled, but the creature bent it's long neck down and with several chomps, ended the lives of the helpless wolves. Devouring...
Blue fire erupted from its maw, roasting another wolf alive in a blast of unnatural flame.
“Fall back!” Zariel roared.
It was still too dark to see clearly what this monster was, but the massive wing span gave Cass a clear idea... he just never thought he'd see something like this in person. No anthro dragon, even in their feral transformation form, was nearly this big! This was something else.
Roan and a few others opened fire, the blue trail from the cursed silver streaking into the beast's scales. It roared and fanned the air with blue flame.
The pack scrambled for the jeeps. Cass’s heart hammered as he ran on all fours for the first time in combat, claws digging into dirt. They piled in, tires screeching as they sped away down the mountain road.
The beast took to the air again, pursuing them. Roan floored it, navigating the twisting mountain road, a steep drop just inches from their tires. The dragon landed with a great impact and bounced the jeep like a toy.
They tumbled down the steep embankment, crashing into the freezing river below.
“Swim!” Roan shouted.
They fought the current, lungs burning, until they reached a small rocky alcove hidden under an overhang. The pack crammed inside, shivering violently in the icy water, pressed close together for warmth.
Above them, the dragon-like beast circled, roaring and blasting blue fire across the river, searching.
They stayed hidden all night, teeth chattering, bodies numb. Cass pressed tight against Roan, feeling the Alpha’s heartbeat against his back. Kiran clung to Zariel’s side, unusually quiet. The big white wolf’s icy blue eyes stayed fixed on the sky, jaw clenched.
The convoy stayed nearby for a long time, perhaps still searching, or maybe expecting more ambush and needing to scout ahead. In the distance Cass picked up other members of the resistance climbing to shore and scuttling to cover in the night. At least more had made it alive.
When dawn finally broke and the beast flew off, they dragged themselves onto the shore, soaked, exhausted, and freezing.
Zariel stood up first, water streaming from his thick fur. His voice was raw with frustration.
“We are severely outmatched. Whatever the fuck that thing was… we weren’t ready for it.”
The surviving resistance wolves and the bull looked shaken. One of them stepped forward, bowing his head slightly.
“We’re sorry. The council will want a full debrief. For now, return to your pack house and await further intel. We’ll contact you when we know more.”
The pack watched them leave in silence.
Cass looked at Roan, then at Kiran and Zariel. His new wolf body still felt powerful, but the night had shown him just how small that power still was.
Roan pulled him close, kissing him on his muzzle and between his eyes and holding him forehead to forehead.
“We’ll get stronger,” he murmured. “Together. No more missions for awhile."
"Is the resistance big enough for this? Those panthers just started their attacks recently, like..." Cass was struggling for words, and looked down at his pistol, loaded with a few silver rounds. "Isn't the resistence new? How many..."
"We have a large resistance, Cass," Roan said. "These panther attacks are just the newest in a long line of trouble in the anthro underground, things that go back hundreds of years. There are others that can handle things, until we know what that beast was and what we're up against, they don't need us right now. We'll be fine."
But even as he said it, the weight of what they’d just seen hung heavy in the morning air.
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