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A/N - A bit of a short one today. I figured I owed something after the long delay between the last couple. Plus, the story kept nagging at me. Enjoy.

Clean save for lots of coarse language. All characters and situations fictional. Some liberties taken for plot advancement.

Chapter 5 - Answers...& Questions

"We are all brothers under the skin, and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it."

Ayn Rand

Thompson State Forest

New London, NH

Dawn

Great. Another one of those wolf creatures...wait...are those my cuffs? Damn. It got free and tracked me here. I swiveled myself as best I could with the still spurting wound in my leg, shooting fiery lances of pain through my body with every motion, eyes tracking on those narrowed, golden orbs as it rushed at me. I had played nice at the cabin.

No more. I may not carry silver bullets, assuming that legend was true, but I figured a 230 grain hollowpoint would hurt this thing. I started to bring my sidearm to bear...to try and put this thing down before it hurt Sarah...or me.

The blur that vaulted into my line of sight stopped me and shut that train of thought down. It was like a smaller version of the monster standing in front of me, but it was planted defensively between us.

Wait? What?

The charging wolf-creature just stopped its charge midstride as that smaller one vaulted into its path

"No! Daddy! Stop!"

That voice...it sounded like...no way.

I couldn't feel Sarah at my back anymore. My left arm swept out trying to find her but just met empty air. And then my...worst fears...suspicions...I don't know what to call them, were confirmed.

"Sarah, get away from him. He's one of them." That thing was talking to Sarah...and telling me I wanted to hurt her? What? And just who are 'they'?

"Daddy, No! He saved me. He protected me. Just smell around you!"

Well, that's a different tactic. I guess that it made sense. The blood still slowly oozing from my thigh, and the stench of whatever that lardass idiot had called brains, combined with the cordite and smells of battle from the running gunfight was rank, even to my senses. I didn't then have the words to describe it. It all just stank.

The wolf did seem to shrink from his aggressive stance just a hair, pulling me off the high alert that my body had been on for the past minute. I exhaled slowly, letting out a breath, one that I wasn't aware that I had been holding. The wolf was apparently still leery of me, regarding me warily. I go this really queasy feeling, some throwback to that animal response to seeing a predator who was considering lunch.

I lowered my weapon. I didn't know what was really going on, but if that small...thing was Sarah, I trusted her. I don't know why, but I just felt I had to.

Then he charged...but not at me. He ran straight at Sarah, tackling at her in a hug, one that ended with him kneeling over her supine body, lathering her face with licks and nuzzles, canine kissing I guess. I was reminded of how I was greeted at home by Loki, my normal, four-legged shepherd companion. This was going to take some getting used to.

I figured I would let them be for a minute, pulling a tourniquet tight above the bleeding to slow it a bit.

Okay, time's up. I want answers before I pass out.

"Hey! What the hel...heck is going on? Who...what are you?"

"We're what you likely call werewolves...but prefer to be called Lycans."

I tried to whirl my head around to the familiar voice, but couldn't. The adrenaline had finally worn off and the night's events, and injuries, had finally caught up to me.

"Amy...what's goi...Wait?... We?" I'll admit it. I was completely lost now, although my ego blamed it on blood loss, rather than the fact that my life had just been turned upside down.

"Yes, Mike. Most of the town's Lycan...sorta our pack if you want to call it that. That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about. That's why everything was so tough for you. Keep your strength. Help's coming."

She came around to the front of me, attired in her uniform, albeit a much disheveled one. The sticks and mud around her face only served to support my growing assumption. She confirmed that assumption as she pulled a small glowing stick from her hip pocket, throwing it on the dirt in front of me.

The red light from that chemstick lit the ground in a rather eerie glow as she bent down and took a close look at the hole that had been ripped through my left thigh.

"Looks like you took a round through the thigh. Didn't slice the femoral artery, but looks like it hit a smaller one. You lost a lot of blood." The concern she felt easily carried through her voice. She still had feelings for me, feelings I had reciprocated but long ago buried, covered over with a layer of pitch black tar so that it could never escape. I felt bad... no, horrid may be the better word.

The town had shafted me, yes. But I had given up on her...on all of them. I was always an outcast in the town, yes, but...why. I had never been the social climber that people want to know. I mostly had kept to myself, learning more and more skills, trying to better myself, wanting to simply take my father' place because that was my destiny. Amy had been the one person in town whom I treated with anything more than gruff acceptance. And then after my parents...After that I just gave up on them.

Maybe they hadn't shunned me. Maybe I had shunned them.

"Amy," I called haltingly, the words not wanting to leave my lips, "Is this the reason for you answer all those years ago?"

"Mike, I really don't know. We did have something then...but...let's deal with this later. We need to get you to a hospital. I think you're stable...well, as stable as I can get you at least."

A soft shuddering started to fill the brightening dawn sky. The sound of rotors beating the air. A helicopter? When did Amy call a bird?

The look on her face gave me my answer. She hadn't. I didn't know what was going on...wait. I grabbed at my vest, pulling the GPS tracker out of the pocket, showing it to her.

"It's probably from this. Stark gave this to me in case it was needed in the woods. I had requested a tac team last night, so this may be my team...a little late I guess." At the initial revelation, Amy seemed startled, although at my mention of Stark, she seemed to calm down a little bit. She wasn't telling me everything, but right now, I couldn't do anything.

"Amy, there may be a subject down in the woods over there," I stated, pointing toward where I had fired upon the muzzle flash. Also, I did not see the older man I advised you of, just the two younger ones...well, the younger ones and ole Ichabod over there." So sue me, I have a black sense of humor.

"Add another one to the southwest," came a deeper, throatier voice. That damn wolf. I'd forgotten about them in the past few minutes. "Oh, yeah, Hoover, I owe ya a pair of zipcuffs." The wolf was positively grinning a disturbingly toothy grin as he tweaked me more.

"It's Michael, furball. Didn't you remember, or did the zap make you forget? Also, how the hell did you get out of my cuffs? Wait, if Sarah and Amy are lycans...and they looked human...then... you can become human...damn."

A growling chuckle answered my assertion. "Yep, they fell right off." His smug attitude fell off his face rather quickly as Sarah quietly kicked his leg from where she was standing behind him. "I have to apologize, however. I let my beast take control and should not have woken or threatened you like that...but...well, I was afraid for Sarah and in my haste thought you were one of them."

I knew where he was coming from, I guess. After my parent's death, I honestly wanted to burn this forest and the town down. And the anger I felt at Sarah's kidnapping...well, I'm surprised I didn't do anything more rash than I did.

"Three conditions. First, take damn good care of that kid, or else I'll take care of you." The smile on my face reflected the intended humor, although it was not a completely hollow threat. "Regardless, keep me appraised. Amy knows how to reach me, and, while I may not have tooth or claw, I would definitely like to keep in touch and see her again. She's a very good kid...although she does remind me of myself."

"Oh, Crap. That bad?" Amy apparently was having flashbacks to some of the trouble we...well, I got us in as kids. That still made me smile.

"And second," I started, looking that tall battleship grey wolf in the eyes, "I want a rematch, even odds, no wolf, no taser. We'll wager on the day of."

The loud laugh shocked even me as the wolf knelt down to shake my hand. The firm grip was surprising, but not bone crushing, although I made every effort to match him. Neither of us liked being shown up and neither backed down. This would be some interesting competition.

"No wolf, no taser. Sounds like a deal. Name's David Anderson. I'm sure Amy'll tell all of us when you're good. To be honest, tonight you've done a lot for all of us in town. A lot more than you could ever know. I'm sure everyone will want to meet you, especially our leader. And what's the third condition, Hoover."

"The name's Mike Hart. "And third, you replace that frying pan for Amy. I mean it was your head that broke it," I finished with a grin as he subconsciously rubbed his head.

"Heh, I did start it. Fine." He looked over to Amy, ears flicking toward the sound of approaching rotors. "That chopper's getting too close and we don't know who it is. We'll be seeing you. Both of you."

The sound of the helicopters signaled that they were almost on top of us, and the two wolven forms turned to leave, but not until Sarah had run to me and gave me a small hug and lick, thanks for everything I had done to her. As the two figures retreated into the thick forest, the nose of my airborne angels came into view and hovered almost directly above my head as thick ropes fell from both sides.

How the hell did Stark get HRT? Wait.

The bodies fast-roping out of the helicopter ignited something within me...something I thought I had forgotten. Dark grey bodies falling quickly, slowed only marginally by friction on the ropes.

The thudding of heavy bodies and boots around me did nothing other than flare up that feeling of unease that was welling up within me. I finally realized what was driving me. My thoughts were back in that prison where I had lost two years of my life. The next steps only cemented it as the sight I saw sent me scrambling for my sidearm, why, I have no idea.

A circle of blackness filled with two red eyes staring out. The words below, mocking me after all I had just learned.

Nex ut monasteriense. Death to monsters.

A/N - Please read and review. Thorough comments & reviews mean faster and hopefully better writing.

Edited for clarity. 9/12/11 - AAcid