Ursanthropy
18. Hunters

Jack

I stalked past one of my dead men, as one of the last remaining scared hunters was crawling backwards in fear of my appearance.

The claws of my four paws, dragged through the dirt, my teeth were bare as I growled towards him. My angry roar, made him piss his pants, as I could both smell and see the urine creating a dark spot on his crotch.

Good! You don’t get to live after what you have done.

Within two more steps I had reached him, and without a single doubt my jaws had bitten off his head. And while spitting out his ugly face, I had turned myself around.

“Everything clear?” I boomed over the pack link.

“Yes Alpha!”

“Good, keep the last one alive for interrogation!” I said and got an instant ‘Yes Alpha’ again.

I saw my Beta walking towards my direction, fully clothed again, holding his wrist tightly against his body.

“What happened to you? She is safe, right?” I asked him out loud, when I had shifted back to human.

“Just sprained my wrist, will heal in no time. And yes, she is safe, but just… not with me…” He cryptically said.

“Then, where is she?” I asked him with a frown.

“In your car, driven off.” He said softly.

“WHAT! You let her go?!” I roared to him.

“Well, it’s not that I did on purpose! She is so tiny that she jumped around every tree with ease, and I don’t know how, but she found your car with that same ease as well!” He explained himself.

I was angry as hell that he didn’t manage to capture her, but I was also proud that she could replace her way back. I even had made a detour when we went to my training camp, so it was stunning me to know that she had found the shorter way, all based on instinct.

I guess that there was more to her tiny body, than I had first anticipated! She is intriguing me more by the day.

But now that she was gone, I was feared as well. What if her assailants could replace her now? I don’t know where she is taking my truck to, but I have to replace her as soon as possible! This is the only place where I can keep her safe!

“Put a tail on my truck, and replace her as soon as possible.” I said to Dennis.

“Why me? Can’t someone else do that?” He asked me.

“No, you’ve lost her, you replace her! And bet your ass that if you can’t replace your future Luna you will face some serious repercussions!” I said out loud, before I thought about what I had said.

Dennis eyes grew wide in terror.

“Lu-Luna? Is she your destined mate? Fuck! I would’ve knocked down your truck, if you had told me that up front Jack!” He scolded me.

“Well, there wasn’t any time for that, was it?! And watch your tone with me boy!” I yelled to him again, as he didn’t use my title, and he scurried off. To do his job properly, I hope.

When he had come out of the forest, when I was with Doreen, he had told me that there were hunters in our territory. They were coming from multiple locations, so I had used the link to separate my men in three different groups and deal with the intruders accordingly.

But the moment that more of those hunters came through, and I was really needed to push them back, Doreen had picked up her bag and took a beeline to the forest. I had yelled to Dennis to go after her, as I shifted to my bear and ran towards the larger group of hunters.

I was feeling stupid for making that mistake, as the hunters weren’t that experienced and could have easily been killed by Dennis. I should have gone after Doreen! Then none of this would have happened!

On the other side however, it was strange that there were so many inexperienced hunters at this side of my territory. I know it had been years that we even had seen one, but that would give them the same time to prepare an attack, as well.

An awful gut feeling was building up my stomach…

“West side, do a perimeter check, now!” I boomed through the link.

“What are you doing?” Dennis linked me.

“I don’t know, I have a feeling that on the other side of town, there could be more.”

“These were just a distraction?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

The terrorizing feeling started to build up more, as I didn’t get an instant response from my men on the west side.

I shifted, running wildly, even straight through town, as I didn’t care who could see me. There were a few screams from humans, some even jumped away, but they weren’t my target. They were safe, even though they didn’t know it at that moment.

My paws pulled on me even faster, when I heard roars and growls in the distance, as I ran past the last houses of the town.

“Send everyone to the west side! NOW!” I commanded through the link, and roared massively.

For a moment it was quiet, probably because everyone heard my roars. But when the fighting commenced again, I was feared, because I heard some rattling of guns as well.

Had they brought automated rifles? Holy fuck!

I came closer, watching how bear after bear dropped down on the floor. My whole world turned up-side-down as I saw my men getting nailed down by the bullets that flew around!

As I came from the side, I managed to walk around still undetected, to get to where the hunters were shooting down from. From a little slope up from where they stood, I jumped down and pounced on two of them at the same time. Then, I swiped my right claw at one of the others, while pushing down another.

There were two more of those gunners, that now turned their faces towards me. But before they could aim their weapons, I had bitten through one of the man’s arms, and the other was laying lifeless under my right back paw.

A few more hunters with side arms, were still getting some shots towards my warriors, but now that their covering fire was gone, they were easily killed by them as well.

It wasn’t until I heard some noise behind me, that I had turned around. I thought I had made sure that no one was left alive!

“I know you can understand me!” The arrogant hunter that now stood in front of me, said.

I growled and took a few steps forward. How dare he can make me listen to him! I’ll show him what his arrogant tone will end him up with!

“If you want to keep the woman alive, then I advise you to not take another step closer!” He said, while taking out the phone from his pocket.

He doesn’t know who she is, he can’t right? I growled again, and took another step.

“Her name is Doreen, and to prove that we have her…” He took something else out of his pocket. “Here, take a smell of this!” He said grinning, as he tossed a half cut-off, black-haired braid right in front of me.

I smelled the hairs, but I actually didn’t have to, as I knew exactly where they were from. My mate!

“Where is she!” I suddenly heard Dennis behind me.

We had never shifted in front of hunters before, so I was glad that he came here in time, as I didn’t want the hunter to know.

“Oh finally, there is your master!” The ignorant fool said to me, referring to Dennis.

Only if he knew…

“You better not hurt her, or you will be dead!” Dennis shouted.

“Oh, I’m not going to hurt her, but my Lieutenant might.” He chuckled. “If you don’t come along with me, on your own free will.” He said.

I couldn’t hold myself together anymore, and wanted to kill this bastard right now! If he hasn’t got her, then he isn’t going to stay alive! I started to walk forwards again, growling and roaring.

“Don’t! Let me go with him. I’ll link you the info.” Dennis linked to me. “It is my fault that we lost her. Let me do this!”

I didn’t want him to go, as no one that had been captured by the hunters ever came back alive! So, I hesitated my steps but kept on walking again. Getting closer and closer to the man who knows where she is.

“It is better for the pack to have a Luna than a Beta, and you know it!” Dennis pleaded again and I sighed.

The man in front of me, got more scared with each step I had taken, but he still stood his ground. I slightly admired his boldness for not running away, but I will replace and kill him soon!

“Dennis, please don’t get killed. And please replace her!” I said to him. He can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I don’t want him to get killed. He is my Beta after all.

“Yes Alpha!” He linked as he stepped forward.

This amazingly stupid hunter got the hint that he was going with him, and smirked. “Good choice, freak!” He said, while calling his boss with his good news.

I growled once more, but Dennis put his hand up towards me, signalling me to stop and hold my ground. It was a little act, to make this idiot believe that Dennis was indeed my master. And the fool fell right for it, laughing hard as I indeed stood still.

A/n: The tension is un-bear-able! 🐻 sorry...