Behind the Lines of the Were War Ch. 05

It didn't take long for the first aircraft to arrive, since there were several on station above the search area from his last radio transmission. It was only because they could run so fast, putting two miles in from the flare site before the helicopter started circling overhead, that they went unseen. They would search in concentric circles from that site, and they were lucky that none flew directly over them as they sprinted through the trees. They were twenty miles away before they stopped at a stream to drink.

They were getting close to the edge of the forest. They could smell the diesel smoke from the Army generators and vehicles in the next valley. They worked their way to the ridgeline and worked their way carefully around the troops on patrol. It took two hours of careful movement to leave the small Army camp on Fisher Canyon Road behind them.

There was a machine shed up ahead as they followed the trees along the South Fork of Horse Creek. Slipping inside, they changed back to human form and dressed in jeans and T-shirts. He stashed their backpack behind some junk in the corner, keeping only the flip cellphone. Looking around, they found a half dozen bicycles and they selected the best two. From here on out, they would try to blend in their human forms and hope no one recognized him. The scruffy beard would help, he decided.

Making their way east on the side of the road, they waited until he could get cellphone reception and placed the call. He could only hope this plan would work.

Horse Creek Diner

Linda didn't recognize the cellphone number, and it was on her personal phone. She thought about letting it go to message, but nothing was going on. "Hello, this is Linda."

"Linda... I need you not to show any reaction if you are not alone. This is Gary Johnson, and I need your help."

She struggled to keep her emotions back as she recognized his voice. "Just a minute..." She told her coworkers she needed some privacy and walked out of the diner and around the corner. "Gary?? My God, are you OK? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, but I can't be found by the military right now. I need your help getting away from the search zone. Are you anywhere near Cheyenne?"

"I'm at Horse Creek. Why can't you be found by them? You were shot down, everyone is looking for you!"

"I'm not what I once was. They will kill me if I am taken. Please, you can trust me, I need your help and I'll tell you everything. You'll have an exclusive interview with me and my wife."

"Wife??"

"I'll explain later." She agreed to pick him up in the TV van, meeting by the side of the road. "We will be waiting in the woods behind where the bicycles are laid on the side of the road. Just stop and we'll jump in."

Her producer was thrilled with the news and the exclusive, they started teasing "breaking information" as Linda and her team were driving there. They were promised that as soon as Gary was in sight, they would be going live. Their lives would never be the same.

Air Operations Command Center, Cheyenne Air National Guard Base

It had now been 14 hours since the first contact. The initial elation had long passed; they now had to consider that the enemy was using his equipment to distract them from their real location. It was also quite probable that Capt. Johnson was dead. It had been too long and no contact had been made seeking a deal for his release. They were moving troops in rapidly, but there was no sign of life in either the radio or flare areas.

Those weres were cold, evil bastards. They all hoped he was OK, but suspected he had suffered a long and painful death.

Fisher Canyon Road

Renee looked up at him as he peered over the bush, watching the road for troops. They were fairly well camouflaged and there was an hour to kill. She knew how to use it. Crawling over to him, she locked eyes with him as she lowered his fly and drew his large cock out. Licking the tip, she smiled and said, "Hey, it's a long wait. I need to find some way to amuse myself." Keeping watch became very difficult after fifteen minutes, something about being able to stand up. They traded positions until Renee couldn't stand either.

Finally, they saw the KUSA satellite van coming slowly along. When it stopped on the side of the road, they made a break for it and were quickly hidden inside. The driver turned around and started the long trip back to the studios in Denver. Gary was impatient to get started on the interview, the longer they delayed the more danger his Pack members were in. "Can we do a remote satellite feed from somewhere out of the way, where the military will have a tough time seeing us?" Len said he knew a place a few miles away, the road hugged the edge of a canyon and there was a logging trail that led down to the bottom, plenty of cover to set up. Linda called her producer and set up a live feed in 15 minutes. The teaser was pretty straightforward: "Capt. Johnson found, exclusive interview next!" The networks were begging to be let in on the biggest story of the year.

Ten minutes later, the van was parked, the satellite uplink established, and Gary and Renee were sitting on a log with Jennifer in between them. They had set up the shot to just show Gary and Linda, saving Renee for the point in the story she was required.

"This is Linda Remington, coming to you live from an undisclosed location in Wyoming with missing Air Force pilot Gary Anderson. Gary, first of all, welcome back, there are so many people who are glad to see you safe and sound."

"Thank you Linda. I want to say I appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in the search to find me, and I'm honored to have this chance to speak directly to the nation about the events of the past week or so. It has been a very difficult time for me."

"Can you take us back to the start of this all and tell us what happened?"

"Sure. As you know, I was assigned as an F-15E pilot engaged in combat operations for what we call the Were War. We were trying to wipe out a Pack that was hiding in the mountains west of Cheyenne. And when I mean wipe out, I mean just that. Our rules of engagement were clear, if you find it, kill it. It didn't matter if the Werewolf was armed, if it was a woman or a child, anything in that exclusion zone was fair game. I'd taken out a few on previous missions, but this one was different. We had captured a Were in an attempted raid on an airfield, and we were able to get enough intel from him to identify the location of the cave complex where they were hiding."

"How did you find it?"

"We tortured him to death to get it. Alex held out as long as he could, I hear. They told me about him later."

"So then what?"

"We developed an attack plan to take them all out. The first strike used what we call the Mother of All Bombs, it's the biggest bomb we have that isn't nuclear, and it creates total devastation for hundreds of yards around. We originally built it to take out Saddam's bunkers, but it works well against caves. My flight was to follow immediately after the MOAB and take out any stragglers or rescuers. I was shot down as I crossed into the zone, hit by a missile and I barely had time to react before I was bailing out. I blacked out on ejection."

"So who found you?" At this point the camera widened to show Renee, who responded, "My squad did. My name is Renee, I am the younger sister of the Medicine Bow Pack Alpha and second in command of the Pack. At the time, I was commanding a squad conducting surveillance and harassment operations at the east boundary of the exclusion zone. We had a single missile and we used it. His parachute landed near our position and we were able to capture him before the rescue helicopter arrived."

"This was the rescue helicopter that was lost, wasn't it?"

"Yes, because one of our squad sacrificed himself to allow us to escape. Joe had lost his wife and child in the MOAB attack, and was seriously injured. He volunteered to get dressed in the pilot uniform, and blew up the helicopter when he was raised up. He was a brave fighter, and he wasn't the only one who lost his family that day. Weres can communicate and sense their mates even at distance, so when the bomb exploded three of us immediately knew that their wives or families were gone. Our Pack lost over a hundred people in the attack, most of them women and young children. There was a lot of anger."

"So then what?"

Renee continued. "We tied him up and carried him back to our new hiding place, meeting up with

what remained of our pack. Five years ago we had over five hundred members, strong families and respected members of the community. We had human friends, neighbors, employees and employers. Our pack traces its roots in this area back hundreds of years, and yet overnight we were hunted, forced to leave behind our homes, and killed for something we didn't do and couldn't change. Now we number fewer than fifty. Yes, we fight for our own survival, and we were angry that our families were killed in such a manner. It isn't an excuse for what came next, but it is our way. We hung him up and let every member of the pack get a slash or bite in on him, intent on killing him in revenge. He suffered greatly for what his country was doing to us."

Gary picked it up then. "I don't hold it against them, I would have done the same thing, and it's not like we weren't torturing their guys. It was almost over when Renee's turn came. I was looking forward to death by then, only to be saved by her."

Renee smiled. "We believe that there is one person meant for us to spend our lives with, a soul mate if you will, and our wolf part of our consciousness recognizes this person by scent. In the middle of all this, I found my mate." Gary smiled and reached out to hold her hand. "It wasn't easy, but I found mine as well. I just had to get through the changes. That was tough, but they kept me sedated through the rages and Renee helped me to adjust to my wolf. Now I can't imagine being without her."

Back on Fischer Canyon Road

Melissa Johnson was returning home and the morning had not gone well. Her two sons were being a handful. Three year old Jacob was in his carseat behind her, and nine month old Alex was on the passenger side. Both were crying. She looked back at her baby and then when she looked forward again there was a mule deer in the road right ahead of her. She swerved to avoid it but lost control and hit the guardrail. The minivan's side screamed against the rail for a few seconds before toppling over the steep embankment. It started sliding and rolling down the seventy degree slope. She was too scared to scream until it came to rest precariously near a cliff.

Everyone involved with Gary's interview stopped as the sound of the accident rang through the canyon. Were hearing could pick out the cries of the children, and they couldn't ignore it. Gary stood up and yelled, "Call 911 and meet us back on the road!" He and Renee immediately shifted to their wolf forms, shredding their clothes in the process, and took off to assist. Linda pulled our her cellphone to get help while the cameraman kept rolling. They lost the satellite uplink as they tore our of the clearing and back to the main road.

Gary and Renee quickly made their way to the minivan, four paw drive being the fastest means of travel on the uneven ground. They shifted back as they got to the site of the van, which was upside down, and they could smell gasoline dripping. "Mommy, they're naked!" At least the older boy was unhurt, he was staring out the broken window at the two huge wolves that had turned into people. The baby was still crying; Renee crawled in and checked him out and he seemed OK. Mom was having a little more trouble, she couldn't feel her left foot which was trapped under the dashboard, and she had some cuts on her face from the windshield. Gary finished his assessment and looked up to the road where the news van had just pulled up and gone live with coverage again. The direct route was steep and full of loose rock, it would be very difficult to climb, but as wolves they could pick their way. He used the bond to fill in Renee on the plan. She got out and changed to wolf form. "Ma'am, my name is Gary, we're going to get you all out of here. My mate will take your kids back to the road while I work on getting you free. It's all going to be work out." Melissa didn't argue, she was frantic about her kids. She could hear the sirens approaching and nodded her head.

Gary took Jacob out of his car seat, asking him, "Would you like to take a ride on a wolf? It's lots of fun." Jacob nodded his head, and he was put on Renee's back. "Just keep your legs tight around her, lean forward and grab onto her fur in front. She will take care of you." Once he was in place, he returned to the car and removed the crying baby from the carseat. "I guess we go wolf style on this one!" He held the baby under her jaws so she could get a good grip on his thick onesie, dangling him face down. "Go." Renee slowly and carefully began picking her way back up to the road as the boy started chanting, "Go wolfie, go wolfie, faster, faster!!"

Returning to the driver's side, he tried to free her ankle without success. The smell of gasoline was getting stronger, he didn't have much time. Looking through her diaper bag he found a bottle of baby oil; he squirted this around and behind her ankle. Just as the flames started, he worked it loose and opened her seatbelt, lowering her to the ground. "We have to get out of here. Can you climb on top of me so I can get you out?"

"I guess I have to!" He changed to his huge brown wolf and she rolled onto his back, favoring her left ankle. She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and squeezed his back end with her calves as he got up and started walking. It took them five minutes to make their way up. By the time they made it, an ambulance and four Sheriff's cars were waiting.

When he reached the road, Renee was sitting by the guardrail, wrapped in a blanket with a baby in her arms and a little boy in her lap. "Mommy!" The EMT's had already cleared the kids, so they helped Melissa over to a gurney and strapped her in. Jacob was holding her hand as she looked over to see her baby safe with with Renee, and she was finally able to relax.

Gary was just shifting back to human form when the HUMVEE arrived. Seeing the werewolf, two soldiers with M-4's opened fire. Gary spun to protect his mate but was struck a dozen times or more before the Sheriff's order of "CEASE FIRE" was heard. Two deputies moved between Gary and the troops, guns drawn, in a Mexican standoff until the rifles were lowered.

Gary was bleeding heavily and collapsed into Renee's arms, driving both of them to the ground. "I love you" was all he sent before he died, his blood covering her face and body and she cried and rocked him in her arm, still holding the crying baby in the other.

All of it was broadcast live to the entire nation. The Medicine Bow pack found out when the Alpha bond was lost and Renee's pain and grief came through. Derek and Amanda held each other, crying as he passed the news to the rest of the pack. Howls of grief sounded through the closed off cave.

US Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado Springs, CO

Renee had plenty of time to reflect back on the two weeks since her mate's death as she sat in the chapel; she had remained at his side as he lay in state and while the mourners came in to fill up the church. His death had been the needed catalyst for change. Public outrage over Gary's execution quickly turned the public opinion against the war. Renee had been interviewed, interrogated, and negotiated with until the President had no choice but to declare a cease fire and try to find a way out of the mess.

Renee had helped them pick up Derek, and they were able to locate three other surviving Alphas for the peace talks. It didn't even take a full afternoon to work it out, they all just wanted to stop the killing and find a way forward. Weres were recognized as citizens again, and the kill order rescinded. Amnesty was granted for both sides. The Weres agreed that forced turnings would be punishable by death, as it already was under pack law. They further agreed to assist with any forced or accidental turnings; the protocol of sedation followed by counseling would prove to be effective. Voluntary turnings were allowed only after receiving permission from an Alpha and a local Judge, and only for those over 18. Weres were free to live again, this time in the open.

As for Gary, the military quickly got past the whole "consorting with the enemy" thing. He was a hero as a pilot, he was a hero in his death, and he would be put to rest as a hero. His funeral service was being broadcast live by every network, it was the biggest civilian funeral since Chris Kyle. The chapel was packed with members of his flight, Air Force brass and civilian VIP's, classmates from the Academy, friends and family. Seated among the family were Linda Remington, Melissa Johnson and her children, Derek and Amanda and most of their remaining pack. The other packs in the area had also sent representatives in respect for Renee's loss and his key role in ending the war.

The ceremony was beautiful to watch, with military tradition on full display. He was eulogized by his squadron commander, the Secretary of the Air Force, and his Alpha before Renee took the podium. She was dressed in a long black dress and lifted her veil as she took the microphone in hand and addressed the nation.

"Gary was the most courageous man I have ever met. He lived his life with honor, and died in service of others. My mate lies here today today not because of hatred, but because of fear and ignorance. Fear of the unknown, and ignorance of the truth. He had both; when we captured him he feared us for the stories he had been told and was ignorant of our nature and our culture. I loved his ability to look at the other side objectively, to see the error of his ways, and to change his very nature in response. He did not carry guilt or revenge with him, he forgave those who did him wrong and asked for forgiveness for what he had done. That is why I met with the soldiers who killed my mate, so I could forgive them and we could move on. I will never forget the courage and honor of the deputies who put their own lives at risk that day. Forgiveness. That is the heart of the agreement we have to end the war. For too long, Weres had relied on secrecy to protect them, but now we depend on openness. We have invited camera crews in to see our homes, our families, and the places and people we left behind. What we have both found is that there is no reason for us to live in fear of each other. We are like you, but different, and that is OK."

She paused to wipe her tears. "Most of you know that wolves mate for life. I was lucky enough to find my mate at a young age, and though our time was short, we truly loved a lifetime. I will miss him every day." She paused and moved her right hand over her belly. "Our child will grow up in a different world, a world where he or she is free to live their human and wolf sides, a world filled with love and family." The words she spoke rolled through the crowd, smiles and claps broke out as her meaning became clear. "Yes, my pack Doctor confirmed this morning that I am pregnant. I will carry forward a little part of him until he returns to me." With that, she returned to her seat next to Derek, the love flowing through their bond as they helped her through this trying time.

The casket was taken out to the waiting horse-drawn caisson by the honor guard while she walked just behind. Instead of going to the cemetery, they went to a clearing in the woods where a large funeral pyre had been built. As a flight of F-15's streaked overhead in the Missing Man formation and the honor guard gave its 21-gun salute, his body, wrapped in white linen and covered by the American flag, was placed on top of the pyre. Renee received the torch from Derek, and he and Amanda accompanied her as she walked around the pyre and lit it. As the flames consumed his body, Taps was played by a pair of buglers. When all noise was gone, all the Weres present stripped and shifted, moving to sit in a circle around the pyre. Derek looked up and raised a mournful howl to the skies, soon joined by Renee and Amanda, then by all the other weres.