11
Somewhere on Earth, in the parking lot of a four stories high apartment block, a shadowy figure paces around nervously.
Come on! Don't you have somewhere to go already? How much can you stay in that damn home of yours? It's been 14 hours! What could people in this world possibly do for 14 hours? I mean how much can you sleep? Don't you feel confined in that building of stone? Don't you need to exercise and meet people? Why would anyone stay indoors for so long?
...
Finally! There is the idiot. Let's follow. How fortuitous for me for him to be going exactly in the direction of the gate to Calla. That's it, keep going, keep going.
No! No, no, no, turn left, not right. Shit, now I have to get him moving in the right direction again.
What an ugly way to dress! It's like he's wearing a sack while he's also pregnant. What a joke of a mate, dressing up like a monkey!
Ok, let's do this, think Jena. I'm Jena. He sees Jena.
Hey, hey look over here, you idiot! Damn it I wish I could talk to him!
Why thanks for noticing me! My hands are already hurting from all the waving. Come this way, come on.
Yeah, you! If I nod much longer I'm going to get a cramp in my neck.
Follow me; yeah, that's it! Who's a good boy? Jena's stupid mate is. Ha, this is easier that I thought it would be.
Almost there, just a bit more. Now I need you to be a good little monkey and imitate me. See how I'm touching this window? You do the same when you get here like a smart little monkey.
The werewolf touches the window surface and which ripples for a bit and then the hand goes through.
The man, intrigued by the mysterious woman that somehow looks familiar, keeps following.
He gasps as she appears to go right through the window of the store and quickens his pace.
No, the window is still there but... the view on the other side is closer to that of a jungle instead of a Pharmacy the neon sign above says it should be.
Oddly enough, the woman is on the other side, waving him over.
What the hell is going on here? He wonders.
I must be sick or something. Bad food? And now I'm suddenly seeing things. But is this real? Maybe if I just...
He goes to touch the strange surface.
Definitely not glass or plastic. Feels almost wet to the touch and a little sticky, rippling in a way that reminds him of water.
This is so weird! How deep is this thing? He asks himself moving his hand along the surface. But it doesn't seem to give way to his hand like it did with the woman, whom he can still clearly see on the other side, clearly waving him over, almost frantically. She is saying something.
Maybe if I get closer I can hear her?
As soon as he gets withing an inch of the surface, though, there is a loud pop, smoke and a very unpleasant feeling of swimming and falling at the same time and everything is pitch black.
And then he finds himself on his side on the ground level of what looks like a tropical forest, protectively holding his arms around the sleeping bundle under his large winter coat, the one he got 2 sizes too large so he could wear it on top of the ergonomic baby carrier system where his 12 months old daughter is currently sleeping without a single worry in the world, with her head on his chest.
Back on Calla, Jena, Jamil, Alastair and their 12 wolves escort stop just bellow the top of a hill overlooking a cauldron-like valley.
"Jamil, can you go find out how far they are?"
"No need. They are beginning to climb the hill on the opposite side of this next valley."
"And you know this how exactly?" Alastair asks not believing the coyote.
"I... let's just say our world speaks to me. To us really, and by us I mean werecoyotes. We've adapted to use the water as it is right now, contaminated I believe you wolves call it, and we've always been close to Calla's whisper. By embracing her even in her sickly state, sick because of what our ancestors did during the Techno-War, we've become even closer.
We may not be the strongest warriors, but we have other things working for us. We use avoidance instead of open conflict and we are nomadic by nature. You can't attack what you can't find. Only two tribes of coyotes have ever been attacked by the warhogs, and both times it has happened through betrayal."
"Aren't you just about to be attacked yourselves?"
"Like I said, betrayal. You know those 4 warhogs that almost killed me and my family? Well, a coyote scout group has 5 people in it, our fifth was on guard duty, but he did not warn us in time, not that he was anywhere to be found."
"So you werecoyotes are these super trackers and now one of you is working for the enemy?"
"I'm ashamed to say so, but yes."
"And your camp? Can he track your tribe and where they went?"
"No."
"But you just said..."
"We can't track each other unless we expressly allow ourselves to be tracked."
"So he could be with the group over the hill and you wouldn't know it?"
"Yes."
"And they could already know we are here."
"Again, yes."
"But they haven't moved to flank us or anything?"
"No. They are either oblivious to our position or they simply do not care."
"Cocky bastards. So Alpha, what do you want us to do?"
"Become cocky bastards ourselves. Jamil, go do whatever it is you do and keep an eye out. The rest of us, form a line, take a relaxed posture and let's make sure they have a nice view on top of that hill. Alastair, I want you to act as a group leader and downplay me. They are sure to have at least one Raised among them."
"Downplay you? What exactly do you want to do?"
"Duel them of course. Me, the runt of the litter against their best warrior."
"You know they don't duel like we do. They fight to the death. It's too dangerous, you shouldn't do this; we should fight them together."
"And have what casualties? How many can we fight safely with our group? Think about it when you answer – safely. Meaning no casualties on our side."
"I could fight 2."
"You mean 1."
"You could fight 1 of them,"
"No duel specific tea, so I will be able to take on 3 with relative safety."
"And 6 pairs of the guys on each of the rest,"
"I said safely, so at least 3 wolves for every warhog, preferably 4. Anyway you put it, we come up short. So a duel it is."
"But..."
"My call. Do it!" Jena lets some of her power seep into the last words, making them into a command.
"Yes, Alpha"
As they reach the top of the hill, so do the warhogs on the opposite side. Both groups stop and study each other.
Alastair is in the middle while Jena sits on the far left, next to the last wolf in the line. He walks forward slowly but steadily and once he is about thirty feet in front of the werewolves, they all start to follow.
Intrigued, the warhogs on the other side do the exact same thing.
With only 6 feet separating Alastair and the lead warhog, he stops and addresses his opponent.
"What a fine day for a fight, is it not?"
"..."
"I know you can understand me. We've met your kind in the East before. I'm guessing you are the Raised of this group, am I wrong?"
"You are not desert dogs."
"What gave us away? Was it the smell? I told you guys to take a bath before leaving this morning!" He yells over his shoulder.
"You try to be funny, but your mockery only annoys me. Desert dogs scatter like birds when they see us. But you, you know too much about us, so you will not leave here alive."