the moonlight that shone bright in the night sky, and Akala could hardly see the ground in front of them as Nashoba braked hard and turned into the hidden dirt track. She figured it had something to do with his wolf senses and trusted that he could see a hell of a lot better than she did. Still, she braced her knee against the center console and kept a tight grip on the roof handle to keep from being bashed around the inside of the truck.
When they finally reached the village, Akala saw that they’d come too late, and that everything was chaos. People ran in every direction, and wolves sprinted between buildings, some fighting, and some chasing those who hadn’t yet shifted.
“ Stay in the truck. Lock it once I’m out, and don’t open it for anyone.” Nashoba reached over and gripped her upper arm. “You hear me? Not for anyone.”
Akala could do nothing but nod her head violently. After unbuckling her seat belt, she waited for Nashoba’s door to slam shut and she reached over the seat to slap down the old style door lock. Ensuring her own door was locked, she pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to keep a low profile while still being able to watch out the front window. Nashoba run towards the longhouse, but part way there he was intercepted by two large wolves, their fur bristling in anger as they snarled and leapt towards him.
Nashoba shifted on the fly, the rippling transformation of his body tearing his clothes to shreds as she flew forward to meet the larger of his attackers head on. He slammed into the other wolf’s body, sending it sprawling backwards with him landing on top and gnashing at the wolf’s exposed throat. In less time than it took for Akala to go from amazed to horrified, the attacking wolf was dead, it’s throat a bleeding mass of torn flesh and muscle.
The other wolf adjusted course and turned to pounce on Nashoba from the rear. This time it was impossible for Nashoba to protect himself, and he shook and rolled while his attacker bit and clawed at his hide. They were nothing more than a blur of fur and flying dirt to Akala’s eyes, but after what seemed like an eternity, they came to a stop, Nashoba still standing and panting heavily over the lifeless wolf corpse below him.
Nashoba turned his head to look at the truck before dashing off into the village. Akala didn’t know what to do, but she felt stupid and helpless in the car. She looked around the cab and was surprised to find a shotgun tucked down behind the back of the seats. It looked as old and run down as the truck itself, but she figured it would do for what she needed it for. Wrestling it out from its rack, Akala prayed that it was loaded and opened the door to step out of the truck.
The shouts and yelps that had been muffled by the truck’s windows were louder now, and she almost turned back. Fighting every natural instinct, she moved forwards, running to the nearest cabin to check if anyone was trapped inside. She could think of nothing but the little ones she’d seen romping around the village that afternoon, and she ran through the rooms, hoping that everyone had gotten out and made it to someplace safe.
After discovering the house to be completely empty, Akala ran to the next cabin and checked it for hiding Choctaws. It too was empty, and she went back outside to figure out where to go next. It was then that a wolf appeared before her, its ears back in a gesture of aggression, saliva dripping from its snarling mouth.
“ Don’t take another step or I will fucking blow your head off,” she said, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. Akala leveled the gun at the wolf’s head and put her finger on the trigger.
The wolf shifted up into the form of a man, and as she’d witnessed when Nashoba shifted back from wolf, this stranger was completely naked and exposed to her.
The man laughed and stepped right up to her, grabbing the barrel of the gun and wrenching it from her hands. She’d tried pulling down on