Prone To Wander (rough draft)

Chapter Thirteen

~*~

Quinn reached a paw toward the squirrel, but Jacob jumped backward to avoid it. “No, I'm not trying to hurt you,” Quinn said, “I just want to help my friend. Please tell me, where did they take him?”

Jacob's gaze turned back to his pup, nestled between the two raccoon kits. “Malaki,” he called, and the young squirrel turned to see him. “Malaki, are you sure that's safe?” he asked, but received no reply.

“Those two wouldn't hurt your son if their lives depended on it,” Quinn reassured. “I'm sure this is hard for you to grasp, but the pup isn't in danger and neither are you. Now, are you going to tell me where Ruben is, or do have to go find him myself?”

“Alright,” Jacob said at last, “I'll show you where they went.” He hesitated, still watching Malaki who, by all reason, should have been in terrible danger. A moment later he forced himself down the tree, and went to stand on the outside of the wall of brush.

Quinn was quick to follow, and came up beside the squirrel. Both peered through the branches and could see several ermines working to fix the door of the cage, with the leader of the rabble watching the work closely. Jacob shook his head, and cleared his thoughts.

“Do you see down past the cage, where there's that break in the brush?” Jacob asked, and Quinn nodded. “That's where they took him. There's some creature over there, I'm not sure what it is.”

“Well, I guess we'll find out,” Quinn growled, and started to move forward.

“What are you planning on doing?” Jacob asked.

Quinn stopped, and looked down at his new companion, “I'm not sure,” he said quietly, “But I have to do something.”

Jacob nearly laughed, “Well, you do fit right in, don't you?” he said. “Can we try to come up with a plan of some kind? I still have a mate and two pups who need to be rescued too. There must be a way we could get to all of them, Ruben included... if he's alive.”

“We can go back to the tree for now, and try to think of something,” Quinn agreed. “But if we don't have any bright ideas soon, I'm just going to rush in there and kill as many of the vermin as I can.”

~*~

Niki glared at Ruben as if he'd insulted her, “I know what you'll tell me next,” she growled. “You'll tell me that if I can distract the ermines, you'll climb out and find help. Help from who? You'll just run off and save your own skin.”

“That's not what I had in mind,” Ruben replied. “If I come closer, will you give me a chance to explain?”

The dog's expression softened, “Alright then.”

Ruben inched towards her, his legs shaking, his heart beating so hard he could feel the pulsing in his head, but he kept moving. He reached an outstretched foreleg, and paused.

“I need to see your collar,” he said, “Can I... can I climb up to look at it?”

“Come on then,” Niki grumbled.

Ruben placed a paw on the pale gold fur and waited a moment. The dog didn't move, she wasn't even looking at him. So, he climbed nervously up to the thick fur of her neck, and found the buckle of the collar.

“I could get this off,” he said, “It wouldn't take much.”

“The buckle is too heavy for you, and it would take hours for you to chew through that leather. Don't lie to me,” the dog growled, and Ruben could feel the huge throat quake with the sound.

“Chewing through the leather would take ages, you're right,” Ruben replied shakily, “But if I chew the thread that's holding the end together... well, that wouldn't take long at all.”

“Fine then,” Niki said, almost whining, “What's stopping you?”

“Can we make a deal first?” Ruben asked, climbing back down to the enormous paw, so he could see the dog's face.

“I won't eat you,” she said, “Just get the collar off already!”

“That's not it,” Ruben retorted. “There are other creatures up there, some of them are my family, and some of them are captives too. Would you promise not to kill anything that isn't a weasel? Look, I don't much care what happens to me, but I came here to rescue my family. I want to know that they've got the best chance possible of coming out of this, alive.”

“I think there are more than enough of those ermines up there to make a meal out of. You have a deal. Now, would you hurry?”

~*~

Quinn and Jacob had agreed that while there were ermines fixing the door of the cage, they were too likely to be spotted entering the clearing. So, they were making their way along the outskirts of it, trying to find where Ruben had been taken. If they could find The Hunter, and see what they were up against, it could help them form an actual plan... and if by chance, they could rescue Ruben in the process, that would be all the better.

They walked cautiously until they could see the break in the brush. Jacob moved a little faster, eager to see what was ahead, but Quinn grabbed him and stopped.

“What is it?” Jacob asked, unsure of why he'd been snatched up.

“I can see a ditch or something,” Quinn replied, “And I think some creature is trying to get out.”

“Is it Ruben?”

Quinn placed the squirrel on his shoulder. Jacob gripped the gray fur, and steadied himself just in time to see a flash of pale fur at the mouth of the hole. They both watched uneasily, unsure of what was coming. There was another flash of the pale fur. Then, with great effort, two paws reached the top and heaved up after them, the enormous dog they belonged to. Quinn had never seen such a monster. He started to back away, wide-eyed and silent.

Jacob gasped as the dog rushed forward, it broke through the brush and into the clearing with a thunderous bark. He jumped from Quinn's shoulder and began scrambling to get through the brush himself, “Kalah! The pups!” he cried as he struggled.

Quinn understood. He dove through the dense growth, leaving a hole behind him and calling, “This way!”

They emerged nearer to the cage than expected. Jacob rushed over to it, “Everyone stay calm,” he told the captives, as Quinn came up behind him, “He's going to get you out.”

“Thanks,” Quinn griped, “Let me get covered in thorns again.” But he didn't hesitate to rip the newly repaired door off it's hinges, and throw it to the ground for the second time.

Jacob ran inside, and began helping the captives remove their bonds. One by one the creatures said their thank yous and hurried off into the surrounding forest. When the others had all fled, and only the squirrels remained, Jacob's mate came to him with one of their pups.

“I can't get it off,” she said, nearly in tears. The bonds on the tiny paws were too tight to get teeth on, and trying to untie them would take far too long.

The great dog seemed to be killing every creature it managed to grab hold of, and the ermines that escaped were rushing around in a blind panic. The squirrels knew they needed to get out, and they needed to get out quickly.

Jacob took his little one and turned to Quinn, “We need to hurry,” he said. Then smiled at his pup, “Don't be afraid,” he reassured, and set him in the raccoon's open paw.

Quinn tucked the little squirrel into the same pouch he'd once offered to Malaki. It was empty now. With that, they dashed to the brush wall, and ran the short distance to the hole Quinn had made. The squirrels were just pushing through, when a deafening growl came from behind them. Everyone turned to see the dog's massive, open jaws coming at Quinn... the raccoon froze.

The squirrels watched in horror. There was nothing they could do, as the monster rushed in to kill the very creature who had just freed them... and who was still holding their son.

Suddenly there was a cry of, “Niki, no!” and to Quinn's surprise, Ruben leapt onto his muzzle and held fast. The dog stopped short, barked in anger, and turned to chase a pair of ermines as they ran past.

Quinn didn't wait for an explanation, he raced through the brush wall and scrambled up the tree, to where Malaki and the kits were still waiting. His heart was racing, and he was trying to catch his breath. Ruben then slipped down off the black and gray muzzle, and took a deep breath himself. The next moment, he was embraced by his brother.

“I don't know how you're still alive!” Jacob exclaimed, “And I don't much care, it's just good to have you back.”

After a moment, Ruben took a step back, smiled, and pointed to Quinn, “I take it you've met our new brother.”

“Yes, about that...” he began, but was distracted when he heard the pup Quinn had taken, crying for him.

He turned to go, but saw Malaki climbing into the raccoon's paw, and heard him saying, “Gabriel! No, don't be scared. Quinn won't hurt you, he's our new uncle.”

Jacob's mate came quietly up beside him and Ruben, “Are we sure that this is safe?” she asked.

“Perfectly safe,” Ruben reassured, “Come on Kalah, and bring Yakira, I'll introduce you.”