Brother's Bond Chapter 12

Being a female fawn, Claire's lung capacity was larger and stronger than the average male human's. Her scream travelled far and managed to ring into Ron's ears.




Ron wheeled around, for he instantly recognized Claire's unique sound, and this was one of utter terror. "Claire!" his mind screamed. Ron looked over his shoulder, the village…and help, was only a short distance away. Ron craned his ears, there was no more screaming. Ron thought of the Wolf and what he might do to her if she had been captured. Ron looked back one more time, the bolted in the other direction, toward his house.


"Even if I did bring help, it would be too late. I can at least try to save Claire."




When Ron rounded the bend in the road that led up to his house, he stopped short and took in the scene before him.




His best friend's horse was tied to the fence by the kitchen door. Ron's friend, Barron, was lying unconscious in the compost pile beside the front garden. The Wolf, was sitting on the roof, his belly billowing out like a souffl�'s, and it looked like he was sleeping.


Ron took a few steps closer and say that the Wolf had Claire clutched in his paws. Claire was very much awake, and when she saw Ron, her eyes widened and she made a gesture with her head as if to say, "There you are! HELP!"




Ron nodded and began to step closer. He first, wanted to see if Barron was alright. Ron crept quietly up to Barron's body. He saw the chest rise and fall, so he knew that Barron was breathing, but Ron did see a nasty lump forming on the side of his head. Ron also spotted Barron's sword, it was sheathed and attached to Barron's side, Ron reached over his friend and carefully pulled the sword out, making sure not to make too much noise. "Mind if I borrow this?" he whispered.




Ron turned, sword in hand and stopped. The Wolf was standing up with his arms crossed and clutching Claire by the neck again. He glared at Ron for a long moment and not a word was uttered. Ron had guessed that the Wolf was not actually sleeping at all, but just spying on him, waiting to make the right move.




Meanwhile, Ron's brother's actually had fallen into a doze and every so often, one of them bobbed his head and jerked awake. Seth had done this twice and beat himself up for it, he felt like he was surrendering to the Wolf by sleeping. At first he roused his brother's and condoned the behavior. "We can't give in to this place, we must survive." But soon, one by one, the brothers just drifted off. As Seth fell into slumber he thought, "At least it won't hurt when we die."


Dean had remained unconscious and Seth didn't bother to wake him, knowing that the pain of being awake would be too much for him. Trevor had wakened several times and each time, he couldn't remember where he was then when he did, he bleated loudly. He then remembered how he had got there and shrugged it off.




As the Wolf stood up, his belly quavered and the dozing occupants jerked awake and looked around. Even Dean roused from his slumber and although in pain, did not let it show. Trevor bleated again, and Seth pinched his arm, assuring himself that he would not give in again. The twins looked all around. "What's going on?" asked Milo. Dean sat up, "What I miss?" Seth and Trevor filled him in and then Seth answered Milo's question with, "I don't know, the Wolf hasn't eaten Claire…I have no idea what is going on now."




Ron clutched the sword tight and glared up at the Wolf's smug face. "Welcome back little fawn, have you come to join your brothers inside my belly?" Ron did not answer, the Wolf continued, "Because if you haven't, I will have to resort to some pretty drastic and possible…gruesome measures in order to put you where you need to be." Ron turned back to look at Barron.


The Wolf chuckled and shook his head,


"Your idiot friend arrived shortly after this brat screamed, I quickly dealt with him, and once my belly has room, I will put him inside it. Humans are a very different flavor than you fawns, and are best eaten separately".




Ron took a step toward the Wolf, "Release my family and my friend, or I will." He managed to say.


The Wolf roared with laughter and patted his belly. "You think you can take me? Look at me! All your brothers thought they could take me, and look where they are now! You will join them, or watch your girlfriend die!"


The Wolf squeezed Claire's neck, she squirmed and moaned, but the Wolf had his fingers pressed firmly on her mouth. Ron twitched; he didn't know what to do.




As Ron remained stationary, the Wolf decided that he had waited long enough. "I think I will extend some mercy for you and allow you to hear your girlfriend's final cries". The Wolf took his fingers off of Claire's mouth and squeezed her neck harder. Claire groaned and choked, then the Wolf released slightly and allowed Claire to scream in horror and yell, "RON! HELP ME!"


This galvanized the fawn into action, rushed to the spot where the Wolf would be directly above him, he raised his sword and prepared to leap, but the Wolf held Claire out in front of him as a shield and Ron had to abandon the attack. The Wolf laughed evilly.


"Surrender now, fool. Or watch your loved ones all die! Then when I catch you, I'll mash you up until I can drink you through a straw! One way or another, I will eat you and everyone else in this village!"


The Wolf squeezed Claire's throat and she screamed in intense pain, then slumped over. The Wolf gave her a quick lick to taste her, then dropped her body in the compost pile beside Barron.




Ron's eyes flashed and he cried out in rage and terror. The Wolf roared loudly, "Calm down! I didn't kill her (yet). She is unconscious". Ron raced over to her and felt her pulse; it was slow, but a pulse none the less. Ron felt her spine and neck, nothing was broken. Ron quickly caressed Claire's face and then turned to face the Wolf. "If I surrender to you, do you promise on the great Wolves of the Sky and to the North, that you will not harm my friends?"