Tam AuLuc
Matt POV
My mind was numb. The forest was too quiet, and I felt like I could puke. I wanted to puke. And go to mom and dad. Uncle Magnus lay dead in front of me, his lips and body turning blue fast. Cries of the little baby echoed in the forest, mingling with my own. “Uncle…” I sobbed hard. I couldn’t help thinking that my uncle, Magnus, had been killed. He was shot dead and he was lying in the forest, covered in blood, and all because of me… and her. Tam.
I had no idea who she was, or why my uncle had protected her so fiercely with his life. All I knew was that he died and he told me to protect her. Made me promise to protect her. I wanted to go back to mommy and daddy, and leave her like this. Alone. Helpless. The beasts could have her. I wanted to break my promise because she was the main reason why uncle was killed.
But here I was–walking through the woods with Tam. She was a heavy pup. It was difficult to carry her in my arms. Sol made a sling of Uncle’s shirt, and tied her to my back, making sure that she was safe. She was so small that if I didn’t keep her close to me, she could get cold soon and die.
As soon as Tam was on my back, she stopped crying miraculously, and that was good because it didn’t attract the attention of the wild beasts. Before the night fell, I had to reach my pack. I had been through this path many times, so I remembered it. At first, I thought I should go back to uncle’s pack, but I just wanted to go to mommy. “Mommy… Daddy…” I
sobbed.
I wasn’t even sure if I was doing the right thing. Why did my uncle care so much about her? Just thinking this, made me mad. He was the Alpha of the bears, and he died for this pup? A pup that I had no idea about.
The forest was alive, full of sounds. My heart raced as I heard the occasional rustle of something big moving in the distance. I knew that the forest was home to not just wild animals, but wild beasts as well. I kept looking over my shoulder, making sure that no one was following me. Sometimes when an overhead branch would come in my way, I would duck immediately, and the damn pup would giggle. She was playing with my hair all the time, grabbing and eating them. Sometimes, her tiny fingers would tickle the skin of my neck.
Had I been in my uncle’s Jeep, I would have reached my pack in less than two hours, but now I didn’t know how far I had to go to reach it. But I knew I had to get there. I moved carefully, stepping over the fallen branches. Every now and then, I would glance at Tam, who was clutching onto my shirt tightly. All I wanted was to give her to my mom and get rid of her. Images of my uncle fighting with that man flooded my mind. More tears came out. It became difficult to walk as my breath turned shallow. I stopped and leaned on a tree with my arms, and started crying again.
I expected Tam to throw a fit and cry again, but she was surprisingly silent. When I looked over my shoulder, I found her watching me with her gray eyes, her curly golden hair framing her face wildly. “Ga–ga,” she said as if offering her words of sympathy, before putting her thumb in her mouth. I shook my head, wiped my tears and continued walking.
After a while, I reached a small clearing. Though I recognized the area, my instincts told me something was wrong. I slowed down and crouched. In the distance, I saw a group of five rogues. All were drinking and looked intoxicated. They were wild, intoxicated and dangerous.
“Stay quiet, Tam,” I whispered. “I think these are rogues.” But I guess she had fallen asleep because there was no movement. I quietly backed up and moved into a thicker bush to hide. I stayed there for what felt like hours until the last of the
rogues flattened out on the ground. Eventually, I got out and ran past them as fast as possible. None of them stirred thankfully.
The sun was high up in the sky when I reached the edge of my pack’s territory. Relief flooded over me as I realized that I was close to safety. My heart pounded as a fresh wave of tears assaulted me. My stomach twisted with worry. I felt like stopping and puking, but I had to keep moving to reach my parents.
Finally, when I saw my parent’s house, I ran inside. “Mommy! Daddy!” I shouted, surprising Tam. She got up with a jerk and began crying.
My mom, Shehla, came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. Her eyes widened in shock. “Matt? What are you –?” Her eyes went to Tam who was now crying incessantly.
“Take her off me!” I shouted.
My mom came to my aid immediately and took Tam from me. She cradled her in her arms, looking stunned as he Where is Magnus? Who is this baby?”
Daddy came out then. I just threw myself at him Successfully unlocked! his waist. And then I couldn’t stop myself. I sobbed hard. In a shaky voice, I said, “Uncle Mayrius
… The ye. Te iu mne to protect her.” I had no words left. My chest was tight, and I felt like I might explode from all the emotions that had built inside me.
My father lifted me in his arms as he looked at Tam and me in shock. Then he took me to the sofa and cradled me. “Tell me everything, pup.”
1/3
Tam AuLuc
I narrated everything to them. How my uncle fought, how that man shot him with bullets and then how uncle killed him. “I don’t know who she is, but her name is Tam AuLuc. Uncle Magnus said that’s her name.” I remembered the way uncle had whispered it to me.
“Maybe the man was a hunter,” my father mused. “This pup could be a shifter baby. Sometimes, hunters steal shifter pups for experiments.”
A shudder ran down my body.
Mom’s eyes had thick tears as she gently rocked Tam in her arms. “You did the right thing, Matt.”
I shook my head vehemently. “I hate her! My uncle died because of her. Return her to her pack. I don’t want to see her.” Daddy placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll send my feelers to see if any bear pack is missing their pup.” Then he looked at mom. “You may want to go to your brother’s pack. I’ll call the council members and tell them about this unfortunate incident.”
I stayed away from Tam the whole day even as I itched to see how she was doing. I don’t know why I wanted to see her, but I restrained myself, knowing that it was my hatred.
Later in the night, mom came to daddy from the kitchen with a worried look on her face. “Teddy, there’s chaos in Magnus’s pack. Some of the bears are fighting to take his position!”
“What the fuck!” Father shouted. “Magnus has just died! Have they even brought his body back?” Mom cried. “No…” she muttered.
