unnoticed in her rush, and snowflakes caught in her hair.
The forest slowed around her when she felt the bite of a dart at her neck. Her pounding heartbeat marked the time as she fell to her side, her limbs suddenly too heavy to move, her voice caught in her throat.
Fear lanced through her as she heard the sound of some sort of air intake nearby, out of place amongst the woods. It had a place in the cities, the technology more prominent there. When the hunter landed, she realized the sound came from a jet pack on his back.
He, and she guessed it was a he, wore full body armor, obviously humanoid, but unlike any armor she’d ever seen. Shapeshifters didn't wear body armor at all. His steps sank heavy into the drifts, accompanied by the odd, mechanical sounds of servo-aided joints. As he came to a stop in front of her, she struggled to move but her limbs wouldn't obey. She could breath, hear and see, even blink, but had no real motor control. She was at his mercy.
"Specimen is homo sapiens, female, average size." She understood the words, but couldn't understand why the thing spoke her language. "Phenotype suggests northern continent genetic stock. This is inconsistent with species of Canis lupus known to claim local environment as territory. Irregularity is of note. Hypothesis: subject is visiting the local pack. Subject is not identified as individual of note and will be terminated, considered creditable as trophy. BMKW-5134, transmission terminating."
Close to panic, her thoughts moved at lightning speed as she tried and tried again to get her body to move. Stupid, she knew, to have been out there by herself in her bright red coat, almost begging to be taken down. She’d made herself easy prey.
She could only watch as some sort of gun barrel leveled on her. It had multiple attachments, darts and deadlier looking projectiles. Her eye caught a shadow of movement beyond. Hope burst into her mind but she focused on the gun, didn't give away what came.
Jason.
He burst out of the trees in wolf form, slamming into the hunter and taking it down to one side, clear of Carri's inert form.
Red haze covered his eye sight and rage beat through his veins. He didn't know if she lived or had already died, but he would kill the thing that dared threaten her.
Wolf teeth could do little against body armor, so he shifted as they landed, but halted the shift so his hands and feet remaining clawed. Enraged, he grabbed the hunter's helmet and wrenched it to the side, slicing the soft fabric joining the helmet to the torso with his claws as he did it.
A garbled scream issued from speakers. Blood flowed red in the snow.
Furious and caught up in the kill, he pounded on the body armor, aiming at the vulnerable joints at the arms and knees until the limbs turned out at impossible angles. He would have continued if he hadn't heard Carri's gasp.
"Jason."
His rage drained away in an instant.
"Red?" Barely a whisper as relief flooded through him. He shot to her side, cradling her in his arms. Golden hair spilled out from her red hood, and he could see the muscle of her jaw and neck struggling to work.
"Hey, stranger." Her voice came in a strangled whisper, but she spoke.
"Carri!" At the sound of Ben's voice, Jason's head shot up and he growled warning. Ben stopped short, taking in the scene. Even recognizing the alpha, Jason couldn't bring himself to stand down, not after such a close call and not with Carri still so vulnerable.
Ben held up his hands, staying where he was, but the alpha didn't back away. Instead Ben let the power specific to alphas roll through the air, calming Jason's rage. "Jason. Stand down. Let us help Carri. There's an antidote for the dart."
Resisting the more dominant alpha came easy for Jason, part of his problem. He was dominant, more dominant than Ben, but he wasn't an alpha.
Only Carri could hold the reigns to his rage. "Need...help. Antidote, Jason."
He scooped her into his arms, met the alpha's eyes. "Send the healer to the guest house. It's closer."
Cradling her high against his chest, Jason ran through the forest, knowing the alpha would follow. As he raced to get Carri the help she needed, he berated himself for leaving her alone. Too late. He’d almost been too late, and she might die because of it.
The hiss of an air gun never sounded