From Book 5
While Jason and Carl were working their way through Brazil and Peru, a delegation from China came to Greystone Manor, asking for agricultural assistance. Lord Jeremiah was somewhat reluctant to get involved with the Chinese Government and its dubious history of intolerant communism, but he agreed to at least hear them out. It was only a matter of weeks before a mind-call came to Jason and Carl, requesting that they return to Cashiers.
INTRIGUE IN CHINA
Jason and Carl left Warrior Commander Feld in charge of the equipment and instructed him to continue down through South America as they had planned.
They clambered on board the Red Wolf, closely followed by Warrior Leader Kevin and their two squads of personal Warriors, for the return trip to Charlotte.
It was an uneventful flight and the two scientists were tired, their efforts had occupied all their time, sometimes going days without sleep in order to satisfy the needs of the farmers they were assisting.
Only their wolf stamina kept them going, that and their intense desire to help the Human Folk thrive and prosper.
They slept most of the way and it was not until the huge plane began its descent into Charlotte Airport that Warrior Commander Kevin gently shook their shoulders to tell them they were arriving in Charlotte.
They were met by a caravan of vehicles that whisked them away to Greystone Manor on the outskirts of the city and they noticed the Chinese flag hanging from the Visitor's Flagpole.
The Warriors had heard awful Tales of that country, when they were younger, Grandpa Jeremiah held them enthralled with his stories of rescuing their folk from Hainan Island in that country. It was hard for them to believe that these folk would ever be welcomed to their home.
They had met Lord Alpha Tan Poc, and his stories were intended to scare small youngling wolves. Hell, they even scared adult, mature wolves too!
The stories told by Lord High Alpha Wolf Jeremiah made the very stones of their homes weep in sorrow for what the Chinese had done to their Wolf kin!
Lord Alpha Tan Poc was waiting for them and they made obeisance to him as was proper, then he raised them up and said, "Greeting Warriors Master, I greet thee and thy party in joy. Know that human kind of my ancient lands are here to learn thy methods of modern farming. The Human kind of my former lands can no longer feed their young, their soil is dying. Soon their younglings will die also."
That last sentence horrified the two, they could picture small children dying of starvation! They could not keep the horror out of their voices as they asked, "My Lord Alpha of Hainan Clan, how may we help in this awful tragedy?"
Tan Poc replied, "By showing those who were once my enemies, how to grow food to feed my Human Kinfolk."
Carl and Jason walked into the conference room, their bodies still shaking in horror at the thought of dying children.
The visitors from far off Hainan Island of China thought they were being very business-like and single minded, but both Carl and Jason noted their minds were jumbled and tangled with thoughts of hungry children, dead parents and a barren land, covered by wild vines and coarse grass.
Their thoughts were tinged with desperation and fear that these strange westerners would not help them.
Their political masters had sent keepers with them and they glanced over to the wall in fear that the keepers would see them speaking to these western scientists without their permission.
There were pictures of torture and maiming in their minds and their children being held hostage for their obedient behavior. The children were being kept in filthy pens, not even fit for the swine they had shooed out so they could lock the children away.
Jason let out a mental shriek that had all the wolves in the city cringing as he called for Warrior Commander Kevin to come at once.
While Kevin was racing for the Assembly Hall, where the meeting was to take place, he was calling for his two squads of Wolf Troopers. He had trained those troopers himself and knew they would follow his orders, no matter what the appearances were.
Kevin burst into the room in midst of change, he landed on all fours in the center of the room, glowering at the assembled representatives of the Communist Regime.
His eyes had gone blood red and saliva was dripping from his massive fangs as he surveyed the frightened humans before him.
Kevin had now reached his full maturity and was the largest wolf any of their kind had ever seen, even larger than those spoken of in their own ancient tales of the "Before Times"!
While standing on all fours, his thickly muscled shoulders were six feet above the floor and his paws were as big as pie plates. When he opened his mouth, it was like a huge cavern filled with teeth!
He swung his head back and forth as he glowered at the representatives of the Chinese Government, he sent a dreadful mental roar at them, "WHO DARES TO HARM THE CHILDREN FOR WHOM I CARE?"
He directed his mental onslaught at the government men and women, and most of them fainted on the spot. The two or three that remained conscious, immediately lost control of their bowels and they soiled themselves uncontrollably!
He stalked towards them, his eyes glowing an angry red and saliva dripping from his fangs.
Again he demanded, "WHO DARES TO HARM THE CHILDREN FOR WHOM I CARE?"
One of the men protested, "IiiI do nnnot kkknow what you mmmmeeean."
Kevin mind screeched, "YOU LIE, YOU DIE!"
The man sprawled on the floor, dead, blood flowing from his ears and nose. Kevin stripped the information from the two surviving representatives in a mind-rape, leaving them mindless vegetables for the rest of their lives.
He called forth his Human and knelt before Jason and Carl, "My Lords Older Brother, this awful thing must be corrected. Those children must not remain caged like meat animals. We must go to them and bring them home!"
Both Tosco and Jeremiah had been attracted by the commotion and they stood at the door, looking on in wonder at this Giant Wolf who had once been a little boy running around the Manor, playing with other children, both Human kind and Wolf folk!
Kevin pleaded with Jason and Carl, "Please Older Brothers, we must rescue the children of these monsters, they must not pay for the crimes of their elders!"
Without hesitation, Jerimiah mind sent to the Captain of the Queen of the Seas to ready the ship and to stand by to sail.
Kevin's Warriors were arrayed behind him, their weapons pointed at the gathering of farmers standing there. The farm folk were shivering in fright, believing they were the next targets of this dreadful beast.
They all felt an immensely powerful mind sweep their own, a few of their membership dropped to the floor, dead. Those that survived then realized who the informers among them had been.
The remaining farm folk hugged each other, expecting their next breath to be their last, when Kevin announced to them in their minds, "Do not fear me, I do not make war upon those who are innocent. For those who have died for their sins against thy children, their bodies shall decorate the forest trees. For you who have survived mine wrath, we shall go and rescue thy children held hostage against thy good behavior."
THE MARCH OF THE CHILDREN
Two thousand Wolf Warriors, under the joint command of Wolf Warriors Master, Carl and Jason, were loaded onto the Queen of the Seas and the huge ocean liner departed almost immediately. This time, both Tosco and Jeremiah felt they could not accompany them. The Chinese Farmers needed their help while their children were being rescued.
The huge vessel was straining its powerful steam turbines as the crew raced the ship around the southern tip of Florida, headed for the Panama Canal.
Since the ship was, "officially", a passenger vessel, the Queen had priority to transit the canal. Even though Chinese Officials now had operational control of the canal, they were not given sufficient time to devise a plan to deny the great liner passage through the canal.
By the time they had agreed to a plan, the Queen was leaving the west coast of Panama behind.
The Queen raced across the Pacific Ocean, heading to Hainan Island, her huge smoke stack was glowing cherry red as the engineers poured the fuel to the boilers in quantities never envisioned by its designers, except as short bursts in times of great emergency.
Kevin stood on the bridge the entire time, never leaving for more than a few minutes, his eyes were glowing an angry red the whole time.
The helmsman could have steered the ship using Kevin's nose as a compass, it was pointed directly at the island where the children were being held captive.
Kevin had already detected their frightened minds and was sending soothing and encouraging thoughts to them, letting them know that help was on the way.
They planned on anchoring out from Lanhua Harbor and marching inland to Lingweipo, where the children were being held.
As the great ship arrived just outside the harbor, they dropped the anchor and turned all the outside lights of the ship off, warning all on board to not let any light leak from the doors at night.
Two thousand Wolf Warriors, led by Warrior Commander Kevin, slipped over the side and they swam silently to shore as wolves.
The government forces were still using Tan Poc's old monastery as a fort and they arrived just before dawn. Kevin ordered his wolves to bed down for the daylight hours; they would attack between darkfall and moonrise the next night.
Not one of the wolf folk could rest, they could hear the frightened children cry in their hunger and thirst. The government forces had denied the children both food and water!
Kevin found that he was not the only one sending soothing and encouraging thoughts to the captive children, a purple hue of transmitted energy hung over the encampment of wolves!
Meanwhile, back on the ship, the engineers were frantically making fresh water to fill the ship's domestic water tanks and the laundry department was washing sheets and blankets to make up all the beds on the ship to receive the injured children.
The crew had offered up their own beds to receive the children and the galley staff was baking bread and sweets to give the children both a treat and a shot of quick energy. They were readying soft, easily digested foods to feed them in forms they would recognize.
Crewmen laid out towels to be warmed, washcloths and soap in every shower before trying to get some sleep themselves. They knew that, once the children arrived, there would be no sleep for any of them for many days!
Finally, darkfall came and all the wolf warriors massed behind Warrior Commander Kevin and commanded by the two Warriors Master, Jason and Carl.
The woods were alive with glowing red eyes, as one wag among them said, "We're going in to take names and kick butt!"
Kevin led the charge to crash the gate. It went down with a crash as the wolf force hurled their own bodies against it in a solid mass of muscle.
The wolves raced into the old monastery, like a great avalanche of giant ants, sweeping the overwhelmed government forces before them like so much windblown trash. The wolf folk hardly slowed down as they trampled the government soldiers under their feet, leaving nothing but blood-stained soil.
They found the pens, where the children were being kept, they didn't even bother to rip open a gate, they just tore the fences down as they snatched up children by the armload and headed back to the shore, where they had left their ship.
The Queen had all their boats in the water, ready to run taxi between the shore and the ship. They were concerned that the Chinese Navy might send war ships at them, but none ever appeared, until just as they were ready to depart with their precious cargo.
Wolves were carrying sick and injured children on their backs or the arms of those who had called forth their humans.
The largest of the wolves carried three and four children on their backs as they raced back to the ship. Kevin, Jason and Carl each carried six children on their backs, all screaming their delight, despite their hunger, thirst and injuries.
None of them understood Chinese, but a child's delight is an international language!
The children were in awful shape; Tan Poc had secreted himself on board the ship and made his appearance, despite his own injuries, as the children began to come on board.
He spoke to the children, EVERY child, in their own language as the wolves carefully bathed the children and wrapped them in clean warm towels or blankets.
The Wolves had known of his presence and purpose, so they had left him alone during the voyage to the Far East. Several had slipped him food and water during the voyage, letting him know that his secret was safe with them.
It was hardly a secret, all aboard the Queen were wolves, even the ship's Captain and Chief Engineer, there were none who were not of the Wolf Folk!
As soon as the last wolf warrior and his load of children arrived back at the ship, they upped the anchor and the Queen sped out of the harbor at flank speed, not caring whether they swamped small boats or not.
Not caring about his own fatigue or his still healing injuries, Tan Poc walked among the rescued children, reassuring them in their own language that they were safe and the large "doggies" would take care of them.
He sat with them and showed them how to eat the hot cereal the cooks had brought out and to put a little butter on the warm muffins and cakes set out for them.
That morning alone, the children went through a thousand gallons of milk!
After they had taken the edge off their hunger, fatigue began to set in and the children began yawning. The Wolf Folk led them to a bed in one of the cabins and laid two or three children down in a soft, warm bed.
As soon as their eyes began to droop, the crew members or the warriors called forth their wolves again and curled up on the bed, guarding each child as he or she slept.
Tan Poc was staggering in fatigue and Jason and Carl spotted him before he fell to the deck.
Carl said, "My Lord Alpha Tan Poc, come, we have a bed for thee, also. You must not damage thyself, thy folk have need of thee!"
As Tan Poc and his people's children slept, the Queen's crew pushed the huge vessel as hard as they could to put as much distance between them and the Chinese forces as possible.
They knew they would be chased after and they were right!
It was a race the Queen could not win and, just as the Chinese ships began to close on them, another Naval Force steamed between the Queen and the pursuing Chinese Navy.
Their flags remained hidden, so those on the Queen never learned who their benefactors were, but the Chinese forces turned tail and retreated, all the guns of the intervening force were pointed directly at them!
A huge naval gun viewed from the muzzle end and pointed directly at you, is a frightening experience, and the Chinese sailors were no more brave than anyone else!
The new naval force escorted the fleeing passenger liner for two days before blowing their steam horns in salute and they turned to return to their home port, they never identified themselves, but there was much speculation as to who they were.
Most folks believed it was the Japanese Naval Defense Force, but that was never proved nor disproved. EVER! However, it was made known that the Wolf Folk were welcome in that country anytime they wished to visit.
Later, they were welcomed as residents and finally citizens of Japan!
They eventually slowed the Queen down to a more easy riding speed and the children were able to play out on the decks in the sunshine.
Before they had gotten back to the Panama Canal, the hollow cheeks and sunken stomachs of the children were beginning to fill out and they had pretty much finished with their nightly bad dreams.
They came to understand about the Wolf-Folk, and it bothered them not a bit. Oddly, they could recognize a wolf, whether he had called forth his human or his wolf and they had memorized his or her name! There were a number of female wolf warriors by now as they learned to call forth their wolves and to return their humans.
Each child had his or her own favorite and, as most of the children were orphans, by the time the ship returned to its home port, every child had at least one wolf parent and many had two! By this time, most of the female wolves had the power to call forth their Wolves and return their Humans.
They were concerned as they approached the Panama Canal, expecting trouble from the Chinese Authorities who had the Panamanian Concession to operate the canal.
A day out from the canal, two American and one British Warship arrived and took up station one ahead and two astern of the Queen of the Seas.
They maintained station on the Queen all through the canal and out into the Caribbean Sea before the British Ship signaled "Goodbye" and the large ship turned off.
The two American Warships escorted the Queen all the way to her Homeport. The missiles on each warship were "on-line" and ready to be fired at any time.
The return to their homeport of New Port was calm, until the first line went over the side, then the spectators who were out on the pier began yelling and screaming their support.
They were the wives, mates and children of the Wolf Warriors who had rescued the Chinese children!
The Chinese Children were introduced to Mothers, Brothers and Sisters they never knew they had and they were ALL Wolf-Folk!
The stream of vehicles carrying them all home to Cashiers was miles long and, before they got there, the children had faded, but they were carried into their new homes and gently placed in a bed and at least one wolf guardian, a new brother, a father or mother, or even a doting uncle sat beside their bed lest they awaken and be frightened.
No child went without a wolf guardian that first night, nor any night thereafter!
The Chinese Farmers who had originally come to learn about the new farming methods ended up staying and they took up farms in America on the worn-out lands that could no longer support crops.
Jason and Carl saw to it that their soils were treated and many thousands of acres were returned to food production.
The Business Cartels fought against the "foreigners" but their power was waning rapidly. It would not be much longer until they became just a footnote in American history.
Kevin and his girlfriend, Melia, brought two Chinese children into their new family and, early on, Jasper and Marsha Dennison decided that they would ask the Great Wolf Lord to make them both Wolf!
Some of the children returned to their "old" parents, but most of them remained with their Wolf Benefactors and formed new family groups.
When they grew up, The University had to build more dormitories and classrooms to accommodate the influx of students applying for admission.
TBC
The "problem" with the Chinese is not over yet, nor are the drug cartels ready to lay down and die. Kevin will become the next Wolf Warrior Master and will lead the charge to finish with the drug cartels. The Chinese will have to wait their turn!