The Wolf Folk Series: Prince Tosco

As Jeremiah was changing back to his human, he welcomed the new wolves, their English was poor, but they could be understood. One of the newcomers had a half of a beef over his shoulder and he said, "I bring food, Lord, Child of Ced, the peace of the Ancients be upon thee." Jeremiah completed the ancient greeting by saying, "And also upon thyself and thy kin." Slowly, over the next several days, wolf folk began to arrive, there were over one hundred folk in the small clearing and Jeremiah was becoming concerned that the local authorities might discover them, Jacob whispered to him, "Have no fear, My Lord, I and Cousin Jorge have been maintaining a cloak over us all, they cannot find us. Only one who is wolf can see through the cloak.

As the food began to run out, about three hundred wolf folk had gathered in their hiding place.

Jeremiah decided to make one more call to gather his folk before moving on. He held Jorge's hand in couple as he called, "I AM OF THE BLOOD OF CED, COME TO ME. THE CHILD OF CED CALLS THEE TO GATHER, WE WAIT FOR THEE, COME TO ME, THE CHILD OF CED CALLS TO THEE"

Jeremiah continued the mind couple with Jorge as he stretched out his mind, further and further until, at the furthest reach, he heard a faint call and young Jakob joined the meld, "Child of Ced who calls for us, we are held prisoner at Hulan Lake, we cannot escape on our own. Child of Ced save us, for we are doomed, Blood of Ced, we cry to thee that in thy mercy thou may save us."

Jeremiah jumped up and asked, "Who has a map, where is Hulan Lake?"

They found Hulan Lake on the map and Jeremiah called again, "I AM JEREMIAH, LORD HIGH ALPHA WOLF OF THE AMERICAS, CHILD OF THE BLOOD OF CED. HOW MAY WE FIND YOU, WE SHALL COME TO YOUR RESCUE."

The faint call came again, "Blessed of The Lord of Wolves, Above Us All, we are held in a prison compound on the North shore. Come quickly, we cannot last much longer, our execution draws near."

Jeremiah looked closely at the map and saw that the lake was across the border in Mongolia and would be at least a two week trip to get there. He hoped they could hold on that long.

Jakob said to him, "My Lord of Wolves, let us go as wolves with the others following in the automobiles. We can cover the distance much faster than by following the roads and we can rescue our brother Wolves faster!"

Jorge said, "Go, My Lord, I and mine shall watch over those who travel by car and we will meet up with you after you have rescued our brothers and sisters."

Jeremiah chose fifty wolf folk, including young Jakob, and told them to follow him. He quickly called forth his wolf and changed, Jakob was only the blink of an eye behind him. The others took a bit longer and, as soon as everyone had made their change, he led off at a kilometer eating lope toward the call imbedded in his mind.

They ran, day and night, stopping only when they had to in order to eat or for a short sleep. The closer they got to Hulan Lake, the stronger the call came to them. It was always, "Hurry, we are fading fast."

Each time they heard the call, they urged their tired bodies on further and faster! As the tenth day of their race against time started to fade, they could smell water, surely it was Hulan Lake. It was!

The land was rolling grasslands and deserted lake shore, except for a few herders of animals and their flocks, not a living being was to be seen.

They reconnoitred the prison perimeter, it was a large area enclosed by a high wire fence and a guard station, where the road entered the enclosed area.

They could see clusters of building near the shore of the lake that were dimly lighted and guards were walking in the area of the buildings. While the guards were not many, they could see that they were heavily armed.

Jeremiah called, "THIS IS JEREMIAH, CHILD OF THE BLOOD OF CED, WE ARE HERE, HOW MAY WE FIND YOU?"

A weak, but jubilant reply came instantly, "My Lord of the Blood of Ced, we are held in the building with the red tile roof. Hurry, this is our last night upon this world if we do not escape this very night! They plan our death as we speak."

Many of the Wolf Folk accompanying them overheard the call and their anger rose, their eyes glowing blood red and their fangs protruding. They were in no mood to wait, they crowded up to Jeremiah, demanding he lead them to rescue their fellow wolf folk, NOW!

The fence enclosing the prison compound was no barrier to 500 to 1,000-pound wolves, even if that thousand-plus-pound wolf was among them was Lord Jeremiah!

They were all very angry wolves, with razor-sharp claws. The Wolf Warriors dug under the fence in seconds and raced through the darkened compound towards the building on the far side that had the red tile roof.

The few guards they encountered, died silently and quickly, with their neck slit, some heads even became detached from their bodies, so angry were the invading wolf folk.

They left the guards' bodies where they had died, scattered bodies would add to the terror felt by the few that managed to survive.

The guards in the building also died silently and their body parts were strewn around in the lobby. The lobby floor was slick with the leaking gore, blood and other body fluids.

The entire building was devoted to jailing the wolf-folk, from tottering elders to younglings in arms, unable to yet walk or enter change!

The largest wolf any of them had ever seen, Lord Jeremiah, weighed in at over a thousand pounds now that he had attained his full growth, only Lord Alpha Wolf Tecito of the Maya Clan exceeded Lord Jeremiah's massive size!

Young Jakob was only slightly less and he had not yet attained his full growth. When fully mature, Jakob would be the largest wolf in history! As it was, Jakob was visibly growing larger with the full meals he was getting.

The two huge wolves slammed the cell doors and splintered them to kindling. The other wolves gently led the prisoners out of their cells, in some cases, carrying elders who could no longer walk, or younglings who had not yet learned to walk!

The last thing Jeremiah did as he led his folk from that awful place was to slash the main electrical switchboard, plunging the compound into darkness.

They could hear guards screaming in the darkness as the invading wolves worked out their fury on those who would torment their kind. It would be a legend that would spread throughout all the Russias and would color future events after Jeremiah was proclaimed King of the Wolves.

That was something Jeremiah had not yet reconciled himself to. He realized it was coming, but he was still fighting it.

As they loped across the open grasslands, herding and carrying those they had rescued, something caught fire back in the prison compound and, quickly, the entire facility was enveloped in flames.

Jeremiah looked at Jakob, who was wearing a grin of innocence on his muzzle. Jeremiah just grinned and asked no questions, he knew what his protégé had done and he was proud the youngster had done it all on his own!

They followed the river that fed the lake into the mountains and found a heavily wooded area, secluded from sight and they bedded down for the rest of the night. The awful stink of prison and slavery was already dropping away from those they had just rescued.

Jeremiah led them back, across the border into Zabaykraisky Krai, which was under the control of Russia. Near the small village of Ashka, they met up with the caravan of automobiles. Jakob had led them into villages for fuel and food, right under the noses of the authorities, who never even knew they were there.

They made camp in the low range of mountains nearby and nursed the former prisoners back to health. Wolves heal quickly, but they require huge amounts of calories to do so, the wolves ranged the mountains, bringing down large herd animals, some of which Jeremiah had no idea what breed they were.

The smell of roasting meat permeated the area for several weeks as the folk gathered back their health. All Wolves can eat their meat raw, but, being civilized beings, they preferred their meat properly cooked and seasoned.

Several female wolves gave birth and one, Svetlana, brought her pup to Jeremiah. The distraught woman was in tears, "Lord Wolf Leader, my son has no Papa, my mate was murdered by the Chinese guards in that awful prison. My son cannot be named if he has not a Papa. Lord Savior of Wolves, will thee be my son's Papa and name him?"

Jeremiah made a brief sweep of the Wolf Folk Pup cuddled in the woman's arms. He met a mind, nearly as powerful as his own. It was untrained and wild, but there was no denying this young wolf was going to grow into a mighty Warrior Wolf!

He said to the young mother, "I sense greatness in this young wolf; he is descended from Lord LEP, Wolf Lord of the Ancients of the North! I name him Luca and I ask that you and your son join my House that I might guide thy son to his greatness among us!"

The young wolf mother's eyes were glistening as she understood this Great Lord had recognized who her son was and wanted him to be raised in his own House! Both she and her son would spend their lifetimes serving Lord Jeremiah and all his works.

She would not learn for many years, that the Ancients, CED and LEP had been litter mates! It was, however, a bond that Jeremiah recognized and he could have no more rejected the little pup than he could have cut off his own leg!

The group had now grown to about six hundred wolf folk and they were draining the area of game to keep them all fed.

Jeremiah felt it was time to move on, while there was still comparative safety and the weather still held, the authorities had no idea they were there and therein, was their safety, nobody was looking for them where they were.

He again asked Jakob to mind couple with him and he sent out his message, "I AM JEREMIAH, WOLF LORD OF THE AMERICAS AND BLOOD OF CED. CALL TO ME AND I WILL COME FOR YOU. I AM THE BLOOD CHILD OF CED AND I COME TO TAKE YOU TO OUR HOME. CALL TO ME."

Again, they heard faint replies, one seemed nearer, "Blood Child of Lord CED, we are in Kirpu and fear we will soon be discovered, please come to us for we cannot leave here without being caught."

They finally found Kirpu, a ways south of Lake Bolon south of Amursk in what was once the Russian Jewish Autonomous State.

They found that Kirpu was a tiny village on a bend of the river that drained Lake Bolon and there were no roads to get there, only the railroad served that town.

Jeremiah decided to leave the wolf folk and the vehicles where they were, they appeared to be in no danger and he would leave the young wolves and mothers under the care of Jakob, while he led the warriors to rescue those at Kirpu.

Jakob objected strenuously and said, "My Lord of America, thou art too valuable to risk, I shall lead your Warriors to rescue our folk!"

The young Wolf Warriors surrounded him and Jeremiah knew they would not let him lead the war party! So, he gave in with as much grace as he could muster, which was not a lot, and let Jacob choose his companions.

Jakob chose a group of fifty warriors and they started off for Kirpu. It was a long ways and would take them at least two weeks to get there.

Jeremiah finally got over his grump with the help of a small pup, Luca, who had taken Jeremiah as his Father Figure. He followed Jeremiah everywhere, and, like all younglings, he stumbled over his own feet wherever he went.

It was already apparent, if the young wolf ever grew into his own feet, he was going to be enormous! Jeremiah could not help but laugh at the youngling's antics and, pretty soon, he was enjoying life again.

Jakob sensed his Lord's acceptance of the situation and grinned, knowing that all was well again.

The young Warrior Wolves set a grueling pace, the sooner they got to Kirpu, the sooner their folk would be free. They ran day and night, stopping only to feed and when threatened by exhaustion.

The closer they got, the stronger and the more frantic the threatened wolf folk's calls became, until, as untrained as he was, Jakob could contact them.

He sent. "I AM JAKOB, BLOOD OF THE ANCIENT LORD GAL. WE COME FOR YOU, BE READY. WE COME FOR YOU AND SHALL LEAD YOU TO A NEW LIFE. I AM JAKOB, BLOOD CHILD OF GAL, WARRIOR WOLF TO PRINCE JEREMIAH, PARAMOUNT LEADER OF OUR KIND."

At long last, the village of Kirpu lay below them as they stood on the river bluff above the village. The only large building in the village was a barn-like structure that had several military vehicles parked beside it.

Jakob mind called and a young wolf replied, "I am Chaka, son of our last leader. They killed my Papa and imprisoned us in this barn. They mean to ship us out on boats to someplace and dump our bodies in a pit."

Jakob replied with an angry roar, "Be prepared young Chaka, I am as young as thyself! Together, your folk and my Warriors shall exact our terrible revenge and take thee to a place of safety. Our Leader, Lord Jeremiah takes us to his homeland, America, for a new life."

All he heard in response was a young wolf trying to choke back his sobs, so he kept quiet for a while so as to not embarrass the youngster. At last, Chaka replied, "ww wwhat is our rescue gggoing tt to cost us?"

Jakob replied, "Nothing will be charged you, Chaka, Lord Jeremiah is Lord High Alpha Wolf of all the Americas and he has come to rescue those of us who were left behind during the Great Migration."

Chaka sent, "bb but that wwas more than ttten ttthousand yyears ago!"

Jakob responded, "Yes, but this time we all are going, none will be left behind!" He continued, "We come now, be ready as we will destroy those who have abused thee!"

Jakob led his wolves swooping down on the village, slashing and swiping razor-sharp claws at the guards and any villager who looked like he was going to oppose them.

When the guards had been reduced to a pile of body parts and gore seeping into the cracks in the paving stones, Jakob parted the chain that held the barn door with a single swipe of his claws. The door swung open and there stood thirty young wolves, none much beyond their first change! They were the only survivors of the Kirpu Clan of Wolves!

Chaka stepped out and groveled before Jakob, saying, "I SUBMIT TO THEE, LORD JAKOB, COMMAND ME."

Jakob replied, "NAY BROTHER, THOU ART THY OWN CLAN AND THEE ART THE CLAN LORD ALPHA. THOU SHALT NOT BE ABUSED BY THE LIKES OF US, WE ART THY BROTHERS! BROTHERS DO NOT ABUSE BROTHERS, WE ARE ONE FAMILY."

Jakob led the wolves to the hills above the village, where they could rest and feed before the long trip back to where Lord Jeremiah waited for them. It was a long, slow return trip, the wolf folk of Kirpu were all very young and had little experience.

They toughened up on the journey and, by the time they reached where Jeremiah waited. The wolf folk of Kirpu were healthy and hardened to the trail. They brought gifts of fresh game to the Lord of the Wolves.

Jeremiah was going crazy trying to tell the wolf folk that he was NOT the Lord of Wolves, he was NOT a GOD, but all those he had rescued ignored his pleas, to them, he was an Avenging God, releasing them from the Hell in which they had been living.

Jeremiah allowed everyone to rest for a few days before he called Jakob before him. He called, "JAKOB OF THE WOLVES OF RUSSIA, COME BEFORE ME"

Jakob was in his Human and he knelt before Lord Jeremiah of the Americas.

Jeremiah continued, "JAKOB, CHILD OF THE BLOOD OF THE ANCIENT LORD GAL, I NAME THEE LORD WARRIOR LEADER OF THE CLANS OF THE RUSSIAS. THOU SHALT BE THEIR LEADER WHEN WE RETURN TO THE AMERICAS. ALL HAIL LORD PRINCE JAKOB, WARRIOR LEADER OF THE RUSSIAS!"

The stunned assembly knelt and proclaimed, "HAIL LORD WARRIOR LEADER PRINCE JAKOB, THOU ART OUR LEADER HERE AND IN THE AMERICAS!"

Jakob was frantically blinking back his tears and he faced Jeremiah and said, "My Lord Jeremiah, I give my thanks and my loyalty to thee, thou art MY LEADER now and forever. I pledge my folk's loyalty to thee personally, now and for all time. THIS I PLEDGE BEFORE YOU AND THE LORD OF WOLVES, ABOVE US ALL, SO HELP ME GOD!"

Jeremiah said, "Rise, Prince Jakob, Prince of Warriors, thou shalt be mine own Warrior Leader of mine own troops now and for all time."

By the time they were finally ready to resume their march across Russia, they had become a battle-hardened troop of Warriors led by Prince Jakob of Family GAL and his troop had gained in strength, he led five hundred Warrior Wolves, protecting six hundred aging wolves, pregnant wolf mothers and juvenile wolves, not yet old enough to make their change. Wolf Youngling Luca watched the older Jakob and dreamed of the day when he, too, would lead Warrior Wolves as Prince of Family LEP. Jeremiah was eavesdropping on the little Wolf Prince and smiled to himself, "Yes little Luca, it shall be so."

The party of Wolf Folk needs to get to Vladivostok and, somehow, get aboard the cruise ship waiting for them with Wolf Lord Alpha Tosco in command. Any remaining remnants of wolf folk must be collected and brought with them. There will be NO wolf folk left behind this time!