The Wolf Folk Series: Prince Tosco

Jeremiah allowed everyone to rest for a few days before he called Jacob before him. He called, "JAKOB OF THE WOLVES OF RUSSIA, COME BEFORE ME." Jacob was in his Human and he knelt before Lord Jeremiah of the Clans of the Americas. Jeremiah continued, "JAKOB, CHILD OF THE BLOOD OF THE ANCIENT LORD GAL, I NAME THEE PRINCE WARRIOR LEADER OF THE CLANS OF THE RUSSIAS. THOU SHALT BE THEIR LEADER WHEN WE RETURN TO THE AMERICAS. ALL HAIL PRINCE JAKOB, WARRIOR LEADER OF ALL THE RUSSIAS!" The stunned assembly knelt and proclaimed, "HAIL 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, 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." 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 and smiled to himself, "Yes little Luca, it shall be so."

The good weather of the summer was rapidly coming to an end and they had much distance to cover before they could reach a place where they could make contact with the large ship that Lord Tosco had acquired.

He had purchased the vessel "QUEEN OF THE SEAS" outright and manned it completely with wolf folk. It had cabin accommodations for a little over two thousand passengers and could cruise comfortably at twenty-three knots.

Tosco had refueled the ship in Hong Kong and was cruising slowly around the North Pacific, waiting for his Father, Lord Jeremiah, to call him to port.

Loaded in the Crew's Quarters, were five hundred Wolf Warriors donated by both Lord Alpha Tecito and Prince Alpha Carlos. The Warriors sent by Tecito were truly monsters, not one was under six and one half feet tall, most were over seven feet! With their fierce tattoos and huge size, the Mayan Wolf Warriors were like all the Fiends from Hell itself!

Carlos' Warriors were wiry Mexican Wolf Warriors and could slit one's throat before they even knew they were dead! Both groups had reason to love Lord Jeremiah and every one of them would lay down his life for the Wolf Lord who had saved them all.

Again, Jeremiah put out the mind call and little Luca added his voice to the call, "I AM JAKOB PRINCE OF THE BLOOD OF ANCIENT LORD GAL. I AND THE LORD HIGH ALPHA JEREMIAH OF THE AMERICAS COME FOR YOU. CALL TO US AND WE WILL RESCUE YOU AND ALL YOUR FOLK. CALL TO US. CALL TO THE BLOOD OF LEP AND CED. NOW IS THE TIME FOR RESCUE AND TO REJOIN OUR BROTHERS OF SO LONG AGO. CALL TO US, CALL TO THE CHILDREN OF LEP AND CED."

They waited silently for a return, and it came almost as they had ceased their own call. "We are of the Blood of TOR. Are we welcome among you? We are four hundred from three clans and are in hiding near to Ussuryisk. We are holding off our enemies for now, but we cannot prevail against them. Are we also welcome?"

Jakob, held both the hands of Jeremiah, and also those of little Luca, "ALL ARE WELCOME, THE CHILD OF THE BLOOD OF THE ANCIENT LEP, LUCAN JOINS US IN MAKING WELCOME TO YOU"

They all heard a mighty blast in a child's voice, "I, CHILD OF LEP, CALL TO YOU, JOIN WITH US IN OUR ESCAPE FROM THIS DESOLATE LAND. I AM LUCA, BLOOD OF LEP WAIT FOR US WE WILL COME TO YOU."

Little Luca looked up at Jakob, hero worship written all over his face, and asked, "Did I do it right, Big Brother?"

Both Jakob and Jeremiah were stunned, how did this small youngling produce so much power? They both hugged the small Wolfling and told him that he had done "IT" perfectly.

They decided there was no way they could drive the vehicles across the mountain range that separated them from Ussuryisk, they would have to abandon the wheeled transportation and make the trek on foot.

They had a number of younglings who were not yet of the age of change and elders, who would need to go slow.

They fabricated wicker baskets from the abundant willows growing nearby and made harness' to fit the largest of their folk. The younglings would ride on their elder's backs and the eldest among them would be assisted by two wolves, one on each side. NOBODY was going to be left behind this time!

The mistake of the first trek had haunted them all for 10,000 years!

Two days later, they were ready and all who could change were already wolf. The younglings were helped to climb into the carry baskets and two large wolves took station beside each elder wolf to steady them.

Thus, they began the trek, a scant few weeks ahead of the winter storms. Hunters streamed out from the huge pack, bringing down much needed food and dragging it to the path of the march so that those carrying the younglings or assisting the elders could keep up their strength. It was going to be a close thing; they all prayed to The Lord of Wolves Above Them All, that they would beat the storms, before snow closed their path to escape.

The snows were beginning to get deep as they struggled into the outskirts of their destination, Ussuryisk. They had beaten the storms, but their trials were not over just yet.

There was a weekly train that could take them to Vladivostok, they would have to explore that and see if they could arrange transportation to the nearest seaport.

Little Luca came up with the idea when he asked his big "brother" Jakob, "Big Brother, cannot you glammer the humans and make them think we are all suitcases?"

Jakob sat down on a stone and held his head in his hands, thinking, "Out of the mouths of babes!" He took the suggestion and it's originator to Lord Jeremiah. Jeremiah had to sit down, he was laughing so hard as he held Luca on his lap and cuddled him. Jeremiah said to Luca, "You are priceless little one, I can hardly wait until you are old enough for your first change!"

Luca looked up and replied, "Me too, Uncle Jeremiah!" He had a grin on his face and Jeremiah shuddered, what could that youngling get into?

They met the Wolves from the Ussuryisk area, they found them sick and exhausted from their fear and hiding from the authorities. They had little food and were constantly having to move to escape detection.

The first thing Jeremiah did was to put a glammor over the entire area where they were hiding, the glammor was so strong, no human could approach it without disgorging the contents of his or her stomach.

If they continued, the daytime nightmares of huge beasts and demons were enough to scare even the wolf folk!

They spent a month nursing the new wolves back to health and "casing the joint" to find the best way to put Little Luca's plan to work.

They decided to ship themselves as "freight" to the port town of Vladivostok. They would be on the train for about twelve hours, so the little ones, who had not yet made change and had little power of coercion, would have to be protected in the middle of a pile of wolves.

They practiced several days in projecting their shapes as suitcases, crates and boxes until they had it perfect.

Working as a group, they could project an image that no human could break. The luggage they created looked so real, even their fellow Wolves could not detect them without great difficulty.

Jeremiah and Jakob went into town, posing as government officials, and ordered up sufficient freight cars to carry them all to the port. They told the stationmaster to expect several rail car loads of freight and luggage.

When the weekly train to Vladivostok was being made up, the workers were surprised that there were so many freight cars ordered up. They didn't see any freight on the loading dock, waiting to be loaded. There were wolves posted nearby to use their powers of coercion to prevent any worker to follow up on their curiosity.

The next morning, the workers discovered the freight cars had all been loaded with neatly stacked boxes, crates and large pieces of luggage. They just shook their heads and thanked whoever had loaded the freight that they didn't have to do it themselves.

The workers had little curiosity; they had learned over the years that they should not know things that the government was up to. It was a good way to become an "Un-person"!

Jeremiah and Jacob put out a call to Tosco that his "freight" would be on the pier the next evening.

Tosco ordered the huge passenger ship to get underway towards the port and for all Warriors to be ready to do battle to rescue their brothers.

The train left Ussuryisk first thing in the morning. The freight cars were all heated against the fierce Russian Winters, so all the wolves were relatively comfortable for the twelve-hour ride.

It was a straight-through trip as there were few towns along the way and Jakob had made sure that no station agent sold a ticket or accepted any freight for that day's run. He was becoming a proficient mind-manipulator!

It was not a fast trip, the tracks were iced and there was always the danger of a snow slide, they met neither problem and the freight rolled into the port on time. They rolled right past the Port Security forces without a single second glance.

There, a large passenger liner had docked that morning, carrying a load of scientists who were studying the winter weather in the area. They unloaded scientific equipment from the ship to measure solar radiation, cosmic rays and magnetic abnormalities of the Earth's gravity.

The scientists worked around the clock taking their readings and the few town's folk interested enough to observe their work, were kept back, they were entranced by the shiny equipment and the buzzes and beeps it gave off. No one realized that it was all for show!

No one noticed as the rail freight began to change into naked humans as they dashed up the gangway of the Queen of the Seas, and the warmth of her cabins.

The ship's crew were all Wolf Warriors and they stood at the gangway to guide each Wolf Refugee to a room where a hot shower, a warm bed and a large meal waited for them.

Shortly after midnight, the scientists completed all their studies and returned to the ship with their equipment. The Queen of the Seas slipped her mooring lines and was last seen steaming out of the port towards the open seas.

Jeremiah was in the Owner's Cabin with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands, introducing Jakob and Luca to his son, Lord Alpha of the Southeastern Clan of Wolves, Heir to the Most Ancient Line and Senior Alpha Wolf of All the Americas, Lord Alpha Wolf Tosco Jeremiah Tate.

Luca cuddled up in Tosco's lap and was soon asleep as the others related all their experiences in getting to Vladivostok. Jeremiah had brought over three thousand wolves, rescued from starvation and death, with him, all those descended from those who had remained behind ten thousand years earlier.

It was going to be "Tight Quarters" housing them all on the ship, but NOBODY was going to be left behind this time!

The newcomers were not certain of their welcome, but they were soon put to their ease as the crew and staff of the Queen of the Seas showed them that they were all wolf folk and that they were to rest, eat and regain their former selves.

The younger Wolves were already gathering down in the Ball Room, working on their English so that they could converse verbally with the Wolf Folk who had rescued them.

They were going to take a month-long cruise through the tropics before they returned to Charlotte, home of both Lord Jeremiah and Lord Alpha Tosco.

Little Luca had taken a special liking to Lord Tosco and followed him everywhere. The youngling was smart as a whip, curious and had the energy of all children of his age. He could exhaust almost any elder just by them watching him for a few minutes, he was a blur of constant motion!

It didn't help that the child was beginning to develop his Powers of the Ancients, powers he should not have until his wolf emerged. He could put a glamor on those around to cloak his movements.

The Queen soon entered the warmer waters of the South China Sea and the good food and rest and relaxation was beginning to show on those who had been rescued, gone were the worry drawn faces and the shrunken stomachs.

The elders had lost the shake in their hands and their wolf's coats were now shiny and sleek, even most of the grey in their muzzles had disappeared.

They were just emerging from Hong Kong Harbor, where they had fueled and taken on food and stores for the forward voyage, when Jakob gave off a mental scream that set all their nerves on edge!

His power cracked several porthole glasses and set the ship's compass into an erratic spin.

Both Jeremiah and Tosco came running to the shaking teen as he screamed out in agony. He managed to scream. "They are hurting him, torture and wolf bane!"

He continued to shake as he dissolved into tears, Jakob clutched Jeremiah's shirt and screamed, "Lord Jeremiah, make them stop, they are killing him!"

Jeremiah held the trembling teen and soothed his face with a cool cloth. He asked, "Son, who is being tortured?"

Jakob answered between his frantic sobs, "A young Wolf Prince nammmmmmeedmahh Tan Poc, Oh Lord of Wolves it hurts!"

Tosco asked Jeremiah, "Were there any Ancients in China?" Jeremiah replied, "Our records are not complete, but I do not remember any mention of Wolf Folk in China. He mentioned Wolf Bane. That is an old European herb supposedly to ward off werewolves. It didn't work, but it does smell very nasty to us." He added, "And, to humans, also!"

Tosco brought down the charts of the area and asked Jakob, "Can this Tan Poc tell you where his is?"

Jakob managed to say, "IiiII willll tryyyyyyyyyyyy!" The perspiration was pouring off Jakob and every limb was trembling, he finally mumbled, "Lingwei Po"

Tosco quickly located the name on his chart, it was on Hainan Island at the edge of a dense forest. Tosco said, "The only port that can take the Queen is Lonhua and we will have to go overland to Lingwei Po.

Jeremiah's only words were, "DO IT, NOW!"

While Tosco was up on the bridge giving instructions to the Chief Mate to change course for Lonhua, Jeremiah attempted to mindcouple with Jakob and the boy was too upset and in so much pain, Jeremiah was unable to make the couple.

He felt someone pulling on his trousers and he looked down, it was Little Luca who said, "Let me try Papa Prince Jer, me can help me Big Brudder."

Jeremiah was willing to try anything, Jakob was terrified and in awful pain! Luca climbed up on the couch where they had laid Jakob and put his hand on the trembling young wolf. Jakob's trembling and thrashing around stopped and they saw a bright blue nimbus of energy glowing between the two boys.

Jakob calmed and began to speak, "Many pardons ask I, me meant no to damage this young wolf boy. I Prince Wolf Tan Poc, the Red Star devils have captured me and they torture speak as we. Me folk nearby, must them save, important me not."

Jeremiah clasped Luca's hand and joined the meld, "I have many wolf warriors with me, I am the Child of the Blood of CED. We shall come to you, please hang on. WE COME TO YOU!"

Tan Poc managed to send, "I Blood Child of MET PAI, be prince lost and not join migration ancient."

Jeremiah exclaimed, "Great Lord of Wolves, MET, The Lost Family of our Folk!" He let out a mighty blast of mental energy calling the Wolf Warriors.

Suddenly, there was a thousand Warrior Wolves trying to jam into the ship's lobby! Jeremiah asked the Ship's Doctor to give a dose of morphine to Jakob, as that was about the only thing that would knock out one of the wolf folk.

As soon as Jakob was sleeping easily, Jeremiah tried making contact directly with Tan Poc, he was able to make contact, but he had to filter out much as the young Prince was in terrible pain. He explained to him that they were moving their ship to Lonhua and they would be coming overland to rescue him and his folk.

Tan Poc assured him that his tormentors were through for the day and would not begin again until the next day.

Jeremiah went up to the bridge and explained to Tosco what was going on. Tosco stood ramrod straight and said, "Papa, let me lead this war party, you have done enough and must rest. We need you, Papa."

Jeremiah reluctantly agreed and Tosco went below to pick a Warrior Leader and warriors. The competition was fierce and he finally had to resort to a lottery.

Tecito's younger brother, Mako, won the lottery for Warrior Leader. Tosco shuddered when Mako stepped forward, the young warrior was seven feet tall and would have made a raging gorilla step back in fear! As a wolf, he would be a walking mountain!

Tosco told Mako to choose two hundred and fifty Warriors and get them ready to go ashore!

After ten thousand years of separation, the Wolf Family of the Ancient Lord MET is about to be reunited with the Wolf Folk. They are the last of the Lost Wolf Folk and they had endured their separation alone, without the support and companionship of their kind for ten thousand years!