The Alpha & Captain
The alpha wolf let out a bone-chilling snarl, it was nothing like the pathetic whimpers of the omega wolf. It was deep and seemed to vibrate the very air.
As if taking it as a command, the pack of ten wolves exploded. Their speed was terrifying, their growls reverberating through the night. The squad of 6 officers did not react to this intense aggression.
Stepping to the side, they made way for the Captain to approach the frontline. While the wolves dashed towards them, the smell of smoke permeated through the air and a yellow light ignited around the captain.
It wasn't just light, it was fire!
The captain burned like a human torch, flames flickering and coiling around her muscular body as if they were snakes. she wasn't burned in that fire. Her sword ignited as well becoming a blood-red blade. She wasn't consumed by the fire, though; it danced around her with mystical elegance. The officers standing behind her smirked knowingly, their eyes shined brightly.
The wolves stopped their rush, instead circling the group slowly.
"Encirclement formation!" The captain bellowed.
In an instant, the squad shifted positions. They stood shoulder to shoulder, each officer's back to the other, while keeping the miners safely in the center. With their changed formation, the officers looked at the canines keenly.
The CEA couldn't attack otherwise the formation would break and the wolves could pick them off one by one.
With a low guttural growl from the alpha, the circling of the wolf pack became tighter as if they were looking for a crack in their formation. The alpha came closer with a prowling stride, its body low and poised.
Abruptly, one of the wolves darted forward, feinting toward an officer. Its teeth snapped mere inches from the blade of his sword before it leaped back, snarling.
Another wolf followed suit on the right flank, lunging in but the officer was able to slash it, leaving a large bleeding gash before it could retreat. The officer overextended his sword, in an attempt to land the final blow but it was able to escape beyond his reach.
They were probing for mistakes like this!
The alpha seized the moment, lightning crackled along the fur of the alpha but it was thicker than before, its legs bulged and its figure blurred.
The squad turned just in time to see it standing tall and between its jaw was an officer who let out a choked scream.
The man in the jaws of the alpha slashed and stabbed at the blue wolf but was unable to break through its tough hide.
His screams didn't end until the Alpha bit down with a sickening crunch, with his head detaching from his body and falling lifeless onto the ground along with his sword.
It slowly walked away while dragging the man's body by his arm, with its back turned towards them glancing back.
A shout erupted "Don't be taunted, It's a damn Thunder Wolf, stay on your toes and don't get off balance!" The captain in her fiery form clenched her teeth with a thick vein on her forehead.
Curses erupted from the group and the officers hurriedly tightened their circle to compensate for the missing man.
While outside of the circling of the pack, the alpha leisurely sat and began to chew on the man's corpse, its eyes had never wandered away from the officers. Its fangs sank into his chest, through his uniform to tear out the stringy flesh that oozed blood.
The sight was grotesque, the muscles loudly snapped. The remaining squad members stood rigid, their knuckles white as they gripped their weapons.
One man took a step forward, he glared at the wolf leader, his face flushed red and his breathing rapid, tears threatened to leave his eyes.
When a hand held his shoulder, the man glanced back to see the grim face of Jack.
"If you leave, everyone will die."
The man shrugged off Jack's hand, taking another step.
"Soldier, I understand your rage but we must not lose our cool. For the sake of the fallen and ours because it is our duty. We will not dishonor the dead with recklessness" The captain said through her gritted teeth.
He stopped in his tracks, trembled, and walked back in line, his head was down. "I apologize, Captain!"
The wolf continued to rip through the man.
"If we advance, I can get my hands on that sword on the ground, I used to be an adventurer back in the day." Jack suggested
The captain glanced at Jack, her fiery form flickering in the night. She was silent, seemingly deep in thought, and spoke "Here is the plan soldiers, we will retrieve the sword. I will attack the thunder wolf and your job will be to take out as many as you can in a surprise attack when I leave the formation."
"Captain," one of the officers hesitated, his voice trembling slightly. "If you… if you can't—"
"I will," she cut him off sharply, her voice firm. "We can't wait. If we stay here, they'll pick us off one by one."
The officers nodded. The captain began advancing towards the lightning wolf with the rest of the formation slowly. T
he wolves began their attack again because of their movement, running in and feinting attacks towards the officers but they knew now to stay on the defensive.
Picking up the sword, an officer reluctantly tossed it into Jack's hands.
The old man turned to Bren and said "Stay next to me."
Bren nodded at Jack's words, hearing the plan he knew there would be no safer place than next to an attacker especially since he had no weapon himself.
The captain's soft fire began to flicker brighter and more intense burning the surroundings, she said with a hateful growl "Now!"
Her burning figure trailed toward the thunder wolf who now stood silently growling baring its yellow teeth.
Jack and the 5 officers collectively dashed toward the wolves closest to them, The old man was agile, surprising the wolf with his speed, even though it jumped back his sword feinted from a slash to a stab that pierced through his head and laid limp on his sword. Its death was swift and efficient.
Pulling out his sword, he grabbed Bren positioning himself in front of him as another wolf came.
Three other officers were able to instantly kill the wolf due to their effective timing.
The remaining 5 wolves snarled in fury, darting their lithe bodies toward the officers.
The Alpha crouched down its legs bulging and thick wads of lighting crackled along its fur more visible than ever.
The blue-fur wolf blitzed forward, transforming into a blur that hurdled toward the captain.
She quickly planted her feat, scorching the ground and quickly raising her burning sword but the beast was faster than she thought. With a snarl, its jaws bit down around her dominant arm ignoring the fire, forcing a choked cry from her lips.
The pain almost made her loosen her grip but she persisted.
More violent flames than she'd ever produced erupted from her arm, scorching the wolf's face and forcing it to release her arm. The alpha staggered back, growling furiously. Shifting her stance, she drew her sword back once more.
The alpha lunged again, its fur crackling and quickly blurred was more but the captain was ready. Stepping forward to close the gap, she hacked her blade and it was at that moment the alpha appeared. The sword sliced through the alpha's front legs, severing the beast's muscle, bone, and fur.
The wolf's momentum carried it forward crashing into the dirt, and the stench of burnt flesh filled the air. The alpha wailed on the ground from the crippling slash.
The captain stood still, her chest heaving. Her flames died around her body as the light she once had brought shadows. Sweat fell like rain from her forehead, walking unsteadily she reached the wailing dying alpha wolf.
Its form was pathetic, lightning crackled around its body but it was unable to move. It stared at the woman, relentlessly growling, inching its body closer to her to bite but with its two front legs gone, it looked like a broken toy.
Raising her sword, she swiftly swung her blade at the beast.
The unaugmented sword wasn't able to take off its head in one slash, so she began to butcher it.
The once terrifying beast whimpered loudly as she hacked and slashed, scaring the remaining wolves into scampering to the forest.
When the alpha whimpered its last breaths.
Everyone realized, They had survived.