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It was the growling what woke Tim up. He cracked his eyelids open—after yesterday's long trek his whole body ached. Involuntarily a small yawn escaped from his mouth in the process. Despite the long nap he’d taken after finding a wonderful den hidden in a cave, the young pup still felt tired and sore, almost as if a truck had run him over.
Considering yesterday’s traumatic events, it was a near miracle Tim was still alive. He’d never figured he’d be chased by hunters.The howls of hunting dogs and the high-pitched bullets were still fresh in his mind. The moment he realized he was being chased, Tim ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, until he was eventually driven away from his parents’ territory. By the time Tim realized he was lost, it was too late; the night had settled and the nocturnal predators had come out.
Knowing he’d have no chance he’d survive if he tried to make his way back in the middle of the night, at least not at his size, Tim decided to take shelter. What Tim hadn’t expected was finding an abandoned den nestled in a cave.
While it might not be the largest nest out there, at Tim’s size, it seemed huge, made with a multitude of fabrics, so elaborate Tim even found cushions in it. Overall, it was the type of nest that one would love to roll in and leave their scent all over. After making sure the nest didn’t belong to anyone—because the truth was it didn’t smell like it was from someone. The den looked well lived-in. A bit dusty, with spiderwebs here and there, but overall it looked like no one had lived here in a long time.
Confident in his decision, Tim decided to spend the night there, thinking that the next day he’d slowly make his way back to his parents’ territory. After all, Tim was a natural and well-honed tracker. Despite his small size and youth, he had a better sense of smell than the others. His mom had always said Tim was the best tracker of their pack.
So Tim circled twice and lay down, making sure to not mess up the nest. After all, his mom had taught him better manners than to do that. He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d had the best sleep of his life. The den was cozy enough that one could fall asleep thinking one was laying on a cloud and it was warm enough that Tim didn’t feel cold at all.
The growling, coming from the entrance of the den, began to swell in a crescendo until eventually it snapped Tim out of his haze. The bleary-eyed pup crawled up to the entrance, careful not to put too much pressure on his injured leg. That had been the same leg one of the hunters managed to strike. While the bullet wasn’t embedded in his leg, it still hurt to walk on it.
That’s when Tim realized something: there was a pair of intense yellow eyes staring back at him. It took him a moment to discern it was a giant wolf growling at him. With over ten feet from snout to tail and 340 pounds of pure muscle, the gray wolf growled at him in a threatening way.
In response Tim yipped. Terrified at this wolf's appearance, Tim pressed himself against the cave’s wall, in an effort to shrink himself. He definitely wasn’t looking for a fight—the wolf could easily devour him in one snap.
But that wasn’t even the most terrifying fact—the wolf wasn’t acting alone. There were four other wolves, all varying in size and shape, standing behind the giant wolf who must surely be the alpha of the pack.
The hair on his tail bristled as the bigger wolf continued to growl at him. What are you doing here, the wolf seemed to ask wordlessly, slowly inching towards him. Not good! the small pup thought as he let out a desperate little growl, in an attempt to mimic the giant wolf’s growls.
That made the wolf stop in his tracks. He tilted his head to the side, visibly confused by the young pup’s reaction. Pure instinct kicked in, and Tim began trembling moments later. He had never figured the den was occupied by someone else!
What should I do? Tim thought to himself, panic stricken by the wolf’s horrendous size. The urge to run and not look back was strong. Tim wanted to run away, flee as far as his injured legs could carry him, but he knew that wouldn’t be very far at all. While Tim had managed to escape the hunters and their horrible hunting dogs, Tim hadn’t come out unscathed.
Right now, Tim just wanted to be back with his pack, and be assured nothing would happen to him.
But he knew that wasn’t possible. His parents were who knows where. Probably dozens if not hundreds of miles away. Running would only provoke the other wolf. Worse, it could even spark the whole pack to run after him: it is the nature of a predator to chase. With an injured leg and still exhausted by yesterday’s event, Tim wouldn’t stand a chance against them.
They would tear him apart. He’d seen it happen, in his other pack, whenever they encountered any lone and abandoned pup.
The odds were against him. But Tim didn’t want to end up as someone else’s dinner, so he needed to be smart about this. Make smart choices and all that. Maybe, if he pleaded for his life, the giant wolf would take pity on him? He was too small to be a good meal. Tim was mostly skin and bones—this season had hit his pack hard.
Just as Tim was about to start pleading for his life, another wolf stepped in. It was a medium size wolf, with a gold fur coat and the brightest blue eyes one could imagine. The smaller wolf nudged at the other wolf’s muzzle.
“Alright, stop it B,” he said, in a gentle yet firm tone. “Stop.”
Much to his surprise the giant wolf stopped growling and looked back at the smaller wolf. Seconds later, the smaller wolf continued, decisive. “Just look at him? You’re scaring him to death.”
An omega, Tim realized seconds later, looking curiously at their interaction. The wolf was an omega. Tim looked at the wolf with renewed interest. While Tim had always heard about omegas, there had never been one in his pack. Everyone in his pack had been either an alpha or a beta. Legend says his pack used to have an omega, but it had died long before Tim had been born.
Still, Tim knew a thing or two about omegas; like, how important they were to a pack, for example. How they kept the pack’s bond strong and cohesive. Tim looked more closely at the omega. He wondered about the wolf’s personality. Would he be sweet and caring like his parents always used to tell him about omegas? Or would he be cruel and terrifying?
Tim had no clue. Part of him didn’t want to know, either.
The silver white scar on the wolf’s neck was enough proof to know he was the pack’s omega.
“He’s in our den, Dick,” the gigantic wolf, ‘B’ apparently, growled at him. “He’s not supposed to be here.” Then he turned his attention to Tim and asked, more scandalized than annoyed. “Where are your parents, boy?”
Now, while the situation was quite terrifying, Tim realized the wolf hadn’t attacked him thus far. Another wolf would have dived in and gone straight for the neck, ready to tear out his throat and let him bleed out.
Instead this one had just stood there. He hadn’t looked angry—more like he was annoyed by his presence. Tim couldn’t quite figure it out.
Well, there was one way to know. Tim inched closer to the entrance to get a good whiff of the alpha’s scent. Underneath the powerful smell of alpha and there was a tiny hint of curiosity along with protect, protect, protect.
“Yes, but he’s just a pup.” The smaller wolf, Dick it seemed, counter argued. Behind him, the other wolves howled in support.
“Look at him. He’s terrified. And he’s hurt.” Then he turned his attention to Tim, who couldn’t help but flinch, as he was now the center of the pack’s attention. “What’s your name, honey?”
“Tim,” he squeaked and, despite the hard pounding of his heart, Tim did the only thing he could think of; he stretched his front legs out in front of him, leaning down on his elbows. Then he let out a long and pleading whine.
The reaction was instantaneous. The younger wolf pushed the giant wolf to the side and stepped closer to him. Tim closed his eyes, ready for it to be over. For the sharp teeth to plunge into his neck and make him bleed out.
Instead… there was nothing. No pain. There was no lingering smell of blood in the air. The omega’s wet snout sniffed at his face and in a true act of submission, Tim decided to show his belly. The decision was apparently well approved because the wolf suddenly smelled pleased and warm and Tim… Tim only wanted for the omega to cuddle him and tell him everything would be alright—
Then suddenly, he was picked up by his scruff. With a startled yelp, Tim went limp as he was slowley, but surely carried out of the den. He wasn’t expecting to be picked like he was a newborn pup. Neither did he expect for the pack’s omega to start cleaning him. Through persistent licks and continuous grooming, Tim was covered in the other’s scent. The grooming didn’t stop until the omega deemed it appropriate.
Tim stared into the warm eyes of the pack’s omega.
“Hi, Tim,” he greeted him, nibbling his ear. That managed to earn a squeak from Tim. The omega softly laughed and said, “Someone is ticklish, hmm?”
“You’re not going to eat me?” Tim blurted out, without thinking. Dick shook his head and replied. “Seems like you’re going to fit in with us just fine.”
“Me?” Tim asked, in a timid voice. “Why?”
“Finders keepers,” Dick replied with a grin. “What do you think, Bruce?”
The alpha heaved a profound sigh, before he eventually replied. “Do you want to join?”
Pack.
They wanted him, Tim, in their pack, but! But!
“Thank you very much,” Tim squeaked, “ but I have my own pack. The Drakes! We were attacked by hunters yesterday and I ran as fast as I could to get away… and I was thinking…” he stalled, feeling the numerous gazes on him. “Maybe you could help me find them?”
There was a sudden pause as Dick let out a soft hum.
“Sure, kiddo,” he said warmly, “Let’s find them, shall we?”
And so, Tim replied by wagging his tail, happily in the air.