Chapter Text
Surrounded by snow and the enemy, it was hard to tell which might kill them first. Despite all his efforts, Dick knew they would lose men. Selfishly though, he tried to protect Easy from the worst of it. He was still their Alpha, even if he was Battalion XO now.
They had been through alot together, the pack. They’d lost men, had plenty of injuries among them, but through it all they’d stuck together. At the moment, their pack bonds were being put to the test, stuck in this wintery hell with no proper gear, not enough food or ammo, and having no idea when help would arrive.
“I’m going to check the line,” Dick said. It was his turn to go out.
Nix’s face was buried under the upturned collar of his coat. “If you freeze to death. I call dibs on your jacket,” was the muffled reply.
Dick’s lips quirked. “I love you too, Nix.” He dropped a kiss onto Nix’s head. As expected, Nix braved the cold long enough to tip his head back and steal a proper kiss before hiding in his coat once more. “Get in the foxhole,” Dick urged.
“I’ll wait here ‘til you get back,” Nix insisted.
“Alright. I’ll try to be quick.”
Dick shifted into his wolf form, which blended perfectly in with their environment, and jogged off to check Dog’s line first. Even in this form, the cold was biting and too long would cause the pads of his feet to sting. Some of the wolves had tried having their paws wrapped but it didn’t do any good if they attempted to walk around.
The day was clear, the fog from the morning having lifted. Dick knew it was only a matter of time before they were attacked. He wanted to be sure the gaps in the lines had been closed before that happened. It wasn’t so much Dog or Easy he had to worry about, but Fox was a mess and they kept losing Third Battalion on one flank and the 501st on their other.
Moving through Dog’s line, he caught the scent of pine and smoke and spice. Sure enough, a large black wolf appeared, coming to meet him. They rubbed their muzzles together briefly before shifting back to human form.
“Ron,” Dick greeted, managing a smile.
“Dick,” Ron answered fondly, pressing their cold cheeks together. “Gap’s closed,” he reported when he pulled away. “Got some of my wolves set up on that end to make sure the five-oh-one doesn’t wander off again.”
Dick smirked. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”
Ron lifted a shoulder. “Only so much to be done.”
“Walk with me?”
“Let me grab my Thompson.” Ron walked over to a nearby foxhole, covered with a tarp. “At least one of us should be armed.”
Dick raised a brow. “I have my teeth.”
Ron’s grin showed his own. “Never hurts to have something that can bite a little sooner.”
As they retraced Dick’s steps, going to check on Easy, they pressed their shoulders together.
It had been hard on the four of them whenever they had to be apart, but Dick knew it had to be the worst on Ron - seeing as how he was in a separate company. Now though, Carwood was alone too, Dick and Nix running between them in their duties as battalion staff. At least Carwood had the pack.
As it was, Dick missed his mates. He missed having them all together. He liked having them close, where he could watch them, protect them. Mostly though, he missed the simple intimacy of lying together, of lazy kisses.
“Looks like I’ll have to see Nix on the way back,” Ron mused.
Sure enough, when Dick looked to where he and Nix kept their foxhole in some poor excuse for a CP, Nix was talking to a runner. Dick felt guilty for being glad it wasn’t him. He was so tired of dealing with useless orders and intelligence. It was one of the reasons he and Nix traded out rounds; they were able to get away from the CP for a bit, and it had the bonus of seeing their mates.
“I promised him I wouldn’t be long.”
“Mhm.” Ron smirked. “We all know how you get when you visit Easy.”
Dick froze, halting Ron as well. After a moment, he tugged Ron down into a crouch. Sure enough, through the trees, Dike was wandering. At first, Dick assumed it was to go to the CP and make himself a bother, but no, the man was just walking aimlessly.
“Before you ask…” Ron began.
Dick sighed, standing. “Nix suggested he get lost in the woods.”
“Not a bad idea,” Ron agreed dryly.
Dick shook his head, starting to walk again. “You know I can’t let that happen. As much as I want him gone, I don’t want him dead to get my way.”
“Until he puts Easy in danger, you mean.”
Ron knew him like a book. And really it wasn’t just Dick’s pack anymore. As his mates, Ron, Nix, and Carwood had just as much right to decide what happened with the pack as he did. It was just as well that Carwood was on Dick’s side when it came to disposing of Dike.
The man was human, which wouldn’t have been a problem, if he wasn’t so clearly against werewolves. It was bad enough the man was incompetent - Dick had every confidence in the pack to handle themselves when it came to a battle - but watching Dike look down his nose at the wolves, at Dick’s mate… It took every ounce of Dick’s control to stick to his morals rather than allow Ron to rip Dike’s throat out.
“Just keep an eye on him,” Dick urged. He’d had Ron spying on him since before they were even thrust into Bastogne. Thus far, unfortunately, Dike hadn’t done anything that would get him removed from command.
If only Moose were still here… He might have been human, but Moose understood wolves. He respected them and they respected him in turn. Moose honored the pack structure, had shown proper deference to Carwood and even Talbert as Beta. The pack would have done well under his leadership.
An excited yip drew him from his thoughts. Dick smiled as he realized they’d entered into Easy’s lines. “The Alphas are here!” someone barked happily - it sounded like Alley.
This was why he wanted Ron to come with him - other than a selfish desire to have him around longer and for Ron to be able to see Carwood. The pack’s morale was boosted every time one of them came around.
Dick made his way down the line, stopping to talk with the pack members and scent them. Even their human members enjoyed having a steady hand on their napes and a few kind words. They may not have been wolves, but men like Christeson, Harry, More, Shifty, and Popeye were pack all the same.
“We’re good, Alpha,” Toye assured. McClung nodded beside him, though he trembled a little at the cold.
Dick smiled at Perconte using a shifted Bull like a big furry blanket. It honestly wasn’t the first time. The wolves snuggled each other as much as possible, especially their humans.
“Doing alright, Alley?” Dick checked, crouching beside he and Liebgott’s hole.
“Hanging in, Alpha.” Alley and Webster had escaped the hospital together, running back to Easy not a few days before they ended up moving out to Bastogne. Dick was worried about their injuries being healed - especially Alley - but he knew Doc Roe was keeping a sharp eye on them.
Liebgott scrubbed their cheeks together a little more than usual, and Dick didn’t say a word.
Ron was visiting with Guarnere and Babe, the young werewolf having been the only replacement to find a place within the pack. “No worries, Alpha,” Guarnere was assuring. “Those wolves ain’t gonna get by us.”
Dick assumed they must have been discussing the Nazi werewolves a Fox Company patrol had stumbled upon a few days back. No one else had seen them since, but Dick knew they were likely out there somewhere, just waiting to strike.
“Alpha,” Guarnere greeted, nodding at Dick.
Babe chirped in greeting, wiggling in place until Dick leaned down and nosed his cheek. Babe then proceeded to duck his head into his coat to hide from the cold - and likely his blush, as Guarnere teased him for being a pup.
Dick continued to move down the line, he and Ron greeting the pack members as they went.
When they made it to about the middle of the line, that was where they found Carwood, sitting side-by-side in a foxhole with Luz. “Gonna come out of there to see us?” Ron inquired.
From under the shared blanket, Carwood replied, “Not sure it’s worth leaving the warmth.”
“I see how it is,” Ron feigned indifference, starting to walk off.
Carwood reached out and snagged the bottom of Ron’s pants. “Shut it, Ron. Get down here and warm me up.”
Ron chuckled, shaking his head. “Alright, alright,” he caved easily, dropping down into the foxhole.
Luz looked up at Dick, speaking around his cigarette. “I’ll get outta the way, Alpha.”
“Stay,” Dick insisted. “I’m going to go check on Fox.” He didn’t miss Luz’s relief at not having to leave the warmth of Carwood’s side. To his mates, Dick said, “When I get back, we can go to the CP and see Nix.”
“I’d like that,” Carwood replied with a smile, happily snuggling between Ron and Luz.
Dick smiled at the sight. Happy mates and pack were always a good thing, especially stuck in the situation they were in. Dick would be certain to treasure every moment like this one, to keep the pack’s spirits up as much as he could.
“Alpha!” Dick’s attention was pulled to Tab, who was jogging up to him. Clearly word had made it down to the other end of the line already. Talbert crashed into him, nuzzling Dick’s throat.
“Alright, Tab?” Dick asked, taking hold of his nape and giving it a squeeze.
“Better now,” Tab murmured, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
“I won’t be long,” Dick assured his mates, who were already looking perfectly content to wait on him. To Tab, he encouraged, “Walk with me?”
His Beta nodded obediently, walking close to him as they made their way through the rest of Easy’s line. “How’s the pack holding up?” Dick inquired.
“They’re good, Alpha, considering…”
Dick nodded. Didn’t he know it. “Hoping this weather clears long enough to get some proper drops in.”
“Warm clothes would be nice,” Tab agreed dryly.
“Alpha?” A head poked up from a foxhole.
“Webster,” Dick greeted, crouching beside the hole. He knew full well the pup would want attention. Sure enough, Web turned around on his knees. If he’d been in wolf form, his tail would have been wagging. “Wound giving you any trouble?”
“Aches a little,” Web admitted.
Dick rubbed their cheeks together and Web whined. He tucked his nose under Dick’s chin, melting against him when Dick scruffed his neck.
“Geez, Web,” Hoobler scolded playfully, “share the Alpha, would ya?” Dick smiled softly over at the other werewolf. Hoobler smiled back, nodding before turning his attention back to the line.
Along they went, greeting Martin but not waking his foxhole-mate, Buck. Dick was concerned about him but both Carwood and Tab had been keeping a close watch on him
His lips quirked in amusement at Muck and Malarkey warming Penkala between them, all sharing a smoke as they watched the line.
Roe was passing them on his own check of the pack. “Nagging everyone?” Tab grunted, a smile playing on his lips.
Roe narrowed his gaze at his fellow wolf - pack Beta or no - and asked, “Dryin’ your damn socks like I told you?” Tab’s mouth clicked shut and Roe smirked. “Alpha,” Roe greeted instead, rubbing their faces together before being on his way.
“Damn nag,” Tab muttered and Dick only grinned, shaking his head.
At the end of their line was Tab’s foxhole, determined to be watching their flank. Dick wouldn’t have wanted his Beta anywhere else. Tab dropped down into the hole, jostling Grant a bit. The other wolf looked up and smiled. “Alpha. All quiet here.”
Tab nuzzled his nose into Grant’s neck. The pair were good together and Dick had watched their relationship grow. Ever since Tab initiated a courtship after the D-Day invasion, he and Grant had become closer until it was rare to see one without the other. Dick hoped they would have some proper leave soon so they could make things official - it seemed inevitable after all.
Dick crouched to scent mark Grant as well before addressing his Beta. “Keep an eye out for Dike if you can. I’ve got Ron on the scent but he’s got other duties to deal with.”
“Will do.”
“Don’t let it distract you. The pack comes first.”
“Understood, Alpha.”
Dick’s lips quirked. “Good.” He nuzzled Tab’s cheek before swiping his tongue across it. “I’ll be checking on Fox if anyone needs me.”
Dick pulled his jacket closer as the wind kicked up, cursing the damn cold. He just wanted to make sure Fox was still alive so he could gather up his mates and bustle them off to the CP and steal some time alone with them. Though rarely did anything go to plan in the Ardennes.