Arctic
Moon
Lynn Landes
Published by:
Landes Publishing
Edited by:
Shane Landes
Cover art by:
Indie Designz
http://www.indiedesignz.com
Copyright © 2014 by Lynn Landes
http://followlynnsthread.wordpress.com/
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Chapter
1
The Arctic Moon watches the hunter shadowed against the frozen tree as he blows into his hands. The sound of a rabbits wounded scream fills the wintery night. Sam waits listening for a responding howl. Far in the distance he hears it. The pack is coming, drawn by the sound of a wounded rabbit. He smiles camouflaged in the snow. To the normal eye Sam is almost invisible. He bought the arctic camouflage just for this reason. The wolves will not see, hear, or smell him until it is too late.
Wolves are always on the hunt for their next meal. September in Canada is cold and they will need to fatten up before winter truly hits. An injured rabbit would be an easy snack. He is guessing they will be here in thirty minutes or so. This method of hunting is his favorite. It puts him close enough to watch them but not be in the middle.
“They don’t call them top predators for nothing,” he thinks. His heart beat speeds up when he sees the first flash of movement in the distance. They must be hungry tonight. Sam chose a few nice fat rabbits from his land to leave for them. These aren’t just any rabbits they are laced with a special treat.
The hunter watches as they close in cautiously from multiple directions, sniffing the air for any scent that will warn them of danger. They won’t find it, he is an experienced hunter. He was raised by his Inuit grandparents. They are an ancient people with thousands of years of history that ties them to the land. Whatever name his people are given the legends and lore of thousands of years remains imprinted in his mind. He has been stalking this pack for years. They disappeared after he was a child and only recently did he find tracks that led him to believe they had returned.
Now he will get the proof he needs and finally become what he is meant to become. He waits patiently for the pack to begin showing signs of distress. The sedative Sam filled the rabbits with, would not kill the wolves. It would just knock them out for a little while. He will need the Alpha awake for the tests. Some of them lay down unable to fight it and the Alpha paces by his mate. He licks her face trying to encourage her to stand, when the Alpha stumbles Sam smiles.
He stands up and stretches his legs before collecting his gun and equipment. Behind him he pulls a sled across the snow. The sound of his boots crunch in the snow as he take his time making his way to the first silver body. It is a smaller wolf, a stunning female.
“Aren’t you just beautiful?” Sam says squatting down to look at her. Her silver eyes are wide and full of fear. “It’s not you I’m after today.” Looking around in the dim moon light reflecting on the snow he scans the forest. The wolves ate every piece of the three rabbits he left them. “Greedy” he says to no one.
He hears a whining sound, and scraping. He rises quickly and moves toward the sound, being sure to keep his rifle handy.
Sam steps around a bush with his rifle raised and smiles when he discovers it, the Alpha! He is pulling his large body across the snow with his powerful front paws, dragging his useless legs behind him. The sedative was not strong enough to stop him completely. Sam’s wrinkled eyes crinkle and his smile grows larger. He lifts his rifle and shoots him in the back rear leg. The dart sinks into the black and silver fur, still he whines struggling to get to her. Finally, he stops moving, falling short of his mate.
Quickly now, Sam pulls the sled next to the still body and drops into the snow beside the wolf. He sinks his hands into the thick, plush fur and laughs out loud. “Finally! You are mine!” Large wide silver eyes are filled with rage, but he can’t move. Sam pushes the hundred pound wolf onto the sled and ropes him tightly on. The female wolf, lets out a weak whimper.
“Don’t you worry, I will take good care of him.”
Chapter
2
The Arctic Moon watches the hunter stomp his way through the snow towards the large heated metal shed. “Good evening, Sunshine. Are you ready to play some more?” He asks as he flips on the lights. He stomps the snow off his boots and grabs a black rod off the wall. As soon as he hears Sam’s voice the Alpha wolf begins to snarl. Angry and growling he attacks the cage hoping to get to the human who has kept him caged for weeks.
Sam weaves through the equipment he uses to clear his land and heads toward the back wall. “Hey now, that’s no way to treat someone.” He flips the switch on the electrified cattle prod and moves closer to him. Glaring at him he yells, “It’s finally here. The moon is full and you will give me the gift!” Sam jams the rod into the cage and zaps the retreating wolf. The wolf yelps and falls forward into the back of the cage, twitching in pain.
He kept the power low on the shock rod on purpose to cause anger and fear. He has this technique down to a science, a few weeks away from the pack, little food and water, with lots of pokes. He
