2
Ken
“C’mon,man, don’t be such a sourgrape!”
I rolled my eyes at Jericho, who was playfully elbowing me in the side. He’d begged me to come along with him into the forest, along with our friends Tyson and Flint. We had invited David as well, but he’d only grunted and said he was busy. To tell the truth, I was busy myself with all the spring coughs and colds coming into my clinic. But Jericho whined and said he missed going out with the guys since becoming a father. Hewasmy friend, so Irelented.
“Who says that? Where do you even get all these weird phrases from?” Iasked.
“Mason says it’s because I watch too much human TV,” Jericho said withagrin.
I scowled, but continued following him through the woods. Even though Scarlet Ridge hadn’t attempted to cross our borders for months - nearly a year, actually - we still kept the traps laid, just in case. Plus, it didn’t hurt to patrol the outskirts of the territory borders. That was how Jericho and Mason met, after all. It was still ridiculous to me that he’d met his fated mate in an animal trap, of all things, but I supposed truth was stranger thanfiction.
“Speaking of Mason, how is he?” I asked. “And the pups? They’re due for a check-up soon,youknow.”
“Slow your roll,” Jericho said, waving me off. “They’re all fine, I promise. But I’ll bring in the kids, if you insist. Although I’m pretty sure Piper’s gonna be an alpha - she’ll tear you a new one if you ask her to sit still for even asecond.”
I sighed. I loved pups as much as anyone else, but once they started getting old enough to fuss and never sit still, it made my job as a doctor much moredifficult.
“How about Mikey?” Iasked.
“He’s a pretty mellow little guy. I’m not sure what he’s gonna turn out to be. But if you’re asking if he’ll sit still for an exam, I can’t guarantee that either,” he said withagrin.
“Ken, you should've seen that coming. They areJericho’spups, after all,” Flint said with a playfullyraisedbrow.
“Hey!” Jerichoprotested.
“And Casey?” I asked, remembering that I hadn’t seen Flint’s pup in a whileeither.
Flint nodded. “She’s well, but she misses going on hunts with us. She keeps asking about her uncles.” He wagged a scolding finger. “So you better all make time for more hunts in the future to avoid upsettingmybaby.”
Jericho nodded. “Yes,sir.”
“Definitely!” Tyson added with asmile.
They all looked at me expectantly, but I could only sigh. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been busylately.”
“And you don’t evenhavea mate and pups!”Jerichosaid.
“Taking care of the pack and my patients is basically the same thing,” Icountered.
“Come on, man.” Jericho slung an arm around my shoulder. “You need a break once in awhile.”
“That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” Imumbled.
Tyson suddenly stopped and furrowed his brow. “Hang on a second. Do you guyssmellthat?”
We all paused and took a moment to sniff the air. Even with the lessened senses of our human forms, the thick scent madeusgasp.
“Blood,” Flintgrowled.
“A lot of it,” Jericho added with agrimace.
Wordlessly, we rushed towards the source of the scent. It had a musky, almost animal-like tinge, but it wasn’t animal blood, I was sure of that. It could only be shifter blood. It was coming from down the slope, near the base of the mountain. I leapt over a stream and focused all my energy into finding whoever itbelongedto.
Then, I saw it - the body, face-down in a pile of leaves and dirt. Even with my weaker human form nose, I could tell the person was still alive. I rushed over and knelt down, gently easing the bodyupwards.
Immediately, Igasped.
