He sniffs the air again, the scent of his rescue greeting his nose. He glimpses the rescues before they clear the woods, his golden eyes tracking the runners and the space between them and the portal. As the leader approaches, he hears the man's thoughts floating out to him.
Where's this guy Pierre said would be here? The beasts aren't too far behind.
The coyote senses the man's stress, smells the fear coming over him in waves. The last of Pierre's kind, hunted to near extinction. He knows the beasts won't stop until they've killed the last one. He'd known since shortly after he'd rescued Pierre's clan that there weren't many left, and he's surprised at the number still coming out the woods. There are more survivors than he'd expected. He pads out in to the open, his thoughts reaching out to the leader of this motley pack.
Several voices ring in his head as leaders of several clans try to talk to him at once. They've managed to gather what's left of their kind, fighting through to this space and are anxious to get away from the hunters. He leads them to the portal, explaining they need to move quickly. He'd expected maybe 50-75 bodies, and a rough estimate indicates there are probably more than 200. The clan leaders work in teams, trying to keep the rescues calm as one by one they start to file through. The going is rough as the portal isn't large, Jack can clear it easily in coyote form, but it's a tight squeeze for a human-size form.
His ears are alert, and he sniffs at the air for the smell of the beasts. It's taking much longer than he'd anticipated given how many "people" the clans had managed to round up. As the last fifty or so struggle through the portal, he catches the scent, not overpowering, but getting nearer. He urges the survivors who have already gotten through to have a team to pull the others through quickly and the tells the others to move back in to the woods behind the portal they've just come through.
The overpowering smell of decaying flesh and wet mangy fur carries across the wind and the survivors finally catch the scent of the hunters. The panic sets in.
Jack lets out a low growl, as the rescues begin pushing and shoving trying to get through. His voice echos though the space, reminding them this is is the only portal left to their world. Calming this group isn't easy, but at least his voice echos clearly in their heads. The clan leaders push the group already through away from the portal and start pulling the others through. As the last of Pierre's strange breed finally make it thought the narrow portal, the beasts descend on the clearing. Growling and snarling, they rush the portal, narrowly missing capturing Jack as he leaps through.
The hunters are nearly three times the size of the hunted and Jack knows they can't fit though, but it doesn't stop them from clawing at the portal and attempting to pull the survivors back out. The coyote's body changes form as he's landing on the ground on the other side. As he picks himself up from the fall, he reaches in his pocket. He removes the portal key, dropping it into a leather pouch and pulling some gauze up through the pouch opening as he ties it tightly together. He lights the length of gauze and tosses the pouch at the portal hole. The gauze burns quickly and the gunpowder inside the pouch explodes as it sails through the portal. The ground shudders around them as the portal shatters.
The group is still in a panic, fearful of the woods they've found themselves in, and staring at the spot they've just come though, seeing nothing but more woods. Jack attempts to calm them, assuring them these woods are safe enough but they need to move.
He leads the group through an odd path in the woods, around a large lake and takes them up to a dock. As they get closer to the dock, a familiar voice calls out and Pierre appears at the railing.
Good to see you old man, I brought you a gift.
The voices in Jack's head suddenly grow deafening as the survivors call out to Pierre. A few of Pierre's staff appear near the dock, reaching out to the group, and leading them to a hidden tunnel. The last of the group disappears and Pierre's clan greets them in the large, hidden living space that runs beneath the basement of Kathy's.
Jack lightly brushes a hand across Pierre's arm as as he reaches the dock and continues towards the deck overlooking the lake. A few feet further, and he walks the large double doors leading in to the bar. Pierre's voice echos in his head as he finds an overstuffed chair to sit in, waiting for the staff to bring him a drink.
Thank you, old friend. I can't believe they are here. So many it seems to you, but so few from what we were.
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