Chapter 11
"If you go out in the woods today, You're sure of a big surprise"
Ten years earlier...
February 1st, 2110
Pike was furious at himself. He was crouched down behind a desk in a dilapidated classroom silently cursing himself. Pike's father, Maxwell, was no doubt armed- likely with a gun. Pike had his six inch belt knife, but his machete had disappeared in the avalanche. His hunting bow law in his quiver by his backpack near the fear. And Maxwell was between him and the fire.
Pike knew that Maxwell had followed Pike rather than Cooper when the brothers had separated. Pike had been slower than necessary just to be sure Maxwell couldn't miss him. Pike was seventeen and of comparable size to Maxwell. At ten years old, Cooper was not a match for the Winter Wolf- if only from weight alone. One day Cooper would be a match for anyone- that was obvious even now- but until then (and likely even after that) Pike would die to protect his brother.
Pike could hear Maxwell's footsteps in the hallway. The sound echoed off the old tiles and was clearly audible even above the sounds of the snow storm outside.
"I know you went this way, Pike. You're a good fighter, I think you broke my finger in that last scuffle, but you aren't the scout that your brother Hawk is by a long shot. I saw your tracks and I heard you moving."
"You're protecting hawk. I know that Pike. It's good to see such brotherly loyalty. You'll do well as a Winter Wolf."
Pike resisted the urge to correct Maxwell on Cooper's name. He also resisted the urge to tell his father where the man could stick his damned Winter Wolves. Pike had only a knife and he would need surprise on his side if he was going to succeed in killing his father.
"I know you don't have your bow Pike. I also know Redwings save guns for war- which means you have either a tomahawk or a machete, and a belt knife."
Pike resisted the urge to respond.
"Do you know what I have Pike?"
Pike remained silent.
"I have a 44. Magnum Remington Revolver. This gun is more than a hundred years old and cost more than the total slave value of your whole tribe. It's a genuine Dirty Harry special. Hmmm, that's a television reference. I don't imagine you would get it. It's a gun that could put holes in the mountain spirit if I could get him sighted. This thing could stop a bear, Pike."
Pike's mind raced. What did he have to use? How could he gain the element of surprise? He opened the old teacher's desk and began rummaging around for something to use or even for inspiration.
Maxwell continued his speech in the corridor, "If I hit you with this Pike, you're losing everything in a two foot radius of where I hit you."
"You're making me wait father." Pike called back. Standing up from behind the desk and waiting for his father.
"What are you talking about?"
"You said you would never keep your son waiting when you had promised something. I'm still waiting for that thrashing father."
"Oh, you'll get it. I'm just adding interest on the amount owed."
"That's banking, isn't it? Redwings don't believe in banking."
"That's one more weapon you choose to do without. you have a lot to learn."
"Perhaps you do as well father. I think we should talk. Before you cripple your eldest son."
Maxwell stepped into the classroom. He looked around the room, even looking up at the ceiling.
"Checking for traps, father?"
"Forgive me for not trusting you." Maxwell said.
Pike shook his head and then he laid his belt knife on the teacher's desk- between him and Maxwell.
"You were wrong about my weapons father. I lost the machete in the avalanche." Pike indicated his empty sheath and then the knife on the table, "All I have is my belt knife."
Pike continued, "And that's no use against a gun. But here's the thing you need to learn. You can't kill me with that gun. If you you kill me, you'll never take Coop alive. So you need to negotiate with me if you want your wife's son back."
Maxwell looked at Pike with an appraising eye, and Pike thought he saw something approaching respect in his father's eyes.
"Cooper's the one you really want, right? He's your heir. He's proof of your alliance marriage and more blackmail to keep Whistler County in line, right? I'm you son, but Cooper is you successor, isn't he?"
Maxwell grinned and stepped closer.
"He's my successor, but you're obviously going to make one hell of a bodyguard for him."
"It's funny that you should say that," Pike whipped his left hand up from behind the desk, revealing the old metal scissors that he had found moments earlier. he swung with the scissors and carved a trail in Maxwell's skin and burst the man's eye in a spray of liquid.
Maxwell screamed in pain and fired the Magnum. But he wasn't aiming, and the shot missed wildly- cracking the blackboard. Pike snapped a kick into the man's groin and dropped Maxwell to the floor. Maxwell fired again and a window exploded, sending a blast of freezing wind and snow into the classroom.
Pike gazed at Maxwell as he clutched his missing eye with one hand and his groin with the other.
"That was from my mother you bastard." Pike said and grabbed his knife off the table.
* * *
Cooper moved a quietly as he could manage, which given that he could see his own sounds, was quieter than anyone else he knew. He hated the idea of going back to the fire, but Cooper knew that he and Pike would need their backpacks. He also knew that Maxwell was following Pike. His father was not a quiet man.
As Cooper approached the fire he could see Dolf sitting quietly sipping the hot chocolate. It would be impossible to get in without being seen. On the other hand, Dolf was slightly built and definitely younger than Cooper, although Cooper still could not tell by how much. He nodded to himself and stood up straight. he considered and then drew his machete just to be sure. The Cooper simply walked straight in.
Dolf looked up, "Hello" he said.
"Hello."
"Would you like some hot chocolate?"
"I'm just here for our backpacks Dolf."
"My father lied to you. He does that." Dolf said quietly.
Cooper stopped and looked at his younger brother, "What did he lie about?"
" Most of it was a lie, but most of the lies were wrapped in a little bit of truth, so it would be hard to explain it."
"Why would he bother?"
"He says that the strong will expect it and the weak deserve it. He says that only a fool gives away the truth when he doesn't need to."
Cooper kept his machete out, although he kept it by his side. Dolf was younger than Cooper maybe as young as five or six, it was hard to tell.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"So you'll hate him."
"I already do." Cooper said.
"I have to make sure. Somebody will kill him one day, because he isn't as strong as he thinks he is."
"You aren't what you seem to be." Cooper said carefully, now unsure whether he should raise his machete or not. He kept it at his side, but Dolf now had him on edge.
"I seem to be little. And I really am. I'm too little to be strong, but that means I'm a target. Bullies pick on me. I could let this be a problem, or I could make it a weapon. If I act wimpy, even once I get bigger nobody will see me as dangerous until I make my move. But if I look wimpy, I have to keep father from naming a 'better' successor. And you're older than me."
"You think that you might not succeed him."
"I'm not taking chances. Pike hates father already and you don't want to be his son, so it doesn't matter if I tell you. I'm the only son that father needs."
Cooper stared at his brother with a look he usually reserved for dogs rolling is sewage, "Why not just kill me then?"
"I plan to, but I'm little, and I need you to hate him in case I fail." And with that, Dolf snatched the pot of boiling water off the fire threw it at Cooper.
Cooper raised his left arm in time to block his face and left side. he hesitated with his right arm, not wanting to cut his face open with a wildly raised machete. As a result the pot bounced off his left arm, burning a black oval into his winter jacket and throwing scalding hot water onto his exposed right side- leaving a splashed burn on his neck that looked like an exploded tangerine.
Cooper screamed and dropped his machete. Dolf was on him in a moment, grasping for the machete as Cooper fought to control the pain. Dolf was smart, especially for somebody that young. He was small and it would have been no contest in a straight fight. As it was, Cooper was struggling to actually make it a fight at all.
* * *
Pike looked down as Maxwell struggled to regain his composure. Pike aimed a kick at Maxwell's face. The blow connected, but Maxwell seemed to wake up at the blow, and he dropped the magnum and wrapped his arms around Pike's leg before the younger man could retract his foot. And then Maxwell bit into Pike's calf muscle. Pike yelled in pain and fell tot he ground. The two men struggled for control. Maxwell kept scrambling for his dropped magnum while trying to keep a grip on Pike's leg. Pike, for his part, kicked Maxwell in the face repeatedly with his free leg.
"I'm going to have to beat a lot of sense into you boy."
"One of us will. let's see, finger, eye and balls. It's looks like I'm taking the little stuff first, doesn't it?"
Maxwell growled, then twisted and managed to snatch up his gun and fired again, the bullet grazing up Pike's trapped leg and across his back. Pike flinched and arced his back in pain, and then refocused as Maxwell managed to catch his other foot and proceeded to wrap his arms around both legs.
Pike swung his torso and buried his knife in Maxwell's thigh.
Maxwell roared in pain and let go of Pike's leg. Pike scrambled to his feet and tested his leg by cautiously putting weight on it. None of the pain seems to be coming from anything load bearing. And so he ran- heading back for his backpack. From there, he would find Cooper.
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