Price had been saving for his whole life , now he and his boys had retired , Soaps brush with death had been the needed reminder that despite it all , they were only mortal, just how precious their lives were.
Seeing how Ghost sat and watched over Soap for days , waiting for him to wake up , the way that Gaz over-preened his feathers, it broke him .
He knew they all cared for each other , bonded together through conflict , the knowledge of the crimes they had committed , the blood on their hands. Now they had left that life, once Soap was out of hospital they retired together.
Now they sat huddled together in the cabin , Ghost subconsciously clinging to Soap , hand gently petting his ears , the scar on his brow, it was a miracle he’d survived.
Gaz was cooking at the stove , a meat and vegetable stew to enjoy by the fire, Price chopping wood outside, it was peaceful.
Ghost had to remind himself that the years of fighting were over , that his Johnny was safe, curled up in his lap, watching the storm pass by .
~~
The next morning Soaps ears twitched , his nose catching something on the breeze.
“Guys, there’s someone outside”.
The others stirred awake , Gaz stretching his wings out , striking black primaries standing out amongst grey
“Huh , what? You sure ?”
Soap sniffed the air again, the sound was almost comically loud.
“I think ‘m sure, smells like … blood”.
He sat upright , the others sensing the tension in his body , the way Soaps tail was bristling.
“Soap… are you sure it’s not , you know ….” Gaz didn’t want to say it ,but Soap had been experiencing phantosmia , smelling things that weren’t there, a side effect of Markov’s attack.
“No , no I swear , someone’s out there”
They decided to have a look together , Soap still stumbles as he follows his nose, Ghost holding his arm , offering stability , he glances at Price and Gaz. He can see the muscle in Prices jaw twitch , the way Gazs eyes darted to and fro.
Shadows of their past lives that hadn’t left them.
“In the clearing , I think they’re by the clearing”
Soap whispered , his ears tucked close to his skull , an instinct to tense up , ready to pounce, to defend his pack .
They all hear groans and slurps , as they peer round the trees they see them , a hybrid like them , hunched over a fruit bush, desperately shoving the pin cherry fruit past their lips .
A harsh metal collar around their neck, digging into their flesh , the mixed smell of herbs and blood emanating from their wounds.
They were coated in thick patchy fur and muscle , a pair of horns close to their skull, scuffed and curled .
“A bison?”
Their head snapped in Prices direction
Shit , he hadn’t meant to say it out loud .
The hybrid trembled as they staggered to their feet , eyes locked on the approaching men, head lowered in warning , displaying their horns .
They had no choice , too exhausted to run again , they could all see it , hell they looked too tired to fight , it was all a desperate attempt to scare them off.
Gaz moved first , subconsciously cooing at them
“Hey ,its ok … didn’t mean to scare you”
sorry this ones shorter than the first part
not sure what i should call this series , if you have any ideas please let me know
