Chapter 141
The rest of the travelling that day was filled with thinking, planning, and a ridiculous amount of sweat. Everyone in the travelling group was drenched and out of breath by the time they stopped for the day, but only one was smiling. Throughout this entire process of getting everyone into shape, Shannon had been keeping pace with the rest of them. For years she had the mentality that the best way to teach someone and lead them to being better with their body was to instruct them through example. She was doing the most arduous of exercises alongside Nat and the rest of the Special group, but it was barely affecting her. The only other one who was unaffected by the workouts was Spirit, but everyone regarded him as an anomaly anyways.
They had made good progress, and got about as far as they had expected from the day before. They had gotten back to the main Highway that ran through the province, and without any more encounters of monsters. They made camp at a copse of trees, from where they could barely make out Red Deer on the horizon. As everyone else laid on the ground trying to recover the energy and stamina to move about, Shannon got started on making up some food for supper. With the help of Spirit, she got a pig out and roughly carved some pork chops off the carcass.
While she was up to that, Nat went through checks in the Soulscape. Doing things this way would mean that she could continue to lay one her back while she went about her duties. One by one, she went through and checked each and every pup and mother to make sure everything was good. After all, teeth grew in quite fast, and that could cause harm to the mother's teat if she wasn't careful. That was usually when the first weaning would happen as well, in an effort to get them used to eating and using their jaw to bite and chew for sustenance. She had tried to be diligent about it, but for the past while she had been slacking in her duties as a veterinarian. There was just so much other shit going on that the pups had not registered as a priority. Now with the coyote pups coming out the day before, and the rest showing that they were able to come out already, the matter became far more pressing.
Thankfully, all thirty of the pups that were now fully weaned off were perfectly healthy. In fact, Natalie found them to be a bit too healthy to be normal. Getting them to get come out and shift once to unlock that form for all of them, she checked through them once more. She was shocked to see that each and every one of them were at a point of physical prime, being the optimal size, weight, and having perfect coats across the board. Was this another hidden benefit of the Soulscape? How many more secrets and tricks did it hide, and how many more dangers?
Thinking on the dangers, she quickly switched over to take a look at Mike. He had joined in the training today, despite almost everyone else telling him to rest. The only one who didn't was Nat, but the reasons behind that decision were twofold. Firstly, he had promised to take it easy until he was fully up to healthy. Therefore, he limited it to more small-scale motions and movements, trying to get a handle on the more dexterous side of his shifted form. The other reason was the feelings that he had, which were transmitted through the bond. He had spent the last few days sleeping and recovering, and felt like he was being left behind. It was most likely harder for him than anyone else, as he had been the one injured, the one who caused the massive shift in how the pack was ran. And he was beating himself up for it greatly.
Nat knew that words would do nothing to help him. Mainly because they would be empty, as his wound had shocked her into changing how she ran things. If only to make sure it did not happen again. He needed to improve, to be the one in that position again and prove that he was capable of doing better. This was entirely mental for him, and words trying to deter him would only push him farther down. The only worry that Nat had was for the future, hoping he would not do anything rash or foolish to try and prove himself capable. Before they got into any fights, she would have to sit down and talk with him, make sure he understood that rushing ahead could do more harm than good, especially for those who trust him to have their backs.
Dinner was quick, with lightly seasoned pork chops being devoured left, right and center. Everything was called early today, if only to give everyone a nice period of rest. After all, they would be going into a city tomorrow, and those had so far been notoriously filled with monsters. Even Sierra and Shannon both called it early, knowing that they would need to be at the top of their game. Gently, everyone went to sleep in one giant pile, spilling out of the tent and over the ground outside. In the middle of it all, Nat and Shannon lay, with Nat being the big spoon as they drifted off to sleep.
Nat's eyes once more opened in the dream world, and she was back in front of the drive-in. There was no fire or movement to be seen this time. Looking around for any clues, she noticed wisps of shadow gently floating up from the ground. Upon looking at them closer, it became clear that they were footprints. Small as they were, Natalie assumed that they belonged to the kid she had seen before. Following them, they led to the gas station in the next lot over. As she got closer and closer, a banging sound picked up, getting louder and louder with each step closer she got to the station. As she came around the front of the building, she was aghast to see that the footprints led into the station bathroom. Which was closed and being battered upon by monsters. As a scream for help resounded through the air, the door started to bend inwards, and Nat's consciousness instantly kicked her out of her sleep and sitting straight up in the tent, sweating heavily.
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