Work Text:
Compromised - Strangers in the Night
by Amazon X
BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS
MANASSAS, VIRGINIA
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
Walter awoke as the bed moved when Alex got up. He watched as Alex dressed and then noticed the barking. Bosco must have stopped for a breath.
"What's with the dog?" Alex asked. He'd been with Walter about two months. He was still getting his bearings after trudging up the mountain in a snow storm. Walter was happily settling in, having a lover. It took time for them to get to know each other, but most of that time was spent nude, in bed and in each other.
"I don't know. Something must be outside. Coyote or a wolf. Get the shotgun."
Walter donned his sweater and snow boots, grabbing his parka at the door to go out on the porch to see why Bosco was in an uproar. The snow was falling gently but steadily. There was already a few inches on the ground. Walter looked into the clearing of the front yard and saw a wolf and three cubs, standing and waiting, covered in snow. Her right front paw was covered in blood and she held it up, favoring it. It almost looked as if she was showing she was lame and please don't hurt her babies.
Walter turned to Alex and said, "Get the dog in the bedroom and close the door. I'm gonna go set up the shed as shelter for the wolf and pups."
"Why? It's a wolf." Alex looked as if he thought Walter was crazy for wanting to shelter a wolf.
"She a mother and she's hurt. At least let her rest in the shed. I can turn the heat up in there and get her some of Bosco's food. A bowl of milk for the pups. Alex...it's cold out."
Alex lowered his head and nodded solemnly. He was once cold, and Walter had made a warm place for him. Walter went out, shotgun in hand, making a wide circle around the wolves to the shed. He opened the door and left it purposely open. He turned the electric heaters on, the ones guaranteed to shut off before shorting out, and layered the floor with the wool blankets he used to cover the unfinished pieces. Alex came out the back door and with a bowl of Bosco's kibble and a bowl of water. He placed them and the two men walked out and back to the cabin. Mama wolf and pups hadn't moved, but she had put her paw down.
Walter and Alex entered the cabin and closed the door, staying by the window to see what she'd do. Drawn by curiosity, she limped toward the shed, leaving a trail of blood behind her from her paw, barking at the pups to stay back. She looked into the shed, and shivered with the warmth radiating from the open door. Alex leaned against Walter, smiling as Mama Wolf barked to the pups and they trotted in the snow, in the door of the shed. Mama gave them one last look and disappeared in the door.
They went back to bed to warm each other, making love for many hours. Walter hadn't felt so virile in his life. He loved watching Alex above him, writhing in ecstasy, begging for more. Walter had never felt more alive in his life.
They made their way through their day, trying to establish some kind of routine with each other. With the bad winter they were having, it was quite difficult to make it off the mountain. They had laid in plenty of supplies, with a freezer full of meat. They could last a few weeks up there.
"Walt, can we give the wolves some steak tonight? The Mama's gonna need it, with that paw all messed up."
"Yeah, I think that's a great idea. What a softie you are, Alex Krycek," Walter mused, ruffling Alex's hair.
"How do you suppose she got hurt?" Alex asked.
"Probably defending those pups. I wouldn't be surprised if we find some rogue wolf carcasses the next time we go hunting."
Alex pulled the steaks from the freezer and set them on the stove to thaw by the pilot light. By the time night fell, and the snow stopped, Alex had fried the two steaks and cut them up into manageable pieces for the wolf pups. He walked the bowl out to the shed and found the Mama and cubs were lying in the warmth. He heard the low growl as he walked in and saw in the dim light that the pups were hiding behind their mother. She stood and bared her teeth at Alex. He slowly lowered the bowl and backed out, closing the door a bit against the wind.
He made his way back to the cabin to find Walter at the door, watching him. "I'm so shocked that the wolves trust us," he said, helping Alex with his coat.
"Well, they really trust you. You opened that door. She was just growling at me."
Walter held Alex and kissed his cheek. "Make me growl later tonight?”
"You can count on it."
The next morning, Walter went out to see if the wolves were still hungry and found them all gone. The footprints led into the woods, but there was no blood in the trail. "She got better," Walter said. "Took her pups to hide them somewhere."
"We should put food out for them, though. I mean, it's a hard winter, Walter."
"No, she's strong. She'll be OK. They'll go back to their hiding place and come out for food. But if we just leave food out, the stray animals will get too close to the house. I don't want to have to shoot any for no reason."
"Walter...we can't let..."
"It's the way of the forest, Alex. You can't take care of everything. It's not going to forgive your sins."
Alex gave Walter a look of frustration. "What will?"
"Time, Alex. Time."
Alex kissed him and went to find Bosco. He'd start with the dog.
The End
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