Black Panther: Dogs of War
Somewhere in Wakanda
The village was a smoldering ruin, and T'Challa strode into the midst of it in full Black Panther regalia, including the cape which Okoye had insisted upon. He didn't like it, and it felt especially ostentatious in this horror. He was not happy at what he saw. Everywhere he looked, people were wounded or dead, and the rest were crying over their loved ones. "Shuri, who did this?"
The speaker in his earpiece answered, "I do not know, brother, but there are a large number of heat signatures a few miles beyond the village. They are moving fast, but appear to be on foot, not in vehicles."
"My king!" called out one of the villagers. He was kneeling, with the limp body of his wife in his arms. "They were dogs that walked like men! There were many of them!"
Pulling his mask back, and kneeling before the man, he put a gloved hand on his shoulder to comfort him. After a few moments, he asked, "What happened to your defenses?"
"They were disabled. We don't know how." The man looked at his king for a long few moments until he was overcome once again, and he hugged his wife closer as he cried.
T'Challa stood, looked down on the man for a few moments, then around at the village. "W'Kabi," he said to the commander of his forces, "Go."
W'Kabi nodded, and ordered his men in pursuit.
As they left, a small drone floated up from behind, and settled at shoulder level for T'Challa. "Brother- my king," came the voice of Shuri. "Where are all of the children?"
T'Challa looked around, and realized that she was right. "This is a Jabari village. Contact Queen Divine Justice, and let her know that we may require the aid of her men."
"Immediately," answered Shuri, and the communications went silent.
T'Challa pulled his mask back on. Black Panther crouched, leapt, and backflipped onto the royal hovercraft. Okoye landed just behind him, and they started after W'Kabi and his men.
"We are at top speed, my king," said Okoye. "We will overtake them in minutes."
Black Panther made no reply. He only watched the terrain before them.
Minutes later
"My king, there they are," said Okoye. Then, in disbelief, she asked, "Are those--"
"--Werewolves," answered Black Panther. Looking below, many of the wolves ran in a pack, and each carried one or two terrified children in its arms. W'Kabi and his men surrounded them in their hovercrafts, like cowboys riding herd. Touching his earpiece, he said, "Shuri, send the mobile armory with the silver/vibranium weapons to our coordinates." With that, he cut communications. Just then, a grenade came from the ground. He whipped his cape around, and an energy shield formed ahead of him and the craft. The grenade exploded harmlessly against the shield.
"Aren't you glad you had the cape?" asked Okoye as she put the craft on auto-pilot.
Panther merely glanced over his shoulder, and Okoye raised an eyebrow as he shrugged the cape off. Then both of them leapt into the throng. He slashed at werewolves with his claws, and Okoye used her spear. Both of them could do little but take the children they wrenched from the wolves' grips, and throw them aside. W'Kabi's forces swept the children up in nets, and hauled them onto the hovercrafts, a bit battered, but safe.
"W'kabi!" shouted Black Panther over his communicator. "Check the children! Isolate any with scratches or bites!"
Just then, Panther was tackled, and the two tumbled to one side. "The kiddies are fine, mate!" said the attacker. "No money in 'em if they're damaged. Worry 'bout yourself."
T'Challa came to a stop in a crouch, and narrowed his eyes at his attacker. "You are not a wolf."
"Nope. Name's Dingo. Nightshade made me more like m' namesake, and then let me rent some of her boys for this trip."
"For what purpose? Stealing children from their families?" growled the hero.
"Well, yeah, mate! Your closed off little country is a media black hole! No one knows what goes on here, so no one cares! Perfect place for grabbin' kiddos for the black market!" The dog-man laughed, yipping as he did so.
"You would profit through the exploitation of children? My people's children?! Raaaaaghhhh!" Black Panther roared in anger as he leapt at Dingo. He swiped at the villain's head with his claws, but only nicked one of his ears. Dingo caught Panther with a punch to his midsection when the hero flew over his head, and used it to throw him into the surrounding pack of werewolves. His armor glowed purple everywhere that it was hit.
The werewolves were about to pounce when they were distracted by a bright flash in the sky. Overhead, the massive Wakandan mobile armory emerged from a hole in the sky. Immediately, silver/vibranium-tipped spears fell from the sky, raining down on the pack of wolves, killing some, wounding others, and some merely sticking in the ground. One landed in Dingo's foot, making him howl loudly. One warrior staying with each craft to protect the children, W'Kabi's forces descended from their hovercrafts, and took up the newly-arrived weapons to join in the battle against the werewolves.
Over his earpiece, T'Challa heard, "Black Panther! This is Manifold! SHIELD sent me, and their regards." Before the monarch could ask how, Manifold answered, "Thank your sister!" Then just like that, he and his wormhole were gone.
As he jumped to his feet and charged Dingo, Black Panther growled, "Thank you, sister!" He hit Dingo full force, the tackle ripping his foot free of the spear that pinned him to the ground, and making Panther's armor glow more purple than before.
"YAAARRRGGHHHH!" cried the wounded animal man.
"W'Kabi!" growled T'Challa over the communications.
"My king?" replied his commander.
"Put down these dogs!"
And the fight was on. Panther swiped his claws against Dingo, and Dingo rained blows on Panther, making the armor glow more and more. W'Kabi and his forces used the silver/vibranium weapons to end many of the werewolves. Finally, Panther threw Dingo away from him, leapt toward the centermost mass of werewolves, and landed in their midst with a punch to the ground. All the built up kinetic energy in his armor transferred to the punch, and the shockwave sent werewolves and Wakandans alike flying, knocking most out.
T'Challa looked up at the armory, and said, "Send down more troops immediately, and finish these werewolves." He looked over to the fallen Dingo just in time to see a square of white light materialize beneath him before he disappeared. His growl was guttural as he seethed, "Doom!"
Castle Latveria
As Dingo materialized on the Time Platform, he began to come to. He was still groggy when Doctor Doom grabbed him by the throat, and hauled him off the floor. "Fool! Have you taken leave of your senses?"
Dingo merely gurgled. His eyes grew large when he looked over Doom's shoulder, and saw Nightshade tied to a giant X at the end of the room, nearly lifeless.
"I sent you and Nightshade's dogs to Wakanda to attack its people, and to draw out their leader, killing him if you were able!"
Dingo gasped, "That's... urk... what... we... did... urk."
"Did I say anything about taking their children?!" Doom roared. Not waiting for an answer, he raged, "Do you not know that every year I fight Mephisto himself for the soul of my own mother?!" Dingo, holding onto Doom's armored wrist with both hands, merely gasped. Doom roared, "DO YOU?!" He turned and threw Dingo into the wall near Nightshade, and the dog-man slumped to the floor.
Wakandan Royal Palace
"My king," called Okoye from the door of T'Challa's private chambers. "You have a package. It's from Latveria." The package hovered next to her on a small Wakandan hover transport.
T'Challa touched his necklace, and the Black Panther armor formed around his body. He tapped it again, and the mask flowed off of his head. "Have you--"
"--Scanned it? Of course," answered Okoye, sounding almost offended.
T'Challa laughed lightly. "Fine, Okoye. Let's open it then." He touched a button on the package with one of his claws, and the box hissed, the top popping open only slightly. A stench emanated from it that made both recoil slightly. The monarch held out his hand, and Okoye handed him her spear. He tipped the box open with the weapon, and was shocked to see the heads of Dingo and Nightshade. Attached to Dingo's ear was a note. Pulling it free, T'Challa read:
My attack was meant for you,
not your nation's children.
Find enclosed a sample of the cure
for Nightshade's lycanthropy,
along with instructions for its manufacture.
I extracted it from her myself,
and it has been tested.
The note bore the flag of Latveria at the top, and Victor Von Doom's personal seal at the bottom.
Okoye growled, "Is this his idea of an apology?!"
Her rage shook T'Challa from his concentration on the note. "Wha...? Oh, yes, it is. Don't worry, Okoye. We will deal with Doom another time." Handing Okoye her spear, he started for the door, ready to start his day as king.
"What should I do with this?" she said, indicating the package.
Without looking back, T'Challa answered, "Burn it. Then bury it."
Okoye looked at the box, then spat in it. Tipping it closed with her spear, and waving at the hover transport's motion sensors, she left to carry out her king's orders. "Good riddance," she said with no satisfaction.
*******
NOTE: Dingo is my OC for this story. The bit about Doom fighting Mephisto for his mother's soul was from What If? #22- one of my favorites. -cb
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