The three of them glided down the hallway of the barracks, which had foolishly been unlocked. Evidently, they didn't think anyone was crazy enough to attack guards in the middle of Russia! They'd already shifted again and were ready to eliminate some guards, who hopefully wouldn't even know they were under attack. There were two doors on the left and right, and then a group of three doors straight ahead at the end of the hallway.

"You go right, I'll take left," suggested Hazel over their link. "Mel, keep an eye on the doors at the end." There were a few nods in reply, and then they moved through the doors. The hybrids would have had Mel assist with the guards, but since she was limited to her tiger form, she couldn't open the doors. Yep, that was silly but true. So, watching the other door helped, because if anyone did yell, they'd need her.

When they opened the door, they found two identical bunk rooms, each with two dozen beds, though only half were occupied by sleeping guards. If there were a dozen men on duty, that meant the other empty dozen must be for when they rotate in new personnel. But for now, it didn't matter, Hazel and Karano just set about making sure the slumbering men would never wake up. They were merciful, just a lightning quick snap of the neck killed each man, and they were dispatched. In the chill of the winter, all the men were bundled up and sleeping soundly, so that only one of Karano's group woke up near the end, and he only got out one frightened squawk before he was dispatched.

"Any movement at the last doors?" Karano asked Mel.

"Nothing. We're good. Are the others dead?"

"All taken care of," Hazel replied grimly.

The last three doors turned out to be a rec room for the soldiers to enjoy in their spare time, a storage room with several crates, and then the kitchens, with a pantry and big walk-in freezer. The rec room had a small closet with communication gear in it, no doubt to use in case they needed help or had a medical emergency. As for the kitchen, it had a pair of cots in the corner with a pair of cooks who were beginning to stir. They were woken up with massive paws over their mouths, and then Melashka shifted, and spouted rapid fire Russian to them that ended up getting them to nod in terror.

"What did you tell them?" Hazel asked with a chuckle.

"I told them they had half an hour to make a big breakfast for all the prisoners, and if they did it, then they would live. Otherwise, they would be as dead as the other guards."

Karano snickered as they headed back out towards the entrance. "It would be nice to have a warm meal. The fish are probably hard as rocks." They'd dropped the bags of them in the tree line, so they were covered in snow at the moment and no doubt would be hard to eat.

"The other guards will be tasty too," Melashka said in a low growl, breaking the silence. "The tigers in the camp will want to feast." She'd already messaged her mother that they were there, and now it was time for them to be free.

"I guess we better feed them then!" Hazel replied. "They could use a measure of revenge." The plan for the on duty guards was simple. Hazel and Karano were going to jump onto the nearest two towers and toss the three men on duty down onto the ground before moving to the far towers. As fast as they moved with the vampire speed, they didn't think there would be much risk, and the silver bullets that the guards used wouldn't hurt them as much as they would hurt Melashka and the other tigers. Of course, just throwing them to the ground wouldn't be enough, which is where Melashka came in, as she would be free to savage them, with help from her fellow packmates, until they were satisfied.

And then they would all go enjoy a hot meal before they raced for the coast.

"My mother is ready," Melashka confirmed after talking to her through the link. "They will attack when they hear the screaming start."

"Then I think we should start making them scream!" Karano said with a grin that made her muzzle look frightening. This would be just like hunting big snakes in the Everglades, but on a much different scale.

The three of them crept through the snow, sticking to the shadows. There was the barest hint of light on the horizon now, but not enough to worry them. The guards would all be looking inward, towards the buildings where the tigers were supposed to be sleeping. They had no idea that the tigers were awake, and many of the adults had already shifted and ready to attack, while younger ones were ready to open the doors to allow the tigers to race out.

The towers were relatively simple. Strong wooden supports with a hut made of wooden slats on top, and a surrounding balcony with search lights that could be used to focus on any issues. There were space heaters in each hut to keep the guards warm, and in the cold, they were just passing the time and hoping to go get a meal soon.

"Go!" Karano said through the link, and the three of them raced forward.

In the towers, the guards were huddled together in trios and keeping a cursory watch on the yard. They were all surprised by the gigantic beasts that blew through the walls of their little hut. They all screamed in terror as they were picked up and hurled through the windows and down to the ground before they even had a chance to grab their weapons.

It didn't go much better for the six guards in the remaining two towers. If anything, they were more scared, because the lights showed their fellow guards rolling around on the ground in pain, but they didn't know what happened. Seconds later, Melashka crashed into the guards, and other tigers poured out of the barracks, which diverted their attention and some in the closest tower opened fire, kicking up dirt and snow near her. But that just meant that were shocked by Hazel and Karano as the pair came crashing through their walls. Unlike the others, they'd had a chance to grab their weapons, but it didn't matter. The two hybrids were so fast that the guns were ripped out of the guards' hands before they were ever brought to bear on them, and the remaining men were thrown down into the yard along with the rest of them.

Melashka was in a fury, taking out all her anger and frustration on the men that were struggling to their feet. The first one never saw her, as she pounced on his back and drove him into the frozen ground. Her fangs ripped through the back of his neck, severing the spine and leaving the guard's head attached by a sliver of flesh. With the blood staining her white fur, she swiped at the next with her paw, hooking the claws into his thigh and dragging him to her like a house cat with a mouse. He let out one frightened scream, but it was drowned out as her maw closed over his face, ripping it from his skull. She turned to find another, but the rest of the tigers had joined her, and there was nothing left of them.

Karano and Hael watched the tigers dispose of the guards with grim smiles. They'd been kept here for years, so they were more than due for this kind of release. The pair jumped down, striding towards their blood spattered mate and Karano picked her up like an oversized kitten, hugging her close as Hazel took the other side and made a sandwich.

"You're all free now," Hazel reminded her. "Let's get your family some food, and then to safety."

It wasn't the best time for them to meet the family, there was too much to do, but they did get quick hugs from Mel's mother, Inga, and her younger sister, Verka before they ripped down the gates and all marched into the barracks. The two chefs had smartly made a big batch of scrambled eggs and sausages, for which they would live. They would be stuck here without vehicles, which would have all the tires punctured, and no radio, since Hazel had already ruined that, but they would live.

Only a few things were brought from the camp, mostly blankets and a few clothes that had been made by hand and had some special meaning. There weren't many family mementoes beyond that, and soon enough, the new band was headed off into the woods. They'd done well. The hard part was over, and they were on time, so they all had high hopes that they would make it the rest of the way.

The warm meal helped, as did all of the raw fish. The tigers living in the camp hadn't been fed nearly as much as they should have been, so half of the fish was gone before they even set off.

"Hey!" Melashka called as they were getting everyone bundled up in the parkas of the dead guards. "You might want to see this."

Hazel and Karano followed her to the storage room where the crates were and found that two of them had been opened up, revealing raw gold that hadn't been sent off to wherever they process it yet.

"Holy shit!" Karano hefted one of them and realized it must contain a good hundred pounds worth. With two of them, that was worth a fortune! This would allow the tigers to get whatever they needed for a new start, and she and Hazel could easily take one without it affecting them too much.

"Okay, bebita, you take one and I'll take the other. The tigers worked for this, and they deserve to reap the benefits."

"You got it, bebé!" They each hefted a box, and set out to get the band of tigers moving.

The trip was easier in the daylight, but also more nerve wracking as they were more exposed if anyone was in the area. It wouldn't take much for a human to see a huge number of tigers, plus the two hybrids, and call some sort of authorities. Or a zoo, maybe. The point was, they had no idea what could happen, so while it was easier to see where they were going, and they could follow their scent back so they wouldn't get lost, it seemed to take longer because of the stress.

Not only did it seem longer, but it actually did take longer. Many of the tigers weren't in great shape, so they had to take frequent rests, and the rest of the fist went away to feed them. Karano and Hazel each took to carrying some of the older and younger tigers so they could keep travelling while they rested, and that helped. But finally, well after dark, they made it to the shoreline where their boats were. The Selkie were waiting, and some went to alert the fishing boat that they'd made it, while others helped get the boats back out to the open ocean.

It had taken several days, but they were all finally on the boat and headed to freedom.