Wolf Whisperer

by Bella Ward

  “Now listen,” he whispered in her ear.

  The rustle of leaves became louder. The warmth of the day heated them both to an unimaginable temperature, but it didn’t hurt either of them. Soft distant howls picked up in the air as the trees moved away, exposing the rest of camp.

  “Wolves!” Odessa shouted as she threw her eyes open.

  The sight of a new scene before her caused her to jump off the stump. The disconnect between her and Hamachi, their mixed magic fading, caused Odessa to stumble, with a feeling like someone had punched her in the gut. Hamachi quickly placed a hand to her stomach, allowing their magic to mix again. Odessa steadied, breathing softer. Hamachi released his hand slowly, making it easier on Odessa’s system to be away from his strong magic, since the magic inside her was weak and undeveloped.

  He walked her back to the hospital, slowly, all the while remaining silent, to leave her to her thoughts, and what thoughts were running wild through her head. He knew there was more to tell, but wanted to take things slow. Hamachi remembered how he felt when he first found out he was a wolf.

  Chapter Four

  Odessa was moved the next day to living quarters C, which was a long open living space full of bunks and dressers. She was given many things to make her stay there more comfortable. The council decided that she would not be given a job until Hamachi had gotten the chance to tell her the rest of the story, and trained her on her inner magic.

  For six days, after Hamachi got off work, he had been working with Odessa. He told her about how the tribes became wolf shifters. Some of the five original tribes had broken off into smaller tribes, and some of them had even mated with humans, causing the gene to go dormant in some distant tribe members, but stay accessible in others. He couldn’t explain why that happened.

  Odessa was shocked to hear that once one of the shadows from the dark tribe found a descendant of Odilia and Oleander, or their brother tribes, they would continue to haunt them until death, or the descendant tapped into their magic and learned how to shift. At that point, the light magic within them became too much for the darkness to handle.

  Hamachi had insisted that he was a wolf shifter, but Odessa didn’t know if she could believe him just yet. He said that was why he could feel her listening in on the conversation between him and the nurse. He had been instructed to not shift in front of Odessa until she tapped into her own magic, so it made it hard for him to fight the urge to shift to prove his point.

  She tried so hard, but could only feel the magic when Hamachi connected with her. She knew it was impossible to have him around all the time though, even though she had the desire for him to be. She was sick of being stuck in the living quarters. She wasn’t allowed to leave the area between the quarters and the hospital under any circumstances. They said it wasn’t protected from the dark magic and was too risky until she was stronger. She was assured the darkness would not get her where she was, but if she were to go out and work and not have her magic under control, then the darkness could take her, much like it had tried the night in the alley.

  On day nine, Odessa was feeling restless and tired of the same old thing. She begged Hamachi to do something about it, and so he did. Hamachi went in front of the council and begged them to allow Odessa to go work with the pups with him, until she found her magic. The council knew that more time with Hamachi meant she might develop her magic quicker, therefore under the agreement that Hamachi could handle himself and Odessa should the darkness come, they decided it would be alright to allow it.

  The next morning, Odessa found a spring in her step as she and Hamachi went into the woods to go to work together. She didn’t know what kind of work Hamachi did. She had heard him say it was work with pups before, but she hadn’t thought to ask. She didn’t care either if she was getting out of the house, so to speak.

  “Are you ready?” Hamachi asked her as he stopped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

  “Ready for work? Yeah I am ready for work.”

  “No…Odessa, ready for the darkness?” he asked.

  Odessa gulped audibly. She hadn’t felt the darkness since the night in the alley. She knew where they stayed was protected from the dark magic, but the spell they used could only protect small areas.

  “Ready as I am ever going to be,” Odessa responded.

  “The refuge is protected, but the spaces between are not,” he said. “You knew that when you agreed to do this. I have my magic, but I can’t shift in front of you.”

  Hamachi reached down and took her hand. Odessa didn’t put up a fight, because she knew she had begged him to do this for her, but she was not ready to feel the oily, black, slickness that was the dark shadow of cursed members of a tribe full of dark magic. Seconds into the next half of their journey, Hamachi and Odessa could feel a distant shadow watching them. Hamachi wished the shadow would remember what happened to it the last time it had met him, but if it had been listening in, it would know he couldn’t shift. His magic and lightness could make it keep its distance, but not for long. Only the wolf within could banish the thing, or kill it if he could muster enough magic.

  “Don’t run,” Hamachi whispered into her ear. “It likes to chase things. Maybe if we walk calmly it will leave us alone.”

  “Maybe,” she breathed, trying her hardest not to look for it.

  She knew she would never be able to see it, because it was invisible, but she could sure feel it. They walked hand in hand, all the while Odessa caught herself trying to pull from Hamachi’s magic. She could feel their magic mixing inside her, and it made her feel a little safer. She still couldn’t understand why she couldn’t pull her own magic. She felt if when she was touching Hamachi, and could tell which magic inside her was his and which was hers, but once they were apart, Odessa could not access or feel hers at all.

  They knew the second they stepped into the safety of the shield that kept the refuge covered by light magic. Neither one of them dropped hands for fear of loosing the safe feeling, or perhaps for reasons other than that.

  Chapter Five

  Odessa looked bewildered at the large sign that hung over the refuge. It read Sacred Moon Refuge for Harmed and Homeless Wolves. She was excited for some reason when she read that where Hamachi worked was a place that housed wolves.

  “Are the wolves here shifters?” she asked him.

  “No,” he smiled at her. “These are real wolves. Our spirit has a connection to them, and for that, we house, nurse, and raise any wolf that needs our help.”

  “So, you work with real wolf pups?” Odessa screeched in excitement.

  “I do,” he smiled, as he let go of her hand to open the door.

  This time, Odessa did not faulter from the lack of his magic. She had trained herself to feel when the disconnect was coming. They walked into the building. Men and women; other shifters; walked around with wolves in various states of transition in their development. Some of them were sick, being taken to be vetted, while other large ones walked unleashed by their human caregivers. Hamachi lead Odessa to another section of the building where they walked through a purifier into a doorway that led to an outside play area.

  Odessa noticed the air where they were smelled cleaner than anything she had ever smelled before.

  “Magic?” she asked, as she leaned over and whispered to Hamachi.

  “Magic,” he confirmed. “The pups…a lot of them are found without parents and need to be nurtured. That is what I am, a nurturer.”

  “That is so cool!” Odessa squealed, as she saw a tiny newborn laying in a basket.

  “You get this section. I get the other, but if you have any questions feel free to ask,” he smiled at her. “The log tells you what and when they eat. There are names on their collars. The rest of the time just play with them.”

  Odessa rubbed her hands together to warm them as she picked up the tiny wolf pup. She hugged it to her chest, and for a minute could feel its tiny heartbeat bring forth a small amount of magic in her. She was sh
ocked to feel the connection the little guy named Anhime-Paw had to her. Perhaps the wolves and Hamachi combined could unleash the magic living inside her. Another little one hobbled up to her and nuzzled its nose against her arm. She put Anhime down and picked up the new little girl named Francesca-Little Rose. She hugged Francesca against her as she felt the tug of magic yet again. She thought how she should remember to ask Hamachi if the wolves used their magic to grow stronger.

  That day she played with the little ones, Anhime, Francesca, Masiah and Lasiah the twin girls, also Plunarieah, Zundah, and Remus, the brother and sisters that came in a week ago according to the log. There were also two stragglers that had been there a while. They called them Tiny-Tot and Weeny-Spot. Odessa like them all. In an hour, they all felt like family.

  She had never really had a family of her own, and liked taking care of someone the way she could only remember her parents taking care of her. She wished so badly they were still alive, and when she began to cry, the baby wolves cried with her.

  A few hours later, Hamachi came to get her. They walked back through the purifier on their way out, passing second shift baby wolf watchers as they went.

  On the way back, Odessa and Hamachi could feel a shadow coming upon them, but they tried to stay as calm as they could. When they reached the safety of the next protective shield, they stopped in the woods to talk.

  “So, how did you like it?” Hamachi asked her.

  “I loved it!” Odessa beamed.

  “I’m glad. It is one of my favorite things to do.”

  “Do they pull magic from you?” she asked.

  “They do from me, yes, but they might not be able to from you yet, because you can’t tap your magic alone.” Hamachi touched her hair without thinking.

  He let his hand fall, but Odessa barely noticed. She was used to the touching, and her mind was wondering.

  “I felt it today,” she proclaimed. “But only when they were touching me. I still can’t feel it on my own.”

  “Hmm,” Hamachi pondered. “I wonder why that is?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted.

  “I wonder if you have a blockage of some kind?” Hamachi asked out loud. “I should take you Hunundi to do a cleansing.”

  “What is that?”

  “Hunundi is our equivalent to a priest, or medicine man. He would use the deep magic to see what might be hindering your use of your power on your own.”

  “I would be up for anything,” she beamed.

  “Great,” Hamachi hugged her.

  She felt his magic mix with hers and she felt a new flutter mixing with it. She didn’t know what it was, but she was sure he felt it too.

  “Could you set a visit up for us?” she asked.

  “Yes, I will go with you if that is okay?”

  “I would want you to,” she admitted.

  “Do you have any other questions before we go back?” he asked her.

  “Yes, I have one.”

  “What’s that?” he questioned.

  “Did the darkness kill your parents?” She gulped after asking Hamachi such a personal question.

  “No…the darkness was there,” he looked down and then back up to lock eyes with Odessa. “Hunters did.”

  Odessa’s breath hitched at the conformation of what she had feared.

  “Hunters killed my parents too,” she frowned. “Where do they come from?”

  “They work for the darkness, the hunters.” Hamachi drew Odessa near to him when he saw her sadness, pulling some of his power to mix with hers. “The hunters kill our kind.”

  “I’m so sorry they did that to your mom and dad,” Odessa spoke softly through the material of Hamachi’s shirt.

  He rubbed the back of her head, then pulled her face up to where he could wipe a tear away. They looked into each other’s sorrowful eyes, wishing they could change things, knowing they couldn’t. In the heat of the moment, their touch caused magic to swirl around inside them. The heat of the magic inside, flushed both their cheeks. They leaned in together as leaves and air began to swirl around, causing privacy for them from any onlookers, not that there were any. The backpack on her back became heavy with the inertia of the wind. She dropped it to the ground as she allowed Hamachi to tighten his hold on her. They kissed deeply, causing the magic to spread all around them, lighting the entire woods with the transparent blue light that came from Hamachi the night he saved Odessa.

  Chapter Six

  That night, Odessa sat up on her bunk, while the others from her sleeping quarters were fast asleep, including Hamachi. She pinched her lips between her fingers as she remembered Hamachi’s kiss. She knew she was developing feelings for him, but hadn’t dared to say anything in the fear that his feelings were not the same. She wanted to feel the magic for herself, partially so she could quit pulling from Hamachi, and the other part so she could offer more to the wolf pups. She knew Hamachi would lend her his powers for as long as she needed, but with the events that had happened, she wanted to be able to support him as well. For the first time since she had been there, she felt ashamed of having to use his magic.

  Something inside her knew she must see the pups again. There was something about them that drew to her, almost as much as Hamachi himself. Odessa wondered if it was because for the first time since her parent’s had died, she felt like she belonged and had a purpose. Maybe her whole life she had been destined to be at Camp Sacred Moon and know Hamachi and the pups.

  In the wee hours of the morning, Odessa finally drifted off to sleep, with a nervous and excited energy buzzing all over. She knew if she didn’t get any sleep however, she would have a harder time fighting off the darkness.

  As the sun hit the sky, it was Hamachi who woke first. He lived in the same quarters Odessa did, but on the other end, furthest from her. He had slept well with the peace of knowing Odessa’s true feelings. It had been in her magic that tickled the inside of his stomach, and for the first time, he felt her magic too. He knew it was somewhere inside her, ready to come out. That is why he had suggested a blockage and going to see Hunundi to find out. He himself had visited the medicine man when he had first arrived ten years back.

  He got up to go talk to Hunundi, hoping he would be able to get an appointment for them.

  Odessa walked beside Hamachi through the woods on their way to work with the pups. Hamachi had an unusual pep in his step as he flounced around excited. He stopped her just before hitting the line between safety and the land where the shadows resided.

  “Hunundi can see you this evening,” Hamachi beamed.

  “Already?” Odessa squealed. “You got me a meeting with Hunundi already?”

  “Yes,” Hamachi blushed, as he scratched at the back of his neck. “I went and saw him first thing this morning.”

  She hugged him tight with a sigh of relief. She hoped that the Hunundi man Hamachi spoke so fondly of could help her with her magic.

  “Oh, one more thing,” he said when they pulled apart. “He would like you to bring your athame and the amulet you inherited.”

  Odessa looked at him, puzzled for a while, wondering what the magic man would be wanting with her items, but thought better than to protest. Instead, Odessa patted her backpack she had safely strapped on her back.

  “I always have it with me,” she joked.

  Hamachi walked up to her and lifted her face between his warm hands. He looked her in the eye to get her attention, and so she would know he was telling the truth.

  “Hunundi can be trusted. Your athame and amulet will be safe with him, plus I will be there. You know you can trust me by now, I hope.”

  “I do trust you,” she smiled as she brought her hands up to meet his.

  Odessa knew she could trust Hamachi with all her heart. Even if she didn’t know Hunundi, Hamachi did, and that made her happy. She nodded her head and took his hand, ready to walk through the valley on their way to work. She knew a day with the wolves would help her and hoped there wouldn’t be any darkness
near to make her fell unsure.

  “I’m ready when you are,” she whispered to Hamachi.

  “I’m ready,” he smiled softly at her.

  They walked hand in hand the distance to the refuge, happy to miss the oily feeling of a lurking shadow, as they couldn’t feel it any longer. Although, they grew a bit suspicious as to why the shadow was gone. The one thing that startled them the most was a mysterious man walking in the distance; nearly half a mile away; that watched them walk to the refuge the entire way.

  Hamachi did not know the man, which caused Odessa to worry even more. They squeezed each other’s hands, hoping to center themselves with their mixed magic. The man almost caused the same evil feeling the darkness did. Even after they walked into the safe protective bubble of the refuge, their grip on each other did not faulter.

  “There is no way that is a hunter,” he whispered. “They have not found Camp Sacred Moon yet, and it has been here for over two-hundred-years.”

  “Surely not, but just in case, should we mention this to Hunundi?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Hamachi breathed with his breath still hitching in fear.

  Odessa had not ever seen Hamachi afraid, even when they had walked right past the shadow the day before. She had half wondered if he was capable, but the breaths he heaved after seeing the mystery man confirmed that perhaps the threat was real.

  Odessa walked through the purifier and went straight for the pups. She knew Hamachi would protect her until the end, even if it meant he had to break orders and shift in front of her. Odessa scooped Francesca up right away. She whined when she saw the fear in Odessa’s eyes. Tiny and Weeny padded up to her, nuzzling her as she sat cross-legged on the warm grass.

  It didn’t take long for the rest to come up to her. They each pulled a little of Odessa’s magic out of her as she used that moment to recharge her body. She could inhale the deep feeling that her magic gave her. She hoped Hunundi would be able to figure out why she had a blockage, or whatever was keeping her from tapping into her own magic. She loved the way it felt when Hamachi and the wolves helped her, but to be able to do it independently Odessa felt had to feel ten times better.