The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1)

by Camilla Ochlan

  After she'd put enough distance between her and the police station, Xochitl came to a stop and doubled over. She hadn't run that fast since anchoring the relay team at school.

  "¡Híjole! I'm out of shape." She panted and looked down at her feet. She'd forgotten she'd run barefoot the whole way. "Crap, I guess I owe Jess a new pair of shoes." Xochi examined the bottom of her feet; they were scraped up but okay.

  Across the street a giant pagoda-shaped building, adorned with red and gold spires, glinted in the midday sun.

  Looks like a temple out of one of those Hong Kong, chop sake movies me and Miguel used to watch.

  "Chinatown...huh." Xochitl rubbed her dirty hands on her skirt. "Well, at least I can get some good food."

  Feeling her sore feet now, she hobbled to a nearby restaurant advertising Lunch Buffet $5.99 in the window.

  Xochi knew she had to return to the one place she should never go — home.

  But before that, one last meal?

  Chapter 9

  The California Wildlife Service is charged with the alleviation of damage and other problems caused by or related to the presence of Ferals and Werebeasts in the Santa Monica Mountains. The purpose of this Environmental Assessment is to analyze the effects of Feral and Werebeast activity. Ferals and Werebeasts are non-indigenous wildlife who have recently claimed habitats designated for coyotes, wild dogs and foxes. The impact of Feral and Werebeast predation on livestock and human population and the frequency and number of slayings force the conclusion that a need exists for effective reduction of predation associated with Ferals and Werebeasts. The California Wildlife Service suggests immediate culling and stricter controls moving ahead.

  -thesis of the California Wildlife Service Environmental Assessment for the Management of Ferals and Werebeasts in the Santa Monica Mountains

  Lucy sized up Bob Tanner. A man clearly used to being in charge, Xochi's friend struggled for composure; he kept looking back at his wife.

  "Simon Kwan and John Rollins are my guys," Bob said. "They know Travis well. They know the area." He held out a hand to stop an Asian man carrying a tranquilizer rifle from rushing toward him. "Simon, go inside and get another one for Lucy." Bob looked at Xochitl. "Why don't you keep your shotgun, kiddo. Just in case."

  Xochitl looked ill, and she nodded in silent acquiescence. Lucy knew what hung in the air between them. Bob would never be able to shoot his own son, but if worse came to worst, he counted on Xochitl to take necessary measures. Lucy wondered if Bob really saw Xochitl, or if in some way he saw Xochi's dad when he looked at her. Xochitl seemed to shoulder her father's legacy with singular adroitness.

  In less than a minute, Bob's man returned with two tranquilizer rifles. Lucy figured the mansion had an armory directly inside of the front entrance.

  "Rollins went ahead, Bob." The man inclined his head toward Lucy and Xochitl. "Simon," Simon Kwan said by way of introduction and planted himself next to Bob.

  A white SUV pulled into the driveway. A young woman with blond curls jumped out and wrapped her arms around Helen.

  "Lizzy's here." Bob gave a curt nod. "Sometimes I think my daughter is the only one able to keep Helen balanced," he said diplomatically, sounding lost. He hurried in the direction of Helen and Lizzy.

  Watching mother and daughter hugging and crying together made Lucy feel an empty chasm open up in her chest. Sadness pounded through her, and she became almost too focused on her own heartbeat. But instead of giving in to the fixation, she straightened her shoulders and turned away from Bob and his family.

  Simon Kwan was taller than Lucy and looked like he spent most of his waking hours in the gym. He wore obligatory security blacks, including a nylon Tanner & Associates windbreaker.

  Simon handed Lucy a tranquilizer rifle matching his own and pointed to the side gate leading from the mansion's backyard to a private road winding up a terraced hill.

  "Where does that road go?" Lucy asked while following him along the side of the house. She was curious to why Simon beelined toward the gate without even looking around first.

  "Kid likes to go up to the helicopter pad. Used to skate up there before..." Simon paused briefly, considering his words. "When he gets out, that's where we usually find him."

  Lucy and Xochitl exchanged sharp looks, neither liking the notion of Travis "getting out" with frequency.

  "We wanted to ask Bob to put a tracker on Travis, but Helen won't have it. Truth, Travis has nearly escaped the property a few times." Simon shrugged. "Bob's the man, but Helen's the boss. And she doesn't see things real clear when it comes to the kid."

  They wound through the resort-like backyard and around a stunning lagoon; it had to be the largest pool Lucy had ever seen or imagined. A waterfall splashed from a high outcropping, drawing a curtain of water in front of what looked to Lucy like a long bar with in-water stools.

  "Fancy," Xochitl said.

  "Wouldn't he hide in there?" Lucy asked Simon.

  The man shook his head. "He hates water more than lightning." Lucy took in that tidbit of information.

  "There are the tracks!" Lucy pointed to several large impressions where the lawn was soft with mud. They led to the other end of the yard. "Look, he didn't go toward the gate. He went that way!"

  Ahead, tall pines reached for the sky. The early evening sun touched the tips of the trees as it started its downward descent into the west. Through the pines and over a very high, ornate fence lay the vast canyon.

  "If Travis were to cross the canyon, where would he end up?" Lucy asked and pushed past the pines. "The fence isn't electric, is it?"

  "No," Simon answered. "We'd talked about that, but..." He looked across the hilly canyon. "Las Virgenes Road is due west, if he makes it that far."

  "Wait, are we right across from the Bark Park?" Lucy asked, remembering a dog adoption she had once worked with Gabe in a beautiful dog park next to Las Virgenes Middle School.

  Simon nodded.

  "Could Travis be heading there?" Lucy pried.

  Simon instantly looked guilty.

  "Did you pendejos take him to the park?" Xochitl snapped, just in time for a tall man wearing another black Tanner & Associates jacket to arrive by the fence. He carried a massive tranquilizer gun with a CO2 cylinder and a pressure gauge.

  Momentarily, Lucy experienced dart projector envy.

  "He's just a kid," the man, obviously John Rollins, said with what sounded to Lucy like a South African accent. He turned to Simon, clearly upset. "Not at the helipad. Tracks lead—"

  "Into the canyon," Lucy finished his sentence. "We're wasting time."

  Simon Kwan and John Rollins cared about Travis, Lucy was sure of it, and not just because it was their job. When speaking about Travis, they both had the same fierce protectiveness and quiet desperation she had noted in Bob.

  The two men guided her and Xochitl through the fire clearance gate at the back of Bob's property. They scrambled down a well-worn footpath into the heart of the canyon.

  "We used to take Travis out on jogs. When he was himself, he'd have all this energy," Rollins spoke slowly and with a tight jaw. Lucy didn't say anything but heard Xochitl curse softly under her breath.

  "He had better control, when he worked out and was tired," Simon added by way of explanation.

  The golden hour was settling in all around, creating a play of shadows and light that turned the brush and skeletal trees into unpredictable obstacles.

  Lucy tripped a few times on the way down, scratching her palms and scuffing her knees. Xochitl seemed to fare much better, mostly because Simon had taken on the job of steadying her descent.

  Rollins took out a high-power flashlight, which would help them follow the rough path as everything around them grew darker.

  "Let's not get separated," Lucy said.

  "Hey, Simon?" Xochitl asked in a flirty tone. "Do you have another flashlight?" Simon, caught like a fish on a hook, couldn't fulfill her wishes fast enough. He dug through his pack and came up w
ith a small LED flashlight.

  "Oh, tiny monster," Xochitl cooed at the powerful spotlight brightening the way. "Give it to Lucy." Xochitl cut the cute act as abruptly as it had started.

  Lucy watched as Simon stood dumbfounded by Xochitl's fluid change from natural flirty charm to hard-as-nails brusqueness.

  "She's a mix between Shakira and Tommy Lee Jones," Lucy said, accepting the flashlight from Simon. "Don't take it personally."

  "My ass!" Xochitl hissed, tapped the flashlight app on her phone and directed the beam right into Lucy's eyes. "Serves you right," she said when Lucy yelped.

  "If you are done playing," Rollins said, "we have a decision to make." He pointed to a hill.

  "This is where we usually turn around on our runs," Simon supplied.

  "So, question is," Lucy jumped in, "will Travis continue west into unfamiliar territory or will he double back home?"

  "Why don't you guys spill about the trips to the dog park before we go any farther," Xochitl said, digging the granola bar from her vest pocket. She broke off a piece and handed it to Lucy.

  "The last six months were hard," Rollins spoke quietly, as if he were afraid Bob could hear him through the canyon. "Bob wasn't around a lot, and Helen was on a Valium vacation half the time."

  "The kid wanted to be around others like him," Simon went on. "My niece Jae turned Hound a while back. My aunt takes her to the Silver Lake dog park. It's closest to Koreatown. Jae got more docile being around other Hounds."

  "We thought it would help Travis too, so I checked out the Bark Park After Dark program," Rollins said. "They allow Hounds and their owners to use the park after sunset."

  "But Travis isn't a Hound," Xochitl interjected.

  "Hound, Feral, Beast, whatever. We used to take him when he wasn't turned," Rollins cut in. "We thought if the kid could be around others of his kind...It would be fun for him. And it was."

  "He made some buddies. The Hounds loved being around him in his human shape," Simon continued unapologetically. "Even had a little girlfriend that would come to the park out from the canyon. She didn't belong to anyone. A stray. We called her Marley."

  "About a week ago, Marley stopped showing up at the park. That's when it got harder to keep Travis human. And when he was human, all he could talk about was finding her. He said he wanted to go live in the canyon. Helen had a meltdown. That's how come he turned and tore through the cage tonight."

  "That's just great." Xochitl was close to losing her temper. "Beast-eo and Feralet by William Fucking Shakespeare."

  "You guys have to fess up to Bob when we get back with the kid," Lucy said more calmly than she felt.

  They had been standing around in the ravine long enough for the sun to set, leaving only the faintest glow to see by.

  The temperature dropped without warning, and a cold breeze cut through Lucy's clothes. She zipped up her bomber jacket.

  The sounds of evening had given to night, exchanging bird song for the distant hooting of owls, and the rustling of the occasional lizard for the sharp flap of little bat wings.

  Scrambling over the crest of the hill in front of them, a large figure came into view. Xochitl spotted it first and pointed up vigorously.

  "Travis," Rollins whispered.

  The shape rose to its full height, which was considerable, stretched its massive arms to the sky and let out a bone-chilling howl.

  Guns at the ready, Lucy, Xochitl, Rollins and Simon spread out, forming a semicircle at the base of the hill.

  Before they could make a move toward Travis, however, a female figure appeared at the crest.

  Her ghostly silhouette positioned itself next to Travis in his Werebeast form. The figure looked diminutive and very thin — female. In the moonlight, her long tresses shone like silver. She used her elongated fingers to gather the unruly hair and fasten it in a ponytail. The gesture struck Lucy as entirely human.

  "That's the Feral girlfriend," Rollins whispered. "Marley."

  Marley shuddered and reached out to steady herself against Travis.

  "Move!" Xochitl poked Lucy in the back, taking one hand off her shotgun.

  "Travis," Lucy called. "Come!" She still had her rifle slung over her shoulder, trusting Simon and Rollins to use their tranquilizers on Travis if necessary.

  Travis responded to Lucy's voice and took a few steps down toward her. Lucy started climbing up the hill to get closer.

  "Marley," she tried. "Come here. Good girl."

  The small Feral rocked back and forth, as if deciding, then spun and ran back down the other side of the hill.

  Travis took his cue from Marley and sprinted after her, away from Lucy and the path back to Bob's house.

  "After them," Simon called out. The man was an impressive runner, and even going uphill, he passed Lucy easily despite her small lead.

  Rollins and Xochitl scrambled behind them. Glancing back, Lucy saw Xochitl give up on the shotgun, sling it back in place, and point her cell phone flashlight toward the escaping kids.

  At the crest, Lucy directed her impressive new spotlight over the small vale on the other side of the hill. She could see Travis and Marley ducking in and out of the dense high brush.

  "We're going to lose them." Rollins prepared to shoot from his vantage, but abandoned the idea, apparently knowing he didn't have the range.

  "Banzai!" Lucy shouted and tore ahead. Lucy's only thought was to get close enough to Travis so that he could hear her command. She made it down the hill at a full run, miraculously staying on her feet.

  Xochitl, who followed with berserk enthusiasm, wasn't so lucky. She face-planted into some bushes at the bottom of the hill, but bounced back up admirably, never dropping her cell phone.

  "I'm okay," Xochi called to Lucy who had stopped to help. Xochitl slapped the dirt off her face, obviously frustrated with herself. "Keep going!"

  Lucy ignored the scratches delivered to her by the shrubs and small trees. Thorns and burrs buried themselves into her skin and attached themselves to her clothes. Heedlessly ignoring the blood trickling from the side of her face, she forced the run after Travis and Marley. The kids were fast, but Lucy wouldn't let up, gaining speed even as her lungs burned and her muscles screamed with pain.

  The light of the gibbous moon mitigated the now total darkness, allowing Lucy to make out shapes well enough to keep herself from running head first into the occasional tree. She ran almost blindly toward the kids, hoping to get to them before they reached the next hill.

  She could hear the others crashing through the vegetation on either side.

  Lucy pushed herself through particularly dense bushes to arrive in a shallow dry creek bed. She'd made it nearly across the vale to the rise of the next collection of small hills.

  Ahead, she saw movement and pointed the powerful LED light in that direction. Barely catching the flash of Marley's silver blond hair, Lucy could see her disappear into a small cave opening hidden by thin trees.

  Lucy let out a sharp whistle to alert Xochitl and the guys to her location. She knew the Weres could smell her coming, so she made no attempt to sneak up on them.

  Making her way across the rocks to the cave entrance, she heard small whines coming from inside the cave and, without taking further precautions, flashed her light into the mouth of the cave.

  Before her, Travis, still in Were form, knelt next to Marley who lay prone on the cave floor. He gently placed both of his giant paws on her back and let out a mournful howl. His cry echoed through the night.

  Lucy stepped closer, almost certain Travis would allow her to approach. "Steady, boy," she whispered. "It's okay."

  Travis turned his lupine head and looked at her. Lucy saw confusion, pain and fear in his glowing green eyes. They reminded her of Gabe's amber Were eyes, pleading for help without uttering a word.

  "Let me look, Travis." Lucy set her flashlight on a rock, scooted in next to the Were and rolled Marley over on her back.

  Marley was so thin as to be nearly skeletal. The
bones in her face protruded sharply, making the young girl look ancient. Her long silver hair, which had appeared luminous in the darkness, looked brittle and thin. It was her skin, however, that made Lucy nearly jump to her feet and run out of the cave. Where the girl's skin wasn't covered by clothes, Lucy saw an assortment of open sores and sparse hair patches. Crusted wounds bulged with infection, and brown scabs seeped glistening liquid. Lucy reached into her utility belt to grab a small flask of water for the girl.

  "¡Híjole!" Xochitl stumbled into the cave, followed closely by Simon and Rollins.

  Startled, Travis reared back and let out a deafening roar. Realizing how stupidly close she had let herself get to the Werebeast, Lucy snatched a can from her utility belt, aimed, and pressed down on the top for all she was worth. Fortunately, the opening was pointed right at Travis' eyes, and he got a full blast of industrial strength bear repellent square in the face. He screamed in pain and reeled backwards. Lucy scrambled away from him, but the edge of one of his claws still caught her thigh. She lurched away from Travis, pain exploding through her body, and fell to the ground unable to catch herself. Her head smacked against a rock, leaving her instantly disoriented.

  She heard Travis rage on and felt the ground vibrate. A loud crack sounded through the cave, and Lucy painfully rolled onto her back to see Travis stand over her with a tranquilizer dart sticking out of his chest. He swayed for a moment, shook himself and jerked forward. Lucy flattened herself against the cave wall, trying to get out of the way. With only a slight popping sound, a second dart, marked with a red band, appeared in Travis' neck. He went down like a felled tree.

  "Did you have to use the elephant tranquilizer, you stupid son of a bitch!" Simon shouted at Rollins and shoved the man against the cave mouth. "That could kill him!"

  Rollins did nothing to defend himself, just dropped the CO2 rifle to his side and hung his head. Simon stopped short and stepped out of the cave into the darkness, kicking rocks by the sound of it.