by E. V. Winter
He lay down, his eyes drooping. She turned to throw the syringe in the sharps box. When she turned around he was laid down, breathing heavily. She ran her hand along his entire body, his red hair rippling under her palm. She checked his neck wound. It was clean but the padding she’s placed in there to protect him from the harsh collar had worn down. She took out another, softer and thicker, and placed it under the collar above the wound dressing. He opened his eyes when she did this and she stepped back, afraid of spooking him, but it must have been a reflex because once more, his eyes close.
“You have pretty eyes for a wolf,” she whispered, stroking his nose and face. His tongue slipped out of his mouth and licked her hand. She smiled, it was another reflex but it felt good to think he might appreciate the attention she was giving him.
“Is he asleep yet?” Eve yelled from the living room.
“You mean Red?”
She heard Eve grizzle a little but went back to her room. Back in the day, when she was a crazy post-grad fresh out of veterinary college, she’d considered working for the Appalachian Trail as a vet. She’d worked herself up into a frenzy about it; how her life might be devoted to the care of wild animals and she’d be in her favorite environment, the country, the wild. The interview didn’t go well. She came out of it realizing that she’d been faking at being a country girl, and the city was where she needed to be to make some money and pay off her student loans. She loved all animals, so that’s what she did but tonight, she regretted not getting that job.
CHAPTER SIX
Trying to get four dogs in and out of surgery whilst a wolf was on the main table was an onerous job. They all barked and growled when they saw Red’s body lying full stretch. Once again, she pumped him full of sedatives and she knew after checking his blood work, that he would need a transfusion. There was a plentiful stock of sedative and the pups were only small so they did not need as much as the dogs. She did the pups first while Eve was still there to help her.
“Your pups are so cute,” Eve said, cajoling the youngest puppy, Meryl, into the surgery.
“Just keep her down there and I’ll do the nasty.” India said, enticing Meryl with a treat whilst using the other hand to insert the syringe. Meryl lay on the floor, soft and floppy. Eve cuddled her in. “Oh, my, I could take this one home with me. Is she named after Meryl Streep?”
India nodded. “Just tighten this on her paw for me, just below the first joint. Eve did as she was told, Meryl lay still. Eve had to turn away when she saw the girth of the needle needed to take blood from this little sweetie. She wondered how India did it without flinching.
“You’re so cruel.”
India laughed. “She can’t feel a thing, don’t worry.”
She heard Red whimper and checked on him. She’d noticed a restlessness about him. Maybe she needed to up the dose of sedative. He was becoming immune to it. His wound was clean and dry but he’d lost a lot of blood. This transfusion might show an improvement in his general health.
“When will you set him free?” Eve asked, stroking Meryl’s soft neck.
“When he’s ready.”
“I hope it’s soon. When he wakes up, he will need some food, a lot of food. He’s a big guy.”
India knew what Eve said would be true. He would need several pounds of meat, for his first meal after 48 hours asleep.
“I can probably source you some meat. I know a few hunters who can help you out with deer and moose.”
“Let’s wait and see. If he’s well enough to leave here, he’s well enough to hunt down his own food.”
India pressed down on Meryl’s paw and removed the cannula.
“Can you put a sticking plaster over it once you’ve held down pressure for a minute or two?
Eve nodded. “Okay Meryl, time to wake up.”
“Just let her get herself there.” India said. She placed the plastic bag of blood on the floor beside her. “Meryl loves her naps.”
Eve smiled. “These dogs have the life of Riley. I want more naps and treats.”
Eventually, she took a little blood from all four dogs and India prepared Red to receive it. He did not stir when she inserted the cannula. Bored and in need of fresh air, Eve took the dogs out to play with the chickens. India sat next to Red and stroked his head, listening to Eve’s manic chatter to the animals. Red was her best success so far, she decided. Her first wild animal since the incident, and she’d coped with it and he was doing well. She thought back to finding him and wondered what possessed her to take him to her car. He was so hurt though and she knew he would die without help. There was no alternative but to save his life.
He stirred as she held the cannula in place. His eyes opened, and she froze. Her heart thudded. She moved her hand slowly away from his leg, mindful that the cannula needed the extra pressure, she relented and placed her hand back over it. He blinked. He looked straight at her. She felt warm and a little uncomfortable but she held firm, seeing the last of the blood feed into his vein from the last blood bag.
Movements were almost mechanical in applying pressure to the cannula wound and placing a pad and sticking plaster on his leg. His eyes closed and she let out a lengthy sigh, her head dropping over the table.
Eve returned to check on progress.
“How’s he doing?”
“He was awake a few seconds ago.”
“Wow, did that scare you?”
India nodded. “It took me back, just for a second.”
Eve gave her a hug. “That won’t happen again, Honey. This guy is shackled and drugged. Just make sure you keep him that way.”
India nodded. “I know but I can’t help but think of how it’s changed my life.”
“You’ll never forget that India. I understand that and the second I can get us out of Montana and maybe to somewhere with plastic surgeons…”
“Let’s just get this wolf better first and out of my surgery. I’m still getting calls from people with pets who need help and I’m turning them all down for this guy.”
She stroked his head again and checked his pulse. “He’s okay. Let’s see what the next 24 hours bring.”
“Anyway, I have to go. I’ve got to meet someone very interesting from Brunholme Woods.”
Rex heard a familiar name but the dream seemed to be leading him only through darkness and pain. The pain was subsiding a little now but the sense of loss he felt was overwhelming. A hand stroke his head again and once more tried to force open his eyes but tiredness overcame him. All he wanted was to see her again, the tall blonde with the mask over her face. He wondered what she looked like, apart from having brown eyes. She was someone he could trust. The other woman was there too, he heard her responding to the blonde one. Exhaustion flooded over him. He longed for the scent of the woods, the comfort of his cabin, the joy of seeing his pack again. He wanted more than anything to transform. His body yearned for his human form. It would be his means of escape. He heard wolves at night when he lay in the darkness, half-dazed with drugs. He knew they might still look for him. He would recognize his own pack’s howls anywhere but as yet, they didn’t come.
Eve pulled her scarf over her shoulders and tucked it into her coat. She had a gun inside her coat and created room so her hand could get in there quickly.
“Are you going alone?” India asked. “To Brunholme? It’s kind of dense in there.”
“No, I never do that. I’m going with Tony and Phil, the balls and backbone of this outfit.”
“Well take care and call me when you get home. Stay safe.”
Eve left, leaving India writing up her vet’s notes for Red. She pulled off her mask, at last alone, and done for the day. She needed some air to her face. As she wrote, Red opened his eyes again and looked at her. He recognized the wolf bite marks on her face. They were bad, deep wounds which left a terrible scar. She looked up and looked into his eyes, scared, he saw from her expression. He closed his eyes again. Who was she? She helped him to survive when another wolf did that to he
r face. He wanted to transform, to reach across and touch her scars and tell her he could make it better. He promised himself that he would avenge her. He would thank her for saving his life. He felt another needle go into his ass. He faded again despite trying to stay with her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Maddox led the others through the alleyways around the intersection. Most of the factories there were closed but he saw that two with the cameras were still operational. One was a tire plant and the other a meat packing plant. Their cameras held the film of Rex’s attack. Staying human was vital and not being seen was even more important. The last thing they needed was to fall foul of any curfew rules so they all wore dark clothes, watched out for cameras, Spectral and otherwise and stuck to the alleyways.
“If we can get in here and find a place to hide, we can check out the camera footage.” Maddox said. “Let’s see if there’s more than one entrance.”
“I’m guessing these guys take cigarette and coffee breaks.” Xander said. “It should be easy to sneak in when they do that.”
“They tend to stay near the doors.” Maddox said.
“Not here, they’ve got a smoking shelter.” Rafe said, pointing it out in the large courtyard.
“We need to keep watch for wagons coming in and out, we can’t get spotted.”
Xander and Rafe nodded. Maddox was the thinker of the three of them and always more cautious than those two.
“Rafe, you want to check the roof?”
Rafe stayed studded to the wall and made his way along to the fire safety ladders. He pulled himself up to them and started his ascent. He cursed Maddox who was the pull-up king of the pack. The roof would have been much easier for him. He climbed steadily and finally reached the roof.
Maddox sent Xander around the front of the building to look for windows and doors. He waited to see when the smokers came out for their break, how he might distract them and sneak inside. When the doors opened the first time, he took a photo on his cell phone of the inside of the factory. He could see it was a sizeable space but there were doors on the side wall maybe offices. The roof might be a better option. He wondered if Rafe had made it up there yet. His phone rang and almost fell out of his hand. He was jumpy tonight.
Rafe was calling him.
“Yeah?”
“I’m inside. Come up to the roof, there’s a door open up here, fire door was broke.”
“Okay, I’ll call Xander. You stay put.”
Once on the roof, it was easy to get inside. There was a stair way leading down to the factory and a storeroom. They could hide in there.
“This place closes doesn’t it? We’re not just waiting here until there’s a shift change?”
“I have it on good authority that this shift finishes at ten p.m. and that’s it until six a.m. tomorrow. We’ll have plenty time to look in the office.”
Later, with all the staff gone and after a quick look around for any meat they could steal, they checked the computer in the office. Xander had hacking skills and was in there quickly. The film footage was grainy but they could see the setup of the attack and that there were six gray wolves involved.
Xander paused the film; it was hard to watch Rex being subjected to that violence, not from one wolf but from two. He felt guilty and wondered what the others thought. He dared not ask.
“Okay, let it advance and let’s see what happens to him next.” Maddox said,
Xander pressed play and they saw a woman fire off a gun and then go to Rex’s aid.
“Who’s that?” Maddox asked.
“Don’t know. Maybe we can see the license plate of her car?” Xander said.
“Jesus, she got him to her car. Look at the way she’s holding him.”
“She’s stifling the blood from his throat. You think they ripped out his throat?”
Maddox shook his head. “Why would she save him? She knows he’s alive.”
They watched on, seeing her put him in the passenger seat of her car. Xander tried to zoom on the plate but it was too grainy to see the letters and numbers.
“It’s a Montana plate, yeah?”
“Yes.” Rafe said. “And that’s a Ford Focus, maybe gun metal or gray, yeah?”
The others nodded.
“You think we can see which way she goes?”
They continued watching the film until they see India exit the car park and take the road away from Brunholme.
“Hale County maybe?” Xander asked.
“She was wearing a mask, you noticed that.” Rafe said. “Why is she wearing a mask?”
Maddox shrugged his shoulders. “It’s stinky down here I guess.”
“And she put a box in the backseat. Where did she go to get that box? It had shopping in it and there are no supermarkets here.”
Xander smiled. “She’s already an enigma.”
“An enigma we need to trace. Let’s go.” Maddox said, and they headed back to the stairs, their faces covered.
Outside they ambled and found a place to cross into Brunholme Woods.
“A pack with six grays but that was an ambush. You could see that from the get-go. They attacked all four of us at the same time but what chance did Rex have?” Xander asked.
“They knew they were attacking the Alpha, the king of Brunholme Ridge.” Maddox pulled the balaclava off his head, his thick black hair sticking up in many directions. He smoothed it down. “We need to ask around. Get a meeting together with the omegas. There’s some grunt work to do. I want answers.”
Xander and Rafe looked at one another in their usual way and frowned. They wondered who put him in charge suddenly. It crossed both their minds that maybe Maddox was involved in this but they didn’t share their suspicions and maybe that was for the best. He was ambitious for more leadership but they were a powerful pack and Maddox was not that bad. Their pack was stronger with Rex as their leader and they needed to find him as soon as they could.
Who was the blonde in the mask who’d saved his life? Did she still have him? Where and how might they discover her?
CHAPTER EIGHT
India was ready for bed and exhausted after a busy day tending to blood transfusions. She went to the kennels to check on the dogs first, fussing over each of them like she did. Homing them was essential but people were overcautious about everything and so she was taking it all one day at a time. These little guys were so cute but they cost money she soon would not have.
She looked in on Red and noticed he was a little agitated. That was strange. He had sedative less than five hours ago. She took his temperature, and he was burning up. She took out her notes and read through every entry since he’d been with her. There could only be the blood work which was causing this issue. She checked the throat wound and saw that it was a little inflamed. She felt her breathing quicken again. Should she have tried to save his life? Everything seemed to be going wrong.
His hair was so thick she emptied the dish of water in seconds. She needed a bucket which meant going back outside to the garage. Putting her mask on, she headed out in the dark with her small flashlight leading the way. She found a bucket quickly and filled it outside from a water faucet near the chicken shed. She returned with it and continued with the soaking of his coat. She lay a water-soaked tea towel across his forehead, which meant lifting his head, his eyes opened briefly and almost made her drop him. Her heart raced again. She asked herself again, why was she doing this for a wild animal who could turn on her at any moment?
He seemed to calm a little and she injected antibiotics and smeared antibiotic wound gel on the throat. She sat back in her chair. It would be an interminable night in an uncomfortable position with nobody for company but a possibly dying red wolf. This new turn of events shattered her but she had to see this through. By one a.m. and too exhausted to stay awake she let sleep win over, despite her best efforts to stay awake for him.
At two a.m. he whimpered and she stirred. She took the chair over to the surgery table and wet him down again, cooling his br
ow. Despite herself, she laid her head down on her hands, rested on the steel table and fell asleep again. He seemed comfortable now and she was close at hand if he whimpered again.
She thought it was a dream at first. She felt warmth flood her hands and then a strange roughness on the back of her hands. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up at Red.
He was awake, his head up, licking her hands with his long, dry tongue. She took her hands away from him and looked him in the eye. She expected the hard, disdainful stare of wolves she’d seen before, but his eyes were not like that. They were kind. He lowered his head onto the table where her hands had been. She thought about reaching out to touch him but decided against it. He was a wild animal and she’d seen what one of these beasts could do when a vet made the wrong decision. When she decided she could treat all animals the same way.
“Some salts and glucose for you,” she said and went to the fridge to get them. Should she sedate him? Would he take them in his cannula without a fight? She wasn’t willing to find out. She gave him a sedative and when he lay down, limp, she inserted the bags. The fever passed and she truly believed he would make it. She glanced at her watch. It was six o’clock. She wondered what time she fell asleep. And how long he laid there with his eyes open, before he licked her hands.
She let the dogs out into the yard and then the chickens. There was the usual cacophony of noise as they bothered one another. She checked for eggs, delighted to find four in the nests. That was breakfast sorted.
She wanted to set Red free when he was well enough to go back to being the wild animal he was. If that meant not letting him lick her hands again, that was fine. She could not tame him, she accepted that. She would try to care for him and not get too involved. She reminded herself again, he was just another patient for her and would be gone soon enough.
