by Vella Munn
“Yes. By a police officer. The dogs were threatening to attack the rancher.”
“This just gets more and more bizarre,” Mia said.
Darick’s eyes narrowed. “Nate told me he’d hoped the grays would get to the neglectful horse owner before they could be stopped. And he doesn’t feel bad about what happened to the female neighbor. He admits he sometimes felt as if the dogs had taken over his thinking. He was happy to hear they’ve surfaced.”
“He is?” No she wasn’t going to judge. “So are the puppies the result of a mating between the siblings?”
“Nate doesn’t think so,” Darick said. “And I have no reason not to believe him. When this was happening, Nate heard from a young man who was raising wolf dogs. One of them, a young male named Lobo, escaped his enclosure. The other wolf dogs were pretty domesticated, but Lobo never took to humans. Wayde—that’s the young man—was outside the night the grays came for Lobo.”
“Lobo,” Mia repeated. “Jeff, remember the prints near the dead cow that didn’t look like the others? Smaller with a difference in the shape.”
Jeff stared at something beyond her, maybe collecting his thoughts. “My guess is Lobo is with the grays and that he fathered the puppies.”
“Which means they have wolf blood in them,” she said. “Are they going to be like their mother and uncle, ruled by the compulsion to kill or maim animal abusers? Or will something else drive them?”
“I can’t answer that,” Jeff replied. “No one can.”
Chapter Twelve
Lobo’s offspring, a male and a female, trotted behind him as he tracked the scent left by a rat. He’d recently started teaching the youngsters how to hunt. The first couple of times, their curiosity and enthusiasm had compelled them to charge the prey when they were too far away to have a chance of catching it. Fortunately, they were learning how to judge distances, unlike their mother and uncle, who still lacked hunting instincts, despite his repeated attempts to teach them.
If his children were capable of communicating with each other as their mother and her brother did, he wasn’t aware of it. Perhaps that skill would come with time. If it did, he would be left out.
Shaking off the unsettling thought, he went back to doing what he was best at. Hunting came as naturally to him as breathing. Except for mating, nothing satisfied him more. He wanted his children to feel the same way, to not have to depend on any other creature or human.
Human. The enemy. Dangerous.
Something else his mate and her brother were still learning.
When the rat scent grew stronger, he lowered his head and inhaled. His son and daughter followed suit.
“Lead,” he told them. “Find. Kill.”
His daughter whimpered, which didn’t surprise him, since she’d shown herself to have less confidence than her brother did. In a dim way, he realized they hadn’t been born predators but given time, he would teach them everything he knew. He had no choice if he wanted them to live.
Head down and muzzle extended, his son picked up his pace. His daughter trailed so close behind her sibling that his tail occasionally brushed her face. When her brother slowed, she glanced back at Lobo.
“Don’t wait for me. Do what your belly tells you to.”
After another low whine, she brought her nose close to the ground and filled her lungs. From where he was, Lobo noted the change in her. Like her brother, she now understood what these moments were about. Her tongue flicked out and her tail flattened.
Knowing they had almost overtaken the unsuspecting prey, Lobo forced himself to stop. He quivered with the need to kill as he’d been doing ever since he’d escaped the fencing that had held him prisoner and fled with the big gray dogs that had come for him. He was their provider.
But not now.
His son sprang forward. He’d eventually become more graceful, but his leap was enough for now. Successful. Rats were slow and stupid food sources. They exposed themselves without knowing what they’d done. Between that and their strong smell, he could almost always count on bringing one down. Most of the time, he didn’t bother because they were little more than a bite, but the rodents were perfect for training.
Snarling with the wiggling rodent in his mouth, Lobo’s son spun around and showed his father and sister what he’d done. With a snarl of her own, Lobo’s daughter tried to snatch the rat. Lobo’s son nearly dropped his future meal when he started to bare his teeth, but recovered in time. Then, as he’d seen his father do, the young male bit down.
“I am pleased,” Lobo told him.
* * * *
“I don’t know what I’m thinking,” Mia admitted to Niko, after the men had left. She swallowed half of her glass of wine before continuing. “Hearing about what the grays did before they came here…”
“So, it was pure revenge on their part.”
Niko was standing on the porch looking down at the parking area where the official SUV had been. It was as if she expected Jeff and Darick to return.
“Do you think it’s that simple?” Mia asked.
“Nothing about this is simple. Did Kendall deserve what was done to him? I can’t answer that. All I know is it happened.”
“Maybe—please hear me out. If I sound crazy, let me know later. From what Summer told me, Kendall has been hunting since he was strong enough to carry a rifle. It’s part of his family’s tradition. Male bonding and all that. Maybe not all that hunting is legal. Maybe over the years the older men gave Kendall the message that poaching is something to try to get away with. Kind of like speeding, only with deadlier consequences for whatever animal they’re after.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Sitting didn’t use enough of her energy so she stood and joined her friend. “Jeff said it was standing room only in the waiting room when Kendall was in surgery. I saw what had been done to him.” She’d shivered every time she thought about the young man’s injuries, and it happened again now. “That had to be a big part of what his family and fellow hunters talked about while surgeons were trying to save his life. I bet they all know about that cow he’d shot. His cousin and the girls must have told them. I doubt anyone said Kendall got what he deserved. “
Niko upended her wine glass and swallowed. “What none of them knows about is what happened in Oakwood.”
“Probably not.”
“But we do. Maybe the grays tore Kendall apart as a warning. Anyone who poaches around here risks having the same thing happen to him.”
“Listen to what we’re saying. We sound crazy.”
“So?”
“Do you think we should try to warn them?”
“Hell no. They won’t listen. Besides, I agree with the grays.”
“A part of me does too,” Mia admitted. “Kendall left that cow and calf to suffer and now he’ll spend the rest of his life—”
“I wish we could talk to that animal control officer and his fiancée,” Niko broke in.
“About what?”
“Some of the other stuff Darick mentioned. I’m kicking myself for not knowing more about Hopi tradition and legend.”
Nate Chee had told Darick that his fiancée’s stepfather had found three abandoned gray puppies on Hopi reservation land and had brought them home to raise. While searching for an explanation for the grays’ behavior, Rachelle had come across some fascinating information. According to ancient Hopi belief their spirits or kachinas as they were called could assume any number of forms. They existed in part to insure the well-being of all animals. Maybe, Rachelle had posed, the grays were a form of kachina. They existed to defend and protect abused animals.
“Don’t kick yourself,” Mia said. “There’s no way you could guess you’d ever need that kind of information.”
“I know. It’s just—we’re looking for logic where maybe there isn’t any.”
“Why did the grays come here?” Mia asked, even though Niko didn’t have the answer any more than she did. “There’s miles and miles and
even more miles, most of them wilderness, between Oakwood and the coast.”
Niko spun toward her. “That’s what I’ve been thinking about. Mia, what if they somehow knew about Ice? They’re here to protect him and what matters to him.”
* * * *
Mia was still trying to reconcile what Niko had said, with the logic she’d always relied on, when Banshee barked. Although Niko had been gone for about a half-hour, Mia was still outside waiting for her thoughts to make sense and not getting very far.
She started at the unexpected sound then relaxed. That particular bark was Banshee’s way of letting her know she was about to have company, not a warning that wild dogs were sneaking up on her.
Night had arrived while she was lost in thought, but the automatic outside light hadn’t yet turned on. As a result, all she knew was that the vehicle now parking where Jeff’s SUV had been was an older model sedan. The motor went silent, but instead of getting out, her visitor remained behind the wheel. At least the visit wouldn’t be an official one. Not long ago she would have just been curious. Now she hoped more unwanted information wouldn’t be heaped on her.
After the better part of a minute, the driver opened a squeaking door and slowly exited. She watched as someone headed toward her steps. Maybe the newcomer couldn’t see her in the dark.
“Hello,” she said in what she hoped was a non-threatening tone. “Can I help you?”
“Mia?” a woman asked.
“Yes. Do I know you?”
“It’s me, Summer.”
Despite her desire to hurry to Summer’s side, she stayed where she was. Kendall’s girlfriend was nearly the last person she expected to see.
Summer put what appeared to be a great deal of effort into climbing the stairs. Mia understood. After all, less than twenty-four hours ago, this young woman had been on a mountain with a man she cared about anticipating an adventure and some sex. Everything that could go bad had.
“Do you want to go inside?” she asked when Summer was on the porch. “It’s starting to cool off.”
“I’m fine. I don’t want— Did I interrupt you?”
“I needed the interruption.” And you don’t need to know what I’ve been thinking. She pointed at the chair Niko had used. “You look tired.”
“Yeah, well.”
As Summer sank into the chair, Mia stayed close in case Summer collapsed. She relaxed a little once her company was sitting.
“How about some water?” she asked. “I could get you something to eat if—”
“I had breakfast at the hospital.”
“Have you had anything since?”
“I don’t think— I didn’t know who else to talk to.”
Determined to give Summer time to pull her thoughts together, Mia noted that other than the one bark, Banshee was acting as she was, just waiting. Now that Summer was no longer on her feet, woman and dog were nearly eye to eye. At least Summer wasn’t acting as if she was afraid of Banshee. Considering what Summer had seen, Mia would understand if all dogs terrified her.
“I can’t talk to my mom,” Summer said. “She’d just stare at me like I was speaking a foreign language. Then she’d get mad. Tell me I shouldn’t have had anything to do with Kendall.”
“Your mom didn’t—doesn’t like him?”
“She doesn’t like anything. Not really, but she yells whenever something she has no control over happens. There’s a lot of that.”
“I’m sorry. You need and deserve to have someone you can confide in. What is it? Has Kendall’s condition gotten worse?”
“Short of him dying, how can it get any worse?”
Other than agreeing, Mia couldn’t think of anything to say so remained silent. She hurt for this child-woman who was trying to deal with a nightmare. Would Summer object if she hugged her like she’d done the first time she’d seen her?
“I don’t know what to do,” Summer said. “I want to keep my mouth shut. Not get involved. Hell, I want to run away, but…”
“Of course you do. What do you need from me?”
Summer’s head jerked up. After a moment, she extended her hand toward Banshee. The dog moved to Summer’s side and leaned against her. Summer leaned back.
“Maybe listen.”
“All right.”
“I was told something I’m supposed to keep to myself.”
“But doing so is tearing you apart.”
“Yeah.” Summer started petting Banshee’s shoulder. “They’re going to try to kill them.”
“Oh.” Be patient. She’ll get there.
“Don’t you want to know who told me that?”
“Of course, but only when you’re ready.”
“It’s the damned dogs. Kendall’s dad wants them blown away.”
“I’m sure he does,” she said around the tightness in her throat. It didn’t matter that Summer hadn’t filled in all of the pieces. She had the sinking feeling she knew where this was heading. “I’d probably feel the same way if…” What was she thinking? She had no point of reference.
“They’re going up the damned mountain. Maybe they’re already there.”
They. Mia wished the yard light would bathe enough so maybe the sensation of being in an alternate universe wouldn’t be so strong. There was too much to try to deal with all at the same time.
“Who might be on the mountain?” she pushed.
“Carl. That’s Kendall’s dad. He might not go because he wants to stay at the hospital. Parker, Lyle’s dad, for sure. After all, Kendall is Parker’s nephew.”
“And others?”
“Yeah. I don’t know all of them. Men Kendall hunted with. The way they talked at the hospital…”
“What’s their goal? To hunt for and kill the dogs that maimed Kendall?”
By way of answer, if it could be called that, Summer sagged. Banshee licked her cheek.
“Is there something you hope I can do? Is that what brought you here?”
She almost made the mistake of pointing out that Summer should be talking to Jeff, but she was dealing with an emotionally fragile human being. The younger woman might bolt or clam up if she didn’t get what she needed in the way of support.
“I’m not sure there’s anything you can. I’m not trying to put all this on you. I just needed someone to talk to.”
“Of course you did. I feel honored that you chose me.”
“You do? None of this would have been any of your business if we hadn’t come—”
“I’m glad I was here.” That was more than stretching the truth.
“I’m glad you were too.”
Now that they’d been talking for a little while, Mia’s mind was clearing. Knowing she could go to Jeff with what Summer had told her was part of it. “I don’t know a lot about your relationship with your mother, but—do you remember a teacher’s aide named Niko Fox?”
“Yeah. She does something at the high school I attended.”
“She’s my best friend. When she was here a little while ago, she told me a few things about you.”
“Like? I didn’t get into no trouble—well, hardly any.”
Despite what had brought them together, Mia couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re not unique when it comes to that.”
“You got into trouble?”
“Not at school. I was homeschooled,” she sidestepped, because this wasn’t about her. “Niko told me your mother didn’t impress her as a parent who’s particularly involved in her daughter’s education.”
Summer snorted and straightened. “Now there’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. Dear old Mom never once set foot in any school I attended. The only thing she said today was that—hell, it doesn’t matter.”
That was exactly the point. Summer’s mother’s lack of understanding explained why her daughter was here tonight.
“I hate my old lady.”
Sometimes hate and pain get tangled together. “I can’t change what is, but hopefully I can be what you need right now.
” She forced herself to stay where she was. Summer was so close to the edge it made Mia’s heart ache. “You wouldn’t have come here if you were willing to let things stay as they are. You don’t really want those men to go looking for the dogs with guns, do you?”
“Who knows what I want. Hell, it isn’t just the mutts. After what they did to Kendall…”
“What do you mean about this not being just about the dogs?”
Summer’s sigh ended in a near sob. “I was going to move to Portland right after high school, but Kendall wasn’t ready and I didn’t want to leave him. He was my first real boyfriend. I think I loved him.”
Now was hardly the time to point out that Summer was speaking about Kendall in the past tense. Maybe it was Summer’s way of building an emotional barrier around her heart. So was not answering the question Mia had just asked. The only thing Mia could do was be patient.
“Were you hoping to talk to Kendall some more about the two of you going to Portland while you were out camping?”
“He loves it here. He has all this family and knows the area like the back of his hand. He’s all about hunting, fishing, outdoor stuff.” Summer groaned. “Yesterday wasn’t his first trip to Dark Mountain.”
Mia took hold of her knees. “I know.”
“You do?”
Knowing they’d reached a pivotal moment in their relationship, she struggled to find the right words. “His cousin and he were recently hunting up there.”
“How do you—?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Maybe the truth was that it mattered too much.
“It was a stupid thing for them to do.”
“Because it isn’t hunting season. But he was successful, after a fashion.”
“How do you…?”
Be honest. “I was up there. I found the elk he’d wounded.”
Summer’s silence said more than words could. After too long, Mia got up, stepped behind the young woman, and placed her hands on her shoulders.
“Is that what you’ve been trying to tell me?” Mia asked. “That Kendall and Lyle wanted you and Melinda to accompany them while they looked for the cow? They hoped she was still alive, that they could find and finish her?” Saying the words tightened her throat.
