“She told you to become men, wear Axe cologne, and get jobs at Lion Pharmaceuticals?” In hindsight the question seems sarcastic to me, but at the time I was frustrated because I wasn’t getting it.
“We keep balance. That is what we do. We are sent where the balance of nature is threatened. We know what to do when we are sent.”
“You restore the balance.”
“We do our best.”
I was fascinated by him. As I listened my mind kept going back to my father’s notebook. He would have loved hearing what Aiden was sharing with me. The shock that I was sitting in the woods talking to a wolf was gone. I was thrilled to be there. It wasn’t just that it was thrilling for me, but I felt a little like I was seeing it through my father’s eyes. I tried to think like I thought he’d think.
“It sounds like your job is to go where you are sent and be wolves.”
“Yes, Jazz-barr. You see. We are wolves.”
“It must be wonderful to know who you are and what Mother Nature created you to do.”
“The mother isn’t the Creator. That is the invisible Father. He is the Creator. The Earth Mother watches over the laws the Creator put into the world.”
“She sends forest fires,” I said.
“No, those things happen by the natural movements of the earth. But after a forest fire has finished, she will send the birds and the insects to begin replenishing the soil to be fruitful again.”
“That all makes sense to me,” and it did. “But I don’t understand why you’re here now. I mean, sending you somewhere to be yourself does make sense, but she didn’t send you here to be wolves. She sent you here to be men.”
“Yes. This is true. The world of men is different. With any other creature, when one of its members is a threat to the entire species, it is handled naturally. With men, sometimes when a man is a threat to the species, he is rewarded.”
“Wait,” I said. “What do you mean?”
He nodded. I think he knew he’d have to explain that one to me. “When a man learns he may profit from preying upon the goodness of others, he is a threat to your species.”
I nodded.
He continued, “When a man uses his strength to benefit himself, he is living within the laws of nature. When he uses his strength to benefit his species, he is living above the laws of nature. But when a man uses his strength to merely acquire benefits well beyond what benefits him, he is a threat to your species.”
He paused, studying my face. “Dr. Dietrich was killed by greed. Had he lived, he might have found a benefit for your species. He was killed because what he pursued would have benefited your species, but threatened the greed of a few.”
It started to become clear to me then. “You were sent to take care of Benjamin,” I said, almost shouting.
He waited until my excitement passed. “No, Jazz-barr. We weren’t. The laws of men would have taken care of him.”
“But you took care of him. I saw you.”
“That was for your sake, Jazz-barr. We have been watching out for you. Men would have taken care of James Benjamin. You saw to that by discovering the proof of what he had done.”
“Who then?”
“It was William Lyons. It was his greed that created the atmosphere that brought forth the aberration that was in Benjamin. The laws of men are not equipped to bring his kind of threat into balance.”
The fear I had before returned. I swallowed hard. “You were sent after Mr. Lyons. Riley’s father.”
“We were sent to restore balance where it was absent.”
I was afraid to ask, but I was afraid not to as well. “Are you going to kill him?”
“No. Not anymore.”
“But you were going to kill him?”
He shrugged. “We were sent to bring balance. That may have meant eliminating him. We will not know now.”
“Why not?”
“It has been decided to give him mercy. What he does with it is up to him. Our work here is done. We will return to our life.” He looked in the direction his pack had gone. “You saw how happy they were to be free of man skin.”
It was true. They did look happy.
“When it is time for me to join them, I will be happy, too.”
“When will that be?”
“When I have finished with you.”
I was shocked. “Me? What do you have to finish with me?”
“First,” he said, “I am to answer your questions.”
“Here’s a question. Why did Mother Nature decide to give mercy to Riley’s dad?”
“She did not. Giving mercy is only for the Invisible Father. Only he can override the laws of nature. Earth Mother cannot.”
“Okay, then, why did he do it?”
“He does what he does. All that is, is his. He may do with it as he wishes.”
“That’s fair,” I said, not hiding my sarcasm.
Aiden laughed. “That is so human. You speak of ‘fair’ as if you don’t belong to him. That is nonsense. Men waste much time thinking of nonsense.”
It didn’t dawn on me to be insulted by that, but it was insulting. I suppose I wasn’t insulted because it just sounded like an observation.
“Why me?” I asked. “Is it because of my father? Am I a descendant of the Nicotani?” I held the wolf’s tooth away from my chest. “Does this give me special power?”
“No.”
“‘No’ to what?”
“‘No’ to each of it. It is not because of your father. You are not a descendant of the Nicotani, and the necklace you wear gives you no special power. You do have special power. It is in your nose and in your character.”
“My character?”
“You are a truth teller, and that makes you special. If there was a reason the Invisible Father spared your friend’s father, it might be for your sake.”
I opened my hand, and the wolf’s tooth fell back against my chest. “So my father’s necklace had nothing to do with why you saved me so many times.”
“It does not. I have already told you, we were looking out for you.”
Then he stood. “That is the last question. Follow me, Jazz-barr. She wants to answer that question herself.”
I stood, but I wasn’t prepared to follow him again, at least not without an explanation. “Who are you taking me to?”
“The Earth Mother,” he said, before leading me out of the clearing. As before, he walked ahead of me. He stayed on the path for no more than ten yards or so, then he turned to his left and led me through the underbrush and small trees. My arms and cheek, the only exposed parts of me, got scratched many times before I stumbled into another clearing.
I lay there getting my bearings. This clearing was long and thin. Rather than benches set out in a circle, this place was lined with honeysuckle bushes. It was late fall, so the honeysuckle was a half year from blooming, but the smell of honeysuckle was strong.
Aiden’s hand slipped under my arm and began lifting me up. When I got to my feet he was behind me. He leaned near my ear and whispered, “She’s waiting for you.”
That’s when I noticed her. She was standing at the far end of the clearing with her back to me. She was wearing a brown hooded cloak that camouflaged her against the forest beyond. I watched several hummingbirds hover around her head. With both hands she pulled the hood back, revealing her long, curly black hair.
Aiden nudged me forward. I didn’t think I was in danger, but I was still afraid. I also knew I didn’t need protection, and that even if I did, the wolf’s tooth was not the talisman I had thought it was. But I felt better holding it as I walked anyway.
When I got ten feet from her, the white wolf trotted past me. I stopped and watched as Aiden, the white wolf, stood alongside of her, leaning against her right leg. Stooping down, she cupped the side of his head and scratched under his chin. He nuzzled his head against her thigh like an overgrown puppy.
When she stood up again, the white wolf turned and trotted back toward me. He stopped
directly in front of me. I squatted down. He let me hold his head with both my hands, scratching just above his jaw. I knew I’d never see him again. I could feel the tears pooling up in my eyes. “Thank you,” I told him.
When a shadow fell over us, I looked up. It was her. She was standing over us with the sun directly behind her head, so I still couldn’t make out her face. I let go of Aiden. He trotted off as I stood up.
When I was all the way standing up I could finally see her face. All I could say was, “Mom.”
* * *
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to:
Those who made significant editorial contributions: My readers Sarah Barker, Alex Morris, and Jenny Hensley; my editor, Bob Land (www.PastorsPress.com); my compositor, Gary Rosenberg (www.TheBookCouple.com); and my proofreader, DeeDee Galliher.
Those who offered special support and encouragement: Barb Thompson, Dyan Buck, Craig McDonald, and Mariel Story.
Those who offered their expert knowledge in various areas of expertise:
Todd and Elizabeth Abel, for recommendations about Boone and the surrounding area.
Barbara Duncan, PhD., Education Director Museum of the Cherokee Indian (www.cherokeemuseum.org), for myths and legends of the Cherokee peoples.
Vanessa A. Fitsanakis, PhD., for neurotoxicology.
John H. Graham, PhD, Professor of Physical Therapy at Emory & Henry College, for toxicology.
Leona Jennings, for allowing me to use her as a character.
Dale McCovery, owner/operator of Mountain Grounds Coffee and Tea Co. (www.mountaingrounds.com) for information about the Banner Elk area and for allowing herself and her establishment to be part of the story.
David & Debbie McLiesh, owner/operators of Dreamland Alpacas in Meadowview, VA ([email protected]), for life with Alpacas.
Amanda Mills, for information about Watauga High School.
Kent Paulette, artist extraordinaire (www.derfla.com), for letting me fictionalize his real-life appearance at the 2014 Wooly Worm Festival.
Matt & Sydney Peltier, for recommendations about Boone eateries.
Jerry Wolfe, Beloved man of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Outreach Staff at the Museum of the Cherokee Indians, for culture and legends of the Cherokee.
Real places mentioned in the book:
In Boone: Black Cat Burrito, Capone’s Pizza, Come Back Shack, Galileo’s, High Country Press, Hob Knob Farm Café, Joy Bristo, and Watauga High School.
In Banner Elk: Azalea Bed & Breakfast, Dunn’s Deli, Mountain Grounds Coffee & Tea Co., Sister Lee’s, Studio 140, and The Wooly Worm Festival.
In Blowing Rock: Canyons & Derfla Gallery.
Jasper Lilla and The Wolves of Banner Elk Page 17
