Howling Dead

by M. H. Bonham

  Jim nodded. Satisfied, Alaric shifted. The wolf floundered in the clothing for a few seconds, and then trotted to the door. Megan opened it for him and he traveled out into the night.

  Jim hesitated and glanced at Megan, who nodded and left the room. He knelt down beside Kira and stroked her fur.

  “Kira,” he whispered. “Kira. I don’t know if you can hear me but if you can, I want to tell you that you’re a special lady.” He noticed that her ear flicked, and hoped she could understand him. “Listen, I know this werewolf thing is difficult and Alaric says it can’t be cured, but I don’t believe it. You don’t either—I can tell. Maybe you can come with me to the Cheyenne reservation. Their medicine is strong and they may have something that will stop you from being a skinwalker.”

  He looked down at her. “Kira, I find you very attractive. I’ve never felt this way before about any woman.” He stopped, at a loss for words. What was this foolishness? Was he going to tell her he loved her? He hardly knew her! “Get well, Kira,” he said lamely. “I will see you when I get off tonight.”

  He stood up and turned to leave. As he did, he was met by Megan.

  “I don’t think it would work out,” Megan said. “She’s like me—a werewolf now.”

  Jim was too tired to argue. Instead, he walked past the vet, out the door and back to his car.

  CHAPTER 42

  Kira found herself standing in the forest of lodge pole pines again. It looked remarkably familiar— something she had seen sometime before. She walked slowly and deliberately through the dark forest in her wolf form, as though searching for something.

  Damn, it seems so familiar, she thought.

  Why shouldn’t it be? came a voice.

  Kira nearly jumped. She looked up at the tree to see a green gecko. Lizard? she said tentatively.

  Hiya sis, the gecko said.

  Kira frowned, sat down and looked up at the gecko. I’m in the Enchanted Forest?

  Where else would you be, sweetie?

  That’s impossible! Kira said. I didn’t link to it.

  Lizard said nothing, but watched her with its odd eyes. It scuttled down the bark, still out of the way of her wolf teeth.

  Kira pondered her predicament. Command mode? she said tentatively.

  Okay, said a disembodied voice. Command?

  Shit! Kira looked upwards into the forest canopy. Was she really in the Enchanted Forest?

  I don’t recognize that command.

  No, voice recognition off. Kira turned to look at Lizard, but he was gone. There was something about the Lizard she didn’t like. He didn’t seem to offer her many answers.

  Then, her senses prickled. She felt something coming toward her. Then she heard the howl.

  Her hackles rose and she took off, but now she didn’t know what to do. In real life, she could pull the headset off and that would be that. But here she didn’t have a headset. Instead, she had somehow tapped into the wireless network without any devices.

  The forest shifted and she saw them coming after her. Three werewolves loped toward her; their eyes were red and their tongues lolled in anticipation of the slaughter. Kira turned and ran—the wolves were terrible and she didn’t know what would happen to her if they did get hold of her. Could they kill her or just mentally screw with her? She didn’t want to find out.

  Suddenly her avatar changed from wolf to human. To her surprise, she was naked and cold, and her skin prickled with goose bumps. Try as she might, she could not change back to her wolf avatar and her two legs were hardly fast enough to evade the three werewolves bearing down on her.

  The forest grew darker and the trees changed to a mixture of deciduous and coniferous. Kira kept running, but slipped on the damp ground and fell. When she looked up, she found she had fallen in front of a large cyber yew tree in the middle of the forest. Right beside her stood the largest wolf she had ever imagined.

  The wolf was a female with gray fur that shimmered almost silver in the cyberworld. She had red glowing eyes and her teeth were bared in a snarl. She was bigger even than the male werewolves Kira had seen in the real world.

  The three marauding werewolves halted when they saw the She-Wolf. She snarled and leapt at them, her jaws closing on one and snapping its neck. The other two fled in terror.

  The She-Wolf shook the carcass twice and then dumped it unceremoniously on the ground before Kira. Kira shivered and shrank away as the wolf came toward her. The She-Wolf lifted her lip. You hate me, don’t you? the wolf said plainly in Kira’s mind.

  Raw fear filled Kira’s throat and she backed up as the wolf approached. Kira’s head spun and she tried to focus on changing into a wolf, but she couldn’t. There had to be some way of escaping the Forest.

  Funny, you would want to transmute now that I’ve confronted you, the wolf said.

  Who are you? Kira’s voice was choked with fear.

  Who do you think I am?

  I don’t know. Even as she said it, the thought came to her. You’re me. I’m going crazy.

  Not exactly, said the She-Wolf, but you will be if you deny me.

  Kira stared at the wolf. That thing was her? She couldn’t believe it. Even in wolf form, Kira was never that large. What are you?

  A manifestation of what we are. The Forest gives me a chance to take form without the transmutation.

  How can I still be connected to the Forest?

  Through me.

  You?

  The wolf sat down and licked her paws, turning her dark gaze away from Kira. The DNA mutations—a part of your cells that mimic what they’re told to do. The headset...

  Kira closed her eyes and shivered. Spaz’s headset didn’t just put thoughts into actions; it fed information back into the brain. In its bizarre way, it was modifying thought patterns. But how far did it modify brain patterns? To a point where her brain could pick up on wireless transmissions and find a route into the Enchanted Forest by itself?

  The werewolf side of you makes you capable of doing this, the She-Wolf said.

  Could a Normal human do this?

  Maybe, the She-Wolf replied. Some have the latent ability, but most don’t. Maybe over time, even those with monkey brains could figure it out.

  Hey!

  The She-Wolf grinned a toothy grin. I don’t see what’s so superior about humans.

  Kira frowned. She didn’t like the way this conversation was heading. Go away. Leave me alone.

  I can’t, said the She Wolf. I’m part of you. The She-Wolf faded from her thoughts and Kira was back in the Forest in wolf form.

  CHAPTER 43

  The sun shone through the skylights at the vet’s office and onto Kira’s face, both warming her and waking her up. She lay for a while not quite cognizant of her surroundings, but aware of the smells and the feel of the place. The sharp scent of bleach and the animal smells wafted through her nostrils along with the smell of cool, fresh air from the city. The air was cool, but the blanket she was lying on was warm. She could feel the prickle of needles in her skin and hear the slow drip of the IV.

  But there were other sounds, too, and other movement. A woman entered the room, lifted Kira’s eyelids a bit and peered into her glassy eyes for response. Kira shifted uncomfortably, smacking her dry lips. She was thirsty and her neck ached—but less now.

  “Doctor—she’s coming around.”

  Kira pondered the words. They made no sense to her addled mind and she dwelled on each word as though individually, the words had some importance. They had great significance, didn’t they?

  A woman came in and Kira knew she was familiar but didn’t know why. Kira lifted her head—would the woman bring her something to drink?

  “Easy, Kira. Let’s take a look at those wounds before we move around.”

  Kira blinked. The woman carefully picked at something along her neck. Kira tried to look down at her neck but couldn’t. The woman’s name was on the tip of her tongue—why couldn’t she remember it?

  “Ah, it’s almost hea
led,” the woman said. “How do you feel?”

  Kira tried to speak but a whine came from her lips.

  “Use your telepathy,” the woman said.

  Telepathy? Kira paused. The words were nonsensical and yet meant something to her. As she looked dumbly at the woman, the incident of the night before came back to her. Megan?

  “Yeah, that’s right, it’s Megan,” the vet said. “Your wounds are almost healed. By nightfall, your fur will have grown back.”

  Kira blinked. You mean I’m completely healed?

  “You’re a werewolf,” Megan said. “You’ve made the complete transformation—otherwise you’d be dead. Cathal really tore you up good.”

  A panicky thought seized her. Alaric?

  “Don’t worry, you saved him,” Megan said. “He and that cop brought you in.”

  Jim?

  “Native American guy—real cute?”

  Kira relaxed and closed her eyes. That’s him—he’s been looking for the rogue wolves, too.

  “How much does he know about us?” Megan asked.

  Kira hesitated. What could she say? Everything? Would it really matter now that Jim was helping them? Kira gave a noncommittal shrug. Alaric needed help. He was willing to help us.

  Megan considered Kira for a while, and then shrugged. She knelt down and began removing the IVs. “Do you feel well enough to stand and change back?”

  I’m thirsty, Kira replied.

  “One clean bowl of water coming up,” said Megan. She stood up and took a bowl from one of the cupboards, and poured some water into it from the water cooler. As she laid it on the floor for Kira to drink, Kira looked at the bowl suspiciously. “Don’t worry!” Megan laughed, seeing Kira’s expression. “I wash those in the dishwasher.”

  Kira began lapping the water up. The water was cold and washed away both the burning sensation and the taste of her own blood. When she looked up, Megan was holding a stack of clothing. She walked into the bathroom and laid the clothes on the sink. “Your cop friend brought them when he came. I had the techs wash and dry them.”

  Kira was touched. Thank you. Megan turned on the light inside the bathroom and Kira stood up slowly. She was hungry and a little wobbly, but after a few moments, she found she could walk. She peered inside the bathroom—there was a shower, and towels and soaps were laid out.

  “You can take a shower, if you’d like.”

  What about the wound?

  “I don’t think it will be much of a problem,” Megan said. “Check it out in the mirror. In the meantime, I’ve got to get back to clients.” She paused. “Oh, and lock the door. Fred comes by with deliveries and while I don’t think he’d intrude, it’s better just to keep away unwanted surprises.”

  With that, she shut the door, leaving Kira alone. Kira closed her eyes and began the transformation. It was slower than usual, and a bit painful—probably because she had been seriously injured. As she became human, she looked at her neck. She could see the redness and bruising where the bite marks had been, but otherwise the skin had healed. She touched the newly formed skin and shivered as she felt a small prickle of pain. Not quite healed, but almost.

  The first wolf bites had taken nearly a month to heal. Now, her werewolf body was doing what had taken her normal body a month, in less than a day. She turned around, locked the door and then turned on the shower, letting the water run until it built up some steam.

  She closed her eyes and stepped under the spray, ignoring the first shock of the water on her tender neck. Kira knew she should be frightened, or at least freaked out. Instead, something inside her seemed to wash away the pain and fear as surely as the water washed away the dirt and grime from the previous night.

  Kira had saved the life of the Alpha of the Denver wolfpack. She had never saved anyone’s life before, as far as she could remember. But then, until she had gotten wrapped up in this whole werewolf thing, she hadn’t been nearly killed, either. Twice, she added mentally as she rinsed the soap from her body. She picked up the shampoo and grimaced. It was a pro-groomer’s shampoo for dogs, with a light apricot scent. She shrugged, poured some in her hands, and lathered.

  As she did, her mind went back to separating the events from last night. Jim had told her that Spaz was missing and that he and his partner had to investigate Spaz’s apartment. Kira frowned. There had been no time for Jim to tell her what happened to Spaz during their confrontation with Cathal Murphy. She remembered Alaric carrying her to a car, and then darkness. She remembered the dreams of running as a wolf through the Enchanted Forest. She remembered her encounter with the She-Wolf and how she saved Kira from the werewolves. It had been a dream, she decided. Nothing more. People couldn’t access the Enchanted Forest through the hi-rFreq band—that was impossible. It would require a human to be able to sense a type of broadcast wavelength.

  There had been something else—a voice through all of it. Jim’s voice. He had promised her something. She tried to remember, but couldn’t. She sighed. Maybe it was for the best.

  Kira rinsed and reached out of the shower to grasp a towel. As she did, cold air assailed her nostrils and could smell pine forest. She groaned. The air conditioner in the veterinary clinic must have gone on. She dried her hair and then wrapped the towel around her and stepped out.

  She was standing in the middle of the Enchanted Forest.

  CHAPTER 44

  Kira stared at the Forest in shock. She wondered if she was hallucinating. It would have made more sense if she was, but she knew that she wasn’t. The Forest was transposed onto reality; she found if she concentrated on either one, the other would fade slowly from her consciousness as though one of the two worlds was melting away. She closed her eyes and envisioned the Forest, and it snapped into view. She could smell the pines and the feel the cold wind on her face.

  As she looked down, she could see that her avatar had taken the form of a wolf again. She trotted forward, puzzling over the Forest. Could the She-Wolf have told her the truth—that a werewolf could pick up the frequencies of the network and somehow make sense of it?

  Kira had needed the headset to see the Enchanted Forest at first, but maybe she wouldn’t have needed it if she had known what to look for. She wasn’t as in-tune with this werewolf thing yet, and maybe it just came naturally for some bit-headed weres. Maybe the hi-rFreq was similar to the telepathy that the werewolves used. After all, there had to be some type of scientific explanation for how and why werewolves existed. And how the bites infected werewolves.

  After a few attempts, Kira shut down her mental link with the Forest. She’d have to talk to Alaric to find out how much he knew about it, and she’d have to tell Jim what she found. She doubted he’d be happy about it, but he had to know what was going on.

  Kira got dressed and stepped out. The clinic was busy. Two vet techs were in the room: one was filing folders; another was cleaning the teeth of a dog under anesthesia. They were both young women, wearing scrubs—barely out of high school, by the looks of them. The woman filing folders had blonde hair tied back in a bun. The other had short brown hair and was wearing safety glasses as she worked on the dog’s teeth with a cleaner. Kira noted how foul the dog’s breath was.

  “Where’s Megan?” Kira asked as they looked over.

  “Dr. Olson’s in with a client,” the woman who was filing said. Kira noted her badge said “Trisha.”

  Megan walked in carrying a folder. “Trish, I want you to send the Smiths home with amoxi-drops for their cat...” She paused. “Kira, great! That cop fellow is back and wanted to see you...”

  “Jim?” Kira said.

  “Yeah, that’s his name. He’s kinda cute for a Normal but really, Kira...”

  Kira fixed her with a stare and then glanced at the two vet techs. Trish was smiling unabashedly, but the other tech was trying hard to look uninterested.

  “Oh we’re safe. Trish and Amy are werewolves, themselves,” Megan said. “It’s not a big deal—I screen my help carefully.”

&nbs
p; “I bet.”

  “Anyway, your cop is out in the waiting room.” Megan sat down at the computer and began entering the label.

  “Ummm,” Kira said.

  Megan wheeled the chair around. “Yeah?”

  “I want to thank you. Don’t I owe you something?” Kira knew she couldn’t pay, but maybe the vet would take a payment plan.

  “Alpha got it,” Megan said, a slight smirk crossing her features. “If you owe anyone, you owe him.”

  “Hmmm, thank him for me?”

  “You can do that yourself, sweetie,” she said without looking up. “He left a message—he wants to take you out to dinner at six. He’ll drop by your apartment to pick you up.”

  Kira’s eyes went wide. “Alaric left the message?”

  “I wouldn’t refuse, if I were you.”

  Kira said nothing. Instead, she walked out into the waiting room. An elderly woman waited with a cat in a carrier, a young family (a husband, wife and a toddler) sat with a Golden Retriever puppy, and teenager sat with her mixed breed. Jim was in a chair off by himself, looking bored but flipping through a copy of Tuft’s Your Dog. He glanced up and grinned. “You know, they have a really interesting article on canine flatulence in here.”

  Kira stifled a laugh. “Thanks for dropping by.”

  He stood up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, much to her surprise. “How could I not see my favorite werewolf?” he whispered in her ear.

  His earthy smell filled her nostrils. It was relaxing and yet heady for her. “I thought I was the only werewolf you knew.”

  “I got to meet quite a few last night,” Jim said. He met her gaze. “Are you okay?”

  Kira nodded and pointed to her neck. “Completely healed.”

  “I wouldn’t have believed it even happened if I hadn’t seen it myself,” he said. He glanced at the clients in the waiting room. “Let’s get out of here and get some food. You hungry?”