Wolf Storm

by Dee Garretson

  “I’d rather try something else first,” Stefan said.

  “Maybe we can make a tent out of something,” Jeremy said, “or a blanket fort out of the costume skins.”

  “There are tarps on the skimmers,” Stefan said. “We could use those. Or he could just sit in one of the skimmers. It would at least get him under cover.” He looked down at Cecil, who had lowered the bottle and was absently petting Kep’s head.

  “Then he wouldn’t be close to a fire,” Raine said. “Even if we built a new fire down by them, it wouldn’t do him any good once he’s inside one.”

  “Maybe we can use the tarps and the skins to cover the open part of the equipment trailer.” Even as Stefan said it, he knew it wasn’t the best solution. The trailer was big, and it would take a lot of effort both to clear it out and then enclose it.

  “We could build an igloo.” Jeremy scooped up a handful of snow and tried to pack it together. “People stay warm in those.”

  Raine poked at the fire. “That’s not very practical,” she said. “Do you know how to build an igloo? I don’t think we can just whip one up in a few minutes.”

  “Jeremy has the right idea.” Stefan walked down the slope a few yards, trying to identify the various pieces of debris, trying to remember what exactly had been on the set. “I wish we still had the command outpost prop. That was like a small building.” He didn’t see anything at the spot where it had originally stood, but farther down there was a snow-covered mound of something lumpy enough to be man-made. “I think I see it.”

  “I still think we should get Cecil in the camera trailer,” Raine said.

  “Let’s try this first. If it’s really the command outpost, I’ll need some help uncovering it.” He glanced back at Cecil, hoping it was okay to leave him. The man was just staring off into space, but at least it was better than seeing him all agitated.

  When they reached the mound, Stefan knelt down and brushed a small area clear, uncovering a section of black metal. From the etched design and the shimmering color, he knew it was part of the command building.

  “Would you help me lift this up?” he asked Raine. Pulling one section free from the snow, they balanced it between them. With the snow off, he could see how they had been put together in the original building. Each piece was a curved pie-shaped wedge, taller than him, with hinges on both sides to fasten it to the next section.

  “We can’t put it all back together,” Jeremy said, shifting another one. “Some of the hinges are broken.”

  “It doesn’t have to be the full size. We can move some of these around so that we can make them into a little round shelter, like your igloo idea. Let’s go through them to find the ones that still have hinges. If we don’t find enough, we’ll just tape them.”

  Some of the pieces were cracked and missing chunks, but the rest of them were mostly whole. “I think we should drag them back so we’re close to the fire,” Stefan said. They weren’t heavy, and it didn’t take long to fasten what they had together. The sections didn’t fit snugly next to each other where they curved to form the ceiling. When Raine pointed that out, Stefan said, “We’ll throw a tarp over the top, but we can leave a small opening for smoke, and then we’ll build a fire inside.”

  When they were finished, they had a shelter about the size of a large camping tent. Stefan couldn’t find the door piece to the outpost, so he used one of the costume skins as a flap over the opening, taping it along the top and securing the creature head above the door so it would be out of the way. It gave a weird-looking tribal feel to the structure, like the creature was a hunting trophy, or a warning sign not to enter. Inside, there wasn’t much room to move around, but Stefan figured they didn’t need any. Besides, the closer they were together, he reasoned, the warmer they would be. It was very dark inside, like being deep underground.

  “This is terrific!” Raine said. “I can’t believe we made something so great.”

  Stefan observed their work, trying to figure out what else they needed to do. “Jeremy, would you go get one of those stunt mattresses you found? Did you see an air pump to blow them up?”

  “I don’t know what an air pump looks like.”

  “They hook them up to special fans to inflate the air bags,” Raine said. “But we don’t have any way to plug in the fans.”

  “So much for the pump. Just get the mattress. At least it will be a barrier between Cecil and the wet snow.”

  “I’ll get some more wood for a fire,” Raine said.

  “Why don’t you help me with Cecil first?” He hoped the man wouldn’t start quoting lines again. Seeing someone that confused was almost worse than seeing them physically ill.

  Cecil and Kep were both dozing. Phoebe sat next to them, trying to lick the wound on her neck.

  “Should we wake him up?” Raine whispered. “I wish we knew what was wrong with him.”

  “Whatever it is, he’ll be better off out of the snow.” Stefan gently shook Cecil’s arm. “Wake up, Cecil.” The man opened his eyes but didn’t speak. “When you warm up, you’ll feel better,” Stefan said, more to convince himself than Cecil.

  Raine picked up Kep and then put him on the ground. The little dog whined and acted as if he was going to try to jump back into Cecil’s lap.

  “Just wait a minute,” Raine said. “Once we get Cecil inside, you can have your spot again.” Stefan was glad to see the pug had stopped shivering.

  “I’ll help Cecil if you bring the chair,” Stefan said. He took the costume skins off Cecil and then urged the old man out of the chair. Taking Cecil’s arm and putting it over his shoulder, Stefan supported him as they shuffled down the hill. Phoebe and Kep came with them, but Boris and Natasha ignored them, still circling around the set and sniffing the ground.

  Raine darted ahead with the chair and disappeared inside. As soon as she was out of sight, Kep barked and ran after her. Phoebe followed right behind him. Stefan didn’t understand why the wolf had gotten so attached to the little dog, but he supposed that would be something for a wolf expert, not him, to figure out.

  Before Cecil and Stefan were even halfway to the shelter, Raine was back outside. “I’d like to go put on one of the costumes. I’m really cold in these clothes. I’ll bring a tunic for Cecil, if there’s one that looks like it will fit him. Are you okay, or do you need some help?”

  Stefan had been so occupied with Cecil, he hadn’t noticed Raine was still wearing the same snow-caked clothes she’d had on since the avalanche. “We’re okay,” he said, even though his side hurt more with Cecil’s extra weight dragging on him.

  By the time he finally got Cecil inside, Jeremy had already laid out two air mattresses. Phoebe and Kep were curled up on one. “They’re really big,” the boy said, “so I didn’t need to unfold them all the way. It’s better that way, because the folded layers make them more comfortable, like they are real mattresses.”

  Stefan didn’t think they looked comfortable at all, but they couldn’t be choosy.

  “What should I do now?” Jeremy asked cheerfully.

  “Why don’t you go get the costume skins? I left them by the fire. Cecil, would you rather lie down or sit in the chair?” Stefan asked. Cecil nodded at the chair, so Stefan helped him over to it.

  Raine, in a dry costume now, pushed through the flap carrying a crumpled piece of metal. “I had a great idea! I don’t know what this was, but I found this in the kitchen area. We can make a fire in it like it’s a mini patio fire bowl so it won’t go out from the snow melting. The bonfire is already dying down from the snow melting underneath it.” She grinned, clearly very pleased with her plan.

  “Good idea,” Stefan said. “I’ll help you find some wood.”

  They gathered up what small pieces they could find. Without an ax it would be hard to break up the larger pieces into something they could use inside the shelter. There were plenty of broken trees around, but Stefan knew green wood from fresh trees wouldn’t burn well.

  Jeremy joined them. �
��I ran and got a tunic for Cecil and then I helped him wrap up in the costume skins. He’s getting warm, so I came to help you.”

  “Good, we can use the help,” Stefan said. “Pick up anything small enough to fit in the fire in the shelter.”

  Boris and Natasha were nosing around in the debris by the kitchen. Natasha had dug up a piece of meat, something that from a distance looked like a steak. She crouched down to gnaw on it, growling when Boris came over to investigate. Seeing Stefan watching her, she got up and loped off into the trees, still carrying the meat. Boris started to dig at the spot Natasha had abandoned.

  “What do you think he’s digging up?” Raine asked.

  “Meat,” Stefan said. “Wolves don’t eat anything else. He’s not going to hunt for lentil soup.”

  “Very funny,” Raine said. “That might deserve a snowball.” She focused back on Boris instead. “You don’t think . . . it couldn’t be . . . the cook?”

  “NO!” Stefan said, irritated she had brought up the cook in front of Jeremy.

  “The cook?” Jeremy looked stricken. “I forgot about her. Where is she?”

  “I think the cook must have gone home last night,” Stefan said. “We looked for her this morning and didn’t find her. I’m sure Boris just smells more steaks or whatever they had in the refrigerator.”

  “Are you sure?” Jeremy asked.

  Stefan noticed Jeremy’s breaths were getting a little squeaky. “I’m sure. You have your inhaler, right?” he asked.

  “No, it was inside the lodge.” The boy took a few deep breaths like he was experimenting with breathing. They could all hear the wheezing. “I’m okay, except I forgot to take the medicine I was supposed to take last night. My dad is the one who always reminds me. But if someone gets here soon, I’ll be fine.” He coughed and the wheezing sounded louder.

  Stefan tried to stay calm, but he didn’t know if he could deal with both Cecil and Jeremy getting sick. Neither Raine nor Jeremy seemed to realize just how bad things were. It was like they thought they were actually just acting in a movie, pretending they were in danger, but telling themselves they really weren’t. He knew, even if they didn’t, they were all in serious trouble, and things were likely to get worse. He didn’t think they should count on people making a quick rescue attempt.

  He made a decision. “We need to go for help,” he said. Saying it made him feel better. He had to do something. “If I can get down the cliff using the cables, I could walk down the lower part of the mountain to the village.” He tried to figure out how many hours it would take. Was there enough time before dark? His ribs ached at the thought of the climb and the walk, but it didn’t seem like there was much choice.

  “No, it’s too far in the snow for either one of us. If we had some skis or snowboards, it wouldn’t be so hard, but we’d never be able to walk all that way. I have a better idea.” Raine pulled the crumpled map from her pocket and smoothed it out. “I was looking at this while I was waiting for Jeremy. We’re here,” she said, pointing, “and the closest labeled place is this Castle Ruil. It doesn’t look very far. See? Maybe it’s just right over there.” She pointed off beyond the lodge to the west, where a forest of spruce trees covered a relatively flat area that rose in the distance to another mountain. “Our mountain makes up one side of a bowl, just like a lot of the really good ski resorts at home, and this castle looks like it has to be on the other side of the bowl before the elevation starts to rise again.”

  Stefan tried to remember what the area had looked like before the snow started. He knew he hadn’t seen any castle, but maybe the trees were just obscuring it.

  “If it’s on the map, that means there are people there, right?” Raine said.

  Taking the map from her, he found the spot. “I don’t know. I didn’t even know there were castles in Slovakia.”

  “There are lots of them, but they’re small, more like stone manor houses. I read about it in a guide book. I guess people liked to call them castles.”

  “How far away is it?” The snowflakes were already blotching up the map with wet marks, making it tough to see specific features or the key.

  Raine used her fingers to measure. “Only a half mile or so.”

  “I thought you said there weren’t any roads close to us. If it’s only a half mile, that could be good. We can handle that.” He studied the map more carefully. “But I don’t see a road going to it. If someone lived there, it would have a road.”

  “Maybe the road isn’t big enough to be on the map. Like it’s a private road just to the castle.”

  Stefan didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to be the one to make the decision. But if they didn’t do anything, and Cecil got worse, then it might be too late to do anything. “Okay, I’ll go,” he said. “You stay here and watch out for them.”

  She grabbed the map back from him. “Don’t treat me like a girl. I’ll go. You’re the one who’s hurt, and it was my idea anyway.”

  “You should both go, so you can help each other. What if you were by yourself and you got lost? I can watch out for Cecil,” Jeremy said.

  Stefan was surprised Jeremy didn’t seem scared at the idea of staying without them.

  The kid didn’t seem to understand he wouldn’t be able to do anything if Cecil got worse, even though when Stefan thought about it, it wasn’t like he or Raine knew what to do either.

  “We might both get lost,” Stefan argued.

  “Jeremy’s right,” Raine said. “In all the movies I’ve ever seen, the one who goes off by himself never comes back. Terrible things happen to them. That’s when the crazy people or the monsters get them.”

  Stefan didn’t like where this discussion was going. “Fine, but I’m not exactly worried about an abominable snowman jumping out at us. We need to get moving if we’re going to do this. It will be slow walking through all that snow.”

  “What about our wolves?” Jeremy said. “They’re staying here, right?”

  “Right,” Stefan said. “If we show up at someone’s house with a pack of wolves, they won’t be happy to see us.”

  “I wasn’t thinking about that,” Jeremy said. “If that wolf you saw yesterday comes back, I want Boris here. He looks tough and he could chase it off.”

  “We shouldn’t chance it. Maybe you shouldn’t let either of the wolves run free. Our guys might get hurt in a fight with an untamed wolf,” Raine said. “These wolves don’t even know how to live in the wild. It’s our fault they can’t take care of themselves, I mean, not us, right here, right now, but it’s someone’s fault they’re more like dogs than wolves.”

  “I didn’t think about them getting hurt. I’ll tie them up and keep them close to me,” Jeremy said.

  “Just make sure Kep doesn’t get too cold either,” Raine said. “He doesn’t realize he doesn’t have as much fur as a wolf.”

  “I’ll take care of everyone,” Jeremy said. “We’ll be fine.”

  Stefan hoped so. Even though Jeremy acted a little young for his age, the kid didn’t seem the kind to do anything too stupid.

  “Okay,” Stefan said. “Let’s go then.”

  “No, wait, we need some supplies.” Raine ran past the rapidly shrinking fire to a cooler and opened the lid. “Do you want something to drink?” she asked, pulling out a bottle of juice the same peach color of Cecil’s. “It’s carrot papaya nectar; that’s the only kind in the cooler.”

  “No food?” He’d give anything for one of those plum dumplings.

  She shook her head. “Just juice. I thought I had found another cooler, but it was only a lid.”

  Stefan sighed. “Okay, it’s better than nothing.” Taking the bottle, he drank it all, unable to stop himself. Even though he was still only slightly warmer than frozen, his mouth was parched, and the sweetness of the juice immediately made him feel better.

  “We can probably survive on this for days if we have to,” Raine said. “People in the wilderness live on bugs and atrocious stuff like that. At least we hav
e something with vitamins in it.”

  “There’s no way I’m sitting around for days in the cold with only carrot papaya juice as nourishment, no matter how many vitamins it has.” The thought of a juice diet was enough incentive to get him moving. “Jeremy, you should go inside,” he said, still not sure about leaving the kid behind. He’d feel better knowing Jeremy and Cecil were under cover, out of the snow. He felt more flakes on his face and brushed at them. When they were busy doing things, he could almost forget about the snow, but every time he stopped to think, there was no way to ignore it.

  “Go on!” Jeremy waved at them. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Come on, Stefan,” Raine said.

  As soon as they got beyond the set area into undisturbed snow, they immediately sank way down into the powder with each step. The novelty of making tracks through unbroken snow wore off before they even reached the trees. Stefan hoped the castle was only a half mile away. He tried to remember how many feet were in a mile, and then started to count his steps as a way to keep moving. Every ten steps was an accomplishment, and a hundred an even greater one.

  “I just realized the people at the castle probably won’t speak English,” Raine said. “How are we going to explain what we need?”

  “I don’t know. Can you draw? Maybe we can draw an old man lying down, or something. We can do a lot of pointing or miming. Or you can do the miming, you’re the actor. Act out Cecil getting sick.”

  “I can do that,” Raine said. “That was scary when he was babbling those lines.”

  Stefan didn’t answer. He had lost count of his footsteps and was getting too winded to talk. They trudged on until they were surrounded by trees. The narrow spruces were so covered with snow, they looked like weird sculptures. It was totally silent, probably because any birds or animals were smart enough to be curled up somewhere warm, unlike dumb humans. Maybe they should have stayed at the shelter.