HIDDEN MICKEY ADVENTURES 4

by Nancy Temple Rodrigue

  “If granola bars are all you have to eat, I might be forced to.”

  “I usually eat with my family.” She glanced out the entrance of the cave at the placement of the sun. “They should be sitting down to dinner about now. Shall we join them?”

  Wolf wasn’t too interested in going back to the camp. His first encounter had been less than friendly and he didn’t want to be goaded into another fight.

  “At your silence, I assume that’s a no. If you’re afraid, you needn’t worry. They won’t hurt you now.”

  She was trying to attack Wolf’s dignity—and he knew it. Amused, he slowly shook his head as he answered her. “Unless you want to end up crushed to the earth again, quit trying to start another fight. I am not afraid now nor was I then. Is that clear?”

  Omah could tell by the look in his eyes that she had best not press him further. With her back still sore, she didn’t think she could take another beating. The offensive posture she had assumed was dropped. “I will give you that,” she admitted grudgingly. “You are known for your bravery. I suggest we call a truce—a real one this time—to see what we can work out. You do have a lot to learn, and I want to figure out how we both came to be as we are.”

  Wolf looked at the paw she held out to him. He thought she was being sincere. At least he hoped so. All the fighting was making his body ache, not that he would let her know. His paw touched hers. “Deal. Now, to start, how come you and that woman who speared me have red hair? It’s not a trait of the Blackfoot.”

  Knowing the fighting was over for now, Omah relaxed as she sat back on her sleeping mat. “Her name is Kiaayo. She is my sister—my older sister. Our mother wasn’t Blackfoot, just Dad.” She fondly thought back on the oft-told tale about her family. “One day Father was at a trading post in the Idaho Territory and saw this beautiful redhead. Her family and other settlers had just arrived in a wagon train from Nebraska. He was instantly drawn to her. Her name was Sadie Temple, and the feeling was reciprocated.” Omah paused as she tried to put the rest of the story into non-judgmental words. “Let’s just say her family wasn’t too thrilled to learn about her infatuation. So, to make a long story short, she ran away to join the tribe. Just packed her bag one day and walked out of town in broad daylight. Even then, the Blackfoot were more, how would you say, progressive in their thinking. She was quite welcome. Especially by Father.”

  “And her family?”

  Omah lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “The usual. Mother tried to go back to visit after Kiaayo was born, but, well, that just wasn’t done then. She never saw them again.”

  Wolf just nodded. His tribe faced the same prejudices.

  “Kiaayo was about two or three when Mother was expecting me. They were quite happy until….”

  When Omah broke off and didn’t continue the story, Wolf felt he knew why. It was the same ending that his parents had suffered. “Until the gray wolf came and ended their happiness.”

  Her sharp sapphire blue eyes swung to face him. “Yeah, but why? Why were both of our families hit like that? Why do you have the same color eyes I do? My mother’s eyes were green; my father’s a deep brown. How can we both travel like we do? And why a wolf?”

  “Why, indeed.” Wolf got up to pace the small cave. These were the same unanswered questions he had asked for centuries. “Was it the same wolf that tried to kill both of our pregnant mothers? It sounds like it, but how do we know? And how would that even be possible? My tribe lives nowhere near here—from what I can tell of the landscape. Then there is the fact that, after I was born and my mother died, my father tracked down the wolf and killed it. He wears the skin to this day. Your mother would have to have been attacked before then.” Wolf broke off pacing and suddenly gave her a grin. “You know, that makes you older than me.”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  “Gosh, you could even be decades older than I am.”

  “It doesn’t matter! I am thirty-five and I’m sticking to that.”

  “I usually say thirty-two.”

  “Hmmp. You would.” She shook her head in disgust. “Men. Tell me, what do you mean that your father still wears the wolf skin? You meant in your youth, didn’t you?”

  Irritated at his slip, Wolf didn’t want to tell her his family was represented by the Friendly Village situated on the Rivers of America back in Disneyland. Experience taught him that anything done at Disneyland in the current day affected the past. Since he didn’t know what she would do with that knowledge, he didn’t want her messing with his loved ones. She had a long way to go to earn that much trust. “Yeah, sure, when I was a kid. I still go back to visit when I can.”

  Her eyes narrowed. Positive he wasn’t telling her the whole story, she decided to let it pass. There would be plenty of time later to discover what he wasn’t explaining. “And you are always a wolf when you go back in time?”

  “Yes, I am and don’t look so amused. Obviously you know how to do it differently. That I am eager to learn from you.”

  With no desire to end up flat on the ground again, she held back the sarcastic remark on the tip of her tongue. “Why don’t you show me how you travel, and then I’ll teach you how to do it right.”

  “It isn’t wrong. It’s just different.”

  “Archaic.”

  Seeing they were headed for another argument, Wolf stalked out of the mouth of the cave. The breeze carried the tempting aroma of roasting meat from the Blackfoot camp. Nose to the air, his empty stomach began to rumble.

  Omah followed and stood off to the side. “Why do you hesitate? It’ll be dark soon and I’m hungry.”

  “I hesitate because I don’t know where I am.” He hated to admit he was completely lost, but there was no way around it. More facts were needed and she was the only one who could provide them. “I usually know the portal I am going to use and where it comes out. More or less….”

  “Antiquated.”

  “Don’t start with me! I’m sure I would eventually find my way home. Now tell me, where are we?”

  With a procrastinating look around the clearing, Omah now had to admit something she didn’t want to. Since her tribe traveled so often, she wasn’t completely sure. “Let’s just say somewhere in Montana.” She hesitated and then mumbled, “Or Canada.”

  The confession caused Wolf to pause. He had never used a portal to travel that far north. There would be no way of knowing where a random portal would dump him. “This is going to be interesting.”

  “And you will travel forward in time, right? To our own time, if I understood you correctly. And you won’t have any clothes.” She just had to add that.

  Wolf growled. “Yes. Hopefully it will dump me either at Disneyland or my own place. But, the closest thing in Disneyland that resembles Montana is….”

  “Absolutely nothing. The Grand Canyon Diorama is sort of applicable. Or somewhere on the River in Frontierland. It’s a Small World?”

  Imagining boatloads of children running into him, Wolf gave a groan. “Let’s hope for the River. I have clothes stashed all around there.”

  “Why?”

  He shot her a look. “Never mind for now. You ready?”

  “Almost.” She padded back into her den and emerged with a blanket in her mouth. She dropped it at his feet. “This might help if we don’t end up where you think.”

  Wolf was surprised at her thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”

  As she tried to help drape it over his body with her teeth, she gave a snort. “Don’t let it go to your head. There. I think that will hold, depending on what you have in store for us.”

  Once they were ready, Wolf tilted back his head and let out a long, lingering howl. It traveled through the waving treetops to bounce back in a subdued echo. The effect was immediate as the gentle breeze left over from the passing storm began to intensify. Soon it was a twisting fury of leaves and dust, swirling into a funnel that reached into the dark storm clouds that once again appeared overhead. Lightning shot out from the black clouds, angry
, jagged forks that twisted over the ground, leaving pink flashes of light behind wherever they touched.

  Intimidated, Omah took an involuntary step back as one bolt crashed merely feet in front of them. “Pink? Your color is pink?” However, the laugh that accompanied the taunt was weak and wavering. Fear of the violence made her shake.

  Wolf ignored her as he kept his eye on the approaching storm, looking for the center, that one moment when they would leap. “Hold on to my tail with your teeth. Do not let go. Get ready. It’s almost time.” He winced when Omah, happy to oblige, clamped down. That would be dealt with that later. “Ready…. Now, run with me and jump.”

  He took off at a run, almost falling when she didn’t keep up and his tail pulled him back. The pain lessened when she caught up. “Jump!”

  She leaped at the same time as Wolf, his tail crushed in her jaws. How can he do this time after time? We’re falling, twisting. Don’t let go! Everything hurts….

  Disoriented, not knowing what to expect, they were both stunned when they landed in water. The force of the storm had been greater than the depth of the water in which they found themselves. As they collided with each other, they hit the bottom.

  Eyes open, they quickly located the wavering light above them. With the hope that it was open air, they headed for the light. Gasping in big gulps, they tried to get their bearings.

  Omah pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead as she floundered in the water. “How do you do this over and over? Oh, my head is pounding! This is barbaric.”

  Wolf made a grab for the blanket before it was carried away by the current. More concerned about their location than her headache, he wiped the water out of his eyes so he could look around. A smile broke out on his face. “It worked. I’m home.”

  “Home? You live in a river? That would explain a few things….”

  Wolf ignored her sarcasm. “We’re back in Disneyland. If we go around that bend we’ll be at the Mark Twain dock.”

  “I know where the Mark Twain dock is.” Turning back she noticed the white patch of hair on his chest that was in the same place as the white patch of fur when he was a wolf. With a tilt of her chin, she indicated his bare chest. “The more important thing is: Where are you nearest clothes?”

  Before he could answer, they both heard the shrill whistle of a train. “What in the world was that? Did they change the Mark Twain’s sound?”

  “No.” Wolf’s head shot around as he looked more closely at the banks of the river opposite Tom Sawyer Island. Eyes wide, he grabbed for her head. “Hold your breath.” Without giving her time to respond, he shoved her back under the water and followed. When she immediately struggled against his rude treatment, he hugged her to his body to still her.

  Unable to get out of his grasp, Omah had had enough. In the blink of an eye, they were back in her den, dripping wet, his arms still wrapped around her body.

  As soon as he perceived the change, he pushed through the shock and moved away from her. Grabbing the soggy blanket that had somehow made the trip back, he wrapped it around his waist.

  Furious, Omah pushed limp tendrils of hair out of her face. “What’s the matter with you? Were you trying to drown me?”

  “Didn’t you see it?”

  “See what?”

  “The Mine Train was coming through Twin Sisters Falls.”

  “The Mine Train….” She broke off, her anger draining away like the water running down her legs. “How could it have been the Mine Train? That closed down in 1979.”

  “I don’t know. We traveled to the future, but apparently not far enough.”

  “How is that possible? What did you do wrong?” Before he could defend himself, Omah turned to disappear into the recesses of her cave. Wolf could hear her rummaging through something inside. When she came out, there was a pair of deerskin trousers in her hands. “Put these on. I want to dry out my blanket.”

  “How come you have a pair of men’s pants in your cave?”

  “Don’t we have more important things to discuss?” Turning away, she draped the blanket over the rocks near the entrance. It immediately started to steam from the warmth of the sun. Somehow it was now midday, not evening as it was when they left. At his pointed silence, she gave a sigh. “I was married. Can we get back to the Mine Train now?”

  Wolf could tell it was a subject she did not want to pursue. “So, where is he? Did he get fed up with your sarcasm and leave?”

  Head tilted to the side, she stared back at him, her face pulled into an emotionless mask. “He died in a buffalo stampede. Anything else you want to know?”

  Not expecting that, immediately sorry for her, Wolf reached out a hand, only to let it fall back to his side. “I’m sorry. That must have been horrible for you.”

  “It was.” With an effort, she shook off the memory and the melancholy that threatened to overwhelm her at the thoughts of her long-lost husband. “It was a long time ago. Even now, back here,” with a wave of her hand to indicate the present time, “it was a long time ago.”

  “I never even considered marrying.” The admission sprung involuntarily from Wolf’s mouth and heart. He’d never told that to anyone and immediately wished he could take it back.

  Intrigued that the closed-off Wolf would ever share anything that personal, she had to dig deeper. “Never? Why not? Haven’t you ever met anyone?”

  He bit back a sigh. She will never let it go. “I thought you’d understand. Since we don’t seem to age, how could I watch someone I love grow old and die in front of me? You went through that—for a different reason—so I thought you’d get it.”

  Walking up to him, she put a sympathetic hand on his bare shoulder. “You’ve missed out on a lot.”

  “But you saw someone you love die.”

  Stepping back, she folded her arms over her chest as she looked into his face. It was a strong face, a handsome one she had to admit to herself. When she spoke, her words were soft. “People die all the time, Wolf. My husband went too soon. And we both lost Walt. Your family all died in their time, right? Mine did. But, I can push away the reality that I’m alone by coming back here to visit them. Is it the same with you?”

  Wolf just silently nodded as she went on.

  “We are alone, you and I, Wolf, but I don’t think it has to be that way. I chose not to look for someone new. But, the choice is also mine to accept someone if I do find him. I think it’s worth the eventual heartache. I…I loved my husband and I miss him very much. Tell me, Wolf, have you ever let someone special get away just because you worried about the eventuality?”

  Wolf saw no way of getting out of this conversation. She seemed to be sincere, but he figured a sarcastic remark might not be too far away. That would bring things back to normal between them. “I don’t know. There’ve been a few women that’ve caught my eye, but I never pursued it.” He gave a shrug. “And they moved on.”

  Omah knew it was time to change the subject. She had already revealed more about herself than she would have liked, and figured it was the same for Wolf. “Speaking of moving on, should we talk about the Mine Train and why you didn’t hit your real time?”

  As she intended, irritation snapped back into his eyes. “I told you it wasn’t an accurate science. Since I don’t know exactly when or where I am, and I didn’t come here on my own power, thanks to you, I’m not too surprised it didn’t work quite right.” He looked down at his blanket-clad torso. “And why am I still a man? When I jump to the past I always turn into a wolf.”

  Omah shrugged her shoulders. “Perhaps it’s because I brought us back here. If I had let you control it, who knows where we would have ended up.”

  “Like I said earlier, I usually use portals I know. This was a blind jump.”

  “Well, at least you went back to the place you wanted to go, correct?”

  Wolf had actually wanted to go to his apartment, but declined to admit that little fact. “Close.”

  “Hmmm, right. Well, I’m exhausted by t
hat little stunt of yours. I’m going to sleep and, in the morning…or later today—whenever the heck it is—we’ll start doing it right.”

  Without another word or waiting for his answer, she walked into her cave to throw a pile of clothes into a heap on the floor. Pulling another blanket around her, she used the lumpy pile as a mattress and promptly went to sleep.

  Watching from the door, Wolf just shook his head in amazement. If she was as good at traveling as she said she was, why didn’t she bring a real bed and a couple of pillows? He tested the blanket draped over the rocks to find it was already warm and dry from the sun. Putting it around his bare shoulders, he went to the other side of the cave, away from the bright light filtering in through the entry. As he leaned back against the far wall, he picked up the picture of Peter and Catie. While he was wondering how much time had passed since he last saw them, he, too, fell asleep.

  Fullerton

  “Peter! Hey, wait up!”

  Peter heard Lisa call his name but didn’t stop as he quickly headed for his locker. His aim was to get his books put away and get to the bus before she could corner him. Successfully avoiding her all day, he didn’t think he’d make it this time.

  “Gosh, you’re hard to catch! Didn’t you hear me?” Pushing her bangs out of her face, Lisa was breathless when she ran up beside him. The other kids, glad school was out for the day, passed them by without a second glance. “Anyone would think you’ve been avoiding me!” Her words came out in a light, flirty manner, but the look on her face indicated that she hoped she was wrong.

  Cornered, with the realization he would have to say something, Peter slammed the door to his locker with more force than was necessary. He didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but now she was forcing him to talk. “Yeah, well, I didn’t have anything to say.” Eyes on his backpack, his fingers needlessly fumbled with the zippers.