Changeling Dawn

by Dani Harper

  “What? Hey, I’m not having a stroke. It was just a flashback.” Josh tried to brush off his friend’s ministrations. “Quit playing medic. I’m okay, it’s over.”

  “Well, I’m not okay; you scared the shit out of me! We’re going to get out and walk around, get some air. And you’re going to tell me when you started having these damn episodes again.”

  The sun was bright and hot in a cloudless sky, a rarity in Alaska. Stanton pulled a cola out of the cooler and insisted that Josh drink it. All he could think of as he tipped it back was how good it would have gone down in Afghanistan. The hot dusty wind over there made this summer day seem downright frosty. Until you got into higher elevations of course, or when winter set in with a vengeance....

  The vet waited until he’d finished. “Okay, let’s hear about your episode—what happened?”

  “Beats the hell out of me. You know I had a lot of flashbacks the first year I was stateside. Nightmares too, normal stuff—everyone comes home with at least a little of that shit, right? I finally talked to someone, a guy who’d been in another unit, and he sent me to a good counselor. I went to a few sessions and got some relief. Hell, I talked to you a few times too.”

  “I remember. But I thought it helped, the counseling and all.”

  “It did help. There’s been nothing since my second year back—not a single damn incident—until I was at Kenzie’s camp the other day.” He shook his head. “Fucking flashback came out of nowhere, sucker punched me. And it was every bit as bad as the first one.”

  “Same event as you used to see? The school, the little girl?”

  Josh nodded. “When it happened at Kenzie’s camp, I figured, okay, it’s because the wolf cub turned out to be a kid, a little girl who needed help. Kind of a natural trigger, right?”

  “And this here?”

  “I just saw the little girl, the one from the school. Nothing else. She was standing beside the Jayhawk.”

  Stanton looked thoughtful. “Maybe because it looks a lot like your old Blackhawk?”

  “I don’t know, maybe. Hell, it could be the hot weather we’re having, for all I know. You gotta admit it’s not a typical summer for Alaska.”

  “But you’re okay now? Because the welcoming committee is on its way over.”

  Two men, a short one in a lab coat and a tall one in coveralls, were hurrying across the compound. “You can’t land here—” began Coveralls, but Lab Coat interrupted.

  “I’m Jurgen Shumacher, IBC Project Manager.” He extended his hand and greeted first Stanton, then Josh. His English had a trace of some European accent, but it wasn’t German. “This is my coworker, Carl Meikle. We’re a little surprised to see you here—are you having problems?”

  “Nothing major, thanks. The pilot here has low blood sugar and we just had to stop and get him leveled out,” said the vet. Josh obligingly held up the empty cola can and waggled it.

  “I hope you are feeling better now, Mr.—”

  “Talarkoteen. I’m with Fish and Wildlife.” Josh could swear that the man flinched, although he covered it quickly. “This is Doctor Stanton, and we’ve just been on a case in Mentasta Lake. Took longer than expected and I missed lunch. My own damn fault.” He smiled and Schumacher’s answering smile contained relief.

  “So this is quite the place you got here,” said Stanton. “Beautiful facility, must have cost a mint. You know, as a veterinarian, I’m always interested in science. Any chance you could show us around while we’re here, tell us what you’re working on?”

  Meikle jumped in at once. “We don’t do tours; they’re not allowed.”

  “What Carl means is that IBC has a strict no-visitor policy,” explained Schumacher. “Information is a commodity these days and corporations have to be concerned about security.”

  “Yeah, of course, but I’m really interested in the environment—”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t answer any questions. It’s a condition of employment that we sign nondisclosure agreements, so I couldn’t even tell you what color the cafeteria walls are painted.” He shrugged. “It’s the world we live in. I’m sure you understand.”

  Josh could see that Stanton was warming up to argue. “We don’t want to intrude,” he said, catching the vet’s elbow. “I’m feeling a lot better now, so we’ll be taking off in a few minutes. Thanks for the landing spot.”

  “I’m glad we could help. Have a nice afternoon.” The men walked away and Stanton fumed in silence until he got inside the chopper.

  “What’d you do that for? I could have found out something.”

  Josh fastened his four-point shoulder harness. “Not from that guy. If he was an Afghan local, I’d bet my boots that he’s working for the Taliban. Jumpy and a terrible poker face.”

  “Yeah, I picked up bogus vibes too.” Having Josh agree with his assessment of the man seemed to mollify Stanton somewhat.

  “I picked up a helluva lot more than vibes. There was somebody with a flak jacket and a sidearm holster watching from an upstairs window.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “Believe me, I would never do anything to make you more paranoid than you already are, Stanton.” He powered up the bird and prepared for takeoff. “The guy was talking into a radio. Hired gun by the looks of it, not a rent-a-cop.”

  “Added to that fence, it seems like an awful lot of security for an isolated scientific facility.” Stanton glanced over at Josh. “So Tark, are you sure you’re good for flying? I got a little air time in a chopper, I could get us home if you need it.”

  “My blood sugar seems to be back to normal now. Good story by the way.”

  “Hey, I figured they didn’t need to know why we were here. But you’re certain you’re okay?”

  “Good to go, bud.” At least he sure as hell hoped so. He’d never had a flashback in the air before and didn’t ever want to experience another one. Fortunately he’d never had back-to-back flashbacks so he was reasonably certain he was okay for a while. “Sorry if I spooked you.”

  “My heart needed the workout. You know, maybe we should make a little side trip.”

  “Where?”

  “I think I should meet this gal of yours and the little werewolf kid. They’re on the way, right?”

  “She’s not my gal.”

  Stanton snorted. “Only because you haven’t had time to work your mojo on her.”

  “Maybe I’m not interested.”

  “Don’t try to shit me, boy. Besides, I’m thinking somebody oughta make sure she’s not mixed up in this IBC stuff—what if she picked this site for a reason? Maybe they hired her to look for something.”

  “I’m not taking you to meet her if you’re going to interrogate her.”

  Stanton rolled his eyes. “I won’t scare her off, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  For a moment Josh considered it, he really did. After all, Stanton was right, Kenzie’s camp was on the way. Seeing her would be like a breath of cool, fresh air, balm for the headache that was throbbing in time to the rotors, and a great antidote for the flashback he’d just had. But what if the presence of the little wolf brought on another episode? His sensible side kicked in then—he had a passenger to worry about and the risk was too great. And as much as he hated the idea, he knew he needed to ground himself for a while until he was damn certain he was fine.

  “I’ll drive you there. Hell, I’ll take you as soon as you finish your clinic in Mentasta Lake if you want. But right now, I’m taking this bird back to base.” And leaving it there.

  Kenzie had four squares excavated to about eighteen inches, and the one she was presently working on was a foot deep. She could see the striations in the soil, dark and light, layers that showed sections of time like pages in a book. By her estimates, she’d turned back those pages about 900 years. Far too early for what she was searching for.

  She glanced over to see Anya still asleep under the salmonberry bushes. And still a wolf. The child refused to use mindspeech, other
than that initial outburst to declare her name. She seemed to have accepted Kenzie’s apology for teasing out that information, however, and followed her everywhere as if nothing had happened. But only when Kenzie was a wolf would the little girl come anywhere close to her. Anya’s mom had done a terrific job of cautioning the child against strangers—but just how long was it going to take before Anya stopped seeing Kenzie as a stranger? Hopefully Josh was having better luck uncovering some clue that would help them locate her parents.... He hadn’t been by her camp for an entire week and she had to admit that she missed him. Even though she most certainly didn’t want to miss him.

  Jeez, it’s hot. Kenzie pulled back from the hole, wiped her hands on her jeans, and drained her water bottle. Tucked some stray wisps of hair back under the bandana on her head. The temperature seldom rose above 75 in the Copper River region, even on a July afternoon, but it felt a great deal warmer than that—well above 90. As a Changeling, her body temperature was higher than that of a human and truly hot weather could be tough to deal with, uncomfortable at best, dangerous at worst. Luckily, it wasn’t that bad yet, and she was more acclimated than most Changelings. She’d been through far worse in Chile and Egypt. She knew the trick was to keep herself hydrated, and she’d have to make sure Anya did too.

  It was early in the afternoon and the still air gave way to a faint whisper of breeze. The scent of a grizzly came with it, but it was well over a mile away so she didn’t pay much attention. After all, this was bear country and the big creatures were plentiful. With spawning salmon coming up the Copper River and its many tributaries, there were countless grizzlies along the banks and in the water, each trying to gobble as many fish as possible to store fat for the coming winter. There might even be a few black bears here and there—as long as their much larger cousins didn’t spot them.

  Suddenly her sharp hearing caught the sound of a truck. Somebody was braving the rutted goat path from Chistochina but it didn’t sound like Nate’s Humvee. She held her breath and concentrated on listening—the vehicle didn’t stop below her camp but continued in her direction. It had to be Josh. She could hardly wait to tell him Anya’s name and hear what he’d found out. Mostly, she’d be glad just to see him.

  Whoa, hold it right there. Kenzie squelched her impulse to head down to the road to meet him. She liked Josh but she wasn’t going to let herself get carried away. She’d made that mistake with Nate and she wasn’t going to do it again. Josh was a friend. Maybe he’d become a really good friend, but damned if she’d give him—or herself—the teeniest, tiniest reason to think they might ever be anything more.

  To her surprise, her inner wolf whined softly. Shut up, she told it firmly. I’m not asking for your opinion.

  Anya heard the truck too, but remained motionless except to wag her fuzzy tail. It was too hot to move from her cool and shady spot. The ground beneath Kenzie wasn’t nearly so pleasant—the shade had vanished hours ago. Still, she remained on her stomach, working deep inside a square with the point of a trowel. She kept her head down, determined to concentrate, even when she caught Josh’s scent and her wolfen self decided to do handsprings. What the hell was that about?

  Suddenly there was a second scent, sharp and distinct, just as Anya yipped and Josh yelled, “Heads up!”

  Kenzie sat up just in time to catch a cold bottle of iced tea. “Hey! Are you trying to brain me?” She blinked at the slight man with thick gray hair who had followed Josh. Piercing eyes looked out from under the wildest eyebrows she’d ever seen. But it was his scent that held her attention in an iron grip. She knew what he was.

  And he would know what she was too.

  She started to rise to her feet but the man shook his head. “Don’t get up on my account, honey. It’s too damn hot.” His voice was thick and gravelly.

  “This is my friend, Bygood Stanton,” began Josh. “He’s a veterinarian and a—”

  “Werewolf,” finished Stanton, plunking down beside her and shaking her hand.

  Josh rolled his eyes. “Well, I was going to say shitty poker player, but yeah, he’s a shapeshifter. He wanted to meet you. Hope that was okay.”

  “I’m glad to meet another Changeling,” said Kenzie. And now that she could feel his energy, it was true. Her inner wolf was interested but not alarmed by this stranger. “And you’re my very first Alaskan werewolf, Dr. Stanton, so it’s even more of a treat.” The smile on her face was genuine. But when she got Josh Talarkoteen by himself, he was so going to get an earful about revealing what she was, even to another Changeling. Hey Stanton, I know another shapeshifter you just gotta meet ... Just because she’d been unable to hide what she was from his obsidian eyes didn’t make it his damn secret to tell. Did anyone else know?

  “And you’re glad to see me too, of course.” Josh plopped down cross-legged on her other side, took her bottle, twisted off the lid, and handed it back. “Especially since I’m trying to save you from dehydration. This weather is setting records across the state. I was afraid I’d find nothing but your bleached bones out here.”

  “Thanks,” she managed, then turned her attention to the vet. “So tell me your first name again, Dr. Stanton?”

  “No, no, Stanton’s good. Nobody ever called me by my first name except my Edie when she was alive, and then only if I was in deep shit for something.”

  “Gotcha. So where’s home for you?”

  Their conversation didn’t touch on anything lupine, yet it felt good to talk to one of her own kind. She was used to being a lone wolf among humans, but that didn’t mean she didn’t get lonely. A thought occurred to her—if Nate hadn’t been a Changeling, would she ever have been attracted to him at all?

  Stanton shared a number of funny stories from his work as a veterinarian that made Kenzie think of her brother, Connor. It was easy to lose track of time—until Josh poked her in the arm. She let him poke her a second time before she paid attention.

  There was consternation in his dark eyes, concern for her that made it tough to hang onto her anger. She managed, though.

  “You’ve got a lot of hours in on your dig, I’ll bet, and you probably haven’t eaten. I’ve got a cooler full of sandwich fixings and some more drinks.”

  “Let me guess, Mamie Dalkins gave you another care package?”

  “Nope, threw stuff together myself. Good stuff, not that sawdust-in-a-bag that you pack. Wanna eat here or at camp?”

  “Camp, definitely. I need to wash up.” There was more shade there too, and the thought of taking her bandana off was appealing. Her hair was no doubt sticking up every which way, but sometimes if she brushed it, it behaved. Sometimes. Josh offered his hand to help her up but Kenzie ignored it. She sure didn’t need her anthropology degree to tell her that he was trying to reassert himself and draw her attention away from the other male. Stanton might be older, but he was still competition. Men, both human and Changeling, could be pretty predictable, their behaviors ancient and instinctive, and often unconscious. “Just let me get Anya.”

  “Anya?”

  “It’s her name.” She’d been looking forward to sharing with him how she’d found out, but was too angry right now to tell him anything. Kenzie called the cub, who emerged reluctantly from the coolness of the salmonberry thicket. “It’s time to go back to camp, honey.”

  “This is the little lost one?” asked Stanton. “She has a very distinctive coat.”

  “Do you recognize her?”

  He shook his head. Her discouragement must have shown because he patted her arm. “We’ll figure out where she belongs. We’ll all work together and we’ll figure it out.”

  Meanwhile, Josh knelt and addressed the cub directly. “Anya is a pretty name. Did you know that my cousin’s name is Anya too?” He pulled something from his pocket and kept it hidden in his hands. “I brought you a surprise, one that both wolves and little girls can play with.” A bright pink tennis ball appeared in his palm, and the cub’s eyes went wide. He tossed it and Anya pounced on the ball with gle
e. A moment later she’d flopped on her side in the grass, holding her new treasure with her paws and biting it happily.

  Kenzie was still pissed at Josh—and even more perturbed that he had to do something so damn likeable when she was trying to ignore him—but she had to give credit where credit was due. “That was thoughtful,” she conceded as they walked up the rise toward the camp and the cub pranced behind them with the ball in her mouth. “I didn’t even know they made tennis balls in pink. Bet she likes the color.”

  “It was a no-brainer. I’ve got little sisters, remember?”

  “Bullshit,” said Stanton. “I’ll bet he picked it because it’s his favorite color.”

  “Just remember it’s a long walk back to your clinic, bud.”

  Kenzie was dying to ask Josh if he’d found out anything about Anya, but he hadn’t said a word on the subject. Little wolves had sharp hearing, however, and Changeling hearing was even better—perhaps he was just waiting until they were alone to tell her? Still, she knew it was far more likely that he hadn’t turned up any new information at all.

  “Bloody hell.” Stanton stopped ahead of her on the trail and it was all she could do not to run into him.

  “What is it—” Her voice trailed away as she stared at the remains of her camp. The tent was a shapeless heap of shredded nylon. Clothes and cooking utensils were strewn everywhere. Chunks of blue foam from her cot were mixed with long ribbons of blankets. Her camp table was flattened, the chairs missing completely. Empty foil packages were scattered as far as the eye could see. Goose down from her sleeping bag floated through the trees and drifted against the bushes like snow.

  “It looks like a tornado touched down,” declared the vet, hands on his hips.

  “This tornado had four legs,” said Josh. He put an arm around Kenzie’s shoulders. She was too stunned to shrug it off. “Welcome to Alaska, honey. You’ve just had a close encounter of the bear kind.”

  Chapter Nine