Arctic Moon

by Lynn Landes

  Arctic

  Moon

  Lynn Landes

  Published by:

  Landes Publishing

  Edited by:

  Shane Landes

  Cover art by:

  Indie Designz

  http://www.indiedesignz.com

  Copyright © 2014 by Lynn Landes

  http://followlynnsthread.wordpress.com/

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Chapter

  1

  The Arctic Moon watches the hunter shadowed against the frozen tree as he blows into his hands. The sound of a rabbits wounded scream fills the wintery night. Sam waits listening for a responding howl. Far in the distance he hears it. The pack is coming, drawn by the sound of a wounded rabbit. He smiles camouflaged in the snow. To the normal eye Sam is almost invisible. He bought the arctic camouflage just for this reason. The wolves will not see, hear, or smell him until it is too late.

  Wolves are always on the hunt for their next meal. September in Canada is cold and they will need to fatten up before winter truly hits. An injured rabbit would be an easy snack. He is guessing they will be here in thirty minutes or so. This method of hunting is his favorite. It puts him close enough to watch them but not be in the middle.

  “They don’t call them top predators for nothing,” he thinks. His heart beat speeds up when he sees the first flash of movement in the distance. They must be hungry tonight. Sam chose a few nice fat rabbits from his land to leave for them. These aren’t just any rabbits they are laced with a special treat.

  The hunter watches as they close in cautiously from multiple directions, sniffing the air for any scent that will warn them of danger. They won’t find it, he is an experienced hunter. He was raised by his Inuit grandparents. They are an ancient people with thousands of years of history that ties them to the land. Whatever name his people are given the legends and lore of thousands of years remains imprinted in his mind. He has been stalking this pack for years. They disappeared after he was a child and only recently did he find tracks that led him to believe they had returned.

  Now he will get the proof he needs and finally become what he is meant to become. He waits patiently for the pack to begin showing signs of distress. The sedative Sam filled the rabbits with, would not kill the wolves. It would just knock them out for a little while. He will need the Alpha awake for the tests. Some of them lay down unable to fight it and the Alpha paces by his mate. He licks her face trying to encourage her to stand, when the Alpha stumbles Sam smiles.

  He stands up and stretches his legs before collecting his gun and equipment. Behind him he pulls a sled across the snow. The sound of his boots crunch in the snow as he take his time making his way to the first silver body. It is a smaller wolf, a stunning female.

  “Aren’t you just beautiful?” Sam says squatting down to look at her. Her silver eyes are wide and full of fear. “It’s not you I’m after today.” Looking around in the dim moon light reflecting on the snow he scans the forest. The wolves ate every piece of the three rabbits he left them. “Greedy” he says to no one.

  He hears a whining sound, and scraping. He rises quickly and moves toward the sound, being sure to keep his rifle handy.

  Sam steps around a bush with his rifle raised and smiles when he discovers it, the Alpha! He is pulling his large body across the snow with his powerful front paws, dragging his useless legs behind him. The sedative was not strong enough to stop him completely. Sam’s wrinkled eyes crinkle and his smile grows larger. He lifts his rifle and shoots him in the back rear leg. The dart sinks into the black and silver fur, still he whines struggling to get to her. Finally, he stops moving, falling short of his mate.

  Quickly now, Sam pulls the sled next to the still body and drops into the snow beside the wolf. He sinks his hands into the thick, plush fur and laughs out loud. “Finally! You are mine!” Large wide silver eyes are filled with rage, but he can’t move. Sam pushes the hundred pound wolf onto the sled and ropes him tightly on. The female wolf, lets out a weak whimper.

  “Don’t you worry, I will take good care of him.”

  Chapter

  2

  The Arctic Moon watches the hunter stomp his way through the snow towards the large heated metal shed. “Good evening, Sunshine. Are you ready to play some more?” He asks as he flips on the lights. He stomps the snow off his boots and grabs a black rod off the wall. As soon as he hears Sam’s voice the Alpha wolf begins to snarl. Angry and growling he attacks the cage hoping to get to the human who has kept him caged for weeks.

  Sam weaves through the equipment he uses to clear his land and heads toward the back wall. “Hey now, that’s no way to treat someone.” He flips the switch on the electrified cattle prod and moves closer to him. Glaring at him he yells, “It’s finally here. The moon is full and you will give me the gift!” Sam jams the rod into the cage and zaps the retreating wolf. The wolf yelps and falls forward into the back of the cage, twitching in pain.

  He kept the power low on the shock rod on purpose to cause anger and fear. He has this technique down to a science, a few weeks away from the pack, little food and water, with lots of pokes. He flips the power on the rod to shoot a hundred thousand volts. The wolf turns and snarls showing his teeth and his chest rumbles deep. His black ears are flat against his head and the whites of his silver eyes show the true depth of his fear.

  The Moon weeps for she knows the outcome of this meeting. Sam beats the cage with the rod, over and over he screams, “Give me the gift! Give me the gift!” This time instead of sticking the shock rod inside the cage he shoves his bare arm inside! The alpha moves as fast as a shark, he seizes the arm and the power of the crushing bite fills Sam with excitement!

  He shoves the rod into the wolf’s side and shocks him again. Forced to release Sam’s arm he falls over on his side, twitching. Sam smells the urine from the wolf and knows he may have gone too far this time. His arm is throbbing and he laughs as he looks at the blood running down it. “Good Boy,” he whispers out of breathe and heads to the utility sink to rinse his arm beneath the water.

  Outside the shed the Alpha wolf’s mate howls in frustration. She hears him and tries desperately to dig her way inside. The Arctic Moon watches and knows it is time for the Guardian. A single beam of light illuminates the she-wolf, gifting the puppy she carries inside of her. Whispering softly, she calm’s her and sends her back to her pack just in time to give birth to a single pup.

  Chapter

  3

  When a pup is born to the pack, it is judged by the Alpha male, the leader of the pack. He chooses whether they will live or die based on the color of their coat, and strength of their body. Archer was the only pup born to his mother. She kept him in his den for a month before allowing him to join the pack. The pack accepted him because he was strong and healthy. At eight weeks old Archer followed his mother on a hunt under a full moon. When the pack heard his first weak howl they returned to investigate and the Alpha began to growl. Archer’s eyes were silver, as all in his pack but under the light of the full moon they glowed like beacons!

  His mother was no longer the alpha female. After her mate died a new Alpha pair was chosen. When the new alpha turned on Archer she fought back to protect her gift! She fought hard, but she was no match for the male. Archer’s fur was considered to be a danger, because of the unique silver patterns mixed with white. It was bioluminescent, in other words it glowed in the dark! It makes the pack visible at night, which was considered a threat because they would not be able to camo
uflage or hunt. They left him beside his mother’s broken body in the heavy snow. Without her constant care he would die in this harsh environment. He howled his broken heart out to the moon and nuzzled with his mother for days, until hunger forced him to hunt. His survival came from an unlikely source. A human girl named Makenna.

  The first time she heard his pitiful howl, she followed it. What she found shocked her. Makenna Slade was the daughter of a local Biologist. She loved everything about animals and hoped someday to become a veterinarian. At fifteen she was a handful, her father was always trying to find ways to keep her out of trouble. Her mother died when she was a baby so she spent a lot of time with her dad. She helped birth horses, cattle, and track and tag animals for research. Not much scared her and she loved to spend time in the woods with her camera and sketch pad.

  “Dad, did you hear that?” she asked him. She was sitting enjoying her hot cup of tea and a ham biscuit. “Thanksgiving leftovers are the best,” she says as she waits for him to finish up with her grandfather. They live on the same land sharing the hundred acre spread of land. The houses shared the woods between them. Not waiting for a response from them, she slowly puts down her tea cup, stashes her biscuit in her coat pocket and follows the sound to the edge of the woods. Again she hears it, a pitiful whimper that leads her to a small silver pup. He is sniffing around and digging at the snow, desperate for some nourishment. Makenna looks around for his pack and starts to back away. Her father always said to let nature take its course with animals in the wild. When he stops and stares at her she is amazed by his silver eyes. They stare at each other for a few moments before he cocks his head sideways as if to say, What are you?

  Makenna smiles and pushes her dark blonde hair out of her blue eyes and freezes. “Hello little friend.” Careful not to scare him she pulls her biscuit from her pocket and breaks a small piece off. He sniffs the air and whines taking a step towards her, then backs away in fear.

  “It’s okay, see I’m a friend.” She tosses the chunk of biscuit towards him and waits. Quick as a flash he zips forward and snaps it up, starving. He looks at her and smacks his lips together and whines as if to say, Is that all? Makenna giggles and tosses another piece closer to her this time. She notices the ribs and fur hanging because he is so skinny.

  He edges forward, pushing past the fear in his heart and snaps it up again, running a few feet away. “Where’s your pack?” She eases her cell phone out and snaps a quick picture of him being careful not so startle him. “Last piece, don’t wolf it down? Get it? Wolf it down?” She laughs at her own joke and he sniffs the air as if to say, Really?

  He jumps when he hears the sound of her father calling her name, she looks away and then glances back and he is gone! “No, don’t go.” She follows his tracks into the woods, holding the last piece of her biscuit. She finds him growling at her, guarding something.

  “Oh no!” she whispers. He is standing in front of a dead wolf, partially covered in snow. He is guarding his mother. “Poor boy, don’t worry. I will take care of you,” she promises him and tosses the last piece of biscuit to him. The sound of her father calling her has her turning. “I will be back soon.” She says and runs off.

  “Makenna, you really should stay out of the woods this time of year.” Her grandfather tells her frowning.

  “I was just beyond the trees, Gramps, I saw a…” she starts to speak, but her father interrupts her.

  “Makenna we have to get going, I have some more tags to collect before we get home. Be sure to let us know when Caleb gets here. We will have to get the kids together.”

  “Caleb’s coming?” Makenna asks excitedly. She hasn’t seen her cousin for three years.

  “He will be here in two months, the last week of December for his Christmas break. Think you can stay out of trouble till then,” her grandfather asks hugging her close.

  She smiles and one dimple flashes in her cheek, “Of course, Gramps.” She waves and climbs in the truck and a few minutes later she looks over at her father, “Dad, I saw a wolf pup in the woods and his mother was dead.”

  Surprise flashes across his face, “That’s not surprising this time of year. Winter is hard on all the animals here. The pack will take care of him. He will be okay.” He doesn’t say what he thinks, that sometimes the motherless do not survive. Lucky for them humans are stronger than animals.

  She is wondering how soon she will get back to him. He will not die if she can help it.

  Chapter

  4

  For the next two months, Makenna found excuses to sneak away. On her second visit she named him Frisbee, because she would toss any scrap of food his way and he could catch it. She can’t believe how quickly the pup has grown. He is no longer a small pup but a young wolf. At seventy pounds she found she could not bring enough food to feed him, but to her surprise he was able to hunt on his own. He has grown to trust her and sits close to her letting her run her hands through his lush fur. The time away from him was spent researching wolves and as a talented artist, she was using her photographs of him to draw. Her sketchpad was almost full of images of him in different positions and different light. She did not try to bring him home, but he always managed to find her. It seemed as though the woods announced her arrival. At least that is how she imagined it.

  “There he is,” her dad says and whips the explorer into the parking lot of the Tundra Café. It was a popular family restaurant especially this time of year. All the skiers flock here between December and April. “How about a working dinner tonight?” he asks looking at his daughter.

  “I will get a table, do you want me to order for you?” she asks twisting her hair. For a moment his eyes stare at her and she knows he is seeing her Mother.

  “No, this won’t take too long. Just order me a coffee.” They climb out of the truck and hurry inside. Makenna holds on tight to her sketch pad hoping to finish them during dinner. A sudden gust of wind pushes at the family entering the café and Makenna squeals when some of her sketches are blown to the floor.

  Laughter floats across the café, and Sakari, the owner greets them. Her long black hair is pulled up and she is wearing a sky blue sweater dress that matches her blue eyes. “Let me help, Makenna.” She says and hurries to grab her sketches. Makenna picks up two and her father grabs one and they look at each other and smile.

  “Beautiful,” he whispers staring at Sakari. She smiles big and Makenna rolls her eyes snatching the picture from his hands.

  “Amazing,” a deep voice says from behind. Makenna turns around and see a stranger holding her sketch. He is tracing the image with one finger. “You drew this?” he asks and when he looks up Makenna steps back into her father. He smells of cigarettes and coffee and is staring at her with an intense look in his dark brown eyes. An uneasy feeling crawls up her back and her father puts an arm around her shoulder pulling her closer.

  “Makenna is an artist and a photographer,” he answers holding his hand out for her picture. “What happened to your arm, Sam?” he asks noticing the thick bandage covering it.

  “You have seen this wolf? Photographed it?” He asks stepping towards her and ignoring her father’s question.

  Makenna shakes her head no. Everything in her soul screams of danger, “No, of course not. I just like to draw and play with colors and textures, May I have it back now?” she answers reaching for her picture. Sam pulls the picture closer and looks down at it, then back at her.

  “Sam, I have been looking for you, can we talk outside?” Sam looks at her father and smiles slowly. He is missing a few teeth and those that remain are yellow from years of smoking.

  “I guess so, Eric.” He hands Makenna the picture back and her father turns to go. When he passes by her he stops and says, “I will see you again soon.”

  Makenna holds her sketch pad close and tucks the other pictures inside. Her hands are shaking and she jumps when Sakari speaks to her. “Makenna, your table is ready. Are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.” she asks so
ftly touching her shoulder.

  “I’m okay. Thanks.” Sakari shows her to the table and hands her a menu.

  “I know you don’t know me very well, but if you ever need anything I hope you will consider me a friend,” Sakari tells her.

  Makenna looks at the beautiful woman and smiles. “Thanks, he gives me the creeps.”

  “Call me Kari, you should always trust your instincts. They were given to you for a reason, my grandmother said they are our built in warning system. You should meet her sometimes she helps out here in the kitchen.”

  Loud voices can be heard out front distracting the girls, “I was trapping for coyotes on my own land, Dr. Slade! I didn’t do nothing illegal.”

  “All I am asking, is that you call next time, instead of trapping a wolf. They are endangered and protected by law. I would be more than happy to sedate the wolf, and remove it from your land for relocation. Fur trapping is illegal, Sam.”

  “I will say this one more time, Eric, I wasn’t fur trapping, It was an accident. Something’s been terrorizing my animals, thought it was a coyote. Nothing protected about that species, Doc.” He spits on the ground and jumps in his truck tearing off down the road.

  Eric rubs his neck and sighs walking back inside. “That went well.”

  “He was trapping wolves, Eric?” Kari asks helping him remove his coat.

  “He says it was an accident, but this is not the first time I have had to talk to him. We had a report of a wolf seen dragging a chain and trap behind it, but the wolf was not recovered.”

  “That’s terrible.” Makenna whispers thinking of Frisbee and his mother.

  “I’m sure it was just an accident, sweetie.” Kari says to reassure Makenna but she is not so sure.