by Lynn Landes
Kari takes their orders and Makenna can’t stop watching them together. She wonders if he ever thinks of dating again. Kari can’t stop smiling when he is close and her dad gets flustered around her. She decides to help him out.
“So, Kari, we are having a party on Sunday for my cousin Caleb. Wanna come?” her father looks at her with surprise.
Sakari smiles in surprise and looks at Eric. “I’d love to. We are closed Sundays. Tell me when and where?”
“Yeah Dad, when and where?” Makenna smiles and kicks her dad under the table.
He jumps and says, “Oh, how about three o’clock?”
“Sounds good, here’s my number. You can call me with directions.” Kari scribbles her number down and hands it to Eric. “I will get your drinks.”
He looks at his daughter closely. “What was that about?”
“I like her, Dad and so do you. It’s time for you to be happy again. Mom would want that for you.” she answers softly.
He reaches out and takes her hand across the table, “When did you get so smart?” he asks.
“It runs in the family. So should I plan a party?” she asks grinning. He laughs out loud and they get down to business.
Sam watches them enjoy their dinner and follows in his truck at a safe distance without his lights. He chose the wrong wolf pack last time. Once again, he did not receive the gift and the wolf died. Maybe the girl is the key to capturing the Arctic wolf. He has been waiting close to fifty years for this chance and tonight he found them again!
Chapter
5
Caleb broke the only rules they gave him within the first two hours of arriving at his grandfather’s ranch in the Canadian Rockies. Don’t go into the woods alone and never go out at night. He was sixteen now. They can’t expect him to sit here all winter break and do nothing. His grandmother had to go to town for supplies and his grandfather wasn’t home yet from work. They had a neighbor pick him up and drop him off.
“Whatever, some Saturday night,” he thinks grumpy after the long flight from South Carolina. He tosses his duffel bag onto the floor of his room and stretches out on the bed. Staring up at the wood beams crossing the ceiling he wonders if his parents are enjoying their anniversary. His father surprised his mother with a cruise to Greece and surprised him by sending him to this ranch. It wouldn’t be so bad if he had a brother or at least a kid his own age around. At least he will get to see his cousin Makenna tomorrow. In her email she told him she had a special surprise for him. The sun sets early in this part of Canada. Its only six o’clock and already the sun has gone down. It sure messes with his body clock.
Duchess the family cat interrupts his musings and leaps onto his bed. She proceeds to crawl up his body, taking her place on his chest. Caleb looks at her and smiles. “Hey Duch’. Did you miss me?” he asks and laughs when she stares at him with one blue eye and one green eye. He sinks his hands into her white fur and her motor turns on. She closes her eyes in ecstasy and purrs loudly while he rubs her.
“I’m surprised you remember me girl, it’s been three years.” When he stops rubbing her she reaches out gently with a paw and pulls his hand back towards her. “Okay, bossy.” He says and rubs her, closing his eye he drifts to sleep to the sound of her purring in contentment.
Caleb startles awake and tries to calm the pounding of his heart. Once you hear the sound of a dog in agony you never forget it. It sounds off like a siren in an air raid, over and over, the yelping continues. The sound echoes through the woods surrounding the cabin and he leaps from his bed and runs to the window. He squints out the window into the darkness of the evening and begins pulling on his coat. He runs down the stairs and opens the front door listening to the screaming coming from the woods.
Louder now, the sound sinks into Caleb’s heart, causing a feeling of panic to rise up inside. He must save him! Help him somehow!
He grabs a flashlight from the drawer near the door and checks his pocket for his knife. Then he jerks on his boots and plunges into the snow. Caleb stops at the edge of the thick woods, he shouldn’t go into them. Predators are probably on the way to the dog, lured by the sound of the pain, but he can’t just leave him to die.
“ARR, ARR, ARRR!” The dogs yelping grows more intense, and Caleb breaks out into a sweat and his hand are shaking. He has to save him! Driven by desperate need to help, he runs towards the sound, no longer caring about anything except helping the animal.
The Arctic Moon climbs higher into the night sky to watch the boy run towards his fate. The only sound heard now is the boy’s breath as it puffs in and out. Over the crunching of the snow he hears a howl break out, not the howl of a dog, but a wolf calling for help. The howl cuts off and Caleb pushes through some brush and sees him, illuminated by the blue glow of the Arctic Moon. His fur is silver, grey and white, and his eyes! They are glowing silver, as though part of the moon itself.
Chapter
6
Caleb stares in amazement at the beautiful young wolf. His radiant silver eyes match the luminosity of the moon! He realizes the wolf is pinned to the earth by a broken tree limb. When he steps towards him, a low growl erupts from the curled lips. He bares his teeth and attempts to break free. He pumps his legs trying to get up but it’s no use, the tree limb is too heavy.
“Easy boy, I can help you.” Caleb says in a soft, low voice. At sixteen years old, Caleb is almost six feet tall; he has always been large for his age, so he squats down to the ground in order to look less threatening. “Easy, it’s okay.” He reaches out with a trembling hand and stops midair, when the wolf growls again. Wolves are larger than dogs and this young wolf isn’t full grown but he is still big enough to make Caleb cautious.
A soft snow begins to fall again; Caleb sighs and drops his hand. “Look, I am not supposed to be out here in the first place. I came to help you, will you let me?” he asks staring into the silver eyes of the wolf. The wolf licks his lips and whines, then lays his head down on the ground as though understanding him.
“Good boy,” Caleb takes that as a yes. “I must be crazy out here talking to a wolf in the dark.” He grabs the tree limb and as soon as he lifts one end, the wolf leaps free and hits Caleb square in the chest, knocking him to the ground!
“Ahhh!” Caleb quickly rolls to his side and jumps up and that’s when he feels it, pain in his right hand. The wolf is circling him and growling. Caleb glances at his hand in shock but he doesn’t run.
“You bit me!” His hand is throbbing and stinging as scarlet drops of blood sprinkle the white blanket of the forest. Caleb grabs a stick to keep the wolf back and begins to back away. The wolf turns his head sideways and looks at the blood in the snow, whines, and sits down.
“Yeah, you should be sorry,” Caleb stops moving and cuts a piece of his flannel shirt off with his pocket knife, then wraps it around his hand hissing in pain. The wolf throws his head back and howls as a shadow crosses the moon, then he races away. Darkness floods the forest and Caleb has the sense to be scared.
“Time to go CJ,” he tells himself and turns around to leave. The throbbing of his hand eases and soon stops. He follows his footsteps back towards his Grandfather’s cabin. The house is flooded with light and he sees his Grandmother’s jeep. “Wonderful, she will freak out if she sees this.” He unwraps his hand intending to stash the bandage in his pocket but what he sees has him stopping in his tracks. His hand is healed! No marks, no puncture wounds, nothing! Just fresh pink skin!
“I must be losing my mind.” He whispers as he rubs his hand.
“CJ! Where have you been?” his grandmother asks as she steps outside. “Land sakes, child you have grown! Why you are taller than me now!” he hugs her and smiles. The scent of cinnamon surrounds him and he inhales the familiar scent.
“Grandma, it’s not hard to be taller than you!” he says with a laugh. She joins him in his laughter.
“Your daddy loved to tease me too, five foot four is not short!” she says laughing and they walk
up to the porch, stomping the snow of their feet by the front door.
“Well you haven’t outgrown me yet!” his grandfather says and steps outside to greet him. Daniel Slade was six foot four and strong as an ox. He wraps Caleb in a bear hug as they laugh.
“Maybe by the end of break I will!” he says teasing and enjoying the company. Maybe this will not be such a bad holiday after all.
His grandfather pulls back and with a hand on each shoulder looks Caleb in the eyes. Blue eyes so like that of his father. “Where did you go son?”
“Don’t worry; I was just sore from my flight, so I took a short walk. I’m fine, really.” Caleb says feeling guilty for lying to them. No use scaring everybody, he is fine.
“It’s really important that you stay out of the woods, especially during the Arctic Moon. The predators are desperate this time of year for food and as big as you are, they might mistake you for a meal.”
“Yes sir, I will be careful.” Caleb promises, he looks back at the woods before following them inside. The scent of pot roast and rolls greets his grumbling stomach and he smiles, “What’s cooking, I’m starving!”
Chapter
7
The Arctic Moon watches the young wolf run through the woods, tracking the boy by the scent of his blood. Wolves have a sense of smell ten times stronger than any human. From the cover of the trees he watches the movement beyond the glowing windows.
His pack chased him away again. Wolves are pack animals and Archer longs to belong. They did not come to his aid when the branch fell on him; instead they circled, taunting, and laughing. He is confused by these humans, they treat him better than his own kind and he did not mean to bite the boy. Archer feels sick, so he heads to the edge of the woods to wait for his girl. She will come soon, laying down he dreams.
Archer wakes to pain in his body. Everything hurts! He needs to get to his girl. Makenna will help him. He pushes his body and runs through the woods towards her home. The pain begins to fade as he gets close to her home. He waits in the silence for morning to come.
Sunday morning came quick. Makenna got up early so she could spend time with Frisbee before the party with Caleb. She had waited for the sound of her father’s truck to start, before getting up. Her backpack was loaded with food for her hike. She grabbed a muffin and runs out the door with her gear. It is still dark out at five-thirty, the sun doesn’t rise until at least eight, until then the moonlight will guide her.
She walks down the snow covered trail and suddenly a flash of movement catches her eyes. Makenna jumps in surprise when a flash of white greets her. He found her! He is watching her through the thick trees but his silver eyes can’t be missed.
“Frisbee,” she calls to him while she walks towards him. She smiles and opens the plastic bag, then waits for the scent to reach him.
Salmon, fresh from the freezer. The scent is carried on the wind and Archer smells it. He runs towards her, his girl, Makenna. Maybe he will feel better if he eats. She greets him with a smile and freezes shocked by what she is seeing. His fur is thicker and his colors are more pronounced. Silver and gray mix with the white, but that is not what is shocking her.
“Your eyes and fur! They are glowing Frisbee.” He walks slower towards her and wonders at the word, glowing. He nudges the bag and she remembers to feed him. “Oh, right. Are you ready?” He snorts at her as if to say, I’m always ready and rolls his silver eyes.
“We will see, boy.” She drops her backpack on the ground and rolls the salmon patty up and tosses it towards the shadowed trees. In a flash he runs after it, silently.
He watches the salmon ball fly through the air and he catches it before she can pull the next one out.
“Wow! You are so fast!” Makenna is speechless when she watches him run. He is lit up and it is beautiful.
The pain rushes over him again causing him to slow down. His head drops and he pauses waiting for it to stop. Archer walks back to her slowly and seems to smile at her wanting to reassure her. For the first time in her life Makenna is stricken with fear.
“Frisbee,” she whispers. “What will happen if someone finds out about you? They will take you away from me.” Dropping to her knees she sits eye level with the beautiful silver wolf. “Or even worse, experiment on you. I have never heard of a glow in the dark wolf!” She buries her face in the thick fur of his neck and wraps her arms around him. “Don’t worry, I will keep you safe,” she promises, but in her heart she doesn’t know how she will do it.
He nuzzles her and a strange scent drifts towards him. Archer growls low in his throat and it rumbles through his chest. Makenna drops her arms and looks at him. “What’s wrong?” He is staring into the woods behind her and his ears flatten on his head. A cloud covers the moon and the glow from his fur disappears. “Frisbee? Is it an animal?”
That’s when she notices the silence of the woods. Something is scaring the forest. Makenna has spent enough time in the woods to know to how to read them. Danger! It screams and Archer nudges her and growls. The sound of wolves howling has her jumping to her feet. Wolves are territorial, he will be in danger.
“Come with me!” she begs but he leaps into the woods and she is forced to head back up the trail to her home. She runs, fast as her legs will carry her. As she is running she hears something crashing in the woods behind her. Tears are streaming down her cheeks now. Her heart breaks for her new friend. “Please be okay,” she prays and she runs for home.
Archer runs away leading the hunter deeper into the woods. His girl will be safe. He runs as fast as his legs will carry him but something is wrong! Pain ripples through his body. He falls to the ground. The scent of that man is on the air again. He is back and he is close. Slower this time he climbs to his four legs and that is when he sees it, a shaft of moon light coming through the clouds!
The Arctic Moon watches the wolf and the girl. He must find shelter! Archer is the last of the Arctic Wolves. Born under the watchful eye of the Arctic Moon he was gifted with unique powers. He must be protected! After the girl leaves a shining silver beam shoots down from the moon, illuminating a path for him to follow. He leads the Hunter deep into the woods and away from his pack, then doubles back so he can get to safety.
Two hours later just as the sun is rising, Archer follows the beam quietly through the woods to a house. Weak with pain, he stumbles towards the light. The boy who helped him! Maybe he will help him again? The windows are glowing and he hears people talking.
“Too many humans,” he thinks. A sudden howl fills the valley, his pack is hunting. That should slow that hunter down. Another wave of pain hits Archer and this time he knows he is in trouble.
Chapter
8
Caleb and Makenna sneak outside that evening, letting the adults visit after dinner. “So Cuz, what’s the big secret?” Caleb asks her. After three years apart Caleb is happy to be back with her, she is like a little sister to him.
Makenna’s eyes fill with tears. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Caleb.” she says softly looking into the woods with worry.
“You can tell me anything, Makenna. Is it a boy? I know we haven’t been together in a while…” the call of a wolf howling interrupts him. Quickly they turn towards the sound, when an answering howl echoes back. “Wow they are busy today.”
Makenna turns and runs down the steps of the deck into the backyard. She is headed towards the woods. “Hey, where are you going?” Caleb calls out following her.
They skid to a stop at the first unnatural scream. Caleb grabs her arm and steps in front of her. “What was that?”
“Frisbee?” she whispers. With that she runs around Caleb towards woods. Caleb has no choice but to follow. She runs toward the sound and skids to a stop waiting for him. “Frisbee!” she yells calling to her friend.
Archer smells her on the air, she is coming for him. He whines and begins panting just trying to breathe through the pain. Makenna hears him, turning she sees a stream of white moon light po
inting at him. Archer is under a bush, whining and panting in pain.
When she runs towards him Caleb stops her. “No way, Nugget!” Makenna is only up to Caleb’s shoulders and he outweighs her easily.
“Don’t call me that, Bubby.” She teases him reminding him of his nickname. “He is my friend! Let me go!”
Archer senses her distress and tries to struggle to his feet but another wave of pain strikes and his howl causes what’s left of the birds in the woods to take flight.
“Listen, I was out here last night and that wolf bit me! It’s not safe.” He tells her.
“No, he wouldn’t bite me. His name is Frisbee and something is wrong! I have to help him, trust me.” She pleads looking up into his light blue eyes.
The same sense of urgency that struck him the day before causes Caleb to listen.
“Okay, but we go together.”
She would have agreed to anything to get to Frisbee, the moment he releases her she runs to him. He whines and licks her face.
“Makenna!” Caleb says frustrated with her. She is running her hands over the wolf’s body, but does not find any wounds.
“I don’t see anything, what could be wrong with him?” she asks. Caleb gets close and Archer’s lip curls back and he shows his teeth growling softly.
Caleb jumps back and Makenna giggles. “I don’t think he likes you.”
“Ya’ think? I am not too fond of him either.” Archer’s legs twitch and his spine arches. His head goes back and he howls in pain again.
“We can’t leave him like this, help me Caleb! I can’t tell my dad yet!” She knows as a scientist discovering a new species he will have to follow the rules. He will be angry with her for not telling him about Archer. Then he will be forced to report him and she will not have him end up in a cage.
