Debra L. Rollins - Revenge For the Huntsman

“Hey, baby-need a ride?”

A rough-looking human pulled along side Cierce in a strange horseless carriage and leaned out the window to leer at her. She backed away. This human male was not affected by her scent. He wasn’t close enough. He was being totally obnoxious on his own. She searched her surroundings, carefully noting a few others of his gender watching, waiting for her reaction.

She gave them one.

Hackles raised slightly and eyes glowing an icy blue, she retreated a few more steps as the man, bulkily built and mean-looking, opened his car door to step outside. Cierce’s nose twitched. The man stank of liquor and smoking sticks (neither of which she could abide) and body odor. She nearly gagged the stench was so bad.

The smartest of the small crowd watching the scene unfold scattered away. There was something unnatural about the woman they did not understand and wished no part of. The few who did stay never mentioned what they saw ever again. No one would believe them anyway.

“What’sa matter, Princess? Think yer to good fer the lik’sa me?” He slurred his words as he made a lunge for her. All he grabbed was open air. He straightened up, swinging his body around, searching for his quarry.

“Where’dya go, baby? Ya know ya’d like it. I’d be gentle fer you, baby.”

Cierce stepped from the shadows of the dead-end alley she had leapt to. She had no choice but to confront the oaf. Time was short. She had followed Wolf’s scent as he walked aimlessly through the forest immediately after entering this world. He had come this way, but her human senses were not as advanced as her true wolf senses, much to her dismay. She had a harder time deciphering his smell from all the others along the way and even that was fading fast, perhaps due to the noxious fumes from the horseless carriages. Who knew for sure?

“Let me by if you know what’s good for you, human.”

Fair warning was fair warning, she thought.

“No way, baby,” the man said, walking over to her in a drunken swagger. “Yer going to show me a good time.”

A few men in the background chuckled nervously.

No help in that direction, Cierce sighed, resigned to the inevitable. Swiftly she sidestepped him as he made another dive for her, opening his cheek with sharp nails as she passed to his left. He stood there in shock, taking a few moments as pain registered through an alcohol-induced fog to his brain.

“You, bitch!” Spittle flew from his mouth, mixing with blood. “Yer dead!” He rushed her like a bull zeroing in on a red cape, but Cierce leapt over his bulk with ease, catching the top of his bare head with the sharp heel of her dancing shoe. It too, left its mark.

Tsk, tsk. Now he was really mad, she thought. Time was of the essence and he was wasting far too much of hers. She really must end this dance.

“Oh, lover boy,” she called, waiting till the man wiped blood from his eyes so he could see clearly. He staggered to his feet as the few onlookers jeered or egged on the hulking beast of a man.

“I’m going to get you, bitch!” he bellowed as he charged her again.

“You really don’t know how close you are to the truth, human,” she said quietly, then shifted her body to what was left of her wolfen form. Her eyes blazed silver now, her hackles fully raised in anger pushing her beautiful silver hair out until it circled about her head like a halo of pure light. Her sharp canines shined wickedly as she growled deep in her throat. The man stopped dead in his tracks while the rest scattered like the wind.

“What the hell are you?” the man asked as he backed slowly up towards his car.

“Why, just a poor little wolf…a poor, hungry little wolf and you human, you will fill me up quite nicely,” Cierce answered, slowly walking towards the man.

That did it. The man sobered up in a heartbeat, diving headfirst into his car. Not bothering to shut the door he revved the motor threw it in gear and tore off down the street, taking off his car door on a parked vehicle.

Cierce took a moment to slow her breathing and relax. After a few minutes she could feel her canines retract and her hackles lower. Studying her reflection in a shop window she saw a young, pretty woman reflected there once more, not the beast she had become a few minutes ago. She touched her face, feeling the smooth texture of her human skin and tried to remember what she felt like as her natural self. With alarm, she realized she could barely remember and hoped that she would find this Wolf chap soon, before she lost her identity forever. Sniffing the air, she caught his scent once more…but faintly. If she lost his track now, her freedom would be forfeited and Madam Tatler would hold her captive forever.

Dr. Horovitz had heard some doozies in her days, but this guy took the cake. Every last Saturday of the month she volunteered her time for the city’s indigent. Her last patient had just left and she too, prepared to leave her office when Wolf scrambled in the door and slammed it behind him.

“Huff-puff, Doc! You have to help me. I’m soooo confused that I don’t know which way to turn. I love Virginia, but I don’t think she really loves me and she just doesn’t know it yet. Of course, she says she does, but does she truly? Ahrooo… Doc! Can you please help me again? I’d be truly in your debt. Really…wolf’s honor!”

“You already are in my debt, Mr.…? I didn’t ever catch your name.”

“Er…Wolfson. Warren Wolfson.”

Dr. Horovitz placed her briefcase on her leathertop desk and motioned to the leather couch across from her. She remembered this guy only too well. He appeared to have major psychotic tendencies, but she needed more time with him to be sure he would not be harmful to others. The only thing she was sure of was that he was not Paul’s referral. That man showed up ten minutes after this one left that day. This Mr. Wolfson had given her quite a work out that day. Anyone saying that they didn’t know if they should eat someone or love them definitely needed help.

“Let me get this straight, Warren…I can call you Warren, can’t I?”

“Yeah, sure. No problem,” Wolf answered, scratching his temple.

“You first came here not knowing for certain whether you loved this girl, this…”

“Virginia! My creamy, dreamy love!”

“Er, yes…this Virginia. Now you say you do love her and she loves you, but you don’t believe she really does. It that correct?”

“Yes! No! Oh, I don’t know! Cripes!” Wolf jumped up and paced the floor frantically. “I love her soooo much, but she deserves someone better than me. I’m just an animal, a dirty animal with animal desires. I don’t want to hurt her but I’m afraid…” he stopped and closed his eyes. A tear squeezed out and ran unchecked down his cheek.

“Afraid of what, Warren?” asked Dr. Horovitz, her accent thickening as she got caught up in his show of emotion. “Say it! You will feel better and then we can work on the real root of the problem.”

Wolf took a deep painful breath and stared at the floor, afraid to look the doctor straight in the eye fearing her reaction to his answer.

“I’m afraid that I may try to kill her and not even realize it until it’s too late.” There! He had said it! Now what?

Dr. Horovitz removed her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes. The problem was rooted deeper that she thought and she resigned herself to the fact that this session was going to run a bit longer than usual.

But, what a challenge!

“Think Virginia, you know Wolf better than anyone. Where else would he have gone?”

Tony and Virginia had spent the entire day combing Central Park and the closest restaurants surrounding its borders including Grill on the Green. Candy had been apologetic but unable to help. Wolf had not been there at any time that day. They trudged back to the Gramercy Park apartment building and collapsed on the couch in the lobby’s lush lounge.

“I don’t know, Dad. Look, you talked to him last, what did he say again?”

Tony closed his eyes and concentrated.

“Well, he looked a bit depressed and wanted my advice on something. That was when we were interrupted by that baron “what’s-his-name” jerk and when I turned back around, Wolf was gone.”

“Advice?” Virginia thought hard; something nagged at the back of her mind. It was a long shot but perhaps…

“Dad, do you remember all Wolf’s self-help books?”

“Yeah-so?”

“Do you remember him saying how he got them?”

“From a book vendor in the park. Why?”

“Well, maybe the vendor remembers him or has seen him again. He was real big on those books helping him. If he’s seeking advice, perhaps he’ll go back for more books.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Tony sighed. He hoped Wolf turned up soon. He was hungry, tired and his feet ached, but seeing the worried look on his daughter’s face spurred him onward.

The book vendors were beginning to put away their wares for the night, but no one they talked to remembered seeing Wolf nor anyone matching his description. Virginia was nearly defeated, what now? She and Tony were nearly at the park’s exit when a woman with short hair and large-rimmed glasses ran up to them.

“I hear you two are looking for the guy who stole some books from me last month.”

Virginia’s heart leapt in her chest.

“Yes! Yes! Maybe you can help us. Has he been back to get more books? Say…earlier today?”

“No, of course not,” she sniffed indignantly. “If he had, I would have called the police. He took nearly seventy-five dollars worth of books without paying for them. I was hoping you knew where he was so I could report his whereabouts. I already tried contacting that doctor who gave him the list of books to read but she hadn’t seen him since she gave it to him nor did she have an address. He just vanished into thin air.”

“Doctor?” Virginia and Tony cried in unison.

“What doctor?” Virginia continued. “Do you know where I can contact her?”

“Yeah-sure. Come on back to my stall and I’ll get it for you.”

Virginia and Tony left a happy vendor, counting out seventy-five dollars and a promise to drop the charges on Wolf. After all, the guy was a nutcase wasn’t he? The courts would only order him psychiatric help. It looked like he was trying to do that already. So what was the use? At least she got her money for the books, so no real loss.

“Dad!” Exclaimed Virginia excitably. “This Dr. Horovitz is in the building next to Grandmother’s apartment building. Do you think it’s possible he’s there?”

“With the way my life’s been going lately, anything’s possible. Come on…let’s go check, although it’s pretty late for an office visit.”

Twenty minutes later they entered the office building next to her grandmother’s address. The smell of decades of lemon oil rubbed into the wood panels of the entrance foyer greeted them as they looked up the doctor’s suite number.

“This is it, Dad…number 101. Must be around the corner here.”

“Okay, but don’t get your hopes up. It is past five-thirty. How many doctors you know stay that late for a patient…and on a Saturday?”

The reception room was deserted but the murmur of voices escaped from the closed door marked with the psychiatrist’s name. Virginia had no other choice. She rapped on the door lightly.

The murmur of voices stopped and footsteps made their way to the door. It opened, revealing a rather dignified woman in her fifties.

“May I help you?” The woman asked in an unusual accent.

“I hope so,” Virginia began, turning to look at her dad for support. “We believe you have been seeing someone we’re looking for…a man by the name of Wolf.”

“Yeah,” Tony spoke up. “Perhaps you remember him…dark hair, good-looking, may be acting a bit irrational, you know…scratching, howling. That sort of stuff.”

“Daaaaaad,” Virginia hissed in a low voice, elbowing him in the side.

The woman stared at her from above her eyeglasses.

“You wouldn’t by any chance be Virginia, would you?”

Virginia looked at her, flabbergasted.

“Yes! Oh, yes! I mean, yes I am,” she cried, relieved. “Have you seen him lately? Did he say where he’s going? Please help. I’ve been searching for him all day. Please help me, Doctor Horovitz! I love him so much…and I miss him and I just want him to come home so we can work out whatever the problem is between us. I need him and so will our baby.”

Dr. Horovitz smiled and stepped back, allowing the door to open wider.

“I believe I can help you, young lady.”

“Wolf!”

“Virginia!”

They ran towards each other, catching one another and holding tightly as if to never let go again. They kissed passionately, caressing each other until Dr. Horovitz cleared her throat loudly, bringing them out of their euphoria.

“Now that you two have been reunited, I believe there are a few small matters to clear up before I can help Warren with his problems. Sit down, young lady,” the doctor looked up at Tony. “And you are…?”

“Her father.”

Dr. Horovitz directed him to the plump chair in the corner while Virginia and Wolf sat close on the leather couch, clasping hands tightly. They all looked up at the psychiatrist expectantly. “First I see a very confused man here,” she began.

“You don’t mean…?” asked Wolf innocently, looking over at Tony.

“You, Wolf,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “She means you!”

The doctor continued on, “A man, who for the first time in his life is in love…and as I understand it now, going to be a father. Is that correct?”

“Well, yeah,” Wolf answered, straining to keep from wiggling in his seat he was so keyed up. Virginia’s scent was driving him crazy.

“I also see a man who is having a hard time breaking away from the habits he learned while being raised as a child. Habits are very hard to break, Warren. Especially while taught as a young and impressionable child. You were confused because deep down inside, you knew what your mother was telling you to do was wrong, but yet you felt compelled to obey because she was your parent. As you grew up you acted upon these urges, thus causing you to attack these….”

“Sheep,” Wolf finished for her.

“Ah, yes…” she added, her accent thickening. “After attacking these sheep, you were jailed for your crime. Yes?”

“Yes.”

“So now you become even more confused because what you did was completely natural, but to others-it is not. So you feel different, animalistic. In your words…”a dirty animal.”

“Cripes!” he yelped. “I am, but I want to change…truly I do!”

She went on as if he had not spoken.

“Now, into your life comes a beautiful, young woman…”

Virginia blushed prettily, making Wolf want her even more.

“…And while deep down you believe you are not good enough for her, you forge on anyway to gain her love against all the odds, just because you love her to the very core of your being.”

“I do, I truly do!” he cried, as Virginia looked on, tears of joy in her lovely, blue eyes.

“When she eventually returned your love, you took a hard look at yourself and thought you had nothing to offer her and your child after all. Plus you feared hurting her like you did the sheep during your uncontrollable “blackouts”. You were ready to allow another man to take her to wife and your child to raise as his own to ensure their safety. Is this correct?”

“Yes, Miss,” he agreed weakly.

Virginia gasped at that bit of information. She knew Wolf had major concerns about his full moon activities but little did she realize to what extent he was prepared to go to protect her from himself. Was he really going to forsake their love and his child to ensure their welfare? She felt her heart burst with love at his selflessness.

“Then I believe you have two options here, Warren. One…you walk out that door, returning to the life that you have always known before you found this young woman. Or two…you stay and take matters one day at a time, working out the rough edges in your relationship with the woman you profess to love. It’s really that simple. So now, young man, I leave you and your young lady to decide what is best.”

She got up to give them their privacy, nudging Tony as she walked out the door of her office.

“Huh?” Tony looked up at her. “Oh-yes, sure…we’ll give you two some time to talk.”

The door shut firmly behind the doctor and Tony, leaving Wolf and Virginia alone.

“Virginia, I…”

“Wolf…”

They began talking at the same time.

“I don’t want you to leave, Wolf. I love you so much that I cannot see my future without you anymore.”

“Cripes, Virginia. You are my life, but if something terrible happened to you, my life would be worthless. I could never live without you. You are my love, my mate.”

“I am yours, Wolf,” she grabbed his hand and placed it on her tummy. “And so is this child. We need you in our lives…now and forever. Dr. Horovitz is right. Problems can be worked out, but they need to be worked out together…not you alone deciding what is the best for all of us. Besides…”

She took his face in her hands and kissed his mouth gently but firmly, igniting a fire in his loins.

“…I have a hard time believing that a man as loving and caring as you, who followed me over mountains, through swamps, into unknown dimensions and rescued me numerous times, despite the fact that I treated him rudely, would ever be able to harm me no matter what the circumstances. In fact, I’d bet on it!”

“Huff-puff! Don’t do that,” Wolf grinned widely. “Your gambling luck is atrocious! Best to stick with a sure thing.” Virginia laughed then smiled back lovingly at him.

“I believe that’s what I’m trying to do…if you’ll let me.”

Wolf caught her up in his arms, crushing her lithe body to his in a passionate kiss.

Virginia had her answer.