Aurendel - Strays

Jack rose from the couch as the knock at the door was repeated. He opened the door, and a figure was silhouetted in the dim twilight. Jack glanced at the wolf, and saw its eyes flicker green in the dark room. Then a woman’s voice rang out.

“Good God, Jack. Whatever are you sitting about in the dark for?” She stepped swiftly into the house and turned on the lamp on the sofa table. The light revealed a tall woman of about thirty, with sunstreaked hair and a face dusted with pale gold freckles. She smiled at Jack, and said, “Sorry I didn’t return your call. I didn’t check my messages when I got back from Ed’s.” Then she noticed the wolf. She stared at it silently for a moment. Jack looked at it, and didn’t notice anything that warranted a stare. The wolf just looked like a scruffy young man badly in need of a shave and a haircut. The wolf rose from the couch, none too gracefully, and limped toward her on its crutches.

“Where are your manners, Jack?” the woman demanded. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your guest?”

“Yes, by all means, introduce us,” said the smiling wolf. Jack didn’t like the way it was looking at her.

“This is Kate Sheppard. Kate, this is . . . ” Jack paused, uncertain how to introduce the wolf. He quickly picked a name off the top of his head. “Harold. Harold Wolf.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Kate, offering her hand.

“Charmed,” replied the wolf. It took her hand and bowed over it as best it could on crutches, then raised her hand to its lips and lightly kissed her fingers. Kate blushed like a schoolgirl, and Jack scowled darkly.

“Sit down,” said Jack, interrupting this disturbing tableau. “Get comfortable. Something to drink?”

“Got any diet Coke?”

Jack shook his head.

“Then it’s good I stopped and picked up a few things when I left the clinic. I’ll bet you haven’t started fixing any dinner yet.”

“Well... ”

“Don’t worry. I got takeout from Olympia’s. Since I meant there to be leftovers, there should be enough for three.”

“Don’t bet on it,” responded Jack, eying the wolf.

“Dinner’s in the car. Help me carry it?” Kate asked. Jack nodded and followed her out the door, waving the wolf back inside. When they returned, it had hobbled to the kitchen and was setting the table. Kate began pulling packages of food out of the paper sacks.

“Do I smell lamb?” the wolf asked, eagerly.

“Gyros. The meat’s a mix of lamb and beef. Olympia’s is a Greek place,” Kate explained. Jack thought her explanation was probably all Greek to the wolf. “You guys can have the gyros. I’ll be fine with salad and appetizers,” Kate continued, loading the plates.

It annoyed Jack how his guests assumed the host roles, setting the table and serving the food. This was his kitchen, damnit. Kate remained oblivious to his irritation as she offered the wolf some Greek salad.

“No thanks,” it replied.

“Are you sure? It’s very good,” she coaxed.

“Well, I’m really not much for vegetables. Salad is for rabbits, not wolves.” Jack gave the wolf a sharp look, but Kate laughed. She thought it was joking.

“So,” Kate began. “Where do you two know each other from? I don’t believe Jack’s ever mentioned you before, Harold.”

“Umm,” the wolf began.

“Well,” interrupted Jack, “we just met. He stepped out in front of my truck yesterday. ‘Bout got himself killed. I brought him back here.”

Kate stared. “Why didn’t you take him to the doctor?”

The wolf shook its head. “I’d rather he didn’t.”

Kate looked at it like it was crazy. “Whatever possessed you to walk into the path of an oncoming vehicle, anyway?”

“I wasn’t quite myself at the time. I really don’t remember how I got here at all.”

Jack could see Kate struggling with her curiosity. After a moment, she said, “Well, I’m dumbfounded. Jack’s not exactly a philanthropist. I’ve known him to take in stray animals, but you’re the first human stray!”

Jack growled, “It was dark. Thought I hit an animal.”

“In other words, if you’d known it was a man, you’d have kept going?” Kate teased. Jack merely humphed. The wolf looked amused. Then it looked mournfully at its now empty plate. “Still hungry?” Kate asked. “Try some felafel.” She cut a piece in half and plopped it down in front of the wolf. It sniffed the felafel suspiciously and took a careful bite.

“Yuck. What is this?”

“It’s chick peas that have been mashed and fried,” Kate answered. “I guess I should know better than to bring vegetarian stuff here. Jack’s pretty carnivorous himself.”

“Don’t you ever eat meat?” the wolf asked her, amazed, as Kate took another bite of salad.

“Sure. I just like lots of different things, that’s all.”

Jack didn’t like the amount of attention Kate was paying the wolf--feeding him, trying to find out all about him. He wished he’d thought to call her back and tell her not to bother coming over. Gruffly, he interrupted her conversation with the wolf.

“How’d Ed’s mare do last night?”

“It was a rough delivery. I had to turn the foal, but they’re both doing fine now,” Kate said.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

“It’s a colt. I think Ed was hoping for a filly. That mare’s getting too old to breed many more.”

The wolf looked curious. “You played midwife to a horse?”

“Well, that’s one way of putting it. I’m a veterinarian.”

“Kate’s got an animal hospital in town,” explained Jack. “She handles most farm animals. Her partner specializes in house pets.”

“And before I went to vet school, I was an emergency medical technician. So, if you’re through eating, I’d like to take a look at that ankle--if you’ve no objections.”

Kate was bemused by the whole situation. She’d known Jack since his animal training days, when he’d worked with the circus cats down in Gibsonton. He’d always been a curmudgeon, preferring the company of animals to that of people. So it was odd to her to see him being so nice to this strange young man. She observed Jack giving Harold aspirin, fetching a fresh icepack, helping him get up on the crutches, and settling him on the living room sofa. She laughed silently to herself. She knew she was Jack’s favorite person, and she was lucky to get common civility from him.

“All right, let’s have a look,” she said in businesslike tones. She sat on a low footstool beside the sofa and started to unwind the bandages from Harold’s ankle. He flinched slightly.

“Jack, get some warm water with epsom salts in it and a washcloth,” Kate called to him over her shoulder. “I need to loosen the bandages--they’re stuck with dried blood.” She looked at Harold. “Do you have any other injuries?”

He nodded. “Nothing serious--a bruise on my shoulder and a bump on my head.”

Kate scooted closer. “This is a cut, not a bump,” she said, touching his temple lightly.

He flinched. “I’d forgotten that.”

Kate ran her fingers lightly across the young man’s head. There was a large knot right on top, but his grey eyes didn’t seem abnormally dilated. “Looks like your hair protected you from a concussion. You got hit pretty hard.”

“My head’s fine. The medicine Jack gave me helped my headache.”

Jack came with the items Kate requested, and she returned her attention to the injured ankle. She carefully loosed the bandages, finally exposing the injury. The jagged gashes went bone deep. “What did that?” she exclaimed.

“A trap,” Jack and Harold answered at the same time.

“These cuts need stitches. I can call Doc Hanlon--”

“No!” the two replied.

She stared incredulously. “Why on earth not?”

Harold looked away. Jack scowled. Kate didn’t like this at all. What was going on? Finally, Jack tried to explain.

“Thing is, Kate, Wolf doesn’t remember how he got here. Last thing he remembers is someone attacking him, and, well, until we figure out what happened, it’s better that fewer people know about him.”

“That’s ridiculous, Jack. Doc Hanlon wouldn’t have anything to do with anyone being mistreated.”

“Kate,” said Harold. “Couldn’t you do this yourself? You said you’ve treated humans as well as animals.”

Kate opened her mouth to object, then shut it again. Obviously, something was seriously wrong, but since she didn’t know what, she’d just have to go along. “All right. But I don’t have what I need with me. I’ll have to bring needles and sutures with me from the clinic tomorrow.” Harold nodded acceptance, but Kate had misgivings about this. She returned to her inspection of the injuries. Harold bore with the examination patiently and silently, though it was obvious it hurt. At last Kate concluded, “I don’t think it’s broken. It’s mangled and sprained, there could be nerve damage, it’s hard to say anything certain without an x-ray. For now, I’ll just bandage it up again. Jack, got any topical antibiotic?”

Kate finished patching up Harold’s ankle as best she could. Fine. These guys wanted their secrets, let them keep ‘em.

Since Jack seldom had more than one or two visitors at a time, the room was sparsely furnished for seating. His own armchair and footstool and the couch were really the only seats available. So Kate made herself comfortable on the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. She idly stroked the fur. That reminded her of something. What was it? Oh, yes.

“Did you see the newspaper today?” Kate asked Jack.

“Got it. Never had time to look at it. Why?”

“According to the front page, there’s a wolf running around town. Can you believe it?”

Harold sat up. “Has it attacked anyone?” he asked.

“The paper didn’t mention anybody getting hurt. It scared a couple of good ol’ boys arriving at the bar down the street from the antiques shop,” Kate said.

“Saw the sheriff yesterday,” remarked Jack. “He told me all about it. I told him it was probably just a big dog.”

“Oh, come on, Jack,” chided Kate. “Don’t you think people can tell a dog from a wolf?”

Jack looked stubborn. “If that was the first bar those boys were stopping at, I’ll eat my hat. The only wolf I’ve seen around here is that one.” He waved in Harold’s direction.

Kate chuckled. “Very funny. Harold Wolf. All right, maybe you’re right. But there’s a reward offered for its capture, anyway.”

Jack cursed. “You’ll be picking birdshot out of German shepherds for the next few weeks. Damn fools.”

Kate nodded, sobered. She hadn’t thought about that. She glanced at Harold. His ankle must be bad. His color wasn’t good, he was perspiring heavily, and his mouth was set in a tight line. She’d have to bring some stronger medication tomorrow.

“At least they’re looking to catch it, not kill it,” she remarked. Then she glanced at the mantel clock. “It’s getting late. I should be going.” As she rose to her feet, Jack also stood, and Harold tried to get up. “Don’t get up, Harold. I’m sorry I couldn’t do much. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Jack offered to walk her to her car, but she refused, “What, do you think the big bad wolf will get me? Please!” Waving at the two men, she slipped out into the night.

After Kate left, Jack located the newspaper and settled back in his armchair to see the article for himself. The Okachula Observer was just a small town paper, focused on local happenings like church picnics and such. The wolf sighting was big news-- right on the front page, above the fold. Jack glanced at it briefly, noting the exaggerations of the eyewitnesses, and tossed it over to the wolf, saying, “Here.”

The wolf read through it quickly. With a worried frown, he looked up from the paper. “Jack, is a thousand whatever-it-ises a substantial reward?”

“Dollars. Yep, it’s a nice chunk of change. Around these parts, that’s more than some folks make in a month.”

“Then there’ll be people looking for me.”

“No, there’ll be people looking for a four-legged, black furred wolf, not a scruffy young fella on crutches.”

The wolf looked offended by that remark, but he let it slide. “But Jack, I arrived here Changed, full wolf, didn’t I? Couldn’t someone track me here? They might at least ask questions.”

“The rain would’ve washed out your pawprints and my tire tracks up the drive. There’s nothing to track.” For some reason, that made Jack a little uneasy, but at least one person--Kate--knew about his visitor. Not that Jack couldn’t take care of himself, and the wolf seemed pretty harmless anyway.

The wolf set the newspaper aside and sat silently for a few minutes. Suddenly, he asked, “Is she your mate?”

“What?”

“Kate. Is she your mate?”

Jack spluttered over that one. Once he recovered a little, he said, “She’s not my wife, if that’s what you’re asking. Where’d you get such a damnfool notion?”

“Well, I didn’t really think she was, since she doesn’t live here, but your scent clings to her in a way that suggests that you’ve . . . well, . . . you know . . .”

Jack couldn’t believe it. The wolf actually appeared embarrassed. “Kate and I have known each other for years. We’re pretty close, but I’m not the marrying kind of man. I guess you could say she’s my girlfriend. Hate that term--makes us sound like a couple of overeager adolescents.”

The wolf appeared to be chewing on that. “I’m not sure I understand. Does that mean she is not your mate, or is she?”

“What the devil do you want to know for, anyway?” demanded Jack, irritated. “Just keep your paws off her.” He glared at the wolf.

“Huff-puff. Humans are strange.”

“It’s getting late. I’ll show you to the guest room, then I’m locking up and calling it a night.”

“Whatever you say, Jack.”

For some reason, Jack found the wolf’s complaisance unconvincing. But he dismissed his doubts and got the wolf settled in properly. He double-checked the house--everything put up, doors locked, lights out--and got himself ready for bed. Tomorrow he’d have to start looking into how the critter got here, but for now it’d been a long day. He was just about to fall asleep, when Jack got back up to lock his bedroom door. Better safe than sorry, he thought, as he drifted off to sleep at last.