November 19, 2008 – 3:17 pm
It was another couple hours, well past midnight, when Rakov and Doc Ogle finally emerged, ready to share their findings with Jesse and the sheriff. Both Ogle and Rakov looked harried as they scrubbed their hands and poured themselves some coffee from the kettle, which must have been left over from earlier in the day.
“How is she?” Jesse asked urgently.
“She is well, she is resting,” Rakov said, stifling a yawn, as he lowered his large frame into one of Ogle’s chairs. “But her case is also very, very complicated. You might as well sit,” he added, motioning to Jesse.
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November 19, 2008 – 1:40 am
Finally, the brought Namid into Doc Ogle’s office and laid her on one of the examination tables. Again, although she was sedated, she still moved slightly, moaning, tossing her head from side to side occasionally, as if caught in the grips of a bad dream.
It was at this point that Rakov looked first at Jesse and then the sheriff.
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November 18, 2008 – 12:25 pm
Garvey and his men didn’t waste any time regrouping. By the time Jesse, Rakov and the kid pulled up to Doc Ogle’s with Namid in tow, they were right on their heels, right along with about ten townsfolk they’d already whipped into a frenzy.
The sheriff was there, along with two or three of his men, but at this point, the damage by Garvey had been done and folks were already rolling their eyes at Rakov and Jesse, as the kid and Doc Ogle began to gently lift Namid from the back of the wagon.
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November 17, 2008 – 3:27 pm
In the midst of all the confusion, things didn’t register at first for Rakov and the kid. It was only after Rakov had effectively sedated the girl and the quit struggling and snarling that they both looked over to see tears rolling down Jesse’s face.
And even then, Rakov and the kid were slow to make the immediate and full connection. For his own part, Rakov didn’t know much of the story, save for the fact that Namid was the wolf’s last known victim.
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November 13, 2008 – 7:50 pm
They left again the next morning about an hour before dawn.
Both Jesse and Rakov reasoned, correctly, that wolf would likely travel at nightfall if it were injured. Jesse pointed out, though, that the distance between resting places had been greater and that there was a good chance the wolf may have already bypassed Grand Junction and continued north.
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November 13, 2008 – 2:50 pm
Jesse and Rakov sat on a large log, which probably blew down during a winter storm. The wagon and horses were tied up, about forty yards from the area where the wolves had been attacked. They did those partly, not to further spook the horses, but primarily so as not to disturb the scene.
Rakov insisted they not disturb or trudge through the immediate area where the attack took place, explaining that the less they disturbed it, the better they could get an accurate idea of what had happened.
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November 13, 2008 – 1:00 pm
Jesse and Rakov rode in silence for about the first hour of the journey, acclimating themselves to the cold and checking their gear. It was a pretty straightforward trip, but in below-zero weather, one could never be too careful.
Jesse spent a good part of that time just taking in the landscape. It was amazing to him, the difference between what one saw when riding a trail on horse and what one saw as a passenger in a wagon. He saw and noted many minute details about the landscape he’d missed before.
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November 12, 2008 – 12:51 am
As promised, Rakov checked in on Jesse, who was rising from bed, just before dawn. Jesse threw on his overcoat, collected his gear and the two men walked downstairs into the dark and cold morning. Rakov had a wagon parked outside pulled by two horses.
“What is the trail like that way?” Rakov asked, glancing towards the south. “Is it passable with wagon?”
“Depends on how much snow there is,” Jesse said. “But if I remember right, most of the heavy stuff was before I found the wolves. We should be allright.”
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November 11, 2008 – 2:11 pm
Jesse was none to happy about being remanded to bed, but when he finally did lie down, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep and was out for close to twelve hours.
It was dark out when he woke to the heavy smell of cigarette smoke. He glanced over and saw the Russian, Rakov, sitting in a chair close to his bed, flipping through some papers Rakov glanced up when he heard Jesse stir.
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November 11, 2008 – 1:19 am
They’d barely made it out of Manny’s and onto the street when a large bear of a man walking up the street called out to them.
Even from twenty feet away, Jesse could see the man was an anomaly of sorts, who looked like he’d stepped into Grand Junction from another place or time. He wore a heavy, dark brown chorded coat and a furred, ushanka hat, favored by Russians. That in itself was enough to make him stick out. But he also carried himself with a certain air of authority that commanded respect.
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