Ashton Daigle

They rode at a moderate trot. They had both followed the tracks, wolf tracks, out of town, but as Rakov had pointed out, they knew where Namid was going, so they stopped trying to see the tracks in the dark of night, and just made their way to Mill Creek.

Neither Jesse or Rakov said too much. At this point, there wasn’t too much more that could be said. They didn’t really have a plan, but by the same token, it was difficult to plan for something as unprecedented as the task before them.

After riding in silence for about twenty minutes, Jesse finally asked, “Maybe we ought to wait until in the morning before we try to hike up there. It wasn’t treacherous terrain, but it wasn’t easy navigating it either. And maybe she’ll be back to herself.”

“You mean not in wolf form?” Rakov asked.

“Well, yeah,” said Jesse.

“I’m not positive about this, not in the least, but I suspect that a creature of her; let’s just say stature for lack of better word; hardly needs a full moon to change into wolf form,” Rakov said. “In fact, the addition of full moon as a requirement for transformation, has only become part of lycanthropy mythology during the last couple of hundred years.”

“So how’d they change before, before full moons became part of the legend?” Jesse asked, part of him still ill at ease that he could even carry on a conversation about werewolves with the same nonchalance one might use when talking weather or crops with a neighbor.

“Different cultures have had different beliefs over the centuries,” Rakov said. “One of the simplest and oldest beliefs was that one only had to remove all their clothes and put on a belt made of wolf skin. Others believe magic salves were used; some that a person only had to drink water from a paw print left by a werewolf. Still other cultures believe any child born on December 24 will become a werewolf.”

“Just seems it might be easier dealing with her if she was in human form, easier that it’d be if she was a wolf,” Jesse said.

“My main concern, and the only reservation I have that would make me wait until morning, or later, is the fact that she’s carrying a child, or children,” Rakov said.

“I’ve thought about that too, although I admit it’s kind of hard to,” Jesse said. “Hell, I don’t now what to expect. It really ain’t natural. I mean, I don’t know what to expect, a bouncing baby boy or girl or a litter of pups. What am I supposed to do with that Rakov?”

“What if you aren’t even the father?” Rakov asked.

“No, I’m sure about that,” Jesse said. “I don’t know how I know, but I know I am the father. You think she’s already going to have them? I thought you said she was only half term.”

“By human standards, yes, that was my estimate,” Rakov said. “But I don’t know what the transformation will do to her biology, or how it will affect it. I have a feeling her time is coming, if it already hasn’t.”

“If she’s had babies, she liable to be very protective of them,” Jesse noted. “She probably won’t want to come along peacefully. In fact, there’s a good chance that we’re as good as dead men right now.”

“I know that too,” Rakov said. “In case you haven’t noticed we’re riding at a trop and not a gallop.”

“Maybe we should turn around Rakov, just call the whole thing off,” Jesse said.

“What about the bounty?” Rakov asked.

“I think it’s safe to say, at this point, that neither of us are in this for the bounty money any more,” Jesse said. “In fact, I could give a rat’s ass about the money.”

“But what about the townsfolk, if she were to return to hunt,” Rakov asked.

“I’ve thought about that too,” Jesse said. “Quite a lot at that. You know, when Garvey went on about her being an Indian whore and all that business, that wasn’t exactly something new. He’s just the only one stupid enough and tasteless enough to actually ever say it in public.”

“What are you saying?” asked Rakov.

“What I’m saying is that we weren’t exactly always made to feel welcome in town,” Jesse said. “The Indian wars went on along time. There’s still a lot of hostility between whites and Indians. We weren’t married either, and that didn’t sit well with some folks. But, I noticed that a lot; no all, come to think of it; all of the people killed in the attacks were people either me or Namid had had some sort of run-in with.”

“So the victims weren’t random then?” Rakov asked.

“No, I guess not,” replied Jesse. “I never thought much of it before. I chocked most of it up just to coincidence. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t a coincidence. None of them were.”

“Amazing,” Rakov said.

“Actually, I think it’s kind of sad,” said Jesse.

“Well sad, yes that people were killed,” Rakov said. “But amazing, because she was protecting you, the father of her children. Nature is amazing. I sincerely believe that most of the world’s problems, man’s problems come when we try to tamper with nature.”

“Isn’t that kind of what we’re doing tonight, though,” Jesse said. “I mean, if you wanted to get technical about it, that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re going to try to capture and imprison something that is, in all actuality, probably meant to be free.”

“Hold on a minute,” Rakov said, slowing his horse to a stop.

“Yeah,” said Jesse, stopping too.

“You are right, of course,” Rakov said. “And this is the second time you have mentioned giving this hunt. I know I haven’t said it Jesse, because it is something men do not tell each other usually. But I respect you. I would not think less of you if you were to turn around, and leave now. No, I don’t think man should tamper with nature, but I do think we can learn from it. I think there is an awful lot we could learn from this girl, this wolf, this werewolf; whatever name you want to call it by. I looked into her eyes, into her soul; and….there was a fire there; an intelligence I have never seen before; that I never thought could even exist among mere humans. I cannot turn away now. If ever there were such thing as destiny, then this is mine. But, I will not think less of you if you go. In fact, if I were in your shoes I don’t know that I would have even made it this far.”

“I appreciate it Rakov,” Jesse said sincerely. “But there’s no way I can let you have all the glory. Besides, those are my children up there too. I’ve done lost two kids in this lifetime. That’s two too many.”

“You realize there may be no glory at all right? There may only be death, our own,” Rakov warned.

“I guess I wouldn’t want to miss that either then,” Jesse said. “Come on, let’s ride.”