Reborn

by Orrin Jason Bradford

  He glanced down at the ground where the piece of ear laid in the dirt. Was the excitement he’d felt from tasting blood an indication he was becoming too much dog and in jeopardy of losing himself again? He didn’t think so, but he was also not interested in finding out. Time to return to where he’d hidden his clothes so he could shift back to his human form, but he’d learned something else important today. He was warmer as a dog with his thick coat than he was as a human with just a shirt and pair of pants. If he got too cold tonight, he’d shift back to dog form at least for a little while.

  2

  By the time TJ had returned to Pack Square Park, found his clothes and shifted back to his human form, the sun was dipping behind the mountains, and the temperature began to drop again. And he was growing hungry again, having finished off the last of the rabbit earlier in the day. He had noticed several others of the homeless community sitting along the streets of Asheville panhandling for change, but he wasn't quite ready to go that route, although with the temperatures dropping more each day, it wouldn't be long before he'd have to do something to come up with warmer clothes. He was still thinking about what that might be when he saw the old spaniel trotting down the sidewalk in front of him. She appeared to be favoring one of her front legs but otherwise was no worse for wear.

  He decided to follow her to see where she went. She took a straight path through the park to the other side where she met up with an old man wearing khaki pants with a cardboard sign propped up beside him that read:

  Homeless Vet

  Support Your Troops

  Beside the sign set a plastic Tupperware container with an American flag sticking out of it along with a few dollar bills. The dog leaped into the old man's lap and licked his gray-bearded face, much to the vet's satisfaction.

  “Welcome home, Miss Precious," he said, laughing heartily at her antics. He placed one hand on his head to keep the camouflaged cap from falling off.

  But TJ’s attention focused on one particular detail that stood out over all the rest. The man was wearing his dad’s blue ski jacket, complete with the rabbit foot attached to the zipper. He watched as the man took a morsel of food from his jacket pocket and fed it to the dog. While she munched on it, he gently checked her paw.

  “Is she okay?” TJ asked as he approached the two of them, his eyes still focused on the jacket.

  “Yeah, she'll be okay," the man replied friendly enough. "Looks like she might have gotten herself into a bit of a scrap while she was away."

  “She did,” TJ replied. “It was off of Hilliard Avenue in that park. Three dogs were after her.” As TJ talked, the spaniel climbed down from her owner’s lap and walked over to him. She sniffed at his leg for a second before jumping up on him in a friendly manner.

  “She wandered that far away?" the vet asked, then noticing her antics, continued. "That's odd. She never takes to strangers, but she sure has taken to you." He studied TJ for a moment before asking, "Did you help ole Precious out?"

  “Let's just say; we've met before and leave it at that."

  “Okay," the man said. "Thank you kindly for whatever you might have done." He reached out his right hand. TJ hesitated for a moment before realizing he was offering to shake hands. As he took the man's hand, he noticed he was missing a couple of fingers, and the remaining ones were scarred and arthritic looking with swollen knuckles. "I'm Luke, and this here is Precious."

  “I’m TJ. Good to meet the two of you.”

  “You new to these parts?” Luke asked as he released TJ’s hand. “Don’t remember seeing you around here before.”

  “Yeah, been here a few days,” TJ answered. “Listen, I hate to bring this up, having just met and all, but well…that jacket you’re wearing is mine…well, my dad’s, but I borrowed it from him.”

  “Is it now?” Luke replied noncommittally. “You know what they say about the law around here.”

  “No, what do they say?”

  “Possession is nine-tenths of the law," Luke replied with a chuckle. "If it's your jacket, but you and I have never met, and I'm now wearing it, how could that be?"

  “I was mugged and robbed the first night I got here.”

  “Oh, were you now? Don't tell me you fell for the ole ‘damsel in distress scam?'"

  “Yeah, I guess so,” TJ replied, hanging his head. “But that doesn’t make it any less mine.”

  “No…no it don’t,” Luke replied, “but my possessing it sure does. Listen, let me ask you something. Where you been staying?”

  “Around,” TJ replied.

  “You’re the kid been sleeping in the dumpster off of Spruce Street, ain’t you?”

  “Maybe,” TJ finally admitted.

  “Yeah, well you sure smell like it," Luke said with a chuckle. "Listen, I'm not a big fan of slick Saul and Sally's tactics. They're the ones that welcomed you to town, but sky blue is my favorite color so when I saw him wearing this here jacket, I traded for it. So, you want it back; you'll need to trade me for it."

  “I don’t have anything to trade,” TJ replied, upset at how much it sounded like a whine.

  “How about you let me be the judge of that,” Luke replied. “Now, tell me the truth. Did you help Precious out of her scrap with those three dogs?”

  TJ nodded. “Yeah, but I can’t tell you how.”

  “That don't matter," Luke replied as he took off the jacket. "That's good enough for me. There's nothing on this planet more important to me than this here ole dog, and if you saved her from being mauled by three bully dogs, I'd say that's a pretty good trade." He held the jacket out to TJ. "What do you say?"

  “Yeah, I guess so,” TJ finally agreed as he took the jacket from him. “But what will you wear?”

  “Oh, don't worry about me. I still got my old Army coat. It's not a pretty blue like this one, but it's warm, and I think Precious likes it more on me than the blue one, but there's one more thing. You can't take that coat back to that smelly dumpster. You come with Precious and me. We'll find you somewhere to stay."

  Hunting

  1

  Pat didn’t hear back from Shack until the next evening.

  “I’m betting by the time this is over, it’ll be you insisting we have dinner and on your tab,” Shack said as his greeting.

  “Since when did you start believing in miracles?” Pat retorted. “You got something for me besides pipe dreams?”

  “Yeah," Shack replied. "Word is on the street that a new kid showed up a day or two ago. Of course, a new kid on the street is hardly news, but in this case, it was. No one knows where he's from, but rumor has it he's been sleeping in a dumpster off of Market Street. He fits your boy's description."

  Pat groaned at the thought of TJ sleeping in a dumpster, realizing it was her fault. “Can you follow up on it, and let me know what you find?”

  “Of course, little lady,” Shack replied. “Your wish is my command. I also heard of a new steak and seafood restaurant that just opened that’s supposed to have a killer wine list. Want me to make reservations?”

  Pat didn't bother to answer, but as she hung up the phone, she had a smile on her face.

  2

  “Look, some of my friends and I are going to hang out tonight. It's not supposed to be all that cold. We have a place that's pretty safe, and there will be a fire and blankets for when you're ready to crash. You're welcome to come along if you don't already have other plans." Luke tried to keep from smiling as he said that last part.

  “Let me check my calendar and see if I can fit something else in," TJ answered, playing along, and a second later he added, "You're in luck. I happen to have tonight free." Then he stopped himself. "Ahh, I don't have anything to contribute, but if you give me a little bit of time, I can maybe come up with a rabbit or two. If not that, how about a squirrel?"

  Luke looked at him as though trying to figure out if he was serious. “How you going to get a rabbit or squirrel?” he asked.

  “Oh, I've got my ways," TJ answered. "Tell me whe
re the gathering is, and I'll be there. I'll bring what I can."

  Luke gave him directions, then stood up and started packing up his belongings, which included a few dollars he’d collected during the day. He started to stick the money in his pant’s pocket, then stopped.

  “Here, you take this just in case the rabbits and squirrels don’t cooperate.”

  TJ looked at the money Luke held in his gnarled hand. “I can’t take your money. You worked hard for it.”

  “Yeah, right. Sitting on my ass all day looking pathetic is hard work, but I'm used to it," Luke replied still holding out the money. When TJ didn't move to take it, he stepped forward and stuck it into TJ's shirt pocket. "Look, man, if you're going to be on the street, you gotta learn not to let your pride get in the way. You helped out my Precious earlier today without any expectation of getting anything from it. Well, I believe in karma so consider this a little karma back to you."

  TJ wasn't sure what his new friend meant by that last comment, but he realized he was in no position to refuse Luke’s generosity. “Okay, but that means the fattest rabbit will be yours.”

  “That’s fine. I haven’t had a good rabbit stew in ages. Good hunting, boy. Come on, girl,” Luke called to Precious. “Let’s go round up the others.”

  The two of them headed off in the opposite direction from TJ, who strolled back into the park where he waited around for it to grow dark. He hesitated a moment before taking off his newly recovered ski jacket. He'd hate to lose it again, so he made sure it and his other clothes were well hidden before making the shift.

  After shifting into the owl form, he decided to fly around a bit before settling down to hunt for his evening meal. The air was crisp and clean for being in the city, and the lights below sparkled in multiple shades of white, yellow and gold. He could see the citizens of Asheville rushing to their cars to get home to their warm homes and families. Everyone was too busy to bother looking up, so he was able to fly around without being noticed. After a few minutes, he returned to the darkened part of the park where the hunting was best.

  In the space of a couple of hours, he was able to kill two rabbits and a squirrel. That should be enough to get him into the gathering. Not exactly like bringing a bottle of wine to a party, he thought, but under the circumstances, the fresh game might be preferred over booze. Besides, as he'd learned on his first day, without proper ID one's shopping choices were significantly curtailed as was one's ability to make money so you could afford to go shopping.

  After making the last kill, he dragged it to where he’d stashed the others, shifting back to human form and quickly dressing. He relished putting on the ski jacket and feeling the warmth start to build inside of it. He cleaned the game, being careful not to get blood on the coat, then stuck the carcasses in a bag before hiding the makeshift bottle knife. Sure would be nice if he could somehow get his knife and other belongings back. Maybe he’d talk to Luke about that. See if he could negotiate with this Saul fellow.

  Okay, time to find the party, he thought as he pulled the directions he’d scribbled down. The day had turned out alright after all.

  3

  Less than twenty-four hours later, Pat was back on the phone with Shack.

  “I've got some more news, and it's not good…not good at all," Shack said straight away without even a hint of flirting first, which immediately set off Pat's alarm bells.

  “What is it, Shack?”

  “I’ve tracked down the knife; at least where it was as of yesterday evening.”

  “Okay, that’s a good start,” Pat replied. “Where was it?”

  “Apparently cutting a couple of homeless people’s throats,” Shack replied.

  “What? Impossible! TJ would never do such a thing.” At least I don’t think he would, Pat thought.

  “Here's what happened as best as I can make out. I have a cop who owes me a couple of favors, so the story's source is strong. The police were called out to an alley behind one of the homeless shelters around 9 pm. It seems there had been an altercation. One of the shelter employees heard a ruckus outside and called them. When they arrived, they found a homeless man dead and his female companion bleeding out. They'd both had their throats cut. They managed to stop her bleeding in time to save her, but it appears her vocal chords may have been damaged. That part isn't clear. She may have been mute before the incident. Anyway, the two were identified as Saul Young and Sally Morrow. I know both of them, or at least their street rep. They're both bad apples. Whoever took them out probably did the city a big favor."

  “How do they know my knife was involved?” Pat asked.

  “Sally isn't able to talk, but she was able to draw. It turns out she's not a bad artist. She drew two pictures; one of a knife and one of a teenage boy then drew a line between the two. My cop friend took a picture with his cellphone and sent it to me. Sorry to say, the pictures fit your knife and boy to a T. I'll forward it on to you when I get off."

  Pat sat down on the kitchen chair, the tea she was in the process of fixing forgotten. What in the hell was she going to do now? Surely it was just a matter of time before the cops tracked TJ down and then the shit was going to hit the fan. Now, it was more important than ever for her to find him, but then what? Her brain was swirling but without any solution coming to mind, a little like a computer searching for a file that simply wasn't on the hard drive. She suddenly realized Shack had asked her a question.

  “What was that again?”

  “I said, what do you want me to do now?”

  “Find TJ before the cops do,” Pat replied, an idea starting to form. “And one more thing, Shack. Do you still have that connection with the guy who prepares fake IDs?”

  “Yeeaaahh…” Shack replied slowly. “I might be able to help you out there. Why?”

  Gathering

  As TJ followed Luke's directions to the gathering, he wondered if the old man had sent him on a wild goose chase. He found himself walking through a well-manicured residential neighborhood that seemed to TJ to be an unlikely setting for a gathering of homeless people. He felt self-conscious strolling along the streets with his plastic bag of recently killed game. He could imagine people inside their homes staring at him before rushing to their phones to call the cops. Still, he didn't have anything else to do with his time, and Luke had appeared genuine with his invitation, so he'd keep walking at least until the patrol cars arrived.

  Luckily none did, and as he continued to walk the houses grew sparser, and within a few blocks, he found himself in a wooded area not yet taken over by the urban sprawl. As he followed the roadway around an outcropping of trees, he heard the sound of music in the distance and detected a scent that started his mouth to water with anticipation. Walking a little further, he saw a clearing up ahead with lights fluttering through the trees in the distance. These turned out to be from fires burning inside some large metal drums. Around each fire people stood and sat, many of them swaying to the music that came from a boombox TJ figured was probably close to twenty years old.

  He suddenly felt awkward walking into such a gathering, but then relaxed as he saw Precious bounding towards him, her tongue flapping to one side like a welcome flag. Her limp appeared much better, and she seemed no worse for her adventure earlier in the day. As she reached him, she reared up on her hind legs and pawed the air with her front, obviously pleased to see him. Luke followed close behind, much more calmly but with a smile on his face as well.

  “Welcome to our gathering, TJ. Come, let me introduce you to some of my family.”

  “You have family here?” TJ asked as he once again accepted Luke’s outstretched gnarled hand in greeting.

  “Yep, the best kind of family — people I’ve chosen to be part of my life,” Luke replied. “And don’t worry about remembering the names. You’ll get to learn them if you stay around long enough. Hell, some of us have trouble remembering our own names these days.”

  TJ appreciated the warning, for within minutes he had more names and fa
ces swirling around than he had any hope of making sense. Peggy Sue (was she the one with the red and pink hair?), Elmer Fudd (could that have really been his name?), Alley Cat (pretty sure she was the young, cute one but with the much bigger boy holding her hand), and the names and faces went on. Everyone appeared to welcome him with open arms and graciously accepted his donation to the stew that was in process.

  “Let me help by cutting these into chunks,” Luke said as he reached into the faded green coat with the multiple pockets and brought out a large hunting knife in a leather sheath — the knife that Pat had given TJ for his birthday.

  TJ stood there staring at the knife as Luke took it out of its sheath and started to reach for the bag of game, a crooked smile beginning to play on his face.

  “That’s my knife.” TJ finally managed to get the words out. “Where did you…?”

  “Is it now?” Luke replied. “You know what they say…”

  “Yeah,” TJ replied with a dejected tone in his voice. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.”

  “You’re learning quickly, my boy,” Luke replied, “Except in this case it’s not true.” He flipped the knife in the air, deftly grabbing the sharp end and offering the handle end to TJ.

  “Several of us have pretty much had it with Saul and Sally's antics recently. Giving our little town here a bad name, so we had an ‘intervention.' Under the circumstances, I'd say they were quite understanding. They both wanted to be sure you got what they ‘borrowed' from you the other day."

  As TJ took the knife from him, Luke reached into another of his many pockets and pulled out the CD case of TJ’s video game and Mimi’s book. “I believe these are yours as well. Unfortunately, they’d already hocked the backpack and clothes, but if you’re not too particular about your fashion tastes, we can hunt you up some more clothes in the next day or two, but not until we get you washed up.”