Tears burned Kara’s eyes. “Mist did not kill parents. She was a friend.”
“I know you believe that, Kara,” said Ethan, “But my dad was there. Mist and the others turned on them. That’s why he’s so adamant about hunting wolves. He doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“Good luck convincing her, Ethan,” said Michael, before he stalked out the door.
Doubt churned in Kara as she watched him go. The thought of wolves attacking her parents or her didn’t make sense. The pack wouldn’t turn on one of its own like that unless there was a challenge to leadership. But a pup, never. She’d grown up with new litters each year. A young pup could steal food from the stomach of any pack member. Pups were the future. Everyone protected them. She’d always assumed humans had attacked her family. How could everything she had believed be a lie? Her hand brushed the fur on the wall. The image of running at the wolf’s side with Ethan was so vivid, but was it a memory, or a fantasy?
A woman placed a necklace over her head. There was fear in the woman’s eyes and a red stain on her shirt. Fire billowed in the distance. Heat radiated toward them with growing intensity.
“Keep it safe, Kara. Run!”
Confusion, panic, and pain.
“There was a fire,” whispered Kara. Her head rested against Ethan’s chest. “Wolves don’t make fire.”
Kara lay on the grass next to Ethan and nibbled on a cookie, savoring the flavor. She hadn’t realized how much she’s missed sweets in her time with the pack.
“This brings back memories,” she said, licking her fingers.
“Good ones, I hope.”
“And new ones.”
She rolled over until her shoulder pressed against Ethan. The touch made her breath catch. Even as children she’d felt closer to him than anyone else. Around him she didn’t have to pretend she was like other kids. She was a wolf-talker. His acceptance of her wildness only strengthened that bond. Ethan reached over to ruffle her hair but she turned her head at the last second and licked his hand.
“Down girl,” he said, with a laugh. His cheeks rounded like a pair of dumplings.
“You had a crumb on your finger,” she said with an impish grin.
“I’ll bet I did. Hm. Looks like you have one on the tip of your nose.”
He leaned in but stopped, inches from her face. Something other than fear made her heart quicken, and her breath picked up. It felt new, different. Every other thought vanished. All that mattered was Ethan. Urges she’d never felt pulled her into his gaze. When their lips touched, it felt like a thousand sparks going off at once. It felt so right. Breathless, they drew apart.
“You’re eyes are the color of caramel,” he whispered.
She felt her face flush. Part of her wanted to dance around the yard. The other part wanted to sink into another kiss. There was a bright twinkle in his eyes, then suddenly he jumped to his feet.
“Follow me,” he said.
Ethan slipped behind a rhododendron bush on the side of the house. Just under the window was a small hinged panel. She smiled as Ethan opened the panel and wriggled under the house. This was their hideout, their den. Darkness, broken only by stray streaks of light filled the crawl space. It seemed so much bigger when they were young. A spark broke the darkness as Ethan struck flint to steel, then a small oil lamp began to glow. Treasures adorned the space, things only a child would admire, like bits of string, scrap metal, and old glass pieces. All of them lay under a thick coat of dust.
“I can’t believe this place is still here,” she said, picking up a recorder that Ethan used to play.
“Mom and dad never found it. After you were killed…I mean, disappeared, I didn’t have the heart to visit.” He paused, and she saw him swallow. “I missed you, Kara. I missed talking to you and Mist. Things haven’t been the same.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I wish I remembered what happened.”
Memories continued to dance just out of reach. It was more frustrating than seeing game leap to safety only inches from your grasp. But right now, sitting here with Ethan, there were other things on her mind. She pressed her lips to his, and for a while they both forgot about the past. Eventually they came up for air and Kara gazed around their little den.
“What’s this?” she asked, pulling an oil skin wrapped package from under a pile of knick-knacks.
“I don’t know. Open it up.”
Under multiple layers of protection they found a journal. The worn leather cover felt cool under her fingers. Without thinking she grasped the chain hidden under her shirt. Tears welled in her eyes.
“Kara, what’s wrong?”
“My mother’s journal,” she choked out. “How did it get here?”
“She must have hid it before…you know. But how did she know about this place? I never told anyone.”
“Mist knew,” she said, leaving unspoken her mother’s ability to wolf-talk.
She stared at the words scrawled on the first page and shook her head. “I don’t remember how to read.”
Ethan took the book and flipped through it. “Most of this stuff is science notes and equations. Here’s a formula.” He turned some more pages. “And these look like logs. Some kind of experiment, I think. The handwriting changes several times, as if different people wrote in it.” Turning to the end of the book, he pointed. “Look here, it’s a note from your mom.
“The pandemic that nearly wiped out mankind wasn’t a random mutation,” he read aloud. “It was a manufactured virus intended to boost the telepathic abilities of wolves and humans. The original test subjects showed promising results with only mild flu-like side effects. A month into the experiment, vandals broke into the lab. Several vials of a more virulent strain were broken. The disease spread rapidly, mutating and contaminating everything.
“Some of the survivors and their descendants gained the ability to wolf-talk. Many would call the experiment a success, but the price paid in life wasn’t worth the cost. The only benefit now is a bridge between the surviving humans, like myself, and the growing wolf population.
“Mist and her pack are descendants of the original test subjects, as am I. They have become dear friends and care for my daughter, Kara, as their own.
“I will continue to document this growing bond between our species. It is my belief that working together will strengthen our chances for survival. I will never allow the other virus these scientists created to be released.”
Shivers ran down Kara’s spine. Hide it. Keep it safe. They were the last words her mom had said. She fingered the object that hung from the chain. It looked exactly like the picture sketched in the book, the one marked key.
“We can’t tell anyone else about this, Ethan. Promise me, you won’t tell.”
Nothing brightened her spirit more than a run. After reading her mother’s journal, Kara needed it. Sharing it with Ethan was beyond pleasurable. Shoulder to shoulder they ran deep into the surrounding woods, farther than they had gone as children. It wasn’t far enough to dispel thoughts of rampant viruses. Nor could it erase the knowledge that she was descended from an experiment. The last line they had read was the most disturbing. Somewhere there was another virus, one more dangerous than the killer fifty years ago. And she had the key.
Trees whizzed by, but Kara didn’t stop. Wolf-talk echoed in her head, questioning, concerned, but she didn’t answer. Finally, near a rocky outcropping miles from town, she halted, chest heaving. Ethan skidded to a stop a moment later.
A dark gray, almost black wolf stepped out of the shadows. His golden eyes fixed on Ethan. Human hurt Kara. River-Jump protect pack. He bared his teeth, hackles raised, tail up and bent.
Ethan froze. “I don’t think he likes me.”
She saw Ethan’s pulse throb on the side of his neck. It had been years since they romped with Mist. Playing with wolves accustomed to people was different than facing one from the wild. Kara was part of the pack, family. Ethan was a stranger, and a human stranger at that.
She jumped in front of Ethan, blocking the advancing wolf and calling out in wolf-talk. Ethan friend.
“River-Jump knows something is wrong,” she said out loud. “Thinks you’re the cause.”
“But I’d never hurt you,” he said keeping his eyes on River-Jump.
Kara smiled. “Don’t tell me, tell them.”
“Them?” Apprehension tightened his voice. “Kara?”
“The gray behind you is called Wind. They’re my brothers.”
Ethan grimaced. “Protective brothers.” Then in wolf-talk, he said. Kara, Ethan, pack.
Wind moved in first, tentatively sniffing Ethan. Smart human. Knows wolf-talk.
Kara find mate? said River-Jump. His head tilted as he eyed Ethan.
Kara felt her face flush. Before she could respond Ethan moved closer to River-Jump. Holding his head high, he growled at the wolf. It wasn’t a mean or aggressive kind of voice, more of an assertive, dominant sound. Backed by wolf-talk, it had the desired effect. Both River-Jump and Wind crawled up to Ethan, licking, and rolling on their backs.
Kara, Ethan, come hunt? asked Wind, once all the greetings were done. Hunt gives life. Life is land.
Land feeds pack, said River-Jump. Pack is one.
Kara felt the call to hunt stir in her veins. Beside her, Ethan joined the cry. Defend the land. Protect the pack.
It felt good to run with the pack, her pack.
The smell and sound of the forest still filled Kara’s senses as she entered the house. She and Ethan had slipped into the woods every day this week. It was a necessary escape for Kara. Well-wishing neighbors had clamored to greet her, but there was only so much she could take from strangers.
Today was her one week anniversary since returning to humanity. She, Ethan, and the two young wolves celebrated by taking down a small deer. It was their first big kill since they’d begun to run together. They’d left most of the kill with the wolves. It was one thing to spend time with the pack, explaining fang marks in a carcass to Ethan’s parents was something else. Instead, they’d roasted only what they could eat in one sitting. On their way back to the house, Ethan shot a goose for his family. He was outside cleaning it and stashing their leather guards in the den.
Mr. Ericson met her in the hallway just outside of the kitchen. “Where have you been, Kara?”
“Ethan and I went for a run, Mr. Ericson,” she said, lowering her gaze.
“In the woods.” His voice was flat, expressionless. “Again.”
“Yes.”
His chest rose and sank with a sigh. Some indiscernible emotion flashed in his eyes, then hardened. His smile looked friendly, but something made Kara uneasy.
“Give me the key, the one hanging around your neck.”
Her heart skipped a beat. The key, the one thing she had to keep safe, especially with what she now knew. Mr. Ericson was a friend, Ethan’s family. Why would he want her mother’s key?
“I’m sorry.” She sounded like a winey pup. “I can’t.”
Creases drew across his forehead. “Kara. Give. Me. The. Key.”
The intensity of his words made her cringe. Years of living with the pack told her to obey the leader, but a voice in her head whispered rebellion. Hide it. Keep it safe. Kara inched back. Someone grabbed her arms in a vise-like grip. Instinctively, her feet lashed out and struck something soft. Michael cursed, and then slammed her to the floor near the kitchen. Air rushed out of her lungs. She was used to wrestling with wolves, but they didn’t have hands. Rope tightened on her wrists.
A hand reached for the chain and Kara bit down, hard. Blood, warm and metallic, oozed onto her tongue. More curses poured from Michael’s mouth, and then his hand hit her head hard enough to make the room spin. A shooting pain lanced her ribs as he kicked her. Cotton filled her mouth, silencing her growls and snarls.
Michael landed another kick, then yanked the necklace off her neck, breaking the chain. “That’ll teach you not to bite me.”
“What are you doing?” yelled Ethan, as he entered the house. “Let her go. Give that back.”
Ethan dove at Michael, grappling for the necklace. Although his brother outweighed him, the intensity of his attack drove the older boy back. Michael tripped over Kara’s prone figure and Ethan snatched the necklace from his grasp. So focused on his brother, Ethan didn’t spot his father until the man grabbed the back of his shirt collar. Ethan dangled in the air like a pup.
“Stupid boy,” said Mr. Ericson, as he pinned Ethan against the wall. “She’s nothing but an animal, like her parents. Now give me that key.”
Ethan’s eyes widened. “No.” Even suspended in the air, Ethan continued to struggle, holding the key as far from his dad as he could.
“Sorry, Ethan. We’re doing this for you.” Mrs. Ericson’s face looked drawn, strained, as she pried the key from Ethan’s hand. “We have to protect the family. It’s only a matter of time before she remembers what happened.”
It was as if someone had opened a floodgate. Kara gasped, nearly choking on the gag in her mouth, as her past rushed in.
Angry voices yelled, waking her from sleep. A gun fired. Her parents screamed. Mom pulled her out of bed, gave her the necklace, then dropped her out the window.
“Kara, protect it. Keep it safe. Don’t let him get it, ever. He’ll kill all of us, all the wolves. Run.”
Mist ran at her side. Chest heaving, she gulped for air. Sharp pain jabbed the side of her head and she tripped. Blood ran down her neck. Rough hands grabbed. Terrified, Kara dug at the ground, nails raked across the grass. Ethan’s dad pulled at the key, strangling. Then Mist’s silver-gray form leaped over her, teeth bared. Kara scrambled to her feet and ran until she collapsed.
The memory of that night hit harder than Michael’s fist. Betrayed, by their friends. Murdered. Hate burned inside her. Mist didn’t kill her parents. Mr. Ericson did. And Mrs. Ericson knew. Kara strained against the narrow cords on her wrists.
Killed them, screamed Kara. My parents.
Ethan’s face drained of color. “It was you,” he stammered. “You killed them, her parents. How could you? I don’t understand.”
Mr. Ericson shook his head. “Of course you don’t. You’re too full of that cur’s scent. I’m only going to explain this once, so listen up good. Her parents found the lab that created the pandemic. It changed some of the survivors and it changed those killing beasts she runs with. Wolf-talkers,” he snorted. “Animals themselves. See how she acts. There’s another virus locked away in there that’ll get rid of all those wolves and wolf-talkers, but won’t harm true humans like us. A counter measure created by the original scientists. The fools were too scared to use it. But now, we have the key. It’s time to purify the human race, retake our world.”
Still jammed against the wall by Mr. Ericson’s iron grip, Ethan continued to writhe. “No, Dad, you can’t do this. Please. It’ll kill her. Kill her pack.”
Smack. Ethan crumpled to the floor, barely conscious. Bound as she was, there was little Kara could do. Somehow she squirmed around and thrust her feet at Mr. Ericson’s calves. He lurched into the wall, then whipped around and glared at her, hands clenched. Kara returned the look, waiting for him to strike. Instead he turned back to Ethan.
“Once the girl and her kind are out of the way you’ll see more clearly,” said his father. “Lock them in the storage room.”
The door banged shut with a crash and the lock clicked. For a moment pain sank behind despair. Her parent’s murderer had the key to slaughter everything she held dear. Ethan, her pack, they were all in danger. All because she trusted the man who tried to kill her, who killed her parents. The cords cut into her wrists and ankles, and the corners of her mouth were already raw from the gag. She had to save them.
Ethan! Wake up!
It was a thought, nothing more, wolf-talk. Simple, but efficient. Ethan groaned. Their eyes met.
“I’m sorry, Kara,” he said. His voice sounded tight, pained. “I didn’t know. I…�
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Not now.
There was no more time for despair. Too many lives depended on them. It took some maneuvering, but she finally reached the knife tucked into her sock. No one had thought to check either of them for weapons. Freeing her hands was tricky. By the time she finished, her hands were coated with bloody nicks. Finally loose, she spit the gag out and moved to Ethan. His arms wrapped around her and she felt his body shake with emotion.
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
“I know,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell them?”
“About me wolf-talking?” he shook his head. “You saw them. It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
She yanked on the door knob, but it wouldn’t budge. The walls seemed to close in. “We have to stop them.”
“Give me your knife,” said Ethan. “And stay calm. This door was meant to keep people out, not in.”
Using the knife as a lever, Ethan pried out the hinge pins and removed the door. Together they slipped out of their prison only to find the house deserted. It hadn’t taken long to free themselves from the storeroom, but it was enough to give his parents a good head start.
“We have to stop them.” It wasn’t a whimper, or a cry. It was a deep-throated, protective growl. “Get your crossbow.”
“We will,” said Ethan. “There’s a map in the back of the journal. Grab it and the leathers.”
Kara howled as soon as they stepped outside. It was more than a call to hunt, it was a battle cry. Life and death hung in the balance. She didn’t care if the sound startled the neighbors. Defend the land. Protect the pack. The cry was hurried, without the power behind it she would have liked. Even wolf-talk had its distance limits. All she could do was pray that the wolves responded.
After a quick look at the map, they raced from the town, garnering a few puzzled looks. Sunset was a few hours away and most humans didn’t leave town after dark. According to the map, the lab wasn’t far away. But would they get there in time?
One thought pounded in Kara’s head as she ran. Hunt gives life, life is land. Land feeds pack. Pack is one. Defend the land. Protect the pack. This new plague threatened all packs. Beside her, Ethan struggled to keep up with the pace she set, but she could hear his mind, wolf-talking, keeping up the chant. Hunt gives life. Life is land. Land feeds pack. Pack is one. Protect the pack. Protect the pack.
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