We identified other packmates and continued to awe over it for a while. Eventually Richard decided to pick it up on his way back to Boise, and we hung it as a display piece for the duration.
“Do you still need a gift for your friend?” he asked me, and it took me a moment to remember.
I laughed. “No. That was a ruse. Donna was going to take your hamburger away as soon as we walked out the door. We were stalling.”
He wagged a finger at me. “Sneaky. My Grandma Sara was a Sensitive. I couldn’t get away with anything as a boy.”
“I’m not a Sensitive. I’m a Mage.” The anticipated reaction didn’t come.
“My cholesterol is still high. Let’s grab some burgers. I know a good spot.”
We ordered food from one of the diners and drove a short distance up the highway before turning off onto a gated road. The signs marked it private property, no hunting and no trespassing with enough signs to show the seriousness of the offense. A little ways further, we parked. “The man that owns this stretch doesn’t spend a lot of time up here. I keep an eye on it for him, and we don’t get trespassers very often. Uncle Kato joins me here sometimes.”
“It’s beautiful,” Amy cooed. “I wanna run!”
“The property line is fenced. I wouldn’t cross it if I were you,” he told them. “It’s still wolf season.”
So close to town and during wolf season, they waited for their Beta’s approval. Billie didn’t smell or hear anything concerning, and neither did I. “Run, but don’t leave the property.”
She and Nathan immediately stripped, shimmered into wolf form, and took off into the trees. “That’s something I’ve never seen before,” Leroy commented.
“What have you never seen before?” Sierra asked him. “I know you’ve seen us transform.”
“I’ve never seen an arctic wolf except in pictures.” He admired Amy before she completely disappeared.
“That was my reaction the first time I saw her. She’s stunning,” I agreed with him. We packed the food and a few blankets down to the creek where we ate while enjoying the sound of the running water. Billie slipped into her wolf form and stretched out in the sun. I rested my head on her neck, using her as a pillow.
Sierra took off her leg brace and flexed her leg gently. The torn flesh had completely healed, with only some yellowing bruises remaining. “How’s it doing?” I asked.
“I think I’ll be able to run on it this weekend without causing problems. This is the longest it’s ever taken to mend a broken bone,” she complained.
“It was a bad break,” Leroy told her and laughed at the memory. “You surprised the heck out of me. I thought I was talking to a regular wolf.”
“You surprised the heck out of me by starting a conversation. I thought you were going to shoot me,” she replied.
Kathryn smiled knowingly from her blanket where she lay with her head on Richard’s chest, the two of them basking in the sun. I smiled at my own memory. “The first time I met Kato, I couldn’t sense that he was Wolf, but I didn’t think a regular wolf would waltz through the doggie door. So I started talking to him and felt like a fool doing it.”
“What do you mean you couldn’t sense that he was Wolf?” Richard asked, keeping his tone deliberately neutral. He’d made an obvious effort to be pleasant all day.
Thoughts of the Eldest made me smile. “I can’t sense Kato at all unless he lets me.”
Richard wanted more information as he tried to come to terms with what I am. Since the meeting the night before, he’d changed his attitude towards me. Cautious but inquisitive, he sought to understand. “He said his mind is impenetrable to Mages. Is it?”
“I’ve only been in his mind when invited. I’ve never tried to get past his barriers, but I doubt I’d succeed.” I told Richard and then shrugged. “I don’t know how it’s possible.”
“Kato has always made the impossible happen, as did his brother,” Kathryn replied.
“There sure are plenty of legends about them,” Sierra replied, lying beside me and resting her head on Billie’s hip. “Some of the stories about Isingoma sound kind of far-fetched. Are they true?” she asked Kathryn.
“Some are true, others are based in truth, still others are pure fiction. Some of the best stories aren’t told at all.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Isingoma and Kato founded the Montana Pack when it was needed most. Many Wolves would have perished without it. Emma, Tomas, and I were unable to live safely in the Human world, as were many others. The Old Den was hidden where it could not be found by accident, and we were safe there. It was a difficult time to be Wolf, for some of us more than others. Isingoma oftentimes disappeared mysteriously for days or weeks on end, at first with Kato and later with our grandson Kibuuka. They had a wider obligation than our pack and had many adventures that sparked exciting stories. But our pack was their greatest accomplishment.”
Richard added his own memory. “This Pack has always lived openly among Humans. Any who could not we escorted to Isingoma. After the massacre, Kato came and helped us survive. He became our Alpha and moved us to Fort Boise where we could start fresh.” He chuckled. “We stayed just far enough outside of town that our neighbors didn’t know we took orders from a black man.”
“I asked him once how he managed to get away with that.” Leroy leaned back with his arms behind his head. “He said with stealth and determination.”
“I wish he was here this weekend. It’s only been a day and a half, and I miss him already,” I admitted.
“He would not leave unless it was needed.” I noticed she did not promise he would return. Her first mate and grandson didn’t come home from their last mysterious excursion. She addressed the grandson sitting with us. “Leroy, dearling. Did you receive any of the messages I left for you?”
He raised his head at the question. “No. When did you call?”
“I thought not. I called perhaps a dozen times since you rescued Sierra and left several messages with Donna.”
“I didn’t know.” He frowned unhappily. “Was something wrong?”
“Yes, but it is now resolved. We sent our Human packmates to Portland for their safety, and I wished to warn you. The danger is over now.”
“Why would she do that?” Annoyance rang heavy in his voice.
“I believe she is jealous of me, dear. And worries that we are having an affair,” Kathryn said with amusement.
Leroy bellowed with laughter, his anger dissipating instantly. “Oh Lord, if only she knew.”
“Do you think she’d believe that Kathryn is your Great-Great-Great grandmother?” Richard chuckled.
“It would send her over the edge. She’s already teetering on it, and I don’t think she could handle this.” He waved his arm at all of us.
“Many times I’ve wanted to tell my dad that I’m Wolf. I don’t think he can handle it either,” Sierra told Leroy.
“You never knew you were descended from Wolves, did you?” he asked, and Sierra shook her head. “How did you learn about them?”
“I had a friend who was Wolf. I knew him for several years and didn’t suspect anything until a backpacking trip with his partner. The first morning I thought they were still asleep and went for a walk. I spotted a wolf in the distance. I was downwind, and I stayed quiet and low so I could watch without disturbing him. A second wolf showed up, and then one of the wolves turned into Xan. I was so shocked I fell backwards, and they heard me. They explained everything, and I knew right away I wanted it too.”
I looked at her compassionately. “I knew Xan was a friend. But I didn’t realize how close you were. He made you Wolf?”
“Yes,” she nodded sadly, gaining control of her emotions again.
“He passed?” Leroy asked softly.
A tear fell down her face and she wiped it away. “My old Pack attacked this one when they found out Sadie was here. Xan came with them. He would never leave me collared, and he never knew I’m not. He was
killed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. That explains the injuries,” he replied. He’d noticed both Billie’s and Nathan’s nearly healed wounds without commenting on them.
“Nathan was injured in the same fight that killed Xan,” Richard told him. “Billie was injured before this started.”
“What happened?” he asked. Billie remained in wolf form, listening contentedly, so they looked at me to explain.
I shook my head and snuggled in closer to Billie. “It’s someone else’s turn.”
Richard raised his head and rested it on his hand, his other arm still draped over his mate’s waist. He told the story from his point of view, explaining how and why they distrusted me. “Sadie’s Pack now,” he told his mate’s descendent.
“Unbelievable,” Leroy showed his amazement. “The way everyone’s always talked about Mages, it’s hard to believe you’re sitting here. Even Grandma Sara had nothing good to say about them, and she could find the good in anyone.”
She didn’t know she was part Mage, Billie commented privately to me, sadness filling the thought. I reached up and touched her face in agreement.
Kathryn watched the exchange, perceptively understanding what passed between us. “I don’t comprehend how we never knew. Even centuries of conflict between the races shouldn’t have erased the knowledge.”
“To understand who we are, we must know where we came fromm” I told her, hoping she’d choose to enlighten Sierra.
“You are right, my dear. My own discomfort is no excuse for silence.” I nodded, and she faced Sierra. The younger Wolf already anticipated something interesting. “I only recently discovered this, and very few know. The Sensitive and Sender ability is not a Human one. It comes from a Mage ancestor. Kato’s father was Mage, as was one of Dalla’s ancestors. I do not know which ancestor I inherited the gift from.”
Sierra’s eyes went wide, and it took her a moment to formulate a response. “It makes sense when I think about it, and it’s still unbelievable. How could we not know this? Or guess it?”
“Wolves would risk losing their Pack by admitting it,” Richard told her.
“Do others know?” she asked me.
I shrugged. “I don’t know what Mages know about it.”
“How’s it feel to know you have Mage blood in your veins, son?” Richard asked Leroy, who listened curiously to the entire conversation.
Leroy shrugged one shoulder. “My family is about as diverse and strange as possible. Wolves, Sages, Sensitives, and Humans. Five different races and ethnicities. I’ve heard first-hand stories of the American Revolution and the Civil War. My uncle is a 400-year-old African-born Ethiopian Wolf who won’t ride in cars and doesn’t own clothes. Nothing can make my family more strange than it already is.”
Billie chuffed under me, and I shared her sentiment. Kathryn smiled and offered, “I know you cherish a normal Human life, but you are always welcome in the pack.”
Leroy’s mouth quirked upwards at the thought. “Afternoons like this every now and again is good enough for me. I like my normal Human life.”
I thought about it and wondered what I would choose if I had the choice. I never had a chance at a normal Human life. I was never Human. Billie didn’t choose to be Wolf, but she’d embraced it. Do you regret finding out what you are? she asked me.
I shook my head emphatically. “No. I don’t regret becoming Pack, either. But I don’t want the rest of my life to be as intense as this last month.”
You want a normal life.
“I doubt that will ever be possible for me,” I told her and studied the open sky, a couple of birds flying between the trees. “But I want us to be able to create the life that we want, not what’s handed to us because of what we are.”
She twisted her head to lick my neck. We’re doing that right now.
“It’s like listening to someone talk on the phone,” Leroy commented.
“Except we can hear both sides of a phone conversation,” Richard replied with a trace of irritation.
“Sorry,” I told them. “I’ve gotten so used to the way we communicate, I didn’t realize.”
“You didn’t realize the wolf wasn’t talking out loud?” Richard mocked me with a quirk of his lip, another small step towards our old friendship.
“I didn’t realize I was talking out loud,” I replied. Suddenly the fur against my neck began to un-grow and my pillow changed shape. “That feels weird every time you do it.”
“Is this better?” Billie asked Richard with a grin. “She only does that when her guard is down. Take the compliment, old friend.”
“Hmmph,” he replied noncommittally. “I’ll accept the compliment. It’s still rude.”
Leroy found the whole thing comical. He sat up and stretched his back. “I’m not young anymore,” he declared. Amy appeared out of nowhere, tackling Leroy and knocking him back to the ground. He laughed and dodged her expressive tongue. Nathan trotted in behind her, his head high and his eyes bright.
She stepped backwards several feet and crouched as if to pounce on him again. He raised his hands to ward her off, and she transformed into her human form. Her bubbly laughter erupted as soon as she had human vocal cords. She plopped down on the ground, a red wolf emerging from the trees and stretching out beside her. “Now you’ve seen an arctic wolf up close and personal,” She told him.
“Very personal,” he agreed, wiping his face with his shirt. “You’re a red wolf, aren’t you?” he asked Nathan.
Amy answered for him. “Yep. Is he your first?”
“He sure is. I didn’t notice you before. Your girl stole the show.” Nathan nuzzled Amy in obvious agreement.
Chapter 18
Pale autumn light waned across the high mountain meadow, a small natural clearing where Humans rarely wandered. Ponderosa pine trees encircled the clearing, looking down upon it like ancient guardians, pine beetles humming from their shadows. Nocturnal animals began to stir as the sun neared the horizon. Some of the forest creatures stayed in their homes or slipped quietly away, avoiding the large group assembled in the clearing. A few squirrels chirped frantically from the safety of the branches.
A simple open grave lay at the center of the clearing, the hole dug deep enough that no scavengers would disturb the remains. Wrapped in tan fabric, the body of a Wolf rested within the grave. His packmates gathered around him to say goodbye, honoring his life and death. Except for Kato, everyone came, the strong carrying those too young or weak to traverse the inhospitable path. Wolves, Humans, and a single Mage mourned the loss of their packmate.
They stood in silent memory until the sun touched the horizon. The Alpha spoke into the twilight, his gravelly voice reverent and solemn. “John was a good man and a good Wolf, fiercely loyal and dedicated to everyone here. He was easy to like, and he chose to be one of our guardians. John would have willingly given his life to protect any one of us. He died as he lived, protecting his packmates. We are Pack, and death cannot take that away from us. We give him a Wolf’s funeral to honor him.”
The Beta unwrapped her arm from her mate’s waist and stepped forward to the edge of the grave. Crouching low, she rested her sights on the blanketed body of her friend. Tight with sorrow and unshed tears, her voice resonated clearly through the trees. “When I first came here, I hated being Wolf. I hated what I had become and resented this life and everyone in it. Then John became Wolf. He was excited and eager for this life. He wanted to be Wolf, and I didn’t understand why. So I watched him. John knew how to embrace life in every moment of every day no matter what. He was quick to laugh, eager to run, and always there when needed. He was more than a packmate. He was like a brother to me. His friendship helped me become the Wolf I am today. He will always be Pack, and he will always have a place in my heart. I’ll cherish your memory forever, my friend.”
Phil spoke to his friend one last time, raising his voice to the sky. Grief filled his eyes, but a smile graced his face. “You were kind of an annoying Pup. Bu
t someone had to keep an eye on you, and I drew the short straw. I’m glad I did. I’m privileged to call you friend and Pack. I’ll miss you.”
Only those who knew Matthew well could see his sorrow. Holding the shovel at his side like a staff, he addressed his packmates. “I met John when he was Human. I saw his potential and hired him on the spot. He proved himself, and I saw the Wolf he could be. He proved that too. He is Pack.”
Each person who wished to speak had the chance. One by one they gave tribute to their packmate. Nathan remained silent as he stared at the body, absorbing everything they said about the Wolf who died at his hands. His mate hugged his waist, tears streaming down her face.
Sadie offered a few simple words. “Thank you for letting me run with you, for making me laugh, and for looking out for the people I love. Thank you for giving me a chance. I never told you how much that meant to me.”
When the tribute came to an end, Matthew filled the grave. The sounds of crickets serenaded John as the one who made him Wolf interred him into the earth.
Each person held a stone. In times past, those stones marked a Wolf’s grave, one for every packmate left behind. They could no longer bury their dead under a tombstone. A body discovered in the mountains could lead to an autopsy and investigation, risking exposure to Humans. The world had changed, and they changed with it. They would set his shrine towards the setting sun. The pack began walking due west, only a glimmer of light left in the sky.
Nathan lingered behind, unable to remove himself from the newly filled grave. His eyes flashed in anger, his shoulders tight with trapped anguish. The stone marker weighed heavy in his hand, and for a moment his mate thought he would hurl it into the forest. She held him close, offering him the comfort he needed.
Sadie walked near the front, hand in hand with Billie. She noticed the silent outburst and turned around. Self-loathing radiated off of Nathan, and she started back, telling her mate to keep going.
She walked quietly to stand by her friend. With a hand on his shoulder, she reminded him, “You didn’t kill John.”
“I remember doin’ it,” Nathan replied, anguish leaking out of him with each word. “It was her, not me. But I remember killin’ John.”
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