Wolf Hunting (A Wolf in the Land of the Dead Book Book 3)

by Toni Boughton

  “Whoever that is approaching will have to come into the compound from the highway, and that,” she pointed at the half-collapsed archway, “is the only way in from the main road. Whether it’s New Heaven or someone else, we can see them from here.”

  Sage motioned to the still form of Everett, who lay where Nowen had dropped him. “Do you believe him? You know, that he’s here to help us?”

  Nowen looked up at the girl next to her. Sage’s gaze was locked on the clearing and she chewed her bottom lip anxiously. “I don’t know, Sage. With all that’s happened, I don’t want to take a chance with someone who may be out to hurt us.” Nowen turned her eyes back to the compound. “Sometimes the only person you can rely on is yourself.”

  “But, if he can lead you to Vuk...would you go with him?” Sage’s voice was very quiet.

  Nowen turned on her side and grasped the girl’s elbow. “I’m not leaving you. Is that what you’re worried about? I would never leave you.”

  Those dark, dark eyes, so dark brown they were almost black, glanced at Nowen and then back to the clearing. “I know.” The words were subdued, but before Nowen could say anything the rumble of the engine grew louder. She flattened herself against the boulder top and felt Sage do the same.

  A truck passed through the entrance and swung in a wide semi-circle through the clearing, kicking up black dust that hung in the still air like a toxic fog. The truck, a pick-up body set high on massive wheels, came to a halt near the prone body of Everett. Loud music thumped through the clearing for another few seconds, and then both music and engine noise cut off. Garishly painted, the vehicle had the words ‘Screamin’ Devil’ scrawled along the sides.

  The driver’s door opened and a young man dressed head-to-toe in black leapt to the ground. Even at this distance Nowen could hear the creak of leather as the newcomer approached Everett. The man in black, his shaved head glistening in the sun, stooped to peer at Everett. He straightened and kicked the unconscious man in the side.

  Nowen heard Sage take a quick breath, and then the girl was whispering in her ear. “That’s one of the New Heaven trucks, right? And that guy kicked Everett. So, maybe Everett was telling the truth.” Nowen raised a hand to shush Sage and concentrated on hearing what the newcomer was saying. She drew on the wolf’s senses, and every word that was said in the clearing was crystal clear.

  “What are you doing here, mongrel?” the young man said. He nudged the limp body before him. “Come back to admire your handiwork? Fuck, you are dumb! Vuk wants you almost as much as he wants that feral bitch, and here you are, the last place on this fucked-up world you should be!” The young man laughed and turned away from Everett to walk through the clearing, kicking aside burnt chunks of wood and scorched bits of metal. He bent over and picked up something, an object that Nowen couldn’t see, and then the young man threw it Everett. The object thumped off the grey-haired man’s shoulder, and he groaned slightly. “Wakey-wakey!” The man in black said as he crossed the clearing to his truck, kicking Everett again as he passed. The newcomer climbed up into the vehicle and to Nowen it looked like he was talking to someone. Or talking into something. Radio, or walkie-talkie. Time to go.

  Nowen slid down the back of the boulder, keeping its granite mass between her and the clearing. Sage joined her a moment later. Nowen motioned with her head in the direction of the deeper forest and had already taken several running steps before she realized the girl wasn’t following her. She stopped and looked back at Sage.

  Sage’s arms were crossed and a mulish look was on her face. Nowen stalked back to her, keeping her hearing focused for the sound of more vehicles approaching. She stood in front of the girl and pinned her with a look. “What?” she growled.

  Sage met her gaze with a steely look of her own. “Everett was telling the truth.

  He’s not working with Vuk.”

  “So?”

  Sage gaped at her in astonishment for a moment before a fierce and unyielding look came into the dark brown eyes. “So, are you just going to let them take him back to Vuk?”

  “It’s none of my concern, Sage. And besides, ten minutes ago you wanted to rip his throat out.”

  “I was wrong, ok! I can’t control - never mind that, he knows who you are!”

  Nowen grasped the girl by her shoulders and resisted the urge to shake the wiry body. “I have no proof of that. The name he called me - it means nothing to me. I haven’t known who I am for two years now, and I’ve gotten along just fine.”

  “But-”

  Nowen cut Sage off. “What do you think that guy is doing in his truck? He’s calling for back-up. We need to leave. Now.”

  Sage yanked herself free of Nowen’s grasp. “Fine! Go! But I’m going back there to help him.” She began to tear at her clothes.

  Nowen closed her eyes for a scant second. When she opened them it was to see that Sage had already removed her shirt and bands of russet-colored fur were rising from her skin. “Sage, stop.” Nowen’s voice this time was colored with the strength of a pack leader, and Sage’s wolf, at least, yielded to the tone. The fur disappeared, leaving only smooth olive-shaded skin behind. The girl raised her dark eyes to Nowen.

  “I’ll go. You stay here, and out of sight.” As she spoke Nowen pulled her sweatshirt over her head. She tossed it aside and then shucked out of her jeans. Black fur rose like a dark forest over her body. She pointed one talon-tipped finger at Sage. “I’ll save him, but he’s not coming with us.” Her body began to re-shape itself, and Nowen fell toward the ground.

  The black wolf landed on strong paws and began to run toward the clearing. Sweep wide; we’ll come up on them from behind. Trees blurred past as the wolf angled away through the forest. When the scent of pine needles gave way to the smell of charred wood the wolf slowed to a trot, slipping between the burned pines. There. The huge boxy shape of the truck was just ahead. She could hear the sounds of the furless male speaking but not the words.

  Hurry. The wolf came at the truck from the back. She leapt to the top of one massive wheel. The smell of warm rubber filled her nose as she jumped to the wheel under the driver’s side door. Careful. The wolf rose on her hind legs, placing her paws on the metal door to brace herself, and looked in the window. The furless male had his back to her. As she watched he finished speaking into a small box radio and slid out the open passenger door.

  Back. The wolf jumped to the back wheel and then up into the open area behind the front part of the truck. Her hind claws dug for purchase with a squeal of metal and then she was crossing the flat back of the truck in two bounds. The wolf launched herself off the other side. The furless male was right below, his back to her, and she struck him between the shoulders. They landed in a puff of black earth.

  Kill. The wolf drove her muzzle toward his neck but the male was faster than she thought. He threw an elbow back that connected solidly with the side of her head. She yelped and stumbled off his back. Hurry! The male was struggling to his feet and the wolf, ignoring the pain that rang through her head, lunged forward and sunk her teeth into the male’s arm. The male screamed and swung his free fist at her. She grunted at the solid hit to her shoulder but didn’t let go.

  The wolf tightened her grip and twisted her head sharply to one side. With a ‘crack’ that reverberated through the clearing the furless male’s elbow snapped. He screamed again, turning on his knees and reaching for her with his other hand.

  Wait. The wolf paused for the split-second it took for the male’s hand to almost touch her, and then she shoved off the burnt earth with her powerful hind legs. Her body swept under his arm, her chest slamming into his. He fell backward and she went for his throat again. Her jaws clamped down on the soft flesh, and she could feel the frantic beat of his pulse on her tongue. She bit down and tore the male’s throat out.

  The wolf gulped down the mouthful of flesh and blood as she stepped back from the body. Gross. You know better than that. The wolf grinned. Yeah, yeah, mighty huntress. Come on, let’
s go get Sage. There was a rustling from the forest edge behind them. The wolf whirled to face whatever was coming at them. She bared her teeth and slicked back her ears. Sage walked out into the clearing and the wolf relaxed. Doesn’t she ever do what I tell her?

  The wolf trotted over to the girl. Sage was looking at the dead man, and then she brought her gaze to the wolf. “I brought your clothes. Their just behind the truck. You might want to clean yourself - you’ve got blood all over your face.” The wolf watched her as she walked toward the grey-furred male. She whined, a small sound, unhappy at the strange tones in the girl’s voice. It’s not important. Let’s go. I want to get changed.

  By the time Nowen had changed, dressed, and followed Sage across the clearing Everett was sitting up with help from the girl. Nowen frowned at this sight and stopped a little closer to Everett than she had intended; he had to tilt his head back to see her.

  She stared at him. He returned her gaze calmly as he motioned at the dead man with his head. “Nice work.” he said.

  Nowen narrowed her eyes. “It appears you aren’t working with Vuk. Unless this is some kind of convoluted plan to convince us that you aren’t when you really are.” From the corner of her eye she saw Sage give her a startled look. “For right now, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  “Thank you.” A slight smile curled across his lips.

  “Where is Vuk?”

  The smile faded from Everett’s face. “I want to take him down, too. What he’s doing to all those people who come to him, looking for safety and peace - it’s beyond horrible.”

  “I don’t care about those people. This is personal. Tell me where I can find Vuk, or I will-” Nowen paused. Sage had moved up next to her while she spoke, and she could feel the soft touch of the girl’s hand on one of hers.

  “Or you’ll kill me?” Everett said, his one copper-colored eye never leaving her face.

  Nowen shook her head slowly. “No. I’ll just break all your limbs and leave you here for Vuk’s people to find. If I slap some handcuffs on you, it makes it impossible to change. I bet there’s some kind of restraints in that truck.”

  Everett held her gaze a moment longer. The he sighed and looked away for a few seconds. When he looked at her again there was something deep in his eye.

  Nowen thought it was sorrow. “You’re so angry.” he said.

  I don’t want your sorrow, or pity. “I have every reason to be. Tell me where I can find Vuk.” she growled.

  “There are a couple of other compounds I know of. One’s in Nebraska, at Scottsbluff. The other is in Colorado - Colorado Springs.”

  “Thank you.” Nowen turned her back on the man as he sat in the scorched dirt.

  She looked at the girl. “Sage. Let’s go.” She started for the burned archway of the compound and didn’t relax until she heard the footsteps of the girl following her.

  Everett called out behind her. “You won’t let me go with you, but you can’t stop me from following you!”

  Nowen didn’t look back.

  Chapter Three

  Nowen and Sage walked through the quiet land. Billings lay a day behind them, Sheridan a day ahead. The path Nowen had chosen led through a Crow Indian reservation and she and the girl stopped for the night in the remains of a camp of some sort. Several decaying tents were scattered among a couple of ancient and rust-eaten vans. The only occupants were mice, rabbits, and a feral dog that bared its teeth at Nowen from beneath one of the vans. She bared her teeth back and the dog yelped and fled through the woods.

  Nowen and Sage spent the night out under the stars, wrapped in layers of blankets. Supper was a cold affair, the remnants of a deer Nowen had brought down almost a week ago. Sage seemed distant and troubled, but when Nowen tried to draw the girl out her efforts were rebuffed. She gave a mental shrug at Sage’s attitude and went to sleep.

  Two hours out from the camp the next day and the only sounds were the steady slap of their feet on the pavement and the wind streaming across the prairie. Nowen’s thoughts were turned inward, chasing the problem of finding Vuk in endless circles. If Everett lied? If you get to Scottsbluff or Colorado Springs, and there’s nothing there? Then what? “I’ll keep searching. As long as I’m able.”

  She didn’t realize she had said the words out loud until Sage made an inquisitive noise from beside her. She gave the girl a quick glance and shook her head.

  “Nothing.”

  Sage nodded and tugged on the straps of the battered backpack she carried. Nowen returned her gaze back to the highway in front of her and turned her thoughts back to the problem of Vuk. She had gone twenty feet or so before the absence of Sage’s presence next to her hit.

  Nowen whirled, scanning the landscape for dangers both animal and human. The only thing she saw was Sage, sitting in the middle of the highway. A sneaker lay next to her and she was peeling off a sock as Nowen walked back to her. The girl grimaced as the sock came free; blood spotted the fabric.

  Nowen crouched next to Sage and pulled a small first-aid kit from the backpack. She thumbed the little plastic box opened and wordlessly handed the girl a large bandage and a tube of antibiotic cream, then studied the horizon while Sage worked on her bloody heel. The sun was creeping toward its zenith. The last two days had been nothing but beautiful early-spring weather, but now she saw a thin line of clouds spilling across the sky from the west. Great. Rain? Snow? Probably a blizzard.

  There was a tapping on her hand and she looked down to see Sage holding the kit up. Nowen slid it back into the backpack the girl was wearing, and then helped her to her feet. She watched silently as Sage took a couple of tentative steps. She saw the quick flash of pain cross the olive-skinned features and, reaching out, tilted the girl’s face up. She looks tired. “Sage,” Nowen said, but before she could continue Sage jerked her head away.

  “Don’t say it.”

  “We could go much faster as wolves.” Nowen finished.

  “No.”

  “It’d be easier on you.”

  “No.”

  “We could be halfway to Scottsbluff by now.”

  “No!” Sage slid around Nowen and started limping down the highway. Nowen fell into step with her, listening to the occasional quiet gasp of pain. When a half-mile had passed and Sage’s steps had grown more halting Nowen decided she’d had enough.

  She latched on to one of the girl’s thin shoulders and forced her to stop before pulling Sage around so they were face to face. Nowen waited until the dark eyes were looking at her. “Sage, this is ridiculous. You’re in pain. Just change.”

  The olive-skinned brow furrowed. “No, Nowen. And don’t ask why - you know why. I have no control when I change.”

  “That will come with practice, Sage.”

  “You don’t understand!” The girl threw her hands up in frustration. “It’s scary, and, and...wild, and weird. Look what I did back in the clearing! And what I did to you!”

  The long scrape, mostly healed but still raw in places, which ran from Nowen’s left collarbone to her left hip ached in remembrance. “That wasn’t your fault. It was the first time you changed, and you were still in shock from the Rev’s bite.”

  “It’s not only that. It’s...” Sage suddenly dropped to the pavement. Angrily she kicked off one of her sneakers. Nowen could smell the blood from the girl’s wounded heel as Sage crossed her legs and dropped her head into her hands. When she spoke again her words were slightly muffled and Nowen sank to her knees to hear her better.

  “Changing shape is scary. Running through the forest, or across the prairie under the night sky...it’s beautiful, you know?” Nowen made a slight sound of agreement. “And when I tracked down and killed that fox; it was like the most incredible thing I’ve ever done.” Sage raised her head and looked past Nowen; the dark brown eyes were distant. “I could stay like that forever. Just running and hunting and living as a wolf.” The dark gaze slowly shifted to stare directly at Nowen. “But I don’t want to. I don’t want t
o lose me. I don’t want to lose my memories of Papa and Mama, of Uncle Fernando and Aunt Izzy, of my cousins and friends and birthday parties and the time Papa surprised me and Mama with a trip to Houston. We stayed in a fancy hotel, way up near the top floor. I looked out at the city at night, and it looked like strings of Christmas lights.” Sage’s voice trailed off for a moment. “When I change, it’s so easy to forget everything. I don’t want that.”

  Nowen nodded slowly. “I understand, Sage. That’s why you need to practice.” A mulish look crossed the girl’s face. What else can I suggest? “Sage, have you talked to your wolf? Tried to set boundaries?”

  Sage looked confused. “What do you mean?”

  “In your head, where the wolf lives until you let her out. Have you talked to her?”

  Now Sage was staring at her as if she had started talking gibberish. She shook her head, short russet curls bouncing with the movement. “There isn’t anyone else in my head. When I change, I’m still there. It just becomes very easy to not think of the human stuff, and just think of running and hunting. Things like that.” Sage looked cautiously at Nowen. “Is it...different for you?”

  Is it? Her wolf grinned at her. Yes. But why? Nowen shook her head to chase away the thoughts. “That’s not important. We’re talking about you.”

  Sage frowned and started struggling to put her sneaker back on. “I don’t care what you say, Nowen. I’m not changing, and that’s it.” The girl tightened the laces with a wince and awkwardly stood up. Without looking at Nowen she shrugged the backpack into place and lurched along the highway.

  Nowen watched her go for a few moments. We could change. And leave her. Get to Scottsbluff in a few days. Her wolf opened eager amber eyes at this. Settle down. We’re not doing that. “Sage!” she yelled. The girl paused in her stumbling walk and looked back. “Want a piggyback ride?”

  The thin line of grey Nowen had noticed had changed to a threatening storm front in a couple of hours. Nowen alternated between keeping an eye on the road in front and keeping an eye on the storm overhead. She noted with interest a sun-faded sign announcing a highway junction three miles ahead. An ideograph on the sign indicated a gas station at the junction. She hitched Sage’s body higher up on her back and increased her pace. The girl had first resisted the offer of a ride but had eventually capitulated, and five minutes after Nowen picked her up Sage had fallen asleep.