In turn, McCall told him of her difficulties with a particularly unruly ball of yarn she’d been struggling with all afternoon. She wasn’t terribly thrilled with the new kid/host of The Price is Right.
“But what can you do?” she said with a shake of her head.
At last she made note of her sadness of the fact that her children didn’t visit but once or twice a year, and that she looked forward to the coming holiday season when she would see them again. She would be making them new hats as well to give as gifts.
“That must be tough,” Lars said loud enough for her to understand.
“They have busy lives,” she replied. “I can’t blame them. Not everyone gets to lull the days away like you and me.”
***
Later, after the work was all done, and after the young of the pack families had all returned to their homes and settled, the pack met on Moon Rock. For the first time in weeks they celebrated their freedom and security.
In his campsite, Lars awoke and listened to the faint song of the pack drifting down off that distant hill. He smiled at the thrill it gave him, even while he shivered from the chill that wild song sent up his spine.
And later still, in the darkest hour before sunup, when the revelry was over and the pack had broken up, two white wolves emerged from the trail—the last to leave Moon Rock that night—and loped casually toward the big farmhouse. At last the young silver-white had her grandfather’s full attention. Despite the release of the celebration, questions and concerns lingered in the back of her mind. As they moved along the elder attempted to comfort her with assuring words—to convey his strong hope that Ludlow would remain safe, would remain their home for many years.
Stopping suddenly, the silver-white said, “David is guarding her,” after catching wind of his scent.
“Yes,” the old wolf said. “Let him take comfort as he may. Though he does not celebrate with us tonight, his regard for the pack is still deep. He will not go against my wishes.”
“What will you do with her?” she asked next.
The old white glanced thoughtfully in the direction of the barns, then back to his granddaughter before answering.
“I do not know,” he finally said. “Her fate is now tied in part to her own conduct in the coming days. We are, in some regards, safer with her alive than dead.”
“Someone will come looking for her, won’t they?”
“That is my fear, yes. But it will take time. Before that happens, she will be given further chances to amend her ways. If she will not repent, and curtail her pursuit of us and our kind, then there will be few options left to her.”
“You will kill her?” Evie asked.
“Not I,” said the white wolf, staring up toward the eastern sky. “My desire is to pressure her until she breaks into repentance, not utterly destroy her. But, she has made more enemies than myself in her lifetime. Soon she will be called to account for all of her misdeeds, and she will do so before a judge much harsher than myself.”
***
Many miles east, Abel Stood suddenly at full attention, his face pointed to the west. The mood of the western pack—primarily the mood of his brother—had finally reached him. The young black wolf then woke from her nap and stood with him, looking eagerly back and forth from the skyline to his dark face and burning glare.
“It is decided,” he told her. “I am going west.”
“Then I am going with you.” She replied.
“It would please me, as your arrival will please those who have longed for you in your absence.” Then, stretching his hind legs and breaking off into a run, he said, “Let us make good time, young one. Though tonight’s danger has passed, as to our future, there is still much on the line.”
Thanks & Notes
Thanks to all of you that have stuck with me for the third book. As always, I greatly appreciate the time and money you invest into my stories, as well as all the kind comments on FB and the awesome reviews on Amazon. I read every single review and try to take what I can from them, good, bad or ugly.
Because of you all, while writing this 3rd book I was able to use my new computer (that doesn’t freeze and sometimes lose my progress) and has a huge screen, so my eyes don’t get as burning tired as they did on my old laptop. And, along with the new computer, I also have a nice new office chair. It’s so nice in fact that I sometimes end up leaning back and dozing off when I should be amounting to something.
As for the North Woods Pack, I will be taking a few months off from them to finish up the first book of a different series. I am definitely not abandoning the wolf series, just taking a break. I really struggled with this one—not with ideas but with deciding which idea to follow that would turn out best for them, and of course, all of you who enjoy them. In order to figure out what to do with them next (besides a full scale war) I need time to think and research and read and in general get reenergized. As it stands now, I feel like if I keep pushing to write instead of letting the story come to me, I’m going to end up screwing it up. I really like the pack and I don’t want to botch their story.
***
UPDATE – October 2014
***April -2014***
Book 4 is available
***
Book 4 is in the works and will hopefully be ready for late 2014 or early 2015. I’ll be posting the cover on Facebook one of these days so everyone can see it ahead of time. (It’s my favorite cover so far). I apologize for the long delay. Some of you have been waiting a year now. I could list my excuses for taking so long but doubt anyone is interested in them.
The Earthkeepers is now available for .99 cents or free in Amazon’s borrow programs.
It’s a break from the North Woods Pack but is still full of my fascination for animals. Safe for kids but laced with dry humor for older readers. I hope some of you will give it a shot.
Thanks for sticking with me so far,
-Shawn
Okay, honest, there’s nothing else down here.
Seasons of Wither (The Great North Woods Pack Book 3) Page 18