by Karen Kay
She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, wondering if she would remember these things about him always. Enamored, she made a mental note never to forget.
She had come to this spot earlier in the evening to await him, and, preferring the open air to the dark dankness of the caves, she had lain down here.
She had been asleep when he had first come to her. But once he had crawled in next to her and had taken her in his arms, her sleepiness had evaporated, as though it had never existed.
Now they lay awake, together, awaiting only the return of Makoyi.
After much thought, Moon Wolf asked gently, “So it is the story of Makoyi that you wish to hear?”
She nodded.
“It is a sad story in the beginning. Are you certain you wish to know it?”
She snuggled her head more deeply into the crook of his arm, sighing at the same time. “Perhaps not the gory details,” she muttered, “but I have been wondering how he came to be with you, and to be so tame, too.”
“Aa,” Moon Wolf took a deep breath, “so I will tell you of it. It happened a few years ago when I was hunting buffalo. Out on the north plain, I could find no signs of the buffalo. But I did run across two different sets of tracks, one of an antelope, the other of the white man. Because game had become scarce and I had no sign of buffalo, I followed the tracks of the antelope, but soon lost them in a rocky area.
“It was then that I heard the cry of a young one. It was the wail of a wolf, but it was like that of a baby. I thought to investigate.
“What I found was a pitiful sight. A lone wolf pup sat beside its parents, who had been caught in the awful traps of the white man. The necks and legs of the parents had been broken by the traps and the pup sat alone, moaning its loss.
“There it sat, a fluffy-tailed, fuzzy little thing, all weak with hunger and grief. It trembled as I approached it, but it did not bite me when I picked it up by the neck. It shook even more when I put it in my arms and tried to hide its head under my arm. It was a male pup.
“I decided then to take pity upon it and to take it home and feed it and see if it might someday make a companion for me. I have never been sorry for that decision. Makoyi has been my constant companion since that day, and many is the time when he has saved my life; sometimes by scenting danger before I am aware of it, sometimes by guarding me and helping me fight when I upset the caravans of the whiskey traders.”
She offered, “And he saved my life, too.”
Moon Wolf nodded. “Then, too.”
“And you say he has gone to find a mate tonight?”
“Aa, yes, I believe that he has.” Moon Wolf gathered her in closer to him. “A wolf is different from a dog in many ways, and one of those is in the manner of courtship. A male dog will never know his offspring. Not so the wolf. A wolf pairs off and stays with his mate all his life. He is a good father. He hunts for his young, he will stay with the pups, too, allowing the mother to hunt and to run around and regain her strength. He is a strong-hearted animal, this wolf of the plains, and he loves deeply those to whom he gives his affection, that love lasting his whole life. He never forgets.”
“And he loves you.”
“Aa, yes, and now you, too.”
“What will happen if he finds a mate?”
Moon Wolf paused before he replied, “I am uncertain. The wolf is a good hunter. Never does he or his family starve. And Makoyi enjoys the adventure of the Wolf Shadow as he might enjoy the thrill of the chase. I taught him many things when he was young: to help round up my horses, to chase down wounded game, even to carry a pack and to sneak along with me when hunting. He has proven himself to be a brother and a friend many times. But the mating instinct is strong with him, and if he finds a mate, it will be his duty to protect and nurture her and their young.”
“Then we might not see him again?”
“Perhaps. But the human scent is strong with him. For now, we are safe from him leaving us, I believe.”
“I hope so.”
Moon Wolf relaxed, and as though he might have all the time in the world, stretched out his legs, which had been crossed at the ankles. At length, he began, “There is something else that we need to discuss, I think.”
“Oh?” she asked. “And what is that?”
Another slight pause. “There was a white hunter watching us from the shadows tonight as we stood beneath the moon. I heard him after you left and followed him to the lieutenant’s house.”
Alys gasped, then frowned. “Lieutenant Warrington’s house?”
“Aa, yes, that is right.”
“Then Lieutenant Warrington knows about us?”
“Saa, no, the white hunter did not see who I was. All he knows is that you are having a lover’s liaison with someone. I do not believe that either of them suspect that man to be a red man. So in that we are safe. But you are in danger. After tonight I do not think it would be wise for you to come here to the caves.”
“But—”
“Lieutenant Warrington has asked this white hunter to watch you. If that man sees you coming and going from your cellar and staying there for great lengths of time, he will become suspicious. He might even try to follow you into the caves.”
“But why? Why would Lieutenant Warrington want me followed? Why would it upset him if I did have a love interest?”
A long hesitation followed her question, and when he did at last answer her, Moon Wolf spoke slowly, as though he chose every word. “The lieutenant has been trying to court you, this I overheard.”
“But I have never given him any reason to believe that I might fancy him.”
“He needs no enticement from you, this Lieutenant Warrington. For I believe that his purpose lies more toward your wealth and your property than it does—”
“But I have no wealth of my own.”
“Saa? Do you not? And your mother, does she not have this wealth?”
“Well, yes, she does. My father was, after all, a miner and a founding father of the town and left us quite well off.”
“Then I believe it is this that draws the lieutenant to you.”
Stunned, she became silent, but for only a second. “Why have I never thought of it? Of course, that would explain his uncompromising interest in me, when I am so reluctant to be in his company. It is to be thanked, then, that he does not know about my family’s other wealth, for then…” Her words trailed away.
Moon Wolf frowned, but she did not finish the thought, nor did she enlighten him. As though she had only paused a beat, she continued, “I don’t see why I should stop coming to the caves just because of Lieutenant Warrington. These are my caves. Mine and my mother’s. I have been going there, using them all my life.”
“And they shall continue to be your caves,” he reminded her, “but you must not enter them until the danger is past.”
“You cannot glibly ask me to do this. It would be as though to cut off a part of me. Besides, it would mean that I would not see you, either.”
“Yet it must be done. Perhaps that is for the best.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning.
He gave a faint shrug. “I still believe that you should try to find one from your own culture who might protect you if I am no longer here.”
“But you are here and I do not believe we should discuss that kind of thing any further.”
“Perhaps,” he stated simply, offering no argument. “But still, you must do it. You must stay away from the caves. For if you do not, you might lead the white hunter to suspect something here. You do not want to arouse his suspicion that you are aiding the Wolf Shadow with your secret place. More than your wealth would be at risk then.”
What could she say to such uncompromising logic? Very little, really.
She asked, “Then if I don’t come to the caves, when will I see you?”
“Until this white hunter leaves and there is no longer any suspicion of you, we will not meet.”
“Not at all?”
; “Saa, no, we cannot risk it.”
“That seems rather extreme, don’t you think? You could visit my mother from time to time, couldn’t you? Then we could see one another.”
His body went tense. He said, “I cannot. I am not in the habit of visiting her, at least not when others can see me. To start doing so now would throw suspicion onto you, perhaps onto her, too.”
She sighed, unwilling to debate the point with him. At length she asked, “And the Wolf Shadow? How will you be able to play the part of the Wolf Shadow if the house, and with that, the cellar, are under constant watch?”
“I do not know. Not yet. I do not mind the risk, but I will not endanger either you or your mother.”
Alys smiled. “Maybe I could become the masked devil from time to time.”
He gave her a sharp look. “Saa, no, you will not. Think what would happen if this man sees you dressed like the Wolf Shadow, going into and out of your house? And you must know that this white hunter will see this. He will observe your movements at all times of the day.”
“Even when he is sleeping?”
“It is possible he will enlist others to help him.”
She moaned, hesitating. “So will the drunken Moon Wolf disappear from the fort, too?”
“He will have to, at least for now.”
“But isn’t that dangerous? Isn’t Lieutenant Warrington expecting to hear something from Moon Wolf tomorrow?”
Moon Wolf shrugged. “My people often appear or disappear into and out of the fort without warning. It matters not what he thinks. This must be done.”
“Then you, too, must be careful,” she cautioned, thinking to induce him into being more mindful of his own safety. However, he didn’t seem to notice, and she continued, “I will miss you. Surely we can meet at some given places.”
“Saa, no. We cannot. We cannot risk discovery of me, of you, of your caves, or of you and me together.”
She groaned. Of course he spoke with wisdom, but really…not meeting at all?
“You are not, per chance, happy about this, are you?”
“Saa, no, why would I be happy?”
Something nagged her on to observe, “Because you keep trying to pawn me off onto some poor unsuspecting soul—for my own good.”
“Aa, yes, I understand you now,” he grinned at her. “Alas, such would seem to fit into my plans, would it not, except that I would not wish you to be put in danger, not ever, and I do not believe that I wish to see you with another man while I am still alive. I am trying to think of your future.”
“And what of yours? What of your future?”
“I do not believe that I have one.”
“I see,” she said and paused, choosing her next words carefully. “So will you find it hard to be away from me?”
“Aa, yes,” he answered at once. “I will find my thoughts turning to you often, I fear.”
“Good,” she said. “That is as it should be.”
She could feel his tender smile against her cheek. He said, “That I can promise you. I will keep you close to me in thought.”
She became silent, though at length she commented, “I do not like it.”
He nodded, answering, “Nor do I.”
She rolled over until she lay on her back, her gaze centered upon the star-littered midnight sky. She voiced, “And when the white hunter finds nothing? That I have no lover?”
“Then let us hope that the lieutenant will no longer feel threatened and will stop the constant watch over you, although it is almost certain that, if the lieutenant is after your wealth, he might become even more persistent in his pursuit of you.”
Alys nodded, muttering uneasily, “Yes, I believe you could be right.”
She rolled her head one way, then the other, her thoughts uneasy. There had to be something she could do, something the both of them had overlooked.
A star twinkled in the night, another shot across the sky. If only there were someone, some young gent in town that she could turn to—
An idea suddenly took hold of her. It might work. No, she daren’t.
But the idea would not be put aside. She trembled slightly with the excitement of it, while an unexpected warmth rushed through her. She had a plan; something she could do.
Of course, she had better not tell Moon Wolf. It was almost certain he would object, even if he did keep trying to hock her off to the nearest bidder.
But then, what husband would not disapprove of her scheme? And with this last thought, she turned over in order that she might make her man more comfortable…
Chapter 15
She opened her violet-and-lace-trimmed parasol and rested the handle on her left shoulder, shielding herself from the noonday sun. She wore an elegant dress of violet silk, adorned with scalloped ruffles and tied with black ribbon.
Her overskirt, a lighter shade of violet faille, was trimmed in the same lace as her parasol, and around her waist she wore a skirt, which favored a polonaise, longer in front with the whole of it finished in back with a pleated silk scarf hanging down and tied with black ribbons. A white chip bonnet sat tilted back upon her head, while her chignon had been braided and pulled up with only a few curls left loose at her nape.
She looked the epitome of fashion and as far removed from the Wolf Shadow, and from the western plains, as possible.
Now she only had to begin her plan.
She had already picked the man she would seek to help her, and she saw him now, standing by himself at the far end of the street. Bobby Thompson. Perfect.
She examined him, from the top of his beaver-fur stovepipe hat to the very tips of his plain brogans. That his pantaloons were wrinkled and fit too loosely, that his waistcoat emphasized his rounded belly, and that his coat showed too much of the dust from the street didn’t bother Alys. His was a kind face.
She strolled up to him, noting that he stood barely eye level with her. Still, she gave him a smile that was more than a little provocative.
Bobby glanced up at her, raised his hat, and had just uttered, “Good morning, Miss Alys,” when he caught her eye.
He looked away, but glanced back quickly, perhaps only to ensure he had, in truth, observed the gleam in her eye. Immediately he gulped, sending her another second, more startled, glimpse. He cleared his throat nervously.
But she only grinned back at him before inquiring, flirtation coloring her every word, “Excuse me, Bobby, but I seem to have lost my necklace down the street and cannot find it. Would you be so kind as to help me?”
His mouth practically gaped open. Not even a fool could have missed the warmth in her voice. “Of course, Miss Alys, of course I’ll help you.” He tripped over his own shoes as he made to move forward. Carefully righting himself, he glanced up at her shyly. “Could you lead me to the place?”
“Certainly,” she agreed, smiling adoringly at him.
She took his arm, as though he had offered it to her, and, turning in unison, they strolled back down the wooden planks of the sidewalk. “It is so kind of you to come to my aid, Bobby,” she proffered, flashing him another of those smiles and batting her eyelashes at him. “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t happened upon you here in town.”
His face colored until the pink staining his cheeks became a bright red. However, he managed to utter, “I…I’m certain someone else would’a come to your rescue, Miss Alys.”
“But maybe not quite so speedily. I so appreciate this. Ah, here it is.” She stopped and bent down, pointing in between the slabs. “Do you see it?”
Bobby bent forward, too, coming down onto his knees. Unfortunately he slipped and knocked into her, sending her falling straight onto her rump and whacking her hat off at the same time. It went flying.
She caught her breath.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Alys, I didn’t mean to bump into you like that.” He had already jumped to his feet and had taken off, chasing after her hat.
She grimaced. “Not to worry, Bobby,” she called afte
r him. “I have many petticoats to cushion my fall.”
He retrieved the hat in reasonable time, although it no longer resembled anything to do with headgear. She sighed when he handed it to her.
“Come here, Bobby, do you see the necklace?”
He bent down again, this time very carefully.
“Why, yes, Miss Alys, I do.”
“Fine, fine,” she answered. “And do you think you could get it for me?”
“I am pretty certain I can, Miss Alys. Yes indeed, I believe that I can.”
She smiled at him, though the gesture held more grimace than pleasure. She had lost the necklace quite purposefully, placing it beneath the boards herself, in such a way as to make it easy to obtain. Bobby, putting his fingers through the planks of wood, maneuvered it until he had the thing in his grasp, pulling it back through the wood, the necklace thankfully all in one piece.
She let her breath out, unaware until she did so that she had been holding it.
“Here,” Bobby said to her, drawing the gold chain up and giving it a quick once-over. He handed it to her. “It looks to be good as new.”
“Why, thank you ever so much, Bobby,” she said, appearing, she hoped, to be genuinely surprised and pleased. She continued, “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for your kindness. The necklace means a great deal to me. It belonged to my grandmother, you know.”
Bobby gave her a shaky smile, the fullness of his cheeks trembling with the action. He said, “No, Miss Alys, I didn’t. But I reckon I’m glad I was able to help.” He righted himself with some difficulty and got to his feet, but, as though remembering her, reached down a hand to help her up, too.
She ignored the slip in manners, saying, “You must come to dinner, Bobby, as a reward. Please say that you will.”
“Why, Miss Alys, that’s right neighborly of you.” Bobby practically beamed at her. “Why, I’d be pleasured, Miss Alys. Real pleasured, indeed.”
Alys could barely contain her own sense of accomplishment. Her plan was working like a charm. She suggested, “Say tonight? At six?”