Running with the wolves

pieces of the puzzle

I woke up the next morning with the intent to see my grandad. I got a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and through some clothes on before anyone could wake up and ask to go. It was about 10:00 a.m. and grandpa Abe was sitting on the porch when I pulled up.

I got out the car and approached the house.

"hey ol' guy!" I said walking up to his porch and into his open arms.

He gave me a tight embrace and smiled real big, showing his gold, tooth.

"I was hoping you'd stop by Jai, before you left town."

He always called me Jai, or warrior.

"You knew I would be here."

"Let's go inside and have a seat kiddo, I guess I got some explaining to do."

We were sitting in his study, drinking tea. There were two chairs facing a fire place, with a coffee table sitting in-between them. The room was being lit by a small corner lamp, so it was dim. We were talking about what had happened in La push.

" Wow Jai, I knew it. The moment I brought that sword back from Vietnam, and you picked it up something changed about you. You lit up. And- and- I just don't know, I knew it was yours." he was saying.

"I thought the sword had been passed down from generations in our family?" I told him a little shocked that he had actually got the sword from Vietnam.

"Agh!" he waved his hand dismissively. "Bedtime story affects. Made it sound more authentic. When I first acquired the sword, the legends that came with it seemed outrageous. This sword almost got me killed in Nam." he was saying. "But when I seen you hold it for the first time, something changed, I believed in them. You were obsessed with that sword. Your mother used to make me hide it from you when you were a child and would come over."

"Its all just so crazy. That things like me exist." I told him. "It makes me wonder what else the world holds ya know."

"Exactly." He muttered, sipping his tea.

I was surprised he hadn't asked about the wolves yet.

"'Member when I went to Africa a few years back?"

I took a sip of my tea and studied him. hmm. he's been hiding some shit. "yeah." I said out loud.

"well, I found apart of the Anioch's, sword."

I just looked at him for a second. This dude was always hiding something. Or he always knew something. My Grandad was also an archaeologist, so he made lots of trips to lots of different places.

"Grandad, you be hiding shit." I told him more than serious.

He sputtered on his tea. Then chuckled. "Mouth Jai."

"yeah, yeah", I told him, taking another sip of my tea. "We otta take a trip somewhere this summer."

"I agree." He said.

We sat in about 2 minutes of silence. Just staring off into the fire pit, sipping tea. I had a question.

"So, How'd you know about the wolves?" He looked at me, with a look that meant he was about to tell a story. I got down comfortable in my chair and waited.

"Well." He started off. "Right, before I went to Africa, I was in South America, as you know, " He smiled, obviously remembering something. Creases lit up his bronze skin. My grandad didn't look his age in the face. His skin was smooth and brown. He was built, and could probably pass for a thirty year old man, if his white hair didn't give him away.