Little Wolf

Ch 46 Interlude

Sleep. All I wanted was sleep. I had walked briefly among the strangers who showed up to rescue me, many giving me a nodding bow. I clapped Sheep on the arm, smiling at him. Lobo started on about meeting his friend.

"At the pointe. I'll meet everyone at the pointe. Be careful, don't shift in Yellowstone, there are cameras here and there. Can you help them to the pointe Lobo? I'll meet anyone who wants to meet with me in a few days. I appreciate it, my friend."

I rode out of Yellowstone on a four-wheeler behind Mac. I dozed on and off against his broad back. I lost track of Dad. There were vehicles and wolves around us. My wolves. I stirred upon occasion, saw Cherokee and Businessman running on four legs nearby. Anna's four-wheeler followed Mac out. Her vehicle had a small narrow trailer that Derrick was laying in.

I glanced over once and saw Running Elk beside me on an ATV. There was a girl pressed against his back who gave me the biggest smile and waved. I smiled back but didn't move my arms from around Mac, merely resting my head against him and yawning.

I wasn't sure where we were when we stopped. It wasn't his place or mine. All I know is Mac helped me in a door and I curled up on a mattress. I heard a growl and woke enough to look up. I huffed and Dad joined me, smelling of shampoo. I got as far as thinking I should clean up.

When I woke the next time, it was to the smell of food. I raised my head but couldn't focus my vision on anything. I heard a slap and Mac chuckle. I laid back down.

The next time I woke I really woke. I reeked even to myself and desperately wanted a shower. The lighting was dim but I could see the space around me was large. I rolled off the bed, trying not to wake Dad.

"Showers are that way, stack of shorts there. Anna has a whole cooler here full of your tea."

Mac threw me a bottle of tea. I was surprised I had hands to catch it. Mac was shaking his head. I raised up... had I been a wolf and shifted enough to catch the bottle? I must have been. I remembered four paws hitting the ground now that I thought about it.

I nodded to Mac, who had to be uncomfortable in that little metal folding chair. I took note of the pistol he had set on top of the cooler after he closed it. How long had he been sitting there watching over me?

I went in to shower, drinking the tea as I went. I hummed a little as I scrubbed, stopping to lean against the wall.

"Still tired?" Dad asked.

I nodded, closing my eyes and just enjoying the water. I about jumped out of my skin when Dad started rubbing me down with a lathered-up washcloth. I swatted his hand away.

"Not like I never scrubbed you before, Son. Let me get the backside. You really are filthy. Not as bad as the time you took the chocolate trail though. I think that was the only time your mom was really mad at me. She made me clean up the mess you made."

I stood there, leaning against the wall, letting my father do his mothering. I smiled, remembering the night he spoke of. It was the first time I had yelled at Dad.

I hadn't wanted to spend my birthday training. He had insisted he was going to track me to see what I had learned in the past year. He gave me a brief head start and I'd took off running.

I had used trees to keep my scent off the ground, jumping a fence to purposely land in a cow patty. It was a route we came to call the chocolate trail for two reasons. The first reason was the manure piles left by the cows I had jumped into like stepping stones, rolling thoroughly in each one.

The second reason was what had been waiting for me at home. My reward if I got home without him being able to trail me was a chocolate cake. He never let me eat chocolate, telling people I was allergic to it. It was my tenth birthday and Mom had made me the chocolate cake I wanted.