Brother Wolf

Ch 6 Tracking

Derrick and I stopped at a gas station across from a small park.

"You sure he's there?" I asked.

"The tracker Lone Wolf hid in his backpack is, " Derrick assured me. "What are you going to do with him?"

"I don't know, " I said in frustration. "I'll stretch my legs for a bit, see if I can find that rogue kid first. Can you gas up the bike too, then come get me when you're ready?" When we got to Michael's town, Derrick was going to go on to pick up another werewolf friend who was in the area while I went to Michael's on my bike.

"Sure, Rick. We have a little time to grab a bite to eat, " Derrick added hopefully, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'll even settle for a cheap drive-thru. It'll take about an hour to get to Michael's from here."

I laughed at Derrick's expressive face. "We'll see. Find out if there's anything decent around here."

My thoughts went from the teen rogue I hoped to meet, to the victim of this fiasco. Michael was the recently bitten escaped teenage boy. He had a younger brother and sister. Derrick had done his internet tinkering, setting Michael's sister up with the Queen of the Wolves. Tammy had chatted on-line with Michael's sister. My wonderful sister had finagled an invitation for me. Michael's parents were expecting me to arrive this afternoon to offer some counseling.

As much as I wanted to get hold of the kid who bit him, Michael's need was more immediate. I didn't dare delay in going to help him. Finding out Michael had returned home, locked himself in his room, and screamed at everyone who came near, caused me anguish. I hated the thought of the teen's suffering. His family endured its own torture while he was missing. They didn't deserve to continue enduring hardship from this calamity now that he was home.

Both the tracker from the backpack and the burner phone Lone Wolf has snuck to Michael had been in close proximity most of the time since we started watching them. The tracker was currently at a point between us and the burner phone that was our destination. I decided to multitask during our pit-stop and check out where the biter was hanging out since it wouldn't cost us time.

My senses expanded as I took a deep breath. The wolf part of my nature came to the fore automatically as my search took on the flavor of a hunt. My vision blurred momentarily as my human eyes changed to wolf eyes. I entered the park, making my way across the grass, keeping a lookout for my teenage prey.

It was a beautiful little park, reminding me of the one my mother had taken me to as a child. It had a small pond, with a paved walking trail around it. There were a few picnic tables under a pavilion close to the playground. I saw little kids and parents, but no teenagers. I started jogging lightly around the track, keeping an eye out for the teenage werewolf who was supposed to be here.

I finally spotted him on the far side of the pond, slinking out of a thick clump of bushes as a wolf. He was an unusual looking beast, small for a wolf that was almost grown. The top of his head was oddly colored with light shaggy fur that had dark tips, while the coat on his body was a mottled light brown and grey. Even his tail was unique, having a band of black around it. I could describe him to anyone, and he'd be easily recognized.

The small brown and grey wolf trotted across the park as if he didn't have a care in the world, but I saw how carefully he examined every area of his surroundings. He glanced my way before wagging his tail at the kids he passed. I wondered if this is where he came to practice being a wolf. I jogged past him, staying on the little pathway, making a circuit around the small pond, before finally settling myself on a bench near where he was heading. I wanted to observe him, see how feral he might be, how much of a risk to others. From the way his tail wagged around the children, I didn't think he would be randomly attacking people, at least.