Coyotes: Denis

Chapter 16: Traces

Anders' Perspective

   Benoit's home astounded me when I saw it, once I was invited to stay there. I quickly found my favorite room to be his father's old library, and lost myself in the pages. I had expected them to be dusty, but it seemed that both members of the family frequented this room and kept it clean.

   It was an honor to have this knowledge at my fingertips, but it was for a purpose as well. I traveled far to come here and behold the collection. Inside of these pages, the decade-old tracks of the Hunstman could potentially be traced again.

   I spent more time than I should have reading adventure stories as I found them, instead of the primary sources. My excuse being, they could be stepping stones to whatever clues I needed.

   But becoming a hermit in the office was off the table. After the first time that Benoit's mother tripped over my sleeping body on the old flagstone floor, it became mandatory that I make myself comfortable in a guest bedroom once night came.

   It was a cathartic routine. I woke up early, ate, read and researched into the night, and then curled up with Benoit in that spare room when it was time to retire. We would wake with the rising Sun so he could slip out undetected.

   One afternoon there, I was at the old desk with books opened and a neglected lunch tray to the side of me. I didn't look up, until a leather bound journal was put under my nose. I expected Benoit, but was pleasantly surprised to see Julianne.

   She gave me a small smile, a little glimpse behind her usually tight expression. "Benoit told me why you are here. I thought you were just an enthusiast, but now I have a better understanding of his hospitality towards you."

   I gave her a wide-eyed look, and swallowed the nervous lump in my throat. Had we been too loud? Did Benoit tell her about the imprint? I felt my palms become sweaty, and I wiped them off on my pants before taking the unlabeled book from her.

   She pulled up one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. "I dug up that journal for you. It was the last one that my husband left before he went out east with Leonardo. It may be what you've been looking for."

   Hearing this, I let myself relax. It was great news, and leagues better than what my assumption had been. I may be a man, but I would never be prepared to have the conversation about my intentions with someone's /son/.

   I flipped open the book, and the scrawled handwriting jumped out at me. It was definitely the youngest account I had seen in the collection. "Thank you, Mrs. Huntsman. This is invaluable to me, and my work."

   She gave me another tight smile before standing, straightening her skirt, and turning to the door. Before she left, she looked over her shoulder.

   "Thank you again for helping my family. But perhaps while you stay here, you will refrain from helping yourself to my son." She said, before finally leaving the room.

   The door clicked in place, and my jaw hit the floor. It wasn't outright revulsion from her, but it was absolutely embarassing. I picked up my chin, and dove back in to the journal to distract myself from being caught red-handed.

   Once I began to read further, I felt horror coiling in my gut.

   News clippings, or word-of-mouth accounts were collected inside listing numerous bounties on Coyotes in the northeast. The hottest spots were Acadia, Appalachia, Niagara, and Plymouth. Acadia was the most affected, because of the numerous settlements of Coyotes that had been established there. It was a diverse part of the country, with populations of Bears and Bobcats and other cultures of people.