Why a Wolf Cries - Julie Steimle (read a book .TXT) 📗

also wanted to take the muzzle off his mouth, yet put some sort of cone around his head so he would not lick his wounds. Thinking on it, Audry wondered if she had to make one out of cardboard or plastic. 

“I have an idea,” Skyler said, inspecting their problem with getting the wolf into the cage. He tugged on the blanket on the side near the small door. “I pull this in, and then I reach through the wire and lift up and in. You get the other end. We can get him in safely.”

“Great idea.” Audry nodded. She had been thinking along the same lines, but she was glad Skyler also thought of it. She liked giving him opportunities to problem solve and build up confidence. “Let’s do that.”

It took some finagling, but Skyler unrolled that part of the blanket into the cage to where he could grab it—he barely could slip his hands through the flat gaps one side—and he seized a decent grasp of fabric, pulling. Audry lifted her side.

The wolf stirred.

Halting, they held their breaths.

Meeting gazes, Audry and Skyler nodded and heaved again. This time the wolf was halfway in when he stirred again. They held their breaths, but pulled him in the rest of the way. Skyler quickly slipped out his hands as soon as Audry could tuck in the wolf’s tail and the rest of the blanket then close the door.

The ranger handed over the lock. “Here.”

Audry took it, yet hesitated. “You have the key, right?”

Grinning, he held up his key ring. “Yes. I do.”

Sighing, she slipped on the lock to the cage and with a defined click locked it. It felt oddly final, like saying ‘goodbye’. She rose, gazing down on the sleeping wolf then turned toward the ranger. “Make sure he has clean water and something to eat.”

“Uh…” the ranger peered over at the muzzle.

Audry shook her head. “I don’t have a head cone to stop him from licking his wounds. He’ll manage food if you give it to him in small pieces. He’s quite tame—for a wild wolf.”

The ranger nodded, but not convincingly. He clearly was not so sure about that. But he did not look likely to loosen the muzzle either. He would keep his hands out of the cage.

Audry looked around. “Do you have one of those hanging water bottles? Like for gerbil cages?”

He shook his head. “I’ll think of something.”

“Thanks.” And she pecked him on the cheek to show she really meant it.

The ranger blushed. And Skyler’s eyes widened.

 However, they walked out of the cabin without any more ado. Audry got his cellphone number and that really was that.

Ranger Douglass followed her out. “But what if dies while you are gone?”

Audry halted, turning. “He only looks bad. If you leave him alone, let him have water, shelter, and food, he should be fine until I get back.”

The range sighed, lifting her card. “Ok. You can count on me.”

She waved, leaving.

As soon as they got into her car again, Skyler said, “He was flirting with you.”

“I know,” Audry said, then started the car. “Sometimes it helps to let them. Especially if I need something done.”

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Skyler staring at his aunt for admitting to leading the ranger on to get what she wanted out of him, her cellphone rang.

“Skyler, can you get that for me?”

He picked up the phone from the phone rest where she used it for GPS. When he swiped to answer the call, Audry could hear her brother Doug say, << Hello? >>

“Audry’s phone,” Skyler answered.

She grinned, steering toward the highway so they could go south.

Skyler turned up the volume. << Hey! Bad news. We have to take Maris to Cody—specifically the Cody Regional Hospital. The Lake Clinic can only patch her up as well as Jean can. So we’re now going onward. >>

“Ok,” Audry raised her voice to be heard. “We’ll meet you there.”

<< How’s the wolf? >>

Sighing, Audry peeked to Skyler. “It was kind of a fiasco, but we finally convinced a ranger to cage the wolf for us. But I am going to have to seek out a vet myself. Apparently Yellowstone doesn’t rescue animals much.”

<< Hit a nerve, huh? >>

Audry moaned. “I understand their reasoning. But for this wolf, that is just unacceptable.”

Skyler smirked, then said, “She kissed a ranger.”

“On the cheek!” Audry laughed, blushing.

He shrugged. But his father was laughing on the other side of the phone.

“Ok, fine!” Audry said. “I’d do nearly anything for that wolf. Ok? He’s Maris’s hero, and the only guy I ever dreamed of who actually isn’t trying to hurt me. The sale of those wolf tee-shirts has paid for my education. I am indebted.”

Doug continued to laugh, yet a little more sympathetic. << See you at the hospital. >>

The call ended.

Sighing, Audry thought about what she had to do next. Her mind went straight to Randon. She had to call Sylvia. Randon knew the wolf, and he was a veterinarian. Rick might even pay for Randon’s flight west. She just… didn’t want to get involved with them again.

But she really would do anything for that wolf.

“Skyler?” Audry kept her eyes on the road. “Will you go into my phone contacts and find the number for Silvia Lewis?”

He looked to her. “Ok…”

“She’s married to a veterinarian I know,” Audry said.

Nodding more, he took the phone and searched more diligently.

“When it rings, hold the phone up for me so I can talk to her,” she said.

And he did it.

But when it rang, she got voicemail. Audry sighed before leaving her message.

“Hi! Silvia. It’s Audry. Um. I know this is out of the blue and weird, but if you have really married that veterinarian, Randon Spade, then I need your help….”

Rangers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

 

The wolves were stirred up in the valley, watching the ranger ride out across the meadow. There was a sense of urgency about the man on the horse which perked up their interest. One gray wolf rushed to get near, sensing that urgency more. The ranger halted somewhere on top of a hill near some trees, got off his mount and took pictures of what smelled like carrion.

Dead cougar.

The wolves all could smell the carcass. But they also had smelled live humans in the same vicinity and had stayed away. Humans were not to be trusted. Some came armed.

A singular gray wolf unseen watched the ranger as he photographed the cougar, then went down into the deserted camp and photographed that as well. Quietly, the wolf stalked down, listening. And the only reason he did this was that he could smell something frighteningly familiar in the area. As the ranger walked back up the hill, he pulled out his satellite phone and called his cohort.

“Yeah. The cougar is here, killed exactly how they said. Throat, completely torn out. I’ll send you the pics. And from what I can see from the camp, it stalked them. But it was also tagged. I’ll give you the number. We might have to issue a cougar warning if this one was that hungry to stalk a hiking group.” He listened to the other side, then said, “Yeah. I’ll… I’ll look for tracks. But, uh there are some wolf prints down there. I don’t know if they are new or not.”

The wolf drew in a breath. His amber eyes tracked the ranger carefully as the man took the horse’s halter walked his horse down the path to inspect the trail. The ranger took more pictures, probably of droppings and/or paw prints. Then he called in again. “Ok… only paw prints from the wolf. Do you know which pack it was from?”

He got a startling reply. It was obvious on his face.

“What do you mean it was not from around here?”

The gray wolf perked his ears up, legs trembling as his sinews stiffened.

“Well, yeah, it would be covered in blood. You should see the size of the hole in that cougar’s neck.”

The other side said something.

“It what?” The ranger shook his head. “Oh… was she that pretty?”

More reply.

“I see. Well, should we intervene or let it play out? I’d like to take a look at that wolf at least.”

Another reply.

“Because, you should see this cougar. The wolf got in a good bite. Two, I think. It was aiming to kill it—but there is no way a wolf would survive against this beast. Its paws are huge, and covered in blood.”

 A short response.

“Well, if the wolf is not dead already, then maybe it might survive. It’s an entire day’s hike from here. The sun’s already heading down.”

The gray wolf shuddered more. He watched the ranger get onto his horse and ride back towards the station. Hurrying, the gray wolf went back to the campground the ranger had visited. He sniffed the ground.

Yes. There had been people here previously. He could detect the scents of three women. And… two grown men, but one other getting there. And a child. And… one more scent which he knew intimately.

“My son,” the wolf murmured. “No…. Howie…” He let out a painful wolf cry.

In the distance, the other wolves responded. But his son did not.

The gray wolf, who was Mr. Deacon, rushed back toward their campground. He had assumed Rick would return there during the day. His son had not been in the mood to be wolf for very long. It was most likely he would camp and hike the area in the daytime and hunt at night for food. Rick had even seemed inclined to walk back to the canyon during the day also, possibly go to the village to get human food to eat. But why in the world would he chase down a cougar? That was insane.

Once more Mr. Deacon-the-wolf howled for his son, hoping to hear him return the call. Other wolves answered him. But none had Rick’s unique tone.

*

“So… this is the wolf you took in for a chick.”

Blearily, Rick-the-wolf opened his eyes. His mouth tasted awful. That salty fish taste has not left his mouth, despite that wonderful sausage and eggs. The fact that Audry would touch meat for his sake made up for any feelings of weariness and annoyance at being injected with a drug repeatedly. He understood why she did it, of course. But he hated the dizzy, swimming sensation in his head that made it impossible to stay awake. And though it did make it easier to deal with the agony of having half his skin torn off his back and sides, it was utterly unpleasant.

“Oh g—look at it! How is it still alive?”

“I think sheer will power,” the ranger who had taken him in said—what’s-his-name-Dougie or that kind of thing. Rick recognized his voice. He had overheard most of the conversation with Audry and that ranger but had been too tired to move at the time. He even felt it when they had put him into the cage. He had been unable to move, due to the sedative.

“So, he really has no tags?”

“None.”

“But… look at it. Do you see that there? That’s stitch work. He’s been rescued before.”

“Maybe when he attacked that cougar, it was a suicide attempt,” the young ranger muttered.

“How long do you think it will live?”

“Well, she claims most of the wounds are only skin