Werson looked out across the plains where they enjoyed their hunt days before, it went well because of the work of Garius. The sun was now dipping below the earth and he felt a cold chill come to his bones. He looked down and noticed that not only his flesh was getting thicker, his fur was as well. Soon the snow would arrive bringing its flesh biting chill and he would have to soon move on to their next camp to keep the pack safe.
He wondered if Garius would return soon, if his task was being resolved, and if he was doing well. He knew Garius was strong, he was the strongest among them, he was also the wisest and understood these lands. Werson had his confidence and the routine of daily leadership he witnessed everyday, but he still had a bothersome fear that Garius may not return. Who was this fox, was it just a trap to weaken them. To get Garius by himself, kill him, and then the pack would scatter….but to what end? Who would want to hurt them in that way? He felt that it was his imagination running away from him so he called it back. He would keep his senses about him. If any wolf among them could handle a large task alone he knew that wolf was Garius. The plains were silent and he decided one more day and they would move on.
The sun had vanished now and he found himself staring up at the moon as it began to enter its full form. He cried out across the plains with a howl that only other leaders recognize and then he waited listening to his echo….then there was the silence. There was no return call so he knew Garius was very far away and would not be returning soon. It was late and time to return to the pack who were awaiting his decision on their future, yet there was one who had other plans.
Garius was moving in and out of delirious states of mind, calling out phrases that confused the others. "A wolf of blue and grey, from the flames we are saved" they heard the most over and over again as his eyes were rolled back in his head and the saliva ran from his mouth. Nibelski was in tears and looked to Augustus for help in understanding.
"It is oh caw, he is fighting the spirits who want to take him, he is strong and will win" Augustus told her. He had never seen a battle like this before as Augustus hoped this would stop soon,
The darkness was broken by the door to the shed swinging open and a bright light piercing the darkness. Walter was there with someone else and Nibelski jumped up and began growling. The other person with Walter was softer, kinder and she slowly approached Nibelski and Garius. She spoke softly "It is ok little one, I am here to help". Nibelski saw tears in her eyes and backed down to stand in the corner of the shed with the hopes that this humans could help somehow.
Grace grabbed the lantern and looked into Garius eyes, then his mouth, then she went over the wounds that Walter stitched up. She looked back at him "nice work, you may have saved his life". Walter looked proud as she went back to work "I have a new serum from the institute I studied at in France. They have ground breaking ideas and I am going to try them tonight. She opened her bag and took out two bottles and a needle. She selected large doses of both, but injected them into different spots on the wolf. She put them aside then took out her bottles of ointments made with natural ingredients she had grown and rubbed that into his wounds as a slightly minty pleasant aroma filled the shed. She could not believe the size of this wolf and she rubbed his head and kissed it. "Get well, I will check on you in the morning". She, like Walter, loved animals and she had dedicated her life to caring for them.
She packed up her bag and handed it back to Walter as she knelt down on the straw floor near to the fox who was hiding from her. "He is going to be ok, are you ok?" She reached towards the fox who pulled back while the crow overhead cawed loudly. She wondered if he was actually saying anything to the fox or just making crow sounds.
"She is a healer, she is a friend" were the words from the beak of Augustus and Nibelski relaxed a little and let this strange human lightly touch her. She did seem to be helping and Garius had settled down when she came to him.
Grace looked back at Walter in amazement. "She is letting me touch her, I think the crow was talking to her."
"Well they came as a set. You couldn't separate them if you tried to."
It all felt so surreal to Grace as she checked the fox "Yes, it is a she, but she is large for a fox, but she is a fox." It was then she noticed the fur running down her back and gently stroked it. "Did you see this fur Walter?" she asked.
"No mam, I was only able to see the wolf because he was unconscious. That little one would not come near me. I mean…I guess I saw it, but my mind was too busy to care"
"It's amazingly thick, wolf-like. Open my bag and bring me my scissors, I want a small sample." Walter obliged as did Nibelski and once she had her sample Nibelski raced to Garius bed and crawled underneath him. Grace approached her and said "thank you" and then backed away to the door. She opened her bag and placed the hairs in a small glass bottle, then she looked at Walter and said "How about that coffee now? Let's give them some time together" Walter agreed and they made their way out of the shed gently closing the door and going inside Walter's cabin.
She started jumping around inside "Did you see that…..did you see that?"
"Yes, I saw that"
"The crow communicating something, and that fox….she is so beautiful and she has latched onto that wolf like a mate. This is one for the books Walter and it is right here in our back yard. You have discovered something that isn't supposed to exist, like the holy grail of the animal kingdom….and that blue/grey stripe…that is wolf if I have ever seen it."
Walter smiled as she carried on, she hadn't changed a bit, still into her science and papers. It was good to see and he started brewing the coffee and managed to get a pot brewed, fill her cup and bring it over. She was still talking to herself about this exciting discovery.
"What about the wolf? How is he?"
"He is bad, but without your stitching he would have died. He lost a lot of blood and may have an infection. I have treated him for that and anointed his wounds to heal better. He will need to regain more blood and I will probably start an IV on him tomorrow to keep his fluids up. I hope his friends will let me do so, they are very protective.
"Maybe he's a king," Walter joked.
She looked at him and paused, then shook her head, then thought about it again. "You never know, animals never cease to amaze me with their human-like interactions and compassionate ways. She sipped her warm coffee, it was nice. "Do you know about Newfoundland Dogs?"
"Newfound Dogs?...never heard of them"
"NewfoundLAND Dogs" she emphasized then continued "Up in Canada and the various French colonies around the East they keep an important breed of dog that we refer to as a Newfoundland Dog. They are large, hairy, loyal to a fault, but they have a human heart. They have been known to give their lives for strangers and have a natural disposition to think of others first before themselves, much like your Tipper did"
"There are many cases where ships go down in the rocky coasts there and these dogs will spend all night rescuing sailors to the point of exhaustion. There is one dog, Hairyman, who actually helped rescue two different groups of sailors years apart. One account says there was over 160 sailors saved."
Walter missed her stories so he sat there speechless warming his hands on his coffee cup nodding his head.
"Even Napoleon was saved from drowning by one of these dogs. The thing is we tend to miss the details in the animal kingdom because we think we are the greatest species alive, but show me a human that would give his life like that." She was adding more logs to the fire as she continued on, "Look at what we are seeing in your shed….it couldn't happen. It shouldn't happen, but they are acting more civilized than us"
Walter nodded again "you should have some coffee before it gets cold"
"What? Oh, yes, sorry" She gulped down the warm coffee and told Walter "this is nice" she looked around at the cabin "I like it, it's so you" Finally fixing her gaze on Walter she asked "how have you been?"
"I've been ok, working on things and getting by"
"Working or hiding?" she started to dig in, she was still on fire from her previous speech.
Walter looked at the floor "it's great seeing you"
She walked over and raised his head to see his eyes "then see me, I don't bite"
"I just feel like I do more harm than good, Grace. You know how much i care about you, but everything that happened…"
"Everything that happened is over. I thought we were friends. I don't think about the past, there is too much ahead of me that needs taking care of. I miss my friend."
Walter blushed "I have missed you too. Maybe we should spend a little bit more time together."
"I think it's a good start, and thank you for thinking of me with this wolf. It's nice to know you trust me."
"You're the best, Grace, you always have been."
"I'm sorry about Tipper, I tried"
"I am sorry too, but seeing this wolf barely survive taught me something. That ornery old dog didn't stand a chance and he died saving me"
"He was a good dog," she reminded him.
"He was, he was, time to move on. Time to rebuild, thanks for coming Grace."
"Always" her eyes scanned the room "Where do I sleep?"
"You can take my bed in the corner over there, I keep it clean. I have a space by the door that is quite comfortable that I sometimes sleep in. It works when you don't want strangers walking in on you."
"Alright, thanks. What a crazy day it has been"
Walter moved some bedding by the door and sat down on the floor with his coffee cup. "Can I ask you a silly question?"
"No problem".
"Who or what is an Augustus?" Walter had no idea.
"That was the first Emperor of Rome, I believe, why do you ask?"
"I think it's the crows name, he is always saying it."
Grace giggle to herself, "That's cute, our translator is a reincarnated Emperor"
Augustus had found a place in the warm straw and was resting with his beak under his wing. Nibelski woke up to Garius softly breathing as she felt his chest rise and fall. It was relaxing and she felt her worry start to fade. She was grateful for that human healer and if given the chance she vowed to thank them properly tomorrow. She could not lose Garius no matter what.