Maggie had been with Kevin since they were both sophomores in high school. It wasn't that the abuse had gotten any worse. It was just that she couldn't take it anymore. She had had one black eye to many. Her fellow waitresses at I-HOP no longer really believed that she had "walked into a door".
Maggie had been saving her tips and she had nearly $2,000. It wasn't much but it was enough for her to start a life somewhere else...hopefully. She did have to steal Kevin's 1990 pick-up but he never drove it much now that he had a new pickup. The 1990 one just sat in the garage and rusted.
She made the plan to escape after her shift at the I-Hop had ended. If Kevin called her she'd just say some teenagers had come in and prevented her from leaving. It had been a cold early fall in northern Minnesota. They had already had several storms and ice coated most of the roads. This was especially true of the roads that Maggie took. She couldn't have Kevin following her. He'd look for her in the bigger cities like Hibbing, St. Paul or Saint Cloud. If he caught her, he'd punish her in ways she couldn't imagine.
Maggie was doing fine until she hit the black ice. The truck skidded across the road and slammed into a tree. Maggie hit her head and passed out. Sometime later, Maggie never knew how long, Maggie heard a voice.
"You're safe now. I'll look after you." the kind voice said.
Maggie could just nod. She knew it wasn't Kevin. She believed the voice when it told her she was safe. Maggie knew she was warm and comfortable. That was her last thought before she passed out from the pain in her leg.
Thengel sighed in frustration and despair as he looked at the young woman sleeping in his bed. He had been out for a run when he had seen her car skid across the road and hit the tree. The car had started on fire and Thengel had run to pull her out of the car. When he got there he discovered that her leg was broken. The more he studied the girl he noticed old bruises on her. This girl had been through the ringer. Thengel couldn't leave her there to freeze to death, so he did the only sensible thing. He brought her to his cabin.
Three days passed and Thengel had tried his best to nurse the girl. He had fed her willow tea and rum in an attempt to ease the pain in her broken leg. Thengel had set it but he had no medical experience and knew she was still hurting. He took comfort in knowing she was safe and warm. Whoever had been harming her couldn't reach her anymore. Thengel went out of his cabin to gather some more wood and some venison for dinner.
When he walked back in, he was greeted with a
"Hi, there."
His guest was awake and sitting up in her bed.
"Hello." He said nervously. He was used to living alone and not talking to anyone.
" I'm Maggie, by the way." she said.
"I'm Thengel." said Thengel.
"Well, Thengel, thank you for taking care of me but I must have hit my head harder than I thought or be on some heavy meds. You look really hairy to me. I thought you were a dog at first" stated Maggie.
"I'm a werewolf. That's why you think I look like a dog." said Thengel nervously. He didn't know how this woman would react to him and he didn't want to frighten her. "We normally don't show ourselves to humans nowadays, in case they put us in zoos or do experiments on us. We basically keep to ourselves in our packs. But, you looked like you needed help so I helped you. If you give me a few minutes, I can make us dinner.
"Thank you, I'm hungry." said Maggie. She watched as Thengel made dinner. He dumped potatoes, carrots and the venison into a stew pot. Soon it was ready and he gave her a bowl. The couple ate dinner together.
"So you say you live in a pack, where is everyone else?" asked Maggie.
"Well, we live in a pack once we find a mate. We live alone until we find that mate and bring her to our village." said Thengel.
"Oh, and do you have a mate?" asked Maggie.
"No, I'm still looking for her." said Thengel.
"What do you do?" asked Maggie.
"I'm a carpenter. I built this cabin and I build tables and other things and trade them in the village." Thengel told her. He expected Maggie to demand to leave. After all she was with a stranger, not just a stranger but a supernatural creature in a strange place. The thought of Maggie leaving made Thengel sad. Even though he hadn't talked to her much, the idea of her leaving was more painful then he could bear.
"Uhmm, Thengel I don't mean to complain or anything. Dinner was wonderful but I still have alot of pain in my leg and I'm pretty sleepy. I was going to go to bed. Do you need me to move over?" asked Maggie.
"Oh, I've been sleeping in the chair. You have the bed to yourself. Do you need more pain medicine before you go to sleep?" asked Thengel.
Maggie took more willow mixed with rum and went to bed. Thengel sat in his chair and eventually drifted off to bed himself. He was awoke by the smell of bacon and the whistle of the tea kettle. He looked and saw Maggie at his stove.
"How many pancakes would you like?" she asked.
"I've never had pancakes. I don't know what they are. They're not a wolf food. So I'll just go with one." said Thengel.
Maggie laughed. Thengel loved her laughter. " I suppose you're used to things like blood sausage. But, no one can just eat one pancake. I work at a pancake restaurant where we have pancake eating competitions. You'd need at least two. I've already made 6. How about you take these 4 and I'll have the other 2?
Thengel was hungry and agreed. He and Maggie had breakfast together. It was nice to have something warm for breakfast. It was even nicer to have someone to share things with. Thengel had been on his own for too long.
"I have a present for you. It's out in my workshed. Let me get it." said Thengel.
He went out to his workshed and brought a pair of crutches for Maggie.
"This way you'll be able to get places easily. You won't have to balance on one foot."
Maggie laughed "Thank you, I never thought I'd be so grateful for a medical thingy. But, this will really help."
"Can I ask you a personal question?" asked Thengel.
"You can ask me anything you want, Thengel." said Maggie.
Thengel smiled. He liked hearing his name on her lips.
"How did you get all your bruises? The older ones...not from the car crash?" he asked.
Maggie's face darkened and Thengel was afraid he'd offended her. "Oh, I got those from my boyfriend Kevin. It's how he shows he loves me...I love him too I guess. It's just that I can't stand being hit anymore. That's why I was leaving. I don't know where I was going. Just...elsewhere...away." Maggie continued rambling about her and Kevin.
