William caught the scent of the rabbit on the air. Trotting quickly through the thick icy snow he tracked the scent down to the slope of a hill covered in sparse vegetation that had managed to avoid being buried in snow. Crouching low he paused at the edge of the woods and eyed the rabbit munching quickly in the open. He crouched low on the snow and ice and focused on the rabbit, staying downwind and quiet. The rabbit hopped slowly down the slope of the hill closer to the thicker growth of vegetation near the base of the slope, closer to the forest. William paused then sprung leaping across the space separating him from the rabbit. A scream of pain ended quickly as William snapped through the rabbit's fur and broke its neck. He trotted off across the field back into the shadows of the forest. William torn the haunches from the rabbit and downed the meat as quickly as he could, gulping it as quickly as he could tear it from the carcass. He was hunting on the pack's side of the valley and needed to eat and get out as quickly as possible.
A deep low growl rumbled from the bushes to his left. William froze instinctively and dropped what was left of the rabbit. A snout pushed from the undergrowth, followed by a deep black head and forelegs. The bitch curled up her lips and raised her hackles growling again. William leapt to his feet and danced backward away from the female wolf. She ignored the half eaten rabbit at her feet and inched closer to William her teeth bared and her fur bristling. Two more wolves pressed in from her sides and added their own deep growls to hers. William backed up further into the field and checked his sides and rear as the three pack wolves moved in on him. William spun on his heal and ran at top speed, his strides were at least twice the length of the other wolves and he easily pulled away from them. William flew across the field as quickly as his legs would carry him, outdistancing the chasing wolves and escaping into the hills. It had been a long time since William had felt death nipping at his heals and it reminded him why he'd stopped trying to live with real wolves several years ago.
Yawning, Sandy got up the next evening to meet Alex again at the diner, he'd promised to give her some maps of the wolf pack's territory and mark where he'd sighted the big male wolf. Sandy smiled as she dressed and hoped that this time she had found what she was looking for. It had been 6 months since William had bitten her and she had tracked him across the country and over the border. She hoped that this time she may have actually found the right wolf. It was hard to imagine that William would have come so far and that he'd have turned to the territory of real wolves to hide out, but it was probably a lot safer than trying to pass himself off as a dog.
After quick shower and the necessary pleasantries of making herself presentable again, she donned the new pair of hip hugging jeans and a fresh t-shirt she'd bought last night before she'd turned in for the day. Another full moon hung heavy in the sky as she stepped out of her motel room, day two of the three nights of the month that the moon was at its fullest. It was a rare blue moon month, the moon would cycle again one more time this month to its fullest. Her best chances of catching William would be while the moon was full and he was human, unable to disappear into the night as a wolf. She quickly ran her hands through her hair and tossed it back into a pony tail as she stepped out of her hotel room and headed toward the diner.
She smiled as she slid into the booth across from Alex. He returned her smile and handed her an envelope.
"I've marked all the locations where I've spotted the wolf in the last month." He indicated the first map in the manila envelope. "I've also included a general outline of the packs territory, that's the line marked in yellow. He's stayed on the fringes of the pack's territory and does most of his hunting on the west side of their range in the valley nearby the lake."
"Thank you," she looked over the map at him. "This information will help me more than you will ever know. I can't thank you enough."
"I'll settle for dinner and a walk." Alex ginned. "As long as you don't have plans for the evening already."
"No I don't, dinner and a walk sounds great." Sandy smiled and set the envelope inside her pack.
The meal was unremarkable, the diner serving fair best suited to truckers and RV'ers who happened to need a quick hope meal on their way through town. They animatedly discussed wolves over their dinners and compared notes on their fields of study. Alex was quite impressed by her knowledge of wolves and their behaviors and social structures as well as her insight to the wolves private lives and interactions with their mates and pack members. Sandy admired Alex's strength of vision and belief that research and education could change the way wild wolves were viewed by humans and hopefully end the needless slaughter of wolves by ranchers and farmers who blamed every livestock death on them. After they had paid they left the diner and headed down the street back toward what passed for a town. Like many other places along the road the town consisted of a church, a motel, a school, a few small stores and businesses, and the local diner. But it was still one of those places where people could walk down the street in the night and not worry about getting home safely. Alex and Sandy continued to talk as they walked down the street toward her motel. Finally they arrived at her door.
"Thank you again for the information, you don't know how much you've helped me." Sandy smiled at him.
"You're more than welcome and I hope you find what you're looking for. If you need any more information or equipment I'll be heading back toward by base camp, it's a small cabin on the east side of the lake. I'm usually there unless I've gone into the field to photograph or video."
"If I need anything else I'll stop by." She reached into her bag for her key.
There was a quiet moment as Sandy smiled at him and prepared to wish him good night. She knew Alex wanted to kiss her and she knew he was interested in her more than just as a colleague and she felt bad for giving him hope there could ever be something between them.
"Good night." She smiled and turned toward the door to unlock it.
"Good night." He smiled back, though it was not as sincere and turned to leave.
Sandy leaned back against the door as it closed and wished things were simpler. She was a woman, her lover had left her, so she should be free to move on with her life. But it didn't work like that and it wasn't that simple, she was connected to William and he to her, they were lovers but more than just that. William mated for life, it was his way, as long as she was alive and he was as well they were bound together by that tie. She loved him and she wouldn't leave him to waste away his life alone. She felt the warmth of her tears as they spilled down her cheeks and onto her chest. Nothing was simple anymore.
William was more careful as he stalked prey along the fringes of pack territory now. They knew he was out there and they wanted him gone. He skirted their boundaries carefully, only risking coming into it when he needed to get water from the lake or one of its streams. He trotted carefully through the snow and ice and hid in his cave when the moon was full. Life had taken on a dull, monotonous tone without Sandy. He no longer looked forward to the nights when the moon was full, they held no promise or happiness anymore. He spent those nights curled up in his cave, burrowed under the blankets he had stolen to keep off the chill, waiting for daylight and the return to himself as a wolf. Tonight was the last night of the full moon for this cycle, but this month was special, it was a rare blue moon month and the moon would cycle again to full before the calendar month was out. He sighed, his breath blowing out through his snout in a chuffing noise of canine depression. The sun was slowly setting, throwing the snow into a multi-hued sea of reflected sunlight, glowing orange and pink like the sky above. Night was coming fast and William headed for his cave.
Sandy packed the last of her things and checked out of the hotel. The last night of the full moon and she had ground to cover. After turning in her key she walked down the road heading west toward the mountains and the wolf pack's territorial boundaries. Her back pack was slung over one shoulder and lightly packed with food and a few of the most necessary supplies. Her stride was confident and without hesitation as she entered the forest, covering ground as quickly as she could for she had a long way to go.
Alex watched her walking into the forest, unaware of anything but her destination and seemingly unafraid of what could happen once she reached it. The woman was strong but this was no way to carry out research, she was liable to be killed by the elements. Underdressed and with a pack that couple barely carry the most basic supplies he wondered how she intended to get to the wolves let alone spend weeks watching and studying them. She was brilliant and she was beautiful but she seemed to have a definite death wish.
The full moon came and went without incident. William stood on the ridge overlooking the valley as he pondered where he'd find the best hunting today. He was tired and sore but hungry as he always was after changing and he needed to feed today. Deer would be the best bet, but taking one down on his own would prove difficult. Rabbits were good snacks but it would take several of them to sate his hunger. He turned his head and breathed in the wind scenting it for prey. There was a tantalizing aroma on the air, not deer, and not rabbit, but something much better. Caribou. Not many, five or ten at best, most likely a herd of young or old animals that had been split off from a larger herd. Traveling to meet them most likely. He moved quickly, running down the incline and heading toward the north where the scent was strongest. They were outside of pack territory so he would be safe hunting them. He ran fast and without tiring. They were close, he slowed to a lope and stayed downwind, drinking in the scent of them. He came across them in a clearing feeding off vegetation below the snow, digging down with their hooves to reach it. He slipped around the clearing and laid in the snow downwind of the small herd. Six animals total. Two young does, three older does, and one very old buck. He surveyed the animals slowly, the buck seemed to be the best bet for a kill, he was extremely old and seemed to be lame in one hide leg. He wouldn't be easy to kill but he was the weakest of the lot.
William knew that surprise wouldn't be of much use, the easiest way to kill would be to run the buck down, scattering the rest in panic. He raised from the ground and growled loudly, watching as six head snapped up from the ground at lightening speed. Panic ran through the animals light water and then ran, scattering and plunging into the forest in all directions. William leapt behind the old buck and snapped his jaws nipping closely at the animals heels. The buck bawled and cut to the left heading in the opposite direction of the other five caribou. William harried the buck for miles, twisting from one side to the other side of the buck changing his direction and forcing the animal to run himself ragged. The wolf's jaws clamped down on the sides and haunches of the buck as he cut him from side to side. Within ten minutes the buck's sides were slick with blood and he floundered through the deep snow, struggling desperately to keep moving. Finally William dove in and grasped the buck by the throat, hanging suspended by his jaws as the caribou thrashed and expended his last bits of energy trying to remove the wolf from his throat. Slowly the buck slid to his knees and finally fell to his side as he suffocated in the jaws of the wolf. William released the bucks throat panting through his jaws as prepared to eat.
Sandy tracked the big male wolf. Tracking the wolf's footprints was slow and difficult. She had to pause to rest and to eat and she lost ground on William each day. She hadn't caught sight of him yet, but she had no doubt that the prints belonged to William and that she would find him. She trudged onward.
Alex set up his base camp on the side of a small ridge that overlooked a portion of the meadow and forest on the edge of the lake. He knew that the big male wolf had been staying in this area and that he often slept in one of the caves on the ridge just across the meadow. He hunkered down to wait. If he waited long enough he'd see the wolf, if he waited long enough he'd see Sandy again.
Days and weeks blended for William. Hunt, sleep, move. Hunt, sleep, move again. He avoided the local pack by staying on the move but he remained close enough to the cave in the hills he used for nights of the full moon. He had scented other wolves several times in the last few weeks so he moved quickly: never staying anywhere for very long. The pack knew he was stalking there territory and he could expect them to be keeping a higher guard and looking for him as they traveled their boundaries. He had to be careful not to get caught by the pack, he couldn't run from all of them.
The night of the blue moon was unseasonably warm, clouds covering the sky and the threat of precipitation on the wind. Alex wrapped his thermal blanket tighter around his shoulders and swept his binoculars over the meadow again. Nothing yet, but full moons usually heralded nighttime hunts for wolves. He spied the wolf as he broke from the woods, trotting quickly across the meadow heading for the caves in the ridge. It was the big male, he was nearly loping to cross the open area quickly. Alex saw the second wolf burst from the forest, running full speed at the big male. The second wolf was much smaller but it appeared fearless as it sped across the clearing.
