A Shift in the Water (7 page)

He tumbled—over and over. His body slammed into tree roots, rocks, and even huge pieces of shale. A large gash in his side spurted blood. When he hit the water, the salt buried into his wounds and he howled. He was submerged, water rushing into his lungs, suffocating him. His mind went blank. All he could do was fight to get to the surface. When his muzzle broke through, he expelled the water in his lungs and started paddling. He made it to the shore in minutes and crawled away, into the brambles. He listened carefully.

“Dammit! Get me down there,” the bad woman shouted.

“I don’t have that much control, babe. I could drop you. Let’s get the car. He’s not going anywhere. No one’s going to let a wolf on the ferry.”

The voices faded. A road not too far away brought the occasional rumble of a car, but the bad woman and the boy were gone. They’d be searching for him. He couldn’t stay here for long.

He wriggled and slunk within sight of the shore as the sun painted the sky in reds, oranges, and purples. There was nothing but the endless blue-gray of the sea in every direction. 
Island.
 He knew islands. He knew there weren’t easy ways to escape them. He didn’t know where he was going, only that he had to get as far away from the bad woman and the boy as possible. There was enough underbrush to keep him largely hidden, though he caught sight of the two-lane road from time to time and burrowed deeper into the brambles.

Exhaustion pressed him to the ground by the time the sun reached its apex. He panted and wheezed. A blanket of pain suffocated him. He couldn’t go any further. Death was coming for him and he found he didn’t care. At least his final sight would be the sea and not the terrible cage or the woman who’d hurt him. He turned his head towards the horizon and whimpered.

Out in the water, a dark speck bobbed, moving slowly closer. A piece of wood? No. A person. From his prone position hidden behind a pile of rocks, he caught sight of a squat two-story building a few hundred yards away. A car parked at the edge of the beach. A car meant freedom. But a human wasn’t going to let him in his car. Something tugged at him, urging him to move. Belly scraping along the rocks, the wolf crawled towards the car, finding a hiding place behind some bushes that bordered the building.

The figure emerged from the water. Long red hair spilled out of her swim cap as she tugged it off. Water trailed down her cheeks to the gentle swells hiding beneath her rubber suit. Clad in black, her curved hips gave way to lean legs. Her steps were uneven. She reached under the bumper and withdrew something small and black. A high-pitched beep came from the car. The hatchback opened and the woman sat down on the edge of the trunk and stripped off her wetsuit. A green bikini covered a body that was too thin—almost as emaciated as his was—with a bluish tinge to her skin that he neither understood nor liked. She moved carefully, as if a sudden step or jerk would shatter her. 
Beautiful.
 The word came to the wolf, though he wasn’t even sure what it meant. He only knew that he wanted to get close to her.

The wolf skulked from his hiding place. A storm of emotions washed over him, thunder in his ears, lightning against his skin, giving him the energy to stumble closer under the bushes. Spring rain, coconut, almonds. Scents he recognized. Weakness. A bitter, bloody tang. It wasn’t him. It was coming from her. Dark smudges shadowed her eyes. Her lips were pale. 
Sick
. She tugged on a pair of fleece pants and a sweatshirt over her skimpy bikini. Wool socks, shoes, and a towel around her wet hair were all added before she rose and hurried over to the building. She disappeared inside. She’d left the trunk open.

Instinct drove him forward, a pull he couldn’t ignore.
Mine.
 It took him two tries to launch himself into her trunk.
Blanket. Home. Safe. 
 Thoughts he didn’t understand raced through his battered mind.

Nothing made sense other than the deep feeling of safety that spread over him like the blanket he’d burrowed under. Pain stabbed at every part of him, but he didn’t care.
Sleep.

Mara hurried back to her car with a cup of coffee from the hotel bar and an overwhelming feeling of sadness in her heart. She’d never do this again. At least the swim had refreshed her. She was due for another transfusion in four days and knew that in two, she’d be too tired to do more than get herself out of bed in the morning and shower. But she felt okay now. Her team of doctors, led by Doctor Pendergast, wouldn’t be pleased that she’d spent the past two days swimming, but she didn’t care. 
One of the few benefits of dying
 
is that you can do whatever you want towards the end
. It wasn’t as if the two swims were going to dramatically shorten her life.

All the way to the ferry dock, a strange sensation filled the car. It was almost a scent, thin and metallic. A high-pitched melody, like a faraway harmonica or flute, distracted her. Tinnitus? Why not? It wasn’t like her body responded normally to anything else. She turned up the radio in the hopes of drowning it out.

Seated on her customary bench next to the front window of the ferry, she spotted odd wisps of smoke rising from the island. It was chilly today, so heating fires weren’t unexpected, but these were more like brush fires. At least it was wet out. In the summer something like that could be devastating.

Two hours later, her little silver Prius sped down Interstate 5. Mount Rainier, illuminated by the spotlight of the winter sun, shone against the clouds. Mara smiled. She filed the image away, locking it in her mind so that when she couldn’t muster the strength to go outside, she would still have it with her. The past few months had been filled with moments such as these. The Eiffel Tower at night. The brilliant aquamarine waters off of Capri. Seeing 
The Book of Mormon
 in London. Mara didn’t bother with photos or mementos. Not any more. She kept everything in her head and her heart. She’d had a good life. She’d keep having a good life for as long as she was able.

The strange scent was back. Coppery and musty. It smelled almost like wet dog. 
I must need to soak the wetsuit. Maybe there was some sort of algae bloom. Oh well, it’s not like it’s going to kill me faster than whatever has a hold of me.
 Turning up the heat, she cracked the window to clear the air and started to sing along to Great Big Sea.

Their single, “Let It Go”, seemed appropriate for what she was going through. She wouldn’t cry. For today, she felt . . . well, not good, but okay. Maybe she’d take a long, hot bath and open a bottle of wine. She could build a fire and be by herself. Her friends and Aunt Lillian meant well, but they hovered sometimes. Right now, Mara wanted to end the day alone with her thoughts.

When she pulled into her garage, she opened the trunk and tossed her wetsuit bag in the utility sink. Reaching for the blanket, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. There was something under there. She looked back towards the peg board on the wall. She needed a weapon. Hammer in one hand, she snatched the blanket away with the other.

“Goddess!” Mara tried to stifle her yelp, but it escaped anyway. Curled into a ball in her trunk was a wet, bloodied . . . wolf?

The animal jerked and raised its head. A weak whine shot directly to her heart and its head fell back down. Luminous blue eyes watched her, watering. This animal was in pain. Terrible pain. How had he ended up in her car? It had to have been when she’d gone into the hotel for coffee.

For a full minute, Mara held her breath. In the wolf’s eyes, she saw desperation, fear, and hope. He needed her. When the wolf shuddered, Mara lowered the hammer and took a step forward. He seemed to trust her, or at least wasn’t in any condition to attack her. Her shoe scraped along the concrete and the wolf whined again. 
Please,
 he seemed to say.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Mara said, setting the hammer down. She kept her words quiet and soothing as she moved closer. The wolf’s eyes shone in the dim light of the garage. Mara dropped her gaze to his snout, not challenging him. Offering the wolf her hand, she crouched down so she was at his level. The wolf sniffed. He whimpered and nudged her hand with his nose. It was dry and hot. He pushed harder, sliding his whole muzzle under her hand. Mara risked looking into his eyes. He immediately wriggled closer to her and whined again.

Goddess, he’s magnificent. Or would be if there was anything to him. How the hell did he get here?
She wasn’t sure where he’d come from, but she knew for certain he was dying. 

“Good boy. Will you let me see your paw?” Mara curled her fingers around his leg, stroking the burned and bloody pads under his toes. Only one nail remained, worn down to the quick. When she tightened her grip, he yelped in pain and pulled back, shaking. His body curled inward, shrinking away from her touch. Mara tentatively stroked a gentle hand down his side and it came away slicked with blood. “You need a vet.”

The wolf closed his eyes. His entire body trembled for a moment and he gasped for breath. “It’s okay,” Mara crooned. “Hold on for me.” She retrieved her phone from her purse and called Adam. He treated horses at the Equestrian Center. He’d know what to do.

“Mara, what’s up?” He was chipper. Adam was almost always chipper.

“Um, I’ve got a problem.” How was she possibly going to explain this?

“Are you okay? Where are you? Do you need an ambulance?” Adam assumed the worst. He was like a brother to her and he had tried, repeatedly, to get Mara to move in with him and Lisa, but they had two young children. Mara liked her quiet, solitary house. She wasn’t about to give up her independence until she had no choice.

“No, it’s not me. I mean, I’m fine. Well, fine enough. For now. Look, um, when I was on Orcas . . . I picked up a stowaway in my car. I didn’t even realize it until I got home. It’s a wolf. He’s badly injured. He’s curled up in my trunk whimpering at me. Can you bring over some antibiotics and surgical needle and thread? He needs stitches.”

“Fuck, Mara. Not a chance. Call Fish and Wildlife or Animal Control before he kills you.”

“He’s not going to hurt me.” The wolf watched her, head cocked, breathing ragged. “He’s in terrible pain, Adam. I don’t even think he can get up, let alone attack me. Please do this for me. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. He needs help. I need to help him. And for that, I need you.”

Adam groaned. “Way to lay on the guilt.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that. But I can’t let him lie here in pain.” Mara stroked the wolf’s massive head. His tongue lolled out from between slack jaws. Every few seconds, he shuddered. 

“Fine. I’m on my way.”

After ending the call, Mara slid a hip onto the trunk next to the wolf. He made a groaning sound and tried to wriggle closer. “Shh. It’s going to be all right, buddy.” She angled her body so the wolf could lay his head on her thigh. The contact seemed to calm him and he closed his eyes. Something inside of her warmed when she stroked his fur. She felt better—stronger. This animal needed her and she wasn’t going to let him down. She hummed to herself, picking out the notes that seemed to form the backdrop of her life these days. She’d have to talk to her doctor about her hearing. Not that it mattered. A bit of tinnitus wasn’t going to kill her any faster.

The scrape of Adam’s key in her front door lock made her flinch and the wolf growled once before she patted his shoulder to calm him. Adam, Jen, and Aunt Lillian had keys to her place as a precaution. Everyone feared for the day Mara wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.

“Mara?”

“In the garage.” Mara stroked the wolf’s gray and brown fur. His pelt was caked in blood and dirt in places, but his head was surprisingly clean and the fur was soft and sleek.

Adam opened the door from the house and gaped. His dark brown hair stuck up in all directions and he ran a nervous hand through it. His chocolate eyes flicked from her to the wolf and back again. Faster than she expected, he was at her side and dragged her off the car by her arm. The wolf growled softly.

“Adam, let me go.” Mara shook off his hand and went back to the wolf. He calmed at her touch and licked her fingers. “Shh, good boy. You’re okay.”

“Shit. He 
likes
 you. That’s really weird.” Adam dropped his bag and withdrew a stethoscope. He listened to the wolf’s heart and lungs and palpated his legs. The wolf whimpered when Adam touched his paws and his back and looked up at Mara. She sat down and let him rest his head on her thigh again.

“Shh, bud. You’re going to be fine. I’ve got you.” She ruffled the silky fur on his head. Nothing about this animal frightened her.

“I can wrap up his paws and one of us can stitch his side. But he’s dying. He’s malnourished, long term. You can see it in his eyes. If he lasts another day it’ll be a miracle.” Adam stepped back. The wolf panted weakly, whining and licking Mara’s hand again. “We need to call Fish and Wildlife.” Adam dug his hand into his pocket and withdrew his mobile phone, but Mara shook her head.

“Wait.”

“The longer we wait, the more he’s going to suffer. They’ll put him down. Look at him. He can barely raise his head.”