Legend (A Wolf Lake Novella) (6 page)

"I'm getting my masters degree at the UW." Sam thought back to her last meeting with Andrew, tried to mentally compute how much time she'd been away, with how long it would take before someone missed her. The result was not comforting.

"What does being a literature major have to do with hunting down werewolves?" Nafarius still wasn't sure he bought her story. Roland certainly did not, and was advocating the destroy-now-ask-questions-never plan.
 

Sam sighed, this wasn't going to go well. "My focus is on myths and legends. Vampires, witches...werewolves."

Nafarius' eyes narrowed dangerously, but he stayed silent.

"I try and trace the literature back to its origins, to find the incident that gave birth to the legend," she explained.

"And prove their existence."
 

"No," Sam shook her head vehemently. "If you had taken the time to
read
my notes, you would have seen that in each case, I've been able to disprove the myths."

"Who else has seen your work?"

"No one," Sam said. "Not yet anyways."

"What do you mean?"

"I was working on my thesis. Wolf Lake was the last piece." Sam thought back to the countless hours, the time and energy that had gone into her thesis. It was years of work, of study that, if she read the situation right, would never see the light of day.
 

"Surely you have an advisor, someone that oversees your studies." Nafarius was furiously working through all the possibilities.

Again, Sam shook her head, shrugged. "Yeah, I have an advisor but..."

"But what?" Nafarius pressed.

Sam sighed. "Andrew was never very interested in my work. Bram Stroker's
Dracula
and Ann Rice's
Interview with a Vampire
aren't exactly considered great works of literature. At least not as far as academia is concerned."

"What about your research? Where did you find the map?" Nafarius wondered how many more there could be out there.

"A flea market, in a box with a bunch of other books. The map was in a journal. I doubt anyone even knew it was there."

"Did you show it to anyone?"

"Just Andrew but - "
 

"What about your personal life?" Nafarius cut in.

Embarrassed, Sam looked away. "I don't really have one."

"No friends? A boyfriend?" Nafarius didn't believe that there wasn't someone that would miss her. "What about family? Everyone has family."

"Look," Sam snapped. She'd had enough. Nafarius' interrogation highlighted just how pitiful her life really was. "You can rest easy. No one is interested in my work and no one will miss me. Whatever you decide, your secret will be safe."

Nafarius frowned, belatedly realizing that he'd hurt her feelings. "I haven't decided what to do with you yet. For now, you're under my protection. No one will harm you."

"Don't do me any favors," Sam huffed.
 

Nafarius yanked Sam to her feet, the movement so fast it barely had time to register before he'd set her back down on her feet.
 

"Hey!"

"You step out of this room without my protection and the others would tear you apart," he snarled.

Sam stared into blue eyes gone bright with anger, a thin ring of gold surrounding the pupil. "That would certainly solve all of your problems, wouldn't it?" she asked.

"It depends," Nafarius said, dropping her back onto her feet, "on whether or not someone else comes looking for you."
 

Sam stumbled back, catching herself against the wall and watched as Nafarius left the room. She was still standing there stunned when Maddie returned a few minutes later, a bundle in her arms.

"You okay?" Maddie asked. Sam looked pale, her mouth having gone slack-jawed.
 

"What? Oh...yeah." Sam took a deep breath and tried for a reassuring smile. "What's that?"

Maddie lifted the bundle. "Nafarius thought you might like to get cleaned up."

"Thank you, God." Her mood instantly lightened. "I don't suppose there's any chance of a hot shower around here?"

"No, but how about a cold bath?" It was the best they had to offer.

"Honestly, at this point I'd be happy just to stand outside in the rain." Sam said, recognizing the limits that went along with their location.

Maddie's smile was sweet and bright enough to light the dark alcove. "Come on."

Sam hesitated, Nafarius' warning ringing in her ears. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"It's okay," Maddie assured her. "Nafarius issued orders. The pack will leave you alone."

The promise of a bath was too tempting to pass up. Hoping Maddie was right, Sam followed her out of the alcove, through the pack's den and out into the late morning light.
 

"Where is everyone?" The den was deserted, the clearing empty but for a few small children and their mothers.

"Nafarius and Roland went with the others to check the pack's territory. Some are hunting and the rest working in the gardens."
 

Sam followed Maddie across the clearing and into the forest. She had no idea where they were in relation to her previous campsite. "Where are we going?"

"There's a stream near by. I'll warn you, it's snowrun off, so it's cold but there are pools deep enough to bathe in."

"Is this where you bathe?" Sam asked.

"Sometimes," Maddie said.

"Don't you ever miss a hot shower?" Sam was curious about what seemed like a hard life.

"I've never had one," Maddie admitted.
 

"You've never had a shower?" Sam felt her mouth hanging open.
No shower?
She couldn't begin to imagine. Showers were a source of pleasure for her. She took long showers in the morning to wake and long showers at night to relax. Two a day had been her norm since way back before...well, for a very long time. She couldn't imagine a life without one.

Maddie turned, walking backwards, she smiled. "I've lived here my entire life. I was born here."

"You've never wanted to leave?" Sam tripped over an exposed root, grateful when Maddie caught her by the arm and kept her from falling.

Maddie shook her head. "I'm curious and at some point I'll make the trip into the city, but so far there hasn't really been a reason to go."

The pack was remote, cut off from the world but they weren't completely isolated. Sam had noticed books, magazines and music players. Their clothes were obviously store bought and there had been several different kinds of cookware. She was just about to ask about it when they arrived at the stream.

"I could kiss that man," Sam muttered, some of her earlier anger with Nafarius dimming in light of the crystal clear stream. Eager to wash off the events of the past twelve hours, Sam toed off her shoes and peeled out of her jeans.

"I brought soap and shampoo," Maddie said, handing Sam a bottle of both.

"I could kiss
you
," Sam said.

Maddie laughed. She liked Sam. She was smart and funny and despite what the rest of the pack thought, Maddie didn't think Sam would do anything to hurt them.

Sam looked down at her dirty clothes. "I should have walked into the water with these on. Ugh..." taking a whiff, she realized that her clothes were seriously ripe. A person wouldn't need to be a werewolf to track her in these.

Maddie held up the dress. "If you don't mind wearing one of these, I can wash your clothes and get them back to you later," she offered.

Sam eyed the sun dress warily. Maddie was at least four inches shorter and two dress sizes smaller. There was no way Sam's curves would fit into one of the young woman's dresses. "One of yours?"

Maddie shook her head. "It doesn't really belong to anyone." Clothes were somewhat communal. Nafarius saw to it that they had what they needed and people were able to pick and chose. But there were always extras laying around.

Sam shook out the dress and held it up. It was a simple sun dress. Dark blue, it came to her calves and was made of soft material. "Thanks." Dropping the rest of her things, Sam walked to the water's edge. Testing the temperature with her toe, she shivered. "Damn, that's cold."

"Just jump in," Maddie suggested helpfully. "It's easier that way."

"I notice you're not getting in," Sam said and slipped into the water. Quickly, she dunked her head. Already she felt better, dried sweat and dirt washing away in the stream's gentle current.

"I don't need a bath." Maddie climbed up onto a large boulder that jutted out into the stream, creating the pool that Sam was bathing in. The day was growing warm and she was content to sit and watch.

Sam realized she was adjusting to the cold and let herself enjoy a few minutes of being clean and free. The stream was beautiful, sunlight glittering on the water while birds and bugs chirped near by. Looking up, she saw Maddie watching her. Curious, noting that they were alone, she swam over to rest her arms on the boulder. "Would you shift for me?"

Maddie smiled, she wondered when Sam would get back around to asking. "Sure," she said, standing, she slipped out of her dress.

"Wait!" Sam reached out and lightly touched Maddie on the foot. "Does it hurt? I don't want you to do it if it's painful." She had vague memories of Roland changing, of the rearranging that took place. Most of that night was a blur of fear and panic but that...that had stood out.

Maddie was touched by her concern. "It's...uncomfortable," she hedged. "But it's worth it," she added, thinking of the freedom that came with the ability to run.

Sam nodded. Withdrawing her hand, she stood quietly watching as Maddie dropped to her hands and knees and started to shift.

Half way through she regretted having asked. Maddie was clearly in pain, her muscles growing and changing, bones rearranging themselves. Her skin rippled, the flesh loosening to accommodate her expanding girth. Until finally, her body bowed as fur sprouted in a burst of color.

"Oh...wow." Sam stared at the small wolf that had replaced the young woman. Like her human form, she was petite, dainty with thick, blonde fur and gold eyes. "You're beautiful."

Maddie dropped to her belly and army crawled towards the edge of the boulder. Slowly, she touched her nose to Sam's hand, inviting her to touch.

Sam didn't hesitate. Reaching up, she buried her hands into the thick fur of Maddie's neck. "It's not as soft as it looks," Sam said, addressing her comment to Maddie. "Not like a dog's fur either."

Maddie tipped her head, pressing it into Sam's hand.
 

"Your nose is cold!" Sam couldn't help it, she laughed. "No licking!"

Maddie gave a short
woof
of amusement. Pointedly, she looked at Sam before glancing back towards the den.

"Time to get back?" Sam sighed. The water felt good, despite the temperature and she wasn't looking forward to going back to the anger and tension that waited. Knowing there was no avoiding it, she made her way to the bank of the stream. Quickly, she dried off before slipping the dress over her head. Gathering her dirty clothes as well as the soap and shampoo, she walked to where Maddie waited.

* * *

Nafarius caught sight of Maddie as she trotted into the clearing. Turning, he scanned the woods, his eyes searching until he spotted Sam. The sight of her hit him square in the chest. Covered in dirt, she was beautiful. Clean, she was staggering. Thick, black hair fell in waves down her back while the blue dress did nothing to hide her full breasts, narrow waist or her lush thighs. Watching as she strolled towards him, her hips rolling in that way that only women knew how to do, she stunned him.
 

Sam felt Nafarius' eyes on her. Male appreciation warmed her as he swept her from head to toe. Walking towards him, she thought about his offer of protection and the bath. "Thank you," she said. "I feel human again," she added with a smile.
 

Nafarius' laugh followed her into the pack's den.

* * *

Sam circled the alcove for the thirteenth time. She knew, because she'd been counting. She also knew that the alcove was thirty-six steps around and twelve steps across. She figured that at the rate she was going, she'd be climbing the walls by midnight and would know how many steps high it was as well.
 

God, she was bored. Mind numbing, painfully bored. She'd never been one to just sit. She didn't sunbathe, relax at the beach or hang out by the pool. Idleness felt like a waste of time and time was short.
 

She'd returned to the alcove after her bath, Maddie shifting again to keep her company. The shift, Sam had noted, wasn't any easier in reverse. They'd spent part of the afternoon talking, Maddie sharing secrets of her life in the pack, things Sam never would have found in books. Eventually, Maddie had been called away to tend to her evening chores, leaving Sam alone. No one guarded her door, but no one came by to see her either. Honestly, Sam was almost ready to chose death over this.

Restless to the point of desperation, Sam stuck her head out of the alcove. She decided to take it as a good sign when no one (Roland) yelled at her. Looking left, then right, she felt her courage falter. Quickly pulling her head back in before someone saw, Sam looked around the alcove.
I can't stay here
, she thought. There was nothing to do, no books to read, no TV to watch. Hell, there weren't even any cracks in the ceiling for her to count. The place was empty and if she had to stay there another moment, she was likely to go bat-shit crazy.
 

Sticking her head back out, Sam told herself to suck it up and go find Nafarius, or Maddie. Even Roland was a better option than this.

Maddie had explained that the pack's den was actually a series of caves, alcoves and catacombs all within the mountain. Individuals, couples and entire families had private sleeping quarters but most of them took their meals together at the den's entrance. The alcove where Sam was staying was on the other side of the pack's private area. A random carveout in the mountain, it was rarely used for anything more than storage...and housing human prisoners.