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_ Echoes in Delows Valley _

_ *Chapter 1: What Gets Left Behind * _

Any good story has a beginning, middle and end. So I suppose this is as good a place as any to start. My name is Frost Tavor, I am a mid twenty-some year old wolf and I'm on my way to a rural, out of place town called Delows Valley.

I wouldn't normally consider visiting an out of the way place such as Delows Valley, too far off the beaten path where you had to drive almost a solid hour to get to any kind of modern store chain that most people take for granted. Including me. That changed when a lawyer came knocking on my door earlier this week with documents that were for me. Apparently, a somewhat estranged half-uncle on my father's side had written me into his will and now I was on my way to where he lived to view the estate he was giving me.

A bump in the road rousted me from the thoughts that had been going through my mind and without much thought, I couldn't help but yawn and stretch in the bus' seat that I was occupying. Looking around the interior, I found myself almost alone except for the driver and perhaps one or two stragglers that remained on the bus. I sighed and my gaze went back to the unfamiliar snow covered landscape that we were passing by on the highway. In some ways, I couldn't wait for this leg of the journey to end. It wasn't because I disliked traveling, in fact I rather enjoyed seeing new sights. It was because of the boredom that I was feeling, the roads were rather rough and this particular bus seemed to be rather old so every bump in the road was accented by the worn air-bag shock system. So, because of the "oh, so smooth ride," it was rather difficult to focus much on anything.

My current destination was the town of Hardale. There I would meet up with the actual lawyer that is currently handling my uncle's estate and then continue to Delows Valley. I've not been to this area since my childhood, when my parents would take my sister and I on little adventure trips around the countryside. I remember the fun that we used to have back then and even have a few vague memories of Delows Valley itself. Though that seemed like a lifetime ago since I've last been here, as it has been over a decade and things have more than likely changed with time. Some for the better, some for the worst.

Time seemed to drag on until we reached our destination with little fanfare, with the bus simply getting off the highway exit and us turning onto the road that would take us to the bus station. I would speculate that Hardale was a large town at least, though I've heard that some call it a city. I'd guess that one could consider Hardale a good size city for the surrounding area, though it was nothing compared to the size of actual cities like Buffalo NY or Erie PA. Going down the main drag of the town one could see that most of the buildings barely reached five stories, with maybe a small handful maybe reaching an honest eight to ten stories here or there. From what I could see from the bus, the city was rather well kept with an odd store here or there that was closed and empty. Everything gave off a vibe that you couldn't quite get from a large city, a sense of warmth and cleanliness that was inviting to the average visiting tourist.

We arrived at the station and were able to check in and get our luggage from the bus' undercarriage with relative ease. For the most part everyone whom I interacted with so far has been pleasant and I ended up getting roped into helping an older lady with her belongings, some of her luggage was deceptively heavy despite their looks. She thanked me and even offered to reward me which I politely turned down. Once everything was done, I was free to go my own way.

Checking the time on my cell phone, I decided to make my way to the lawyers office and check in with them to find out what was expected of me at this point. It was mid afternoon already and I figured that it would be better to take care of the more important business first then looking for a means to continue on or getting lodgings for the night. Thankfully, the office was a few blocks away and the weather was decent enough to make this part of the trip on foot.

A bell rang out as I entered the building and I was greeted by a young bear receptionist. "Hi," She greeted cheerfully. "How can I help you?"

"Hi," I said, though it sounded a bit timid to my ears despite me trying to be professional. "I'm Frost Tavor and I'm here to see Mister Maddox. I... Think that he's expecting me?"

"Mister... Tahvor?" She verified to which I nod. She opened up an appointment book before she got up and went back to where I assume the offices were. She was back after a few seconds, probably after confirming that I actually had a reason to talk to Mr. Maddox today. "I'm sorry for the wait." She said as she gave me her customer service smile. "Mr. Maddox is currently in a meeting. Would you like to wait or make an appointment for the morning?"

I thought for a moment before I gave her an answer. "If he's not going to be that long, then I'll wait."

She nodded and returned her focus to the computer at her desk. Left to myself, I went to the chair that happened to be out in the lobby and pulled my phone out and started to fiddle around with it. It was about twenty minutes or so when an older lion came out with someone else, talking about something that I didn't really pay attention to since I doubt it concerned me. The person shook the lion's hand goodbye and walked out the door. The lion was quiet as the client made their exit, but gave a soft snort and a chuckle when he was certain that the client wouldn't come back in.

"I've heard of women who gave their estates to their pets, but this is the first time I've had a gentleman give everything to his dog." He then noticed that I was sitting there, which when I noticed him coming out I had pocketed my phone and waited to be acknowledged. "Ah, Mr. Trevor." He said giving me another customer service smile. "So glad that you were able to make it out here."

"Thank you." I said as I got up and took the offered hand of the lion. "Though it's supposed to be pronounced Tay-Vor or Tah-Vor. There's no R in the name."

The lion blinked as he looked at me, I was worried for a moment that I might have upset him. He was easily as tall as me and had a build that would put some football players to shame, if he wasn't a quarterback when he was in primary school I'd be shocked. The room felt awkward for several seconds before the lion let out a bit of a belly laugh.

"You'd think that someone who deals with inheritance and multiple people a day would be better at pronouncing names." He replied with a genuine smile. "You can call me Mr. Maddie if you want to make up for my little blunder."

"That's alright, Mr Maddox." I said with a chuckle. "It comes with the territory of the more unique names if I'm not mistaken."

"You're a good man," Mr. Maddox said. "Just like your uncle."

My eyebrow perked at that and Mr. Maddox led me to his office where he had me sit and he brought forth a bunch of papers from his desk. We started to go through the pile of papers bit by bit, legal stuff that mostly went over my head to try and explain but thankfully Mr. Maddox was patient with me. Come to find out, not only was I getting a decent amount of money from my uncle's estate but also I was getting some property too. I was shocked by this as I had no idea what was in store for me when I came here, but now I was the owner of a small business and my uncle's home that he lived in up until a few months ago as well as anything left at the property. I would be thankful later for Mr. Maddox's thoroughness as there were permits, licenses, titles, deeds, and other documents to go through and sign. It took well over an hour and a half to get through all the documents and my hand felt tired from all the signatures that I had to do.

"That... was a lot of paperwork..." I said as the lion collected the paperwork on his desk. I couldn't help but stretch some now that we were done.

"Quite so." Mr Maddox said as he filed everything for the time being. "Though depending on the situation, it can be more. Thankfully this is one of my easier and quicker cases and while I'm not at liberty to discuss other cases, I can say that there are others that have been a LOT more difficult to manage and even some that are taking years to resolve."

"Ouch..."

"Yeah. I'm glad this was mostly cut and dry. It's refreshing to have an easy case." He gave me a smile as we stood up. "I do have one more question though, do you have a ride to Delows Valley?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I do not. My plan was to rent a car either tonight or rent a room and head over first thing in the morning."

"I'll tell you what." Mr Maddox said as he grabbed his coat. "How about you save your money and I'll take you to the property, free of charge."

"Uhm... Sure, I guess?" I shrugged. "It's not like I had much in the way of plans, mostly just winging it and seeing what happens."

The Lion laughed as he led me out of the office and informed the receptionist that he was leaving for the day. Once I collected my luggage, I then followed Mr. Maddox around the block to a gated parking lot and to a blue Mercedes E350. "It's my wife's car." Mr Maddox said as he helped me get my luggage in the trunk. "My wife has mine and is on a trip to see family."

"So getting a little revenge for her running the wheels off of yours?"

"Ha! Great minds think alike." He said as we got in the car and took off.

Leaving Hardale, the terrain was fairly flat with what looked like rolling hills in the background. It was obvious that we were leaving what some would call civilization, with buildings giving way to more space between homes and eventually open fields and farm lands as the hills started to loom closer. Eventually even the fields gave way to trees and the roads started to follow the contours of the land climbing upwards into the hills that we've seen at the start. I did my best to keep track of the turns that the lawyer made, doing my best to keep track of where I was and where to go if I needed to get back to Hardale. Thankfully, any turn offs have been other smaller towns that dotted the area as well as a few signs that pointed the way back. After the second small town though, the real fun began. The road weaved and zigzagged through a dense forest as we climbed up one of the steeper hillsides.

In all it was a little over an hour ride through some rather winding roads and inclines before we finally topped the hill that looked down into the valley where the town was. Unlike below, the snow was still prevalent here after the first winter storm struck over a week ago and everything still had a blanket of the white stuff covering it. The town itself looked to be only a few dozen houses gathered around a main street that sat off the main road that cut along the bottom of the valley. As we descended down the hill, I could see that the roads were clear so traffic could move along as normal despite everything else having a decent layer of snow.

"That's your uncle's business." Maddox said as he pointed out what first looked like a convenience store. Upon closer inspection, I could see that it was more than some small time store. The establishment was larger than I first thought, more of a truck-stop that served multiple functions if what I was seeing was correct.

"What about that place?" I asked, pointing out a barn shaped garage. Mr. Maddox looked over at where I pointed and frowned.

"If I remember, that's a different business that's renting part of your uncle's land." he said in a low growl. "Be careful around them, they're not someone that I would fully trust both as a person or a business. I don't know what your uncle was thinking when he originally partnered with him."

"Joy..." I sighed as we continued on our way.

Mr Maddox turned down a side road and followed it to its end, where a decent size house with a few out buildings of various sizes waited for our arrival. The home appeared to be a two story log cabin at first glance, with a tall roof and an attached garage. We pulled up and parked in front of the garage doors and got out of the car. The lion proceeded to walk around the car, heading for the front door and a lock-box that was on the door knob that most realtors use nowadays. It took a few moments for the lion to free the key from the box and once the door was opened, he ushered me inside. The place was larger than I thought as we walked through the foyer and entered the great room with a vaulted ceiling. It had an open yet inviting charm to the decor, yet some things did stand out as outdated. There wasn't a second floor to what I've seen so far, but the place was so roomy that it didn't need the extra floor.

"Over here." Mr Maddox said, drawing my wandering attention to where he was. He was standing next to a built-in shelf that stored a bunch of electronics. He waited until I came over before handing me the keys. "Here you are. With this, you are now the owner of this property and the owner of the business that I pointed out to you earlier."

"Thank you." I said as I looked at the keys in my hand. "But why me? I don't have any kind of knowledge on how to run or manage a business, nor do I have any educational background to do such a thing."

"That's something that I cannot answer." He sighed before picking up a VHS tape and handed it to me. "Perhaps you can find some of the answers on this. He had that tape made for you to watch in the event of his untimely death." He gave me a smile and shook my hand one last time. "But with this, our business is complete. If you ever need legal services keep my office in mind and I hope to see you around, though hopefully not as a rival's client." He laughed as he made his way out the door.

I followed him to the door and saw him off, staying in the doorway until he disappeared down the driveway. I stood there as I complicated the events of the last few days before I finally shut the door to the cold and went back into the great room. It was then that I noticed that both the heat and electricity were already switched on and besides some dust, the house was ready to be lived in again from what I could see where I was at. I would have to take stock of the things in the house as far as consumables, but I think that taking stock can wait until later. There are other things that need attention.

I walked back to the shelf where the electrics were and put the tape in the VHS player, grabbed the remote and went to the couch that sat in front of the tv and fireplace. As soon as I turned the television on, my uncle appeared on screen. He was almost like I remember him, a tall wolf with a mix of tan, brown, and dark blonde fur though he did have streaks of gray though his fur from age. Sharp blue eyes looked back at me as he stared into the camera.

"Hello Frost." He said as he kept his gaze locked forward, almost hauntingly at me through the video. "If you are seeing this then it means that I am obviously gone. Now, you don't have to worry about my funeral arrangements or anything like that. I've already made arrangements with Mr Maddox and a few friends when the time comes for it, in fact this video is a part of the arrangement. So there's no need to fret about having to pay anything. In fact, the utilities should be paid for till at least the end of the year."

He sighed as his gaze dropped down for a moment.

"Now I know that I wasn't the best person in life, nor was I always there for family as I'm sure that you well know already. But then, my family hasn't been the best to you or your mother with what my brother had done and how my side of the family has treated you two. It was a good part of why I went low contact with everyone, though I have been writing letters to your mother to touch base every now and then though each year. So I do know some of the hell that you two have been going through, and I'm sorry that I couldn't help anymore than I already did."

His gaze returned to the camera as he continued.

"I know that it doesn't excuse what happened though I hope that I might be able to make up for at least a few mistakes that I've made in the past. One of those mistakes does involve you, kiddo. Bringing us to the point of this message."

He shifted his posture before he continued.

"I am sure that you're probably wondering "What does this all have to do with me?" Or at least something similar since you've been contacted by the Paralegal. Well kiddo, it's like this. I have a favor that I want you to do for me. I want you to take my place here in Delows Valley."

"The Hell!?!" I blurted out at the tv, a few emotions washing over me as the image of my uncle silently waited. It was as if he had second guessed my actions when he recorded the message and was doing a pretty good job of doing it.

"Listen," He finally said after a moment of silence, drawing my attention back to the tv. "I know you're probably upset and confused about what I just said but I need you to understand what I'm asking. I know that it sounds like I'm trying to dictate what you do in your life and that you can be stubborn when you feel that you're being forced into something, you get that from our side of the family as I'm the same way. I want you to know that I'm not going to force you into doing anything, but I want you to at least give it a chance."

"I want someone who I can trust to take my place and while we haven't really been in touch or talked at all through the years, I do believe that you are someone that I can. I've heard how things have been going with you through the letters your mother and I sent each other and I know that you're having a hard time finding a decent job and are getting stuck with temporary part time work when you do manage to find employment. This way, maybe you might find something that you can be satisfied doing and find something that you haven't realized that you've been looking for."

"Look," He said with another sigh. "Whether you decide to try your hand at running the store or not is completely up to you. Everything that was mine, the land, the house, the cars, the equipment in the sheds, and the money is yours no matter what you decide to do. But I ask that you do this request of a dead man."

"Years ago, the people of this town gave a lone wolf drifter a chance at a better life and he came to see those in this town as family. They looked after me and gave me a place to belong, something that I didn't have with my blood family. You know all too well what kind of people they are like and with what your father pulled... Well, I seriously doubt that he'll ever be there like he was supposed to. Like an actual father is supposed to. I'm not your father but I can at least try and make up for the bad choices of my family."

"In the end, kiddo, what you want to do with the business, sell it, run it, or use it as a passive income is up to you. My only request is that you give it some time, at least a month or more. Take your time and get to know the business as well as the town, you might come to like it here. Or maybe not, but please give this place a chance. I want to ask that you give this at least three months to a year before you make your decision, but I won't hold you to it. Just... At least give it a month."

"I imagine that you had stopped by the lawyer's office first so that Mr Maddox has already started getting the ball rolling on more than a few things that will become necessary for you in the near future as I'm sure he has told you. Though There's still probably some more stuff that needs to be taken care of that he should have told you about on the ride here. If not, then seeing Mr. Maddox or his partner should be your first order of business tomorrow. If you ever need legal advice or help, you can contact Mr. Maddox. Him and his partner were of great help to me and expressed interest in continuing the relationship with you."

His eyes drifted down for a moment before looking back at the camera.

"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm trying to uproot your life, that's not my intention. I'm just trying to look out for you like a family is supposed to do. So I hope that you give my request some thought and at least give my request a try. It will be worth it in the end. I promise you that and believe it or not, I am a man of my word and well... I have made more than one promise that I want to keep and one of those promises was to you and your mother."

"There shouldn't be much to worry about with the store, everything is already set up and taken care of so all you need to do is introduce yourself to the employees and decide how involved that you want to be. Most are good people and if you need help or have questions they will be there to help and anything else regarding my estate should have already been taken care of so there's no worry of having to deal with family about the division of assets. So you will just have to worry about yourself and everything around you and shouldn't have to deal with any unwanted relatives poking around."

His expression changed and he now had a hopeful smile.

"That's basically all I want to say. Everything is now up to you and your decision. I couldn't be there like I should have been for your family, but I do hope that this helps. I know what it's like to feel like you don't belong anywhere, so I hope that you seriously consider this opportunity. Just... Give things a chance, alright kiddo? And... Good luck Frost, with whatever you decide. Take care."

The video ended there and left me in a darkened room. I had forgotten to turn on any lights in an unfamiliar house. My home. I sighed as I stood up from the couch and walked over to the window, my thoughts were a jumbled mess as I looked out at the landscape that was bathed in the pale light of the moon.

If I was to be honest, this had happened at the right time. As of right now I am what people are now calling a NEET, someone who is not employed, in education classes, or in any kind of training. Which means that I'm sadly in between jobs and in truth, those that I could find these past few years had been temp work that never panned out for more than a few months at most. Besides not having a current job, there isn't really much waiting for me back where I'm from. Yes, my family still lives there. Namely my mother who lives with my sister and her family. The only thing that was really waiting for me back home was a tiny camper that would probably fit easily into one of the smaller bedrooms. Besides family, what was really waiting back home? Just the comfort of familiarity with the area with a mix of good and bad memories. I wasn't an outgoing guy, truth be told so actual friends were limited at best or they were just acquaintances at worst.

In reality, there was nothing much for me to uproot. But was moving here the right decision?

A grumble from my stomach drew me from my thoughts and made me realize that I haven't eaten since this morning. Using the flashlight function on my phone, I located the light switch and started to illuminate the house. The place was modestly furnished, though some things were a little dated in my opinion. Making my way to the kitchen and its built-in pantry, I began my search to find something edible. As luck would have it, there were some canned goods and box dinners in the pantry. However, there wasn't anything in the way of perishable food in the fridge or freezer. Why I even thought that there might be something quickly edible in hindsight, I have no idea.

With the way things were at the house, I realized that I needed some supplies and looking at the time with the fact that I'm very unfamiliar with the area, I only had one option to really choose from. That was to go to my uncle's store... My store... If I choose to keep it.

With a sigh I turned off most of the lights beside a few smaller ones so I could see when I got back and went into the garage. Inside I found two vehicles, a full size Silverado and an older Durango that was still in good shape from what I could inspect. There was another vehicle under a tarp that sat in a back storage area of the garage but seeing how I was planning on leaving, I left it alone till another time when I could view it at my leisure. There was a small lockbox on the wall, which thankfully wasn't actually locked, and opening it up revealed the keys to several vehicles. Choosing the one that was under the label for the Durango, I plucked the keys from the hook and made sure I had the right set as I made it chirp with the connected key-fob.

After doing some preemptive checks of the engine and fluids, I got in and started the vehicle. It didn't want to start right away but once it got going, it purred like a kitten. Once I was satisfied and settled with the SUV, I hit the button on the garage door remote and waited for the overhead door behind me to open. Leaving the garage was your typical afare and after closing the door, I turned the vehicle around and started my way to my uncle's business that he wanted me to take over.