His First Chapter - Part 3
#3 of His First Chapter
When the currently struggling novelist pulled back into the drive of his log cabin, it was nearly sundown. Crystal came out and helped him carry their goods inside. He was quiet the whole time they were bringing things into the cabin, and that bothered Crystal. He was always talking as though he could hear her, and that he knew what she was thinking. But her caregiver remained silent. She was unaware of his thoughts, and she was just now realizing that it had almost never happened before. She brought in the last box of goods, set it on the floor, and then huddled on the rug in front of the fire place. It had been snowing, and she was freezing.
Steven came inside, closing the door behind him. For a while he just stood there staring at Crystal. What would the military want with her? Maybe it has something to do with the way she is. I never really questioned how she came to be like that, I just accepted it really. He chuckled, making Crystal look at him quizzically. I suppose my more creative side got the best of me. Things like this don't just happen in the real world. Melting snow dripped off Steven's clothes, pooling on the floor. He sighed, and then put on his usually cheery smile while clapping his hands together. "Well, Crystal. I suppose I should dry off and clean this up." She smiled at seeing him get back to normal. The middle-aged man stripped out of the cold, wet layers that clung to him. He put on some loose fitting sweats, and then mopped up the puddle that had accumulated in front of the door. Crystal continued to watch her companion. She sensed that something still wasn't right.
Later that night, the couple lied in bed together. The lights were dim, and Steven lied awake. He had tried sleeping, but it just wouldn't come to him. Thoughts would race through his mind - thoughts of curiosity, confusion, and fear. He feared that he would lose the young wolfess on his left, the one sleeping so soundly. Her breasts rose and sunk beneath the long shirt that she wore to sleep. Steven had come to care for her very much. Someone to believe in him and to just accept him the way that he were was something that he was always wanting, that much he knew. But having someone rely on him was something that he needed, and that he was unaware of until she came into his life. Turning over, he studied her face. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed through her nose. Her fur was thick, with patches of gray and white. The colors mixed together strategically, and made for a perfect camouflage in the mountains. Adaptation was something that always fascinated Steven. As a boy he found it miraculous that they just changed instinctively, through no conscious decision. She had a fairly short snout, and a cold black nose. He touched it, watching her skin scrunch and her head shake as if trying to remove a fly. His finger delicately danced up the wolfess' snout, and rested at the top of her head. The fur was warm against his hand. Steven smiled. This was fate, I'm sure of it.
It was an odd sight to behold - the man and wolf pair, sitting on small stools around a hole in the ice of the lake. A pole lay on the ground next to the tackle box, as the more experienced fisherman tried to teach his new, and admittedly terrible, apprentice.
"You have to hold the pole, like this." His hands gripped the pole, a finger resting gently against the string. "When you feel this tighten and pull against your finger, then you spin this reel like so," and he demonstrated. "The line will come in, and hopefully dinner will be on the other end. Got it?" Crystal had been listening intently and just stared, shaking her head excitedly. She had a chance to help, and she jumped at it. Crystal had no way of communicating how appreciative she was that Steven had taken her in and helped her. She couldn't say thank you, and she had no real way of expressing that she could do things for herself. So when the former-sole-contributor said he was going to fish, she picked up a pole. He told her that he didn't need it, and after a few hand gestures and low growls, Steven understood that she wanted to help. So here they were.
"It's a great day for this. It's not snowing, it isn't excessively windy. Yep, just you and me. And of course these futuristic whaling harpoons!" Crystal shot him a look that let him know she was lost. "But, my dear, don't you know that we aren't sitting here ice fishing? We're the only two survivors of a terrible shipwreck. The year is 2122 and whales have grown viciously aggressive and are very over populated. We're part of a crew that hunts them, to try to cap their growth. Also, whale meat is a delicacy in many parts of the world. If we can just land us one or two of them, we'll be RICH!" Steven laughed, and pushed his glasses up his nose. Crystal chuckled at him.
The wolfess admired his optimism and his imagination. He loved life, and he loved being alive. However, it was obvious to her that something was bothering the poor man. His face was rough with whiskers - he hadn't shaved in days, and that was something he usually kept up with. Also, his eyes were dark. He wasn't sleeping well lately. Crystal noticed these things, and she desperately wanted to help. She wasn't sure how though.
Suddenly, the string was taught. She had a bite. She started reeling and struggled to bring it in, and Steven loved every second.
"Thar she blow! You can do it, lass. Hold on tight, we've got a fighter! This could take all night! Hahaha." Steven was on his feet now, and his arms were over his head as though shielding himself from a heavy rain. In his mind, he was an old Salt. This went on for a few minutes.
Finally, Crystal pulled in her first catch. She was ecstatic. Steven stepped over to her, took it off the hook and put it in his bucket. "What a good job! We might just make a fisherman out of you yet." The wolfess grinned at that. As the day continued, Crystal reeled in twice as many fish as Steven. The sky had grown a little darker, and snow had started to fall. They decided to call it quits and head back to the cabin.
"I think I've been hustled. You were keeping this a secret from me!" The pair walked up a hill, the log cabin coming into view. Immediately Steven noticed a vehicle other than his own parked in the driveway. "Well, shit. Uh, damn. Look, Crystal. We can't have anyone find you. Gods only know what would happen. You stay here, and I'll try to get rid of whoever it is. Eh?" She nodded. "You keep this pole and stool, and I'll take everything else. Try to stay out of sight. I'll whistle or holler or something to let you know it's okay to come back." With that, the man started for his cabin. Fear and anxiousness were spreading through him. He never liked lying, and he had a feeling that he would have to do it soon.
The vehicle that sat behind his own was what he thought to be a hummer. It had a camouflage paint scheme, and sat higher than the truck Steven drove. The driver wasn't in the vehicle, and a light could be seen from inside the abode. Whoever it was made themselves at home. Steven took a deep breath, and then walked through his front door. "Uncle Harry," greeted a young man sitting at the kitchen area table. He was in his early twenties and wearing an army uniform. His light hair was shaved short, and this drew unwanted attention to his small ears. "I've been waiting for you." He smiled a big grin. He stood up and shook Steven's hand.
"Hello, Gary. It's been a while. How are you? What are you doing out here?" Gary was the son of Steven's close childhood friend Bart. Bart had always called him Harry. He was the first one to tell Steven to put his ideas on paper - the reason he back a writer in the first place. He passed away a few years ago. "Well, I was stationed on the base here not too long ago. I heard from some of the locals that you were up here, and I couldn't resist stopping in to say hello."
"Well, it's always a pleasure to see ya, boy. Can I provoke you into staying for dinner? I just need to clean these first." He lifted the bucket in his hand a bit to emphasis what he meant. "Unfortunately, no. I can't stay long. It's a long drive back to base, and I have a curfew. Look, Uncle Harry, I needed to see you to warn you. There are some dangerous animals out here you know." His face shifted from relaxed to serious very quickly.
"Well, I haven't seen anything too dangerous. And I hike out to the lake almost every day. I've been here for a while now, and I think I would have seen something by now." Steven tried to hold a smile, but inside he was getting nervous.
"I'm telling you, it's dangerous out there. Please, be careful. And if you see anything out of the ordinary, please let me know."
"You mean, like a wolf?" If he was ever going to get any more information about her, it would be now.
"You saw it?"
"No. I overheard someone mention it to Roy, the shopkeeper. What can you tell me about it?" Gary looked away, and swallowed.
"Uh, well, it's not really that big of a deal you know. It's just, really aggressive. Dangerous for local folk."
"Are you sure?"
"Well, look, please. I can't talk about it. Don't ask me to." Their eyes met, and it was clear the young soldier wanted to say something.
"You can tell me, kiddo. I'm up here all alone. I rarely go to town. You've known me for a long time. I've known you since you were this big." He raised a gloved hand to about knee height.
Gary walked over to the window and hung his head. He sighed, and then closed the curtains. "I'll tell you what I know, because I can't handle it anymore. What they're doing. It's a genetic experiment to create a more enhanced soldier. To combine them with the natural strength and agility of animals. They take a subject, and place them in a big glass tube. On the other side, they have the animal in a similar tube. They press buttons, and noises happen. White smoke comes out. It fills the room."
"Then, when it clears, the two are combined. But sometimes they don't.. come out right. Sometimes they've got too much animal. They don't look human anymore. Or sometimes, they look completely fine, but everything about their brain that made them human is just gone. They stare blankly, and act on instinct."
"Gary, how do you know all this?"
"Well, I've got a close buddy that works in research and development. Some of it he's seen, and a lot of it he's heard about. The reason I'm warning you is that they put them down, the ones that don't come out right. But some had escaped a while back. I've heard they've caught most of them, but that wolf. They really don't want this to get out. I could be put away just for telling you what I know. Hell, I'm in danger just for knowing it. And now, so are you." Gary turned around to look at the man he had come to know as an uncle. "Don't tell anyone, Uncle Harry."
"I won't. I won't. I'll be more cautious now."
Gary bent over and took a handgun out of an ankle strap. He walked over and placed it on the table. "Be sure you are. I've got to go. It was good seeing you. Take care." With that he turned around, and left.
At least now Steven knew what was going on. He had some clarity on the situation. But, what should he do now?