Family Tails

A Story of a Mixed Family in the Genetic Age

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Names of actual businesses, their products, etc, are the property of their respective owners.

Story and characters © 2013 Ronald J. Lebeck

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Chapter 21

November was a busy month. As Lupina became adept at solving computer problems, and built several more custom systems, she took on more of the available work at the shop. Rob's long distance relationship with Helga seemed to be steadily growing and he offered to bring her up for Thanksgiving. Ron had his teeth pulled and the new wolf teeth were growing rapidly. He took Lupina's advice on how to care for his new wolf teeth with a playful attitude, though she knew the process wasn't exactly comfortable for him. Lupina had found a seamstress in Fairbanks that was willing to make custom fit clothing for both her and Rosie. As long as the weather was nice, Ron gave driving lessons to both of his mates. Lupina proved to be a quick learner; however, Ron had to work a little harder with Rosie to keep her focused. A skunk's natural tendency to be fearless and easily distracted due to their curiosity, sometimes made the driving lessons a bit nerve wracking.

One of the important things that Ron and Lupina worked on was attempting to get a marriage license. After the clerk at the courthouse flat out refused on the grounds that a human can't marry an animal, which irritated Lupina to no end, Ron returned with taxonomic proof that humans are animals--the clerk still refused to have anything to do with it. Undaunted, Ron contacted the business's law firm to see if they had any recommendations in the matter. Their only suggestion was to contact their state representative, so that is precisely what Ron and Lupina did. After a lengthy discussion with the representative, they felt that they had made a little headway. To bring some pressure on the rest of the state's lawmakers, Ron started an online petition that included the pertinent portion of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Sentient Rights. Within days, there were tens of thousands of signatures and supportive comments from around the world. Copies of the petition were delivered to every lawmaker in the state of Alaska, including the U.S. representatives and senators. Financial support began to pour in for ad campaigns that ran in the newspapers, on the radio stations, and the public access television channel. Along with letters of support, there were also hate mail and counter ads posted by various religious groups and others. It wasn't long before Rev. Blackburn and his followers made their voices heard.

Just a few days before Thanksgiving, Lupina heard frantic scratching at the front door. When she opened it, Kapik bolted into the house frantically looking for Ron. When she found him, she barked and whined, and she began pulling on his sleeve.

"I've never seen her this agitated before!" Lupina said, worry plainly evident on her face.

"Yeah, what's up with Kapik, big guy?" Rosie asked.

"I don't know, though it can't be good," Ron replied. He got down on his knees and pressed his forehead against Kapik's. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Ron asked the wolf calmly.

"Man-brother help! Humans come, danger!"

"Where, Kapik?" he asked.

"Over top, other side. Come! Danger! Hurry!"

"Okay, sweetie, let me get Rob," Ron said.

"Ron?" Lupina asked, not privy to the silent communication.

He stood up and fished out his phone. As he was pressing the buttons, Ron said, "We've got trouble. Hunters, I think. They could be after the wolves."

Rob answered right away, "Howdy Ron, what's up?"

"Kapik's here, we've got trouble. Grab your gear and meet me outside in fifteen," Ron said curtly.

Rob recognized the tone of Ron's voice and knew the old skills were needed once again.

Ron quickly headed to the bedroom with the ladies close behind.

"So what are you going to do?" Lupina asked nervously.

"Protect my friends," he replied while he was getting stuff out of the closet.

Ron quickly changed clothes into an old set of military camouflage without any markings. Picking out a couple of spare camo coats, Ron said, "If you want to understand a little more, get something on and wear these."

Ron got suited up and grabbed a pack that already had everything he needed. He next hurried down into the basement for a few minutes--when he came back up, he had a long padded case. Lupina and Rosie each had on a pair of boots specially made for them to protect their feet and lower legs from extreme cold, along with appropriate clothing and the coats Ron gave them to wear. Rosie's was a bit large for her, but she didn't mind. Rob joined them shortly after they all got outside.

"Where are they?" Rob asked, his voice all business.

"Up and over, according to Kapik. She's got point; let's keep Lu and Rosie between us," Ron said, indicating the ridge behind his house.

"Should have a good vantage point up there," Rob suggested.

Ron and Rob quickly checked each other over in a well-rehearsed manner. Lupina and Rosie watched as the two men made their final checks.

"Um guys...we're not invading any countries today, Rosie said half-jokingly.

"Rosie, we have been invaded...our friends may be in danger, we must do what we can and quickly," Ron said.

"But...Lu and I don't know the stuff you do!" Rosie countered.

"You asked me once what I used to do--I can't tell you, of course, but you can watch. Also, you've both hiked around here some, so you've got the general lay of the land. The people out there probably don't, so that's an advantage in your favor. You both also have better senses than normal humans have, which is another advantage you have, and Rosie, you have one very unique ability that none of us has. In fact, I have an idea about that, but we'll see how this turns out. Now, we've got a bit of a climb and a ways to go, so let's move out. Kapik, show us, sweetie," Ron said.

They made for the little stream to the west of the house, and followed it upstream to where it begins. Veering to the northeast, they climbed another four hundred-fifty meters in altitude to the crest of the ridge. Although it was nearly two o'clock in the afternoon, being this far north at this time of year, the day's light would soon be gone.

"Geez, it sure does get dark early here...cold, too!" Rosie said quietly as the wind blew over the top of the ridge.

"You'll be thinking this is balmy weather in a couple more weeks, Rozer," Ron said as he scanned the area to the north of the ridge. "It gets down to minus fifty or below here."

"I'm gonna be a fuzzy popsicle!" she exclaimed in a whisper.

"Don't worry, Rozer, there's always plenty of ways to keep warm in the winter," Ron smirked.

"if we're cold and we have fur, how do you stand it when you don't have any?" Rosie asked.

"Simple. Here's the three most important words we learned in the military--survive, adapt, overcome," Ron replied.

Using a powerful spotting scope while Ron used a compact pair of binoculars, Rob searched for any signs of activity.

"I don't see anything out of the ordinary," Rob said.

"Me, neither. Kapik, where are they, sweetie? Show me," Ron asked his wolf friend.

"Whuf," Kapik said quietly, and then headed for a gap in some rocks.

"Move out," Rob said, and they followed Kapik down the north side of the ridge.

She led her friends along obscure pathways that most people would miss, particularly in the fading light. Kapik followed her own scent markers that she had left on her way to get help. They traveled approximately one and a half "klicks"[1] before Kapik stopped and sniffed the air.

"Whuf," she said quietly, her nose sniffing in a particular direction.

Almost in a whisper, Ron asked Kapik, "Are we close?"

"Humans, close. Smell?"

Ron lifted his face and sniffed the air. "I think...maybe...yeah, I do smell them!" Ron said in a near whisper.

Lupina stood next to her mate and sniffed the air, as did Rosie.

"I don't think they're very far," Lupina whispered.

Rosie said, "Yeah, I smell 'em, too. One's drinking coffee I think."

"Too bad we didn't bring any," Lupina muttered to herself.

Rob got his spotting scope out and looked in the direction Rosie pointed. In a few seconds, he found them.

"Got 'em," he whispered. "Three, next to a fallen tree laying north to south."

Ron unslung the large padded bag he had been carrying, and slowly unzipped it to make as little sound as possible. As soon as he opened it, Lupina and Rosie looked at the contents in amazement. Untying the straps holding the weapon securely, Ron lifted "Boom-Hilda"--the .50 caliber military sniper rifle--from its case. He turned on the special electronic scope with a built-in ballistics computer, and extended the bipod legs. While Rob watched the humans' activities through his spotting scope, Ron got himself into position.

"Lu, Rosie...keep down and stay quiet until we say otherwise," Ron whispered.

Lupina and Rosie huddled together behind a tree while Ron and Rob watched.

"Feed me the numbers," Ron whispered to Rob, who then pushed a button on his spotting scope. The GPS coordinates, range, and elevation of the targets were sent to the sniper rifle's targeting system. The indicators in Ron's scope, working from the data it had received, showed Ron where to find his targets. Since his rifle's scope has a much narrower field of view due to its greater magnification, this made target acquisition much quicker.

"Two men and a teenage boy," Ron whispered. "One has a .30-.30 in his hand, lever-action."

"Mark him as primary," Rob whispered.

Ron put the man's rifle in his crosshairs and pushed a button.

"Tagged," Ron acknowledged.

Moving to the second man, Ron noted that he was sitting down with a thermos in his hand. There was a rifle leaning nearby against the fallen tree.

"Second has sporterized SKS, weapon not in hand, but within reach," Ron whispered.

"Mark as secondary," Rob whispered.

"Tagged. No visible weapon on the boy. There's a bag at his feet," Ron whispered.

"Wait one...movement to right, thirty meters. See it?" Rob asked in a whisper.

"Acquiring...oh, you bloody bastards!" Ron whispered venomously. "They've got Sesi in a wire noose trap!"

"Primary is readying weapon...," Rob whispered.

"Got 'im...taking the shot," Ron whispered back with grim determination.

"Hold your ears, ladies!" Rob whispered to Lupina and Rosie.

*BA-ROOOM!!!*

The .50 caliber armor-piercing round sped towards its intended target, taking only 0.57 second to reach it. Before the man had a chance to squeeze the trigger on his rifle, the massive sniper round slammed into the lower receiver, knocking the weapon from the man's grasp and demolishing it in the process--it would never fire again. Ron quickly sighted his secondary target, thanks to the computerized targeting system, and took the next shot.

*BA-ROOOM!!!*

Slightly over half a second later, the second man's weapon was struck and it exploded into useless scrap.

"Lu, follow Kapik and get Sesi, if the others are near, get them to follow you back here. Rosie, you're with us," Rob ordered, handing his pocket tool to Lupina.

Lupina nodded her head and got Kapik, "Come on girl, let's get momma."

Ron and Rob shouldered their bags, and struck off to intercept the humans, taking Rosie with them.

"Hey Erol, looks like we got ourselves a nice white wolf in that wire t rap you set," the man with the .30-.30 said.

"Try not to put too many holes in it, okay? We get more money if the pelt's not full of holes. Go ahead and shoot the thing, Bob, I want to get home and watch the game tonight," Erol said.

"Don't worry, I can hit it from here easily enough. You just keep an eye out for any others, and that goes for you, too, Ben," Bob told the boy.

"Okay, Uncle Bob," the boy said.

Bob raised his gun... just as he was getting a bead on the snared wolf when suddenly something hit his gun like a sledgehammer. Chunks of metal and splinters of wood struck his face and slammed the stock against his jaw. The force knocked him down to the ground as if he had just been grabbed and thrown down. Erol heard a loud crack, but it sounded all wrong, and then he saw his brother-in-law go down. Just as Erol heard a boom, his own rifle was suddenly smashed by some invisible force...it was followed soon after by a second boom.

"OW!" yelped Bob, holding his hand to his face as he writhed in pain on the ground.

Erol let out a string of expletives when the realization hit him.

"Damn! Somebody's shootin' at us!" Erol exclaimed loudly.

"Where the hell's it comin' from?" Bob asked in shock, trying to get back on his feet.

"Somewhere south of us, I think," Erol said. "I didn't know anyone was livin' out here."

"There ain't supposed to be, at least I never saw any cabins when I was settin' the traps," Bob said angrily.

"My gun's completely wrecked!" Erol exclaimed as he picked up the front half of his weapon.

"Mine, too...think I've got parts of it stuck in my face," Bob said, wincing as he felt his bleeding face.

"Damn, Bob, looks like you dived face first into a thorn bush!" Erol exclaimed as he checked Bob's face.

"Sure as hell feels like it!" he agreed.

"Let's get the hell outta here! Gimmie that pistol outta the bag, boy!" Erol ordered.

Before Ben could reach into the bag, something struck it multiple times in rapid succession. The only sould they heard was a "thwip-thwip-thwip!" each time the bag was struck.

"AAAH!" the boy cried out, jumping back away from the bag.

The next thing they knew, clouds of smoke erupted all around them, obscuring their vision and disorientating them. Howls and barks, plus snarls and low, throaty growls seemed menacingly close. Utterly confused and afraid, the three tried to run, all in different directions. They didn't get very far in the gathering darkness before being pulled down, and quickly subdued.

When Lupina and Kapik arrived to free Sesi, Atka and the rest of the pack were nearby. Sesi was held fast by the wire noose, and it was already cutting into her.

"Oh...my...word!" Lupina exclaimed as she approached carefully. "Take it easy, Sesi, it's me, Lupina! Hold still while I get this awful thing off you!"

Lupina fumbled a bit with the unfamiliar tool, but she was able to use the wire cutters to snip the wire that had ensnared Sesi.

"Come on guys, let's get her back to Ron, I think he's got a first-aid kit or something," Lupina told the wolves.

With Kapik leading the way, Lupina and the wolves made their way back to the rendezvous point.

"Your first mistake," Ron growled to the three bound and blindfolded humans, "was deciding to do something illegal. Your second mistake was trespassing on private property marked with 'NO HUNTING' signs. Your third mistake was hurting a very dear friend of ours. Believe me when I tell you that if you had killed that wolf, you would have been hunted down and killed. The rest of you would live in terror for the rest of your lives, as you watched everything you think you care about be taken away from you, and you would be utterly powerless to stop it!"

He let that sink in for a few moments while he, Rob, and Rosie made various growls and other unfriendly sounds.

"Your kind is not welcomed here. All those who live here--animal, plant, and spirit--are keeping watch against those who come to hurt and kill, and they will let us know. In fact, that's how we found you." Ron paused for a few seconds and then added, "If you ever step foot into this area again, we will not be having this conversation a second time. Now then, you are going to have some explaining to do with the authorities. They'll know all about it, complete with photos, before you even get a chance to open your mouths."

They led the three humans back to their vehicle and secured a clear plastic bag containing the broken remains of their weapons and the wire noose trap to a door handle. After starting the engine, and before they were put inside, Rosie decided to leave her own parting gift.

"Ya know guys, your truck kinda smells inside, all that nasty tobacco smoke, old beer cans, and trash...I'd hate to see what kind of garbage dump you call home. Even though you don't deserve anything nice after what ya did, I think I'll just 'freshen' it up a bit for ya. I'm sure your mates will appreciate it," Rosie said, and if it weren't for the blindfolds, they would have seen a set of wickedly sharp teeth in a big smile just centimeters from their faces.

Ron and Rob opened the back doors of the ratty old SUV and Rosie climbed inside and turned around. Lifting her tail out of the way, she cut loose with a healthy dose of skunk spray. Ron and Rob were both grateful that they were not only upwind, but also that they were not going to be riding anywhere in the vehicle. After loading the three humans into the back, Rosie gave one more dose "for good measure" as she put it. "*cough* It's a good thing I'm stocked up on hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar[2]," Ron said, waving a hand in front of his face.

When Ron, Rob, and Rosie met up with Lupina and the wolves, the first thing they did was tend to Sesi.

"I'm sorry those eejits put a hurt on you, ol' gal," Ron said as he carefully nuzzled his friend.

Ron examined the wound around her neck where the wire noose had dug in. Using items from the military first-aid kit he had in his pack, Ron cleansed the wound as best as possible in the cold air and light of a flashlight, and applied some antiseptic that had a numbing agent. He gave Sesi a drink of water and a little something to eat for energy.

When all was ready, Ron said, "Come on Sesi, let's get you home so I can take better care of you."

Along the way home, Rosie filled in Lupina on what they did with the human hunters; she winced at the part where Rosie left her lasting "gift."

"It's going to be weeks, if not months, before they get that smell out," Lupina said, wrinkling her nose.

"At least they'll be easy for the cops to identify," Rosie grinned mischievously.

Back in the human hunter's vehicle, the three males worked to free themselves. The bonds were tied in such a way that they would have been able to get them undone if they concentrated on it. However, the only "concentration" in the vehicle was that of highly potent sulfur containing thiols in the skunk spray that Rosie had left behind. It took nearly a half an hour before the boy was able to work his hands loose. As soon as he removed his blindfold, he wished that he hadn't--his eyes immediately began to burn from the intense odor. Gasping for air, he quickly untied his feet and got the back door opened. It took a while for Ben to get his dad and uncle untied, and they got out just as quickly as the boy had.

"Where the hell ...*cough*...did they get a skunk at?" Bob asked though his eyes, nose, throat, and lungs burning from the smell.

"*cough-cough* They must...have a...bottle of...*cough*...skunk spray...or somethin'," Erol replied.

"Now what do...*cough*...we do?" Bob said, as they sat on the edge of the road next to their vehicle.

Before Erol could respond, through watery eyes they saw flashing red and blue lights approaching.

After letting out another string of expletives, Erol said, "Dammit, now we've got the cops!

Dale had been cruising in his patrol vehicle with his younger partner, Ethan, when they got the call from dispatch. The two deputies looked at each other in disbelief when they heard about the incident in the far northern part of North Star Borough. Ethan received the description along with the photos on the patrol car's computer.

"Jeez, Dale, take a look at this!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Just a minute, let me pull over somewhere," Dale said, and he quickly found a place to stop at.

The two deputies looked at the photos of the three hunters, the wire noose trap, the wolf that had been caught in it, the remains of their weapons, the photo of one ready to take a shot, the photo of the vehicle, and one of its license plate.

Run that plate, and let's see who we have here," Dale told Ethan.

"Well, well...it seems that these two have quite a rap sheet, Dale," Ethan said when the results came back. He read off the list of priors on each of the two adults.

"Let me see those photos again, will you?" Dale asked.

Ethan pulled up the photos attached to the report and Dale looked more closely at them. When he looked at the group photo of the wolves, Dale said, "Hey, I think I've seen those particular wolves before."

Surprised, Ethan asked, "You have?"

"Yeah, I think so. Let's head up there and see what's going on," Dale said.

It took them just about a half an hour to reach the location indicated in the report where the offenders were located. The deputies spotted them sitting on the edge of the road next to their vehicle, and they noted that the engine was running since they could see the exhaust in the cold air. As soon as they opened the doors of their patrol vehicle, the strong smell of skunk spray hit their nostrils.

"Whoa! They're not going to be riding with us!" Dale exclaimed.

The two deputies cautiously approached the three males sitting on the side of the road, hands on their weapons. Ethan checked out the old SUV while Dale talked to the men.

"You folks mind telling me what you're doing out here?" Dale asked, trying to stay upwind from them. "It'll go easier if you come clean and tell me the truth."

"Yeah, well, that's gonna take some scrubbin' to get this stink off," Erol said glumly.

"Yep, I'm sure you folks are going to be quite popular down at the Sherriff's station," Dale agreed.

After the men told their story to the deputies, they were arrested for trespassing, illegal hunting of an endangered species, and other charges. Dale insisted that someone else take the three in for, so a paddy wagon was sent to pick them up and bring them back for processing...and a much needed scrubbing. Their vehicle was towed and impounded, and after a search--much to the disgust of those doing the search--some illegal contraband was discovered, which added yet more charges being levied against them.

A story was anonymously written about the three human hunters who trespassed upon private property, illegally trapped an endangered animal with a wire noose trap, and was about to shoot said animal with a firearm in a posted no hunting area. Photos of the two adult hunters, along with their names, addresses, and places of employment, along with the text, were sent to various animal rights groups. The photos also included the trap used, the wolf that had been caught, close up views of the wound caused by the trap, and a family photo of the pack. One of the animal rights groups happened to be the one known as "5F." One of their longtime members thought that she recognized the two adult wolves from a raid she had participated in twenty years ago.

"No way, man," she thought, "they couldn't possibly still be alive after all this time!"

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[1] "klicks" in this instant refers to the military slang for kilometers.

[2] http://www.skunksaspets.com/odor1.htm