A New Life

Vivi

"Fuck it all to hell!" I cursed as I grabbed the ticket from the windshield of my old Jeep Wrangler. It was the third one in the last two weeks! "What happened to brotherhood of the badge shit?"

Two little white-headed ladies walking by on the sidewalk gave me the stink eye for my outburst. "Sorry," I mumbled, but I wasn't really. How could a town that had literally one main road have so many fucking parking laws? I felt like I had broken most of them in the short time I'd been here and apparently there was no love lost between the game wardens and the traffic cops here.

As I crumpled up the ticket and climbed into my Jeep, I thought about what had brought me across the country. The memory of my last day in Florida came flooding back, bringing with it a mix of emotions I was still trying to sort through.

I remembered the suffocating heat as I'd loaded the last of my boxes into the U-Haul. Aria had been there, helping me, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.

"You sure you don't want me to come with you for the drive?" she'd asked for the hundredth time.

I'd shaken my head, forcing a smile. "I definitely do want you to but…I need to do this solo. Clean break and all that."

As I'd hugged her goodbye, part of me had wanted to change my mind, to stay in the familiar warmth of Florida and my best friend's company. But then I'd caught sight of Chad's car turning onto our street, with none other than Silicone Barbie in the passenger seat, and my resolve had hardened.

The anger and hurt must have shown on my face because Aria looked back over her shoulder. "What an asshat!" she growled.

That made me grin, just a little. I could always count on Aria to have my back. She was my ride or die bitch. She'd do anything at all for me, no questions asked. When I'd called her distraught over walking in on Chad and Brittani (with an 'i', of course) bumping uglies on our new couch, her response was "I'll be right over with the shovel and a pitcher of margaritas." I'd nearly choked, laughing on my tears. But, that's the kind of friend Aria was and I was going to miss her like crazy.

The drive out west had been long and lonely, punctuated by nights in cheap motels and days of endless highway. But with each mile I put between myself and Florida, I'd felt a little lighter, a little freer.

Now, sitting in my Jeep in this tiny Wyoming town with its ridiculous parking laws, I wondered if I'd made the right choice. The work was challenging, sure, but I hadn't expected to feel quite so... isolated.

I sighed, shoving the crumpled ticket into my glove compartment with the others. As I started the Jeep, I caught sight of myself in the rearview mirror. My hair was, as usual, a tangled mess of red curls, my face bare of makeup, and there were dark circles under my eyes. But there was something else there too - a determination I hadn't seen in a long time.

"Get it together, Vivienne Michelle," I muttered to myself. "You didn't come all this way to give up now."

With that, I put the Jeep in gear and pulled out onto the town's one main street. I had a job to do, parking tickets be damned. And who knew? Maybe this place would start to feel like home... eventually.

As I drove the few blocks to the local grocery store to stock up on supplies for my next trip out to the National Forest, I was grateful that at least Wyoming was dry, there wasn't a gator within thousands of miles, and I hadn't seen a pair of fake fish lips yet. Granted, the cold was biting, and I'd had to buy a whole new wardrobe to accommodate the new climate, but spending time out in this wilderness with only the animals and the trees for company was exhilarating and I hadn't killed one mosquito since I'd been here. Winning!

The only problem I could see with the assignment was my boss, Jeff Roundtree, telling me a big plot of land right in the middle of the Forest was completely off limits. It apparently belonged to some rich asshole who didn't want anyone trespassing on his land.

"I know it makes your job more complicated, Vivi, but Wolfe Brothers Logging pumps a lot of money into this town and into the conservation of these woods. They don't log here, haven't for centuries. The current owner is very conservation-minded so there are lots of good habitats in those woods. And thanks to Xander, there isn't any chance of them being destroyed anytime soon."

My face must have given away my suspicion. "I know," Jeff continued, "it sounds counterintuitive, but it's true. I've worked closely with the man and his family for years. The family was here long before the state started the National Forest. They're good people. Having their patronage is worth dealing with a little complication. And he works with us to watch out for the poachers as well."

I knew I had no choice, so I decided to let it go and just try to do my job. "Fine. I'll make sure to work around the property. Anything else I should know?"

"Just one," Jeff added. "I really don't like you out there alone with these poachers on the loose, but we don't have the budget to pair you up. Keep your sat phone handy in case your cell won't pick up a signal. Wolf hides go for a pretty penny on the black market and with the economy the way it is right now, they've gotten more and more brazen, and more dangerous. And the traps they are setting, even more so." Jeff's eyebrows knitted together when he looked at her. "You need to watch where you're stepping out there and watch for signs of camping out of the regulation camp sites and steer clear. Take coordinates and call in Justin, the game warden. Don't confront them alone."

I nodded. I hated poachers. They were scum. There were reasons for hunting and trapping seasons, but these types of guys didn't care. It was one thing for people to take meat animals out of season. I didn't like it, but I could understand people on hard times needing to feed their families. The poachers they were currently having trouble with were only interested in the money they could make from the hides of these beautiful, majestic animals. I gave Jeff a little salute. "Will do, boss. Already have your and Justin's numbers in my phone. So, is that it?" I was anxious to get my groceries and get out of town. Even this little bit of civilization was starting to wear on me.

"All done," Jeff said. "Be safe out there. I look forward to seeing your reports."

After the meeting with Jeff, my only task left was to get some food and supplies before heading out to try to find the primary wolf packs in the area. My first job was to find and document the packs in the area. And keep my eyes out for poachers or campers who weren't following the rules of the forest. Thank God there were no traffic cops in Bridger National Forest at least!

As I walked into Valley Market, cart at the ready, I noticed a striking young woman in the produce section. She had long blonde hair sporting the most intricate braids I had ever seen, as well as silver and leather jewelry surrounding her neck and both wrists. A beautiful, swirling black tattoo ringed one lean, toned bicep. She looked like some modern-day Viking shield maiden.

She immediately fascinated me. I'd always loved Viking stories though I didn't know that much about actual Norse legends. I was about to go over and ask her where she had gotten the braids done, when a huge man stalked up to the woman. He sported sleeve tattoos on both arms with more crawling up one side of his neck. His huge biceps showed off more of the thick black tattoos very similar to the one the woman was sporting. His blonde hair was shaved on the sides with the rest just as intricately braided as the woman's gathered down the middle of his head. He stood over the woman, glaring at her menacingly.

"Sage! Come on! Everyone is waiting for you," he growled at the woman. The young woman just gave him an indifferent look, seemingly unconcerned that this six-and-a-half-feet of hulking muscle was looming over her.

"I'm still shopping, Dax. You'll just have to wait." She flicked a dismissive hand toward him and turned her back, continuing her perusal of the fruit on display. Picking up one piece after the other, she slowly squeezed and fondled each piece, putting each one down again as she judged it not quite right.

I'd been concerned at first and had been ready to run for help but watching the woman's response to the man had me stopping in my tracks and simply enjoying the drama. I stifled a giggle at the fury and impotence on the large man's face as he continued to glare at the young woman. His hands planted firmly on his hips, he stood there for several long beats. Finally, he scrubbed his hands up and down his face and through his beard in frustration and stomped off. I heard him muttering in a strange language as he passed close by me on the way to the front door.

"That was pretty impressive," I found herself saying to the woman as I sidled up to her in the produce department. "I don't think I could have been that calm with him looming over me."

The young woman gave me a sidelong glance, her ice blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "He's my brother. He thinks he's intimidating so I have to let him know he's not occasionally."

"That explains it. Brothers!" I agreed, smirking. I had one of my own that was constantly trying to get in my business. I quickly moved on to my original question. "I didn't mean to be nosy, but I really wanted to know who does your braids. They're fantastic and would be so helpful to tame this mess when I'm out in the forest working." I motioned to my own long, red hair which was relegated to a ponytail or single braid down my back when I was working. The thick, silky strands still escaped no matter what I did and I was forced to fight with it several times a day.

"One of my cousins does it for me," Sage answered. "We all wear our hair like this. It's a tradition in our pa...family." She smiled.

"Oh, bummer. I was hoping there was a shop here in town I could go to." I shrugged. "You're lucky. It's really beautiful." Turning to go, I added, "Nice chatting with you."

"Wait." The striking woman put a hand on my arm to stop me. "I'm sure Ellen or Ursula would be glad to do it for you. You said you work in the Forest?"

"Really? That would be so great!" I smiled at her appreciatively. "And yes, I'm a wildlife biologist. I just started a job here in the National Forest. Monitoring the wolves."

The woman's breath hitched a little in surprise, but she quickly caught herself. "Monitoring the wolves? What does that entail?"

"Oh, well, first I have to find them," I started, always pleased when anyone was interested in my work. "Then I have to count how many there are and assess their health. I also try to delineate the different members of the pack, who's the alpha and beta, etc. and make notes about their markings and coloring so we can try to keep up with them in the future. On some jobs, I try to tag them and take blood samples, but the state of Wyoming isn't requesting that this time, for whatever reason."

The woman took in everything I said like it was the most fascinating thing she had ever heard. "Let me have your number and I'll call you once I've talked to my cousins," she said when I'd finished my explanation.

I quickly gave her the digits. "I'm Vivi, by the way, Vivi Fenrir."

The woman's mouth dropped open a bit and I started to ask her what was wrong, but she quickly recovered and held out a hand and smiled. "I'm Sage Wilder, Vivi. Nice to meet you."