Chapter Nine

I went through the morning routine on autopilot. I didn't mean to come off as expressionless, but the fog of questions made it that way. Thick with uncertainty, each question had no answer for me. Was the huge breed of wolf a new finding? Were they rare? A science experiment running lose? Why hasn't anyone heard of them other than Alastor? Why did they seem so...so there? Like they knew what they were doing. The wolf that had jumped in front of my car last night, his eyes seemed so full of knowledge. Too full of knowledge. Not like an animal's eye. Like he knew too much. Just like Alastor. The huge black wolf who had taken an odd obsession toward me seemed to know too much as well. Like he could outsmart us all. But he's only an animal, an oversized dog. But the way the huge beast moved sometimes. To conscious. How he reacted as if he knew what was going on. Like he could understand our words. Understand my words. When I asked him to eat his medicine after he had left it out, he would simply take it and leave. And the way he was acting Friday, why the sudden aggression? I picked up my notebook, flipping through it and reading each note I had jotted down. Everything I deemed interesting or odd. My thoughts were clouded all morning as Eliza and I cleaned and fed the animals. When I stared into the eyes of one of the pigs, to no offense of the pig, but it looked dumb. Its eyes held no knowledge. It just wanted to eat and wallow in the mud. I sighed in frustrated confusion. I hated not understanding. Was this odd breed of mutant wolf smarter than any other animal that's been recorded? Could they understand the human language? Could they somehow be as smart as the human species, or even smarter? Alastor's eyes made me think that question over and over again. His eyes seemed to know too much. Way too much. I was absent at breakfast. Picking at a blueberry muffin as I rolled in the questions. I didn't know if they were trying to include me in the morning chatter, but I didn't hear my name called until I was walking out the door. I hadn't remembered changing into my uniform or rolling my hair up into a bun.

"Hey! Danny!? What's up with you?" Eliza quirked confusingly. She bit her lip when she realized she ripped me out of my thoughts. I scrambled for an answer.

"Just thinking," I shrugged. That was the best I could do? I wanted to scoff at myself, the noise built in my throat.

"Do you want to talk about it? Is it about last night?" The memory of the huge rust-colored wolf was very vivid in my mind. I didn't need the reminder.

"Sorta, I'm just trying to figure some stuff out," I spoke casually while grabbing my jacket from the hook it hung from. She hugged herself and let her eyes fall to the ground. I finally saw how nervous she looked.

"Are you okay?" The concern in my voice dripped and mixed with the already intense confusion. She dug the tip of her shoe into the wooden floor, twisting her ankle with it. A cold sweat started to make her forehead shine while she bit into her lip. I was surprised she hadn't ripped through it yet. She sighed and wiped her palms on her jeans.

"I'm sorry," her words came out in a sudden rush and I had to concentrate to keep up. "My mom called the ranger last night. I knew you didn't want us to, but we started worrying about our cattle and Badger and such. We don't want a wolf that large to be running around here. I'm sorry that upsets you." She added quickly when she saw the panic in my eyes. The rusted wolf from last night was innocent, I didn't want the poor animal to suffer the same fate as Alastor. Stuck behind the thick walls of an enclosure. Never to smell the open wood, instead replaced with fried food and sweaty crowds. The thought of that wolf in the same circle of cement that Alastor and the female wolves stayed, twisted my stomach. It made me feel grossly uncomfortable and I detested the idea. The animal did nothing to deserve such a life. A growl bubbled on my lips. I spun and stomped from the small house. I was driving at such high speeds, I wasn't surprised when I was suddenly down the road I hated. I slowed when I felt far enough from the house. I was still pooling with anger, it festered and made my muscles tighten. I told them to refrain from calling them. That wolf did nothing and didn't deserve it. Honestly, I wasn't sure why this boiled my skin so much. Why I felt so infuriated and why I felt the need to protect this wild animal. I also didn't know why I pulled over when I saw the ranger's truck on the side of the road, surrounded by other trucks, one with a large cage in the back. I jumped from my car and raced toward the large man. He looked like he was in charge. His eyes caught mine before I had made it to him. He greeted me with a smile that quickly vanished when he saw the fury swimming in my eyes. His back straightened up and he put on a professional face. He nodded in a greeting.

"How can I help you?" He went straight to the point. Good. I didn't have time to play around. I glared up at his face. He had dark skin, made an unnatural shade darker due to being in the sun. His black eyes sat under his bushy brows that were furrowed in confusion while he scrutinized my face. He had a buzz cut, not helping to hide his large ears that stuck to far out. He spat at the ground, the color of it a nasty brown. A result of chewing tobacco. I glowered his direction before turning and putting my glare on the other men around us. Guns in their hands. They flinched away from me, caught eavesdropping. They all spun around, starting conversations, whistling, or checking their weapons. I turned back to the ranger, one bushy brow raised.

"What do you think you're doing?" I spat, his brow inclined further.

"We got a complaint about a large wolf in the area. They were concerned about their cattle." He hooked his thumbs into the front of his belt, spitting at the ground again.

"The wolf hasn't harmed anyone's cattle. This is his territory and you have no authority to kill him. If he was gonna kill anyone's cattle he would have done it by now! You have no right to kill that innocent-" His laughing brought me up short. He chuckled hoarsely, attempting to swallow the laughter. He smiled down at me, showing off his yellow stained teeth before spitting again.

"We're not gonna kill him," he grabbed his gun. "We're tranquilizing him." He showed me that there was in fact, no bullets in the chamber. That still didn't ease my anger. If they didn't kill him and caught him instead, they would for sure take him into the zoo. My nose crinkled in anger.

"The wolf did no harm. He isn't attacking cattle and is no threat. You have no right to do anything to him." I snapped. His smile vanished and it was his turn to glower at me.

"Listen here miss," he spoke low under his breath, leaning toward me so I could hear him. His tobacco ridden breath washed over me, causing me to pull away from him in disgust. "I'm getting paid a lot of money to bring this wolf back alive. If this wolf is anything like that other one in the zoo, I'll be a rich man. No little small-town girl is going to ruin that for me because she wants to save the stupid mongrel." As if to mock the wolf, he growled at me. A smug crooked smirk slipped onto his face in victory as he leaned away.

"Who do you think you are?" I spat in his face. He chuckled once without humor.

"Miller. Darby Miller." He then turned and sauntered off into the woods, his gun in his hand. He hollered for his men and they followed quickly. My hands were trembling in anger. I hope that they found the wolf and it ripped them apart. Him especially. I stared daggers into Darby's back until I could see it no longer. What else could I do? Chase after them and stop them? How would I do that? One guy with his army of what looked like twenty. It was just me. Even though I couldn't stop them now, maybe I could help the wolf later. I sprinted toward the truck with the cage locked down in the back of it. I looked for something -anything- that would help the wolf he ended up chained here. I started yanking at the chains that secured the cage to the bed of the truck. But of course, it wouldn't budge. I ran around to the other trucks, searching the backs of each one to find something that would help me. With each one I searched in, my hope dwindled. Then as I looked over the edge of one of the trucks, a pair of chain cutters.

"How convenient," I whispered while throwing myself over the edge of the truck. I snatched up the pair of oversized scissors and ran back toward the large cage. I started snapping the chains with as much effort I had. I hoped they wouldn't notice. For extra measure, I cut some of the fencings in the far left corner. Maybe it would help. Even if it was just a little bit. I threw the cutters back in the rightful truck and hurled toward my car. I sped off while searching the trees. Hoping that they wouldn't find him. Hoping that Darby would get lost in the dense wood. I was pulling into the parking lot while imagining the horrid man getting lost, stuck under a rock, or attacked by a bear. A smile was playing on my lips while I trotted into work.

"Wanna explain to me why you're late?" She said sternly in my ear while I clocked in. I looked back wide-eyed. I couldn't compare her to the shy and anxious Kari of yesterday. I couldn't picture Pongo between her legs, watching and waiting for it all to be too much for her. She looked so confident and sure of herself when she put on her uniform and pulled her hair into a tight bun. I almost forgot she asked a question till her black brow rose.

"Oh um," I stammered before spilling the whole story to her. She listened patiently, leaning on the wall while I explain why I had been so angry. She nodded in understanding when I finished.

"I would have done the same." She squeezed my shoulders reassuringly. I followed her downstairs were Brett and the others were getting breakfast ready. I started immediately on Alastor's.

"Hey wolf girl, poor Alastor missed you so much yesterday that he didn't even eat." Brett jabbed while pouting. The girls around him chuckled at me while I grumbled under my breath. Kari started scheduling people. Putting people at their post and explain what the plan was for today.

"Anyone know what day it is?" That piqued my interest. I looked up from the chunks of meat to look at her. Some of the staff members realized the date and swallowed in what seemed to be fear. Everyone was eerily quiet. I didn't like being the only one left out so when no one broke the silence, I did.

"What's today?" What about the 15th of month had everyone so pale? Kari chuckled without humor, the others joining her. That raised goosebumps on my arms.

"The 15th of each month is the day we clean the wolf pen," Kari answered my undying curiosity. It shut me up quickly. Why did everyone seem so afraid? We just had to move the wolves and go in to clean. Just like every other enclosure. Then it clicked. Everyone here was terrified of Alastor. Who would move him into the holding cell? Kari must have seen the realization when it clicked on my face. She nodded and pulled out a coin.

"We flip a coin." She answered my unspoken question. When everyone went rigid, I felt a pang of guilt. Why were they so afraid of him?

"I'll do it." I volunteered. People's eyes snapped to me in surprise. Even Kari looked at me as if I had spoken in a different language.

"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly. But I could see the relief flooding behind her eyes. I shrugged and turned back to Alastor's flood. The atmosphere was suddenly not as thick. Chatter started back up and everyone went on their way. Brett left me alone for the time being. I carried Alastor's bucket to his feeding cell. I saw him through the glass, waiting in front of the door like he usually did. I dumped his food before sliding the door open. He rushed in quickly, his eyes searching for me in a hurry. When he found me, his body relaxed. He seemed relieved to see me.

"Alastor! Hi! It's nice to see you." His tail thudded against the side of the cage at the sound of my voice. He didn't even glance at the food. His tongue rolled out of his mouth to one side as if he was smiling. I slid down and sat in my usual spot against the wall. I played with a piece of loose hair while he started eating.

"I'm sorry about Friday," I almost whispered. I didn't think he heard me until I looked. His ears were pressed against his head and he was looking away from me.

"And I thought I told you to eat yesterday," I hissed at him. His ears jumped up then and his tongue rolled out again. It was stained red due to the meat. I chuckled at him. My eyes rolled on their own before they found the ground. My mood shifted back to the wolf that was being hunted today.

"Alastor, there's this wolf that the ranger is looking for," my voice was barely a whisper but I knew he heard me by the look on his face. His muzzle bunched up and his ears leaned back again. I sighed and continued, sadness dripping from my voice. "I tried everything I could to help. I tried to talk them out of it and I even cut the chains on the cage. But I still feel horrible. What if they catch him? That poor wolf did nothing and doesn't deserve to be locked up like you are. Hell, you don't even deserve this. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything else to help that wolf." He was sad now. His ears pressed further into his fur and his brows raised. His eyes watched me, taking in my words as if he understood them. He let a small whimper leave his lips. I sighed in confusion. My mind drifted back to the fog from this morning. The way he seemed to understand everything I said. It bewildered me.

"Y'know, sometimes I feel like you can understand me." I mouthed the words, unable to put my voice into them. I leaned my head on the wall and sighed again. I heard him begin to eat again.

"Anyway, we're cleaning your pen today." I ran my hands over my face and shook my head. Trying to shake the thoughts away. He was done eating, sitting and watching me intensely. I used the wall to help me to my feet.

"I'm gonna be putting you into your holding cell, if you could not give me to much trouble, that sure would be nice." Him sitting, he was about the same height as me. He seemed to nod which had me laugh one quick bark of hysteria. I eyed the last piece of meat he left alone. He swooped it up before I could say anything, making me smile. I let him go back into his enclosure and started writing in my notebook. I was feeding and checking in on the giraffes when my walkie-talkie screeched my name. Kari summoned me downstairs. Almost all the staff members were there, smug yet scared looks on their faces. Brett poked me in the ribs.

"Good luck," he mumbled. Kari motioned me forward. In front of me was a huge cement room, the one wall we stood in front of was made of chain-linked fences. There was a tunnel that lead toward the wolf enclosure.

"How we normally do it is by putting meat in the room, but as of lately he hasn't been falling for it. So what we've been having to do is going into the room with the meat and when he started crawling down the tunnel you drop the meat and run." Kari eyed my reaction carefully. I could feel the nerves building in my stomach. I nodded and picked up a huge steak and trotted into the room. The door shut with a slam behind me. I stared at in panic. Would it open fast enough? The other door opened then. The door at the end of the tunnel squealed. I could see the other end of the wolf enclosure. The tunnel looked to small for the huge wolf to fit through. I waited, panic spreading over my body until I was shivering. How long did it take normally? It felt forever before the piercing blue eyes stared into my soul from the end of the tunnel. I swallowed as he slowly took in what he saw in front of him. Then as if someone lit his tail on fire, he was sprinting. He was a black blur as he hurdled toward me. I dropped the chunk of meat. I heard people's screams from the other side of the fence. I was frozen in fear. Before I knew it, he had stopped and slowly crawled out of the tunnel. He stood -tall as a horse- toward me. Expressionless. His chest heaved as he panted. A soft noise of fear slipped from my lips. A plea. I was rigid. My ears ringing. I could make out Kari calling my name. I heard someone complaining that the door wouldn't open. It was stuck. Great. Alastor slid one huge paw forward, his eyes watching me. He froze when I scurried back. I knew that this was not how to act. I shouldn't back away from him. Gasp, gasp, gasp, gasp. Was that me? That was embarrassingly loud. His eyebrows raised and he seemed almost concerned. He took another step forward, dipping his head down to my level. There were only about five feet in between us now. His body took up most of the room. My eyes blurred with tears of fear. My chest squeezed. Slowly, he closed the space between us. I took one last gasp of fear and slammed my eyes shut. I snapped my head to the left, waiting for him to tear into me. I felt his hot breath on my skin, leaving goosebumps along my jaw and neck. My heartbeat hammered as I waited for the first crunch. But it never came. I opened one eye to check if I was still alive. The other opened a second later. Alastor towered over me by at least a foot. His head tilted when I looked up at him. He was curious and was watching my reaction. He was cautious, not moving to fast. He sniffed me slowly. His nose pressing against the skin of my collar bone. I froze. Unable to move, even if I wanted to. Then the door behind me was yanked open and I was ripped from the heat of his body. They slammed the door shut. My eyes were blurred while Kari grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

"Holy shit! Danny are you okay!?" She yelled over something. It sounded like sobbing. Was I crying? Sure enough, I was choking on my tears. She hugged me and pulled me away from the door. I focused on my breathing and tried to compose myself. Alastor was not happy, to say the least. He was growling, snarling, and snapping at everyone that wasn't me. But what matters is that he's in the holding cell and I'm still alive. Once I stopped crying, I walked toward the holding cell. Alastor was sitting in the back corner, glaring at everyone till his eyes landed on me. A look of determination flashed in his eyes. But it was gone mere seconds later. I'm not sure if I'd even seen it right. We went on to clean the wolf pen. I walked into Alastor's den. It was dark and it smelled. While sweeping out the dust, in the back corner I found the source for the rotten smell. There was a pile of meat. Panic washed over me. Afraid that it was one of the females or one of the pups. But with further investigation, it was chunks of Alastor's meat. And each one I picked up, the dusty medicine fell out of. I had found the reason why Alastor was acting so odd lately. Getting angry Friday, hating on his females, and the sudden speed. Alastor wasn't eating his medicine. He pretended to eat it but actually, he dumped it here. I felt the blood leave my face. Kari was gonna have my ass. I cleaned up the pile of meat and finished sweeping. After explaining what I found to Kari, she only laughed. "He's smarter than he looks." She'd said. I couldn't have agreed more with her. Alastor was let back into his pen at lunchtime and he went straight into the feeding cell. He ate quietly and when there were only scraps left, he turned to be let out.

"Alastor," I warned. He stared at me for a minute. The cage was too small for him, he had to duck to get in and constantly crouch to even stand in the cage. But he didn't seem bothered by it. He turned and scooped up the piece of meat into his mouth. He turned to be let out again.

"Alastor. I'm not stupid. I found your corner of meat." His teeth snapped together. Finally, he chewed the meat and swallowed loudly. Almost obnoxiously. I rolled my eyes but let him out. The day continued slowly, dinner passed the same way. I clocked out and grabbed my things. I was stolen into silence when a yawn ripped through me. I swung by the wolf pen and waved bye to Alastor. He howled his goodbye. The drive back was slow, stuck in traffic until I was out of town. When I turned onto Eliza's road, my eyes were alert. I eyed the trees. Waiting for a wolf to jump out. But I pulled into the driveway. No heart attacks tonight. But my stomach dropped when I thought about Darby. Had he caught him? I took a shower and went straight to bed that night. I didn't want to socialize with Eliza right now. I felt betrayed by her.

Nightmares of being torn apart by a giant shadow kept me hostage, that night.