Chapter 7: More Mouths to Feed

As the days grew shorter the land seemed to settle into a state of hibernation. The night fell earlier and much of his work occurred before the sun rose later in the day. They both noticed dramatic changes in the young wolf. She had grown into a huge animal and her coat grew thick and rich in its crimson glory. She was striking, beautiful, and deadly. She was also in heat and her mood reflected it. Nita first brought it to Marcus’ attention as she was seated on the ground with her, rubbing her coat and pampering her. The wolf tended to roll onto her back to provide her humans with her favorite scratching spots. It was abundantly obvious that her breasts and genitalia were becoming swollen and sensitive. They also noticed a pungent musky odor about her and her behavior that was decidedly distracted. However, the most meaningful change became apparent by the sudden appearance of furry visitors. Emboldened by her inviting scent, they noticed scores of tracks wandering around and through their homestead—wolves, coyotes, foxes, scores of them turned out—drawn by the inviting musk.

Occasionally Marcus would look up from his work on the cabin or hillside ventures and notice the nearby presence of another animal. Pepper seemed uninterested in her paramours and Marcus was encouraged by her diffident aloofness. Eventually, the powerful urges grew, and he was forced to restrain her again with the collar and leash. Her old collar was woefully small, and he had to fashion a new one from a full-sized belt. She now stood up to his waist and her neck and head were as large as his torso. He fashioned her leash by braiding three stay ties together.

The weather grew colder. The three constants were the chill, wind, and rain. The snow would fall and cover the ground in thin layers, only to promptly melt, creating a muddy mess. Then it would freeze for several days making the ground hard and difficult to work. Then more snow, which melted again.

Marcus was deep in the woods again. He had climbed higher and higher each time as he scouted out the trees he would need and marked them, cutting the bark away from their trunks. Without the ring of bark, they would die and begin drying where they stood. On each return trek home, he would go to his small basalt quarry and remove another block of stone which he lugged down the hill for his chimney. Come spring he would begin fabricating the stone column with mortaring cement he would fashion as he remembered from his days as an apprentice.

He was resting and chewing on a piece of dried venison when he heard the scream. It was female and close by. He also heard the sudden yips and barks of several coyotes who brayed as they surrounded their prey. He sprang to his feet and grabbed his bow, stringing it without a thought. Pepper was on her feet even before he heard the scream and looked directly into the trees towards the source.

“Tack!” he ordered as he released her from her leash. She took off like a bullet and he hurried to follow her. He fell behind quickly but heard the impact of her sudden arrival on the scene. There was a sudden change in the aggressive braying and barking as a loud snarl rang out. The yips and barks became panicked and there was another outraged shriek from a human female. He rounded a bend and entered a small clearing to see his huge red-furred companion facing off against a pack of 10 mangy coyotes. A tall skinny woman was laying on the ground behind the wolf cradling her right arm and holding her bloody left foot with her other hand. She continued to scream out in terror and anger as the coyotes backed off to assess the new threat.

Pepper lunged at one of the smaller dogs and it darted to the side quickly trying to avoid her powerful jaws. It was not quick enough. A second dog took advantage of the distraction and angled toward the injured woman, snarling viciously. A clothyard shaft appeared, sprouting from its chest, and flinging its dead carcass back across the clearing into the pack. A second arrow found another coyote and killed it just as quickly. Pepper shook her head violently and flung her kill into the woods before turning to search for another target. The last of their bravado fled them as the remaining pack turned as a unit and fled back into the woods. Pepper lunged after them with a growl but was stopped short by a command from her master.

As he turned, he recognized the woman immediately. It was Kuwali. Her clothing consisted of skins and strips of cloth that she wrapped about herself. Her feet were bare, and she was covered with dirt and loam. He stepped over to her and she glared up at him with feral terror. His native tongue was limited but he tried to assure her that she was safe. As he knelt before her, she tried to pull away but when her injured foot touched the ground she cried out in pain. He reached for his belt pouch and removed his medical supplies. He removed his waterskin and handed it to her showing her how to drink from it. As she took it, he gently touched her leg and showed her that he wanted to lift it. She drank deeply and then stopped to watch him suspiciously. He gently picked up her foot, causing her to hiss in pain, and held it up so he could assess the damage.

There was a deep wound oozing blood from where a coyote bit her and tried to drag her down. He took the skin and drizzled some of the water over her foot to wash away the blood and dirt. With calm efficiency, he placed several folded bandages on the open wound and secured them in place with a long strip of cloth. Then he gestured to her injured hand to wash it as well to reveal another nasty injury from the fangs of a coyote. He dressed it as well and wrapped it in another bandage. She did not comment as he worked and looked from him to the wolf fearfully.

“She won’t hurt you,” he explained, “she is a friend.”

She made no indication that she understood his broken speech and gestures.

“I am Marcus. The people of the village call me Cariba.”

She nodded at this.

“You are Kuwali.”

She nodded again and he smiled brightly. He put away his bandaging material and produced several strips of venison. He handed one to her and tossed another to Pepper before biting into his own. She followed his example and began tearing at the dried meat ravenously. He handed the skin back to her letting her drink her fill and then stood.

“Where do you live?” he asked her slowly with rough gestures of which he was not entirely certain.

She gestured to the Northeast to the hills behind them and made several gestures with her hands. “Cave,” she said.

He shook his head at her and waved towards the river far below them. “You are hurt. I will take you to my home and help you heal.”

She shook her head violently and tried to rush into the woods, only to cry out in pain and fall again. He reached over and grabbed her arm to help her back up, but she screamed in terror and swung her good hand at him ineffectively. His grip was like iron, and she was no match for his strength. “Stop!” he ordered and she froze.

“Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he indicated for her to climb onto his back, but she shook her head again and fought to free herself from his grip. “Fine!” he grunted, “the hard way it is.” And he grabbed her by the waist, tossing her over his shoulder with a shriek. He grabbed up his waterskin and began trudging back to his previous rest area with her pounding his back and kicking her legs wildly. Her screams of outrage echoed through the forest about them. The wolf just looked on curiously as they made their way back.

At his resting spot, he set her down and collected his axe and carry sack. Reaching into the sack he produced a large piece of bread which he handed to her, knowing she was starving. She glared at him as she snatched it from him angrily. She sniffed it once and began nibbling on the crust. Seconds later she was tearing into it with gusto and nearly choking on it as she swallowed. He handed her the waterskin again so she could wash it down. Once his belongings were secured, he stood and regarded her again.

“Hard way?” he gestured like he was carrying a load over his shoulder then turned away from her bending down low, “or Easy?”

She gave a frustrated snarl and obediently climbed onto his back with his help. He shifted her weight a bit, causing her to grab around his neck in a choke hold, and then they began the long descent down to the river and his camp.

They arrived at the camp with Pepper leading the way. As they neared the pavilion, they could smell the wood smoke coming from the fire pit and the inside stove. The wolf raced ahead eagerly to greet her other favorite human and they were met outside the shelter by Nita as she stood calmly watching their approach. “Welcome husband!” she called, “who have you brought to us?”

He walked over to the fire ring and set his charge gently down on the log bench. “Do you know Kuwali?”

“We have met,” Nita greeted the older woman natively and spoke to her briefly, “You are welcome here sister and you are safe from harm. Cariba is a good man with a kind spirit. We are happy you have joined us.”

Kuwali remained silent and sullen, but she accepted the greeting in kind.

In English, Marcus instructed Nita, “She needs a bath. I had to smell her down that blasted hill.” This brought a smile to Nita’s face which cracked as she moved closer and got a whiff of the woman. “The stream won’t do. Meet me at the river with some soap, towels, and robes.”

Nita nodded and turned to enter the pavilion.

Marcus shed all of his gear, discarded his harness and quiver, and turned to the injured woman. “Come,” he held out his hand and she reluctantly stood so that he could lift her into his arms. He walked with her down to the river’s edge where he set her gently down and began removing her filthy skins and cloth strips. She reacted badly to his efforts and yelled at him outraged as she fought him off.

“Sorry lass,” he muttered and reached into his boot for the small knife. Her face paled when he held it up and her eyes grew wide with fear. “Oh stop!” he grumbled, “I’m not gonna cut you.” And with practiced ease, he sliced through her rags and let them fall away from her until she sat naked before him covering herself fearfully.

Nita appeared and stood quietly nearby as he stood and removed his shirt and boots.

“All right then,” he stated and reached down to pick Kuwali up again. She panicked as he grabbed her and lifted her into his arms. She flailed about and kicked wildly as she screamed at him. He waded into the water, and she hissed at him. He jerked his head away from her when she tried to bite him and with an angry grunt, he tossed her into the river.

Her angry outburst instantly became a shriek of terror as she floundered about splashing and thrashing. He turned to Nita who tossed him the soap block and he waded further in to join the panicked woman. She clearly could not swim and was afraid for her life, even though it was shallow enough to stand in. Regardless Marcus grabbed her and began soaping up her body as she clung to him desperately. She sobbed and wailed as he cleaned her from head to toe. Her anguished cries became outraged when he briefly scrubbed at her crotch and anus. He carried her closer to the bank and sat her down in the water so that he could wash her hair. It was so knotted and tangled that he gave up after several minutes of wrestling with clumps, twigs, and mats. He handed the soap back to Nita and picked Kuwali up by her arms, cradling her shivering body against his chest as he strode from the river. She wrapped her arms around him and continued sobbing as Nita covered her with a towel.