Chapter 4
By Chris Gilman
Pain is the first sensation that returns to me. Soon followed by sound. I can hear voices, but none I recognize. Something wet is placed on my forehead and changed at intervals. Finally, sight returns to me as I open my eyes a crack, and light floods in. Bending over me is a black bear I don’t recognize.
"Where am I," I ask as I try to sit up.
"Shhh," she says as she pushes me back down, "you are too weak to be up and about yet."
I lie back down, my left shoulder aching from the movement, if not as much as I thought it should be. Without looking at her I ask, "Where are my friends?"
"I’ll go get one of them for you, but you stay put," she says as she stands and leaves the room.
With her out of the room, I take a quick look around. Looks like any bedroom in any small house in America. I’m lying on a bed to one side, and without looking I can tell I’m only wearing my boxers under the blanket. Must have had to strip me down to tend to me while I was out cold.
The door opens slowly and the black form of Ken walks in, his tails waving behind him. "Hey man, how you doing?"
I give him a grin, "Feels like I’ve been shot in the shoulder, but nothing like it used to be."
He nods as he sits in the chair the bear vacated. "I can understand that. You should be starting to feel better, though. Most of the wound is healed, but there is still some residual damage they say would be better to let heal the old-fashioned way."
I roll my head to look up at the ceiling again and let out a sigh. "How long was I out?"
Ken gazes at me levelly, "You’ve been out for two days."
I roll my head to look towards him again with a snap. "Two days? How am I even awake now? I should have been out for weeks from that wound. Hell, it feels good enough for my arm to be usable."
"Oh, it is usable. But the medicine man says it needs a little more rest before we let you get up and about."
I let out another sigh, but it’s not like we’re on a timetable, after all. "And how long before we can get on the road again?"
He scratches his chin, "Probably about a week."
"Okay, a week isn’t that long." I give him a grin, "Think you can talk them into letting me out of here soon, though? I promise I won’t even strain myself. Sitting here in this bed is going to drive me nuts if I’m in here much longer."
"I’ll ask, but no promises."
I give him a nod as he stands up and leaves the room. With him out of the room again, I realize how tired I am and I close my eyes to rest them. With my eyes closed, I drift off to sleep again and the darkness of unconsciousness grips me again.
***
Once more consciousness intrudes upon my sleep. Sounds and light intrude, and I once again slowly come awake. This time there is no one in the room. I feel like I’m about to burst, and there’s only one way to take care of that without making a mess.
I throw back the covers and swing my legs over the side of the bed. When I stand, I’m a little unsteady, but that’s understandable … after all, I have been in bed for a few days without using my legs. Slowly, I make my way over to a smaller door over to one side. Like I guessed, it opens onto a bathroom.
After taking care of my immediate needs, I start looking around for my clothes. Even with a full coat of fur, I am not about to walk around in only my boxers. Digging through one of the drawers, I find my shorts and what is left of my shirt. The entire left side has been torn away, probably to get to the wound when they healed me. And what does remain is a bloody mess. I toss it back in the drawer and walk over to the door that everyone has been coming through.
As I reach for the door, it opens before I can open it. Kim is standing there as it opens, with a shocked look on her face. "Goliath, you shouldn’t be up and about yet."
I give her a grin and flex my shoulder, eliciting only a slight, dull pain, "Almost as good as new." I point my thumb over my shoulder at the bed, "If I stayed in that bed much longer, two things were going to happen. One, I was going to go crazy lying there in bed, and two, I was going to wet the bed and make a mess. Neither really appeals to me."
She gives a little laugh, "Okay, but you take it easy."
I give her an innocent look, "Who, me? When do I not?"
She gives me a smirk, "How about when you are shot, bleeding, and still trying to get into a gun fight?"
"Huh?"
She puts her hands on her hips and cocks her head to one side with a crooked grin on her face. "I saw you sitting there, blood pouring down your side, and you pulled your gun and shot some guy who was lining up on Wanderer."
I give her a shrug, which sends another minute amount of pain through my shoulder. "What else was I supposed to do? Let the guy take a shot at Wanderer? I saw him and did what I needed to do."
She rolls her eyes towards the ceiling and lets out a sigh, "I guess not, but you fired that gun so close to your shoulder that the muzzle blast singed you. Any closer and we would have been picking some of the flechettes out of you, too, probably."
I give her a crooked grin, "No time to aim accurately. I just pointed and fired. Besides, those flechettes don’t spread that fast, and the other barrel was a solid slug. I just reacted to the situation, it was all reflex."
"No, it was not," says a coyote that has just walked up to the doorway behind Kim. "It is also not advisable for you to be out of bed yet, but your friends have told me you are a stubborn young fool."
I give a laugh, "You could say that."
He gives a laugh, too, and nods his head. Kim steps out of the way and the coyote enters the room. "I am the chief of this tribe. And while you are here, you and your friends are under my tribe’s protection."
I give him a nod, "I thank you for your protection, and your help."
He sits in a chair and motions me to sit on the bed. "We have much to discuss, mountain cat. My common name is John, probably best for you to use it instead of something more formal, never liked that kind of thing anyway."
I sit down on the bed while Kim closes the door and comes to sit next to me. "Okay, got one question first. Why did you say my reaction wasn’t just that?"
He gives a grin, "You are perceptive. It was a reaction, but it was more then that. It was, in fact, instinct. I have seen those of us who have changed exhibit some of these qualities. Sometimes they do things before they even know they are doing it." He settles back and takes a deep breath. "I heard that during the fight one of your friends ran through heavy gun fire to get to your side."
I give him a nod, "That would be Wanderer."
John nods, "He is a wolf. It might have seemed as if he was simply trying to get to a wounded friend, but it was more than that. His instincts see you and your friends as members of his pack. When one member is hurt, there is nothing short of death that will keep him from a packmate’s side, and he would expect the same from you."
"I guess I can understand that," says Kim. "It seemed while we were all shocked and pissed when we were attacked, that Wanderer wanted to tear those guys apart with his bare hands."
Once more John nods, "He probably would have if he could. But since his rational mind knew it would be futile to do so, it had him grab the biggest weapon he could find and start shooting while getting to your side." Now he scratches his head, "How he avoided all those flying bullets I’ll never know."
I give a gentle chuckle, "I gave up asking such questions on the day I woke up like this."
He joins me in my chuckle, "I can understand that." He shifts in his chair and wiggles his tail around to get more comfortable. "Now to what we can do for each other. I have already talked to your friends and they have told me of the drive you have to head east. I can feel it too, and I think I know what will happen if you reach your unknown goal. I wish to offer you help, and a promise."
He holds his hands up in front of his face and steeples his fingers, lightly tapping the tip of his muzzle with his fingers. "The promise is that, if you should happen to find a community of fellow changed who wish to live in peace, we wish to open trade with them. We would like you to carry this message to any civilized people you run into. The help we offer is in supplies when you leave here, and more manpower."
I give him a nod, "I can take your offer with us and offer it to those we choose to be honorable enough to value it." Now I think about what he just said and get a puzzled look on my face, "I understand the supplies, but what do you mean manpower? Are you going to order some of your people to come along with us?"
He holds up his hands shaking his head, "No, no, no. I would never order such a thing. But two of our people have asked to join your journey. I said that you would have to agree to their request too."
I shrug again getting a slight twinge of pain from my shoulder. Nothing bad, but it is annoying. "If you okay it, I got no problems." I look at Kim and ask, "Do the others know anything about this?"
Kim tries to hide a smile, "Oh, I think they know."
I give her a puzzled look, "And just what does that mean?"
She lets loose with her smile and stands up. She starts walking towards the door and looks at me over her shoulder, "I’ll be right back," she says as she walks out of the room.
I look over at John and raise an eyeridge, "What is that all about?"
He also starts trying to hide a grin, "Oh, I think you are going to find out soon enough."
I raise my eyes towards the ceiling, "Why is everyone being so secretive? All I want is a straight answer."
John gives me a nod, "I can understand that, but it will all be explained in a few minutes."
A few minutes later there is a tap at the door, soon followed by Kim opening it and entering with Bill and Wanderer in tow. Behind them follow two more that I don’t know.
One is a six-foot tall female wolf, with gray fur and yellow eyes. Her headfur is long and white, tied back into a ponytail, which hangs to her waist. She wears cut off blue jeans and a tank top t-shirt. On one side of her belt is a small pouch, on the other side is a large hunting knife in a scabbard, about eight inches of blade and a bone handle from what I can see.
The other female is slightly shorter, about five-foot-six. She is a coyote like the chief, but with a lighter shade of fur. Her headfur is also white, but not as long, and only hangs a little past her shoulders. She is dressed differently too. She is dressed in cut off fatigues and a loose vest with lots of pockets. Also, she carries a large holster on her hip with an equally large pistol in it. Looks like at least a .45 caliber, maybe larger. Several clip holders are spread around her belt, probably for the gun she is carrying.
John stands and goes to stand with the two newcomers. "This is Julie," the wolf, "and Beth," the coyote. "They wish to join you in your travels. Julie is a healer, and if you continue to get into the situations that your friend Wanderer here has told tales about, she will be handy. Beth here, is one of our best hunters and marksmen. She too will be of assistance to your group."
I look over at Bill and Wanderer with a knowing glance, "And what do you two have to do with this?"
They look at each other before Wanderer speaks up, scratching the back of his head. "Well, O punctured puma, speaking for myself, I would greatly appreciate it if Beth would come with us."
I roll my eyes at Wanderer’s remark, "I wish you would stop that." Then I look over at Bill and grin even bigger, "Let me guess, you would like Julie to come along too?" I swear he turns a shade redder in the face and gives me a nod. "Hey, I might be the one running point, but this isn’t only my trip." I turn back to look at John and the two females. "If the others have no problems, and Julie and Beth wish it, I see no reason why they can’t come along. Why did you think you needed my express permission?"
John looks over at my friends, "They said it was your decision."
I give them a surprised look, "I never said I was in charge, why?"
Bill gives me a grin, "I’ve known you for a while, you can be a natural leader when you need to be. I trust your judgment, and so do our other friends."
Wanderer gives a corresponding nod, "Also, in many Native American societies, the cougar is a sign of leadership. It just seemed natural to call you the one in charge. Besides, there is no one I can think of who is better for the job."
I start shaking my head, "Guys, I’m no leader. We ‘re all friends. We work together, as a team. There is no one leader of our group. You guys hear me?" They give me nods, "Good, now get out of here. I need to ask the chief a couple of questions. Why don’t you two take our new pair here and get them settled. Though we won’t be leaving for about a week, they might as well get used to us during this time."
Wanderer gives me a sideways glance as he and Bill walk to the pair and wrap their arms around them. Together they walk out again, leaving Kim and John alone in the room with me. "Sorry for the trouble, chief, but I don’t know why they are saying I am in charge. I am no leader."
John sits back down and rests back in the chair. "You might not think so, Goliath, but there is something different about you. You are all different to us, but there is something special about you. Our healers could tell it about you when they healed your wound. But even they couldn’t identify it fully."
I give him a funny look as Kim sits down beside me and wraps her arm around me, drawing my attention to her. "I can see it, too. I saw it in the mall back in Dallas. There is something different about you, but what it is, I’ll be damned if I know."
I give her and John a funny look, "What are you two talking about. The only funny thing about me is that I am over seven feet tall and am now a cougar instead of being human like we all used to be."
John taps the front of his muzzle with one digit as he gets a thoughtful look on his face. "There must have been something special inside you ever since you were human, or you would have disappeared with the rest of the ‘normal’ humans." He gets a thoughtful look on his face and then shakes his head. "Whatever it is about you, I am sure it will reveal itself in time, when it is needed. For now I wouldn’t let it bother you."
"You guys almost ask more questions then you answer," I reply.
He gives a shrug, "It happens."
"ARRRGGGGG," I shout. "Can’t I get a straight answer out of anyone around here?"
Kim gives a quiet chuckle, "No."
I glare at her, "You aren’t helping much either."
She gives me a hug and nuzzles my neck, giving me something of a startle. "But I’ll be there to help you in the future, big guy."
I sit there for a few minutes with a dumb look on my face before John clears his throat and stands up. "I think I don’t need to be here for this discussion. I’ll leave you two for now." He points at me and with a voice full of authority says, "Don’t forget, you still need rest to finish healing." With that he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
I look down at Kim with a slightly confused look on my face. "Kim, are you saying what I think you’re saying?"
She looks up at me, "If we’re thinking the same thing, then yes."
Now I have a worried feeling, "But, we’ve only known each other for about a week. How could you feel this way about someone that you hardly know? Heck, the first time you saw me, I’d just shot and killed two others."
"Yes, but they’d captured me, Timmy, and your friends. Mike was about to be killed and you stopped it." She gives me a grin, "Don’t think with your head, think with your heart. Remember what John said about instinct. That’s what I am calling this. Being with you feels so natural, that is all I can call it."
I wrap my arms around her and shift her onto my lap. We cuddle there on the edge of the bed. "I guess we can be a couple, but what are the others going to say?"
She gives a grin, "Let’s just say, after having a discussion with Wanderer, I’m looking forward to the coming years with you."
I digest that for a moment and remember about the precogs of Wanderer’s. ‘Has he told her something of the future that he hasn’t told me,’ I think to myself.
She gives a small yawn as we sit there, "Are you tired," I ask her. Her response is a slow nod against my chest. I lie back and she comes with me, still clutched to my chest. We fall asleep like that. Comforted by each other’s presence.
***
Some time later, a light tapping at the door wakens me. I feel Kim starting to stir in my arms. "Who is it," I ask.
The door slowly opens to reveal Ken peeking in. "You two awake?"
Kim lets out a sigh and stretches. "We are now," she says with a hint of anger in her voice. "You better have a good reason for waking us."
Now he starts showing his usual cockiness, "Only for dinner, but I guess that’s nothing important." He lets out an ‘EEP’ and ducks back out the door, closing it in defense as several things hit the door, some soft, some hard, all aimed at him.
As we settle down from our failed assault on Ken we come fully awake. I look at her still lying next to me. "Did what happened earlier really happen, or did I just imagine it?"
She gives me a smile, "It really happened." Now her face shows a slight amount of worry on it. "Why, are you saying you wish it hadn’t?"
I give a gentle laugh and reach for her. I bring her into my embrace and give her a nuzzle. "I’m not saying that at all."
She grips me just as tightly and nuzzles back, "Good."
A few minutes later we exit the room and walk down a corridor. "Any idea where they are," I ask.
"Probably outside in the RV. That is where we have been eating and sleeping, even though the chief has offered us space in his own house."
I look around the house as we walk through it and exit. Outside are the RV and the HUMM-V sitting side by side. There is something odd and it takes a moment to realize what it is. The power is on in the RV, I can see the lights on in the window, but there is no sound of a generator running to produce the power. I start looking around and Kim notices my nervous glancing.
"What is wrong?"
"There is power on in the RV, but I don’t hear the sound of a generator." I scratch my head as I run this through my mind again.
I hear a gentle laugh and see Kim covering her muzzle with one hand. "It’s because there is still power here. These people came through rather intact and they are completely self-sufficient. They have power, water, fuel, and food. Everything they need to last for years to come."
I let out a low purr, and found I can’t whistle anymore, "Sounds like they don’t really need anyone. Wonder why the chief asked for us to carry word that they would like to open trade with others we find?"
John’s voice speaks up from behind me. "Because we can’t exist alone forever." I turn to see him standing right behind us. "Come, we can talk more over dinner with your friends."
We follow him to the RV and step up into it. Inside all the others are gathered in the dinning area. They greet us and we join them as they make room for us. Ken brings over some plates of food and sets them in front of us.
I take a deep smell of the aroma, "Damn, who cooked tonight?"
Wanderer raises his hand, "That would be myself, O magnificent mountain cat."
I pick up a fork and dig in, after a few bites I grin at him. "You keep this up and we might have to make you the official cook. And stop calling me that."
The others all let out a collective laugh. Ken taps me on the shoulder and I look over at him, "Too late," he says, "we already made him the official cook the other day, while you were still out."
I take another mouthful and give a grin, "Ah, so I can be looking forward to more good cooking, huh?"
The others all give another collective laugh. The inside of Wanderer’s ears turn a slight shade of red in embarrassment. If he was still human, I think he would be beet red in the face.
John takes a few bites out of his food before he says anything. "Goliath, you were wondering why we want trade. There are other reasons than because we need items from others. Social and ethnic reasons come to mind first. If we allow everyone to stay isolated and alone, this new world will grind to a total halt. There might be those who wish to keep to low tech, and indeed we can only keep the technology going for so long, but that should not be a reason to isolate themselves from the rest of the world."
I give am agreeing nod, "I think I can understand your reasons now. And I can agree with them. The only way to survive is to stick together, not fight each other."
Michael wipes his mouth on a napkin, "So why were we attacked the other day like we were?"
John gets a dark look on his face. "There are those around who wish only conflict. You all must be wary of this kind. With the kind of firepower you are carrying, though, you might scare some people who wish peace."
"But if we don’t have those weapons, we will be easy pickings to highwaymen," says Bill. "I think the presence of the HUMM-V and the clear fact that we are ready to defend ourselves is going to help us some."
"Ah," says John as he wags a finger at Bill, "but there are those who might use that against you." He pauses to take another bite of food. "They could approach you seeming peaceful, then strike when you are unaware."
Timmy who has been quite through all this raises his hand slowly. John looks at him and gives him a nod. "Are you saying we can’t trust anyone?"
John shakes his head, "No, little one. I am only saying to be careful in how you approach people out there. Don’t be threatening, but don’t turn yourself into easy pickings."
He waves around the RV at those of us gathered here. "You all are armed right now, but none of you are overly aggressive in what you are wearing. Weapons are in holsters, plainly visible, but are not sticking out like a sore thumb. Especially with the way the world is now, it is to be expected by most."
Wanderer finishes his food and stands to clean his dishes. "What about the other tribes on the reservations around here?"
"The Apache are the only tribe actively attacking people who come through. They have even attacked our town a time or two. Good thing we are well armed here ourselves. The other tribes have mostly stayed to themselves, but they have sent messengers saying as long as they are left alone, they will not do anything hostile, not even to those who pass through their lands. I think it is because they are much smaller, fewer in number."
Wanderer nods his head, "Makes sense. Nobody wants to live through a real, ‘Ten Little Indians’. So, Goliath, when are we leaving?"
Before I can say anything, Julie speaks up, "We can’t leave for about a week. Even though Goliath’s wound is mostly healed, it would be best if he stays at ease for a few more days. He needs to finish healing before we get back to the stress of being on the road."
I open my mouth to protest, but Kim puts her hand over my muzzle. "No arguing, Goliath, or we’ll tie you to a bed."
I give a shrug, "Okay, okay, we can leave in a week. But don’t expect me to lay around in bed."
Michael lets out a laugh, "You, stay in bed? Even if we tied you there, you’d break free."
I give him a thumb’s up and a grin. "Damn right, I hate being in bed other than for necessary sleep."
This gets a laugh out of those in the RV. We finish our meal with general conversation, and the chief leaves us to talk amongst ourselves. I look over at our two new members and study them for a few minutes. My study must draw their attention, because I find them both staring at me in return.
"Is there something you want to ask," asks Julie as she stares back at me.
I blink my eyes as I realize what I have been doing. "Sorry, girls, I didn’t mean to stare, but I was just wondering why you want to come along with such a motley crew of mixed up individuals."
The wolf gives a nod, "I can understand that, but all I can say other then that I feel I have found my soul mate, is that I have a wander-lust."
Beth nods her head too, "I have pretty much the same reasons. But I am looking for a little adventure too. And from what I have heard of your journey so far, there is much more in store for you guys."
I look around at the others, "Okay, what have you guys been telling them?" Every one starts shaking their heads and pointing at Wanderer. I give him a level glare and he grins, well, wolfishly.
"Well, the Cherokee love tales, especially if they are true. Furry tales or not", he smiles. "And, uh, I composed a few songs about your first few days in this new world. And, along with telling the stories around the campfire, I sung these songs for them. Perhaps I made us seem too … adventurous?"
I start giving him a slow nod, "Maybe you did." I turn my gaze back to the two females. "Do you two know exactly what you are getting into? No matter how fun it seemed from what he has told in his tales, our days on the road have not been the best of my life." I lower my head and continue, "Did he tell you that on the first day of this change I had to kill two others?"
"Yes, he did," says Beth, "and he also said how much you hated it when you looked back on it. But it was something that had to be done from what your friends have told us."
"Yes," agrees Julie, "it was a brave thing you did."
I snap my head up and glare at Julie, "Brave? Julie, I shot two living people from a hundred yards away with a fifty-caliber rifle. They never stood a chance. How is that brave, when they didn’t have any chance to defend themselves."
"It was brave, because you did it to save a friend’s life. And the lives of two people you didn’t even know at the time," says Julie.
"Says you guys, but it still weighs heavily on my mind."
"Don’t worry about it, man," says Ken. "It has happened, and nothing we do can change that. Don’t destroy yourself over something you had to do to save lives. Or don’t you remember the state Mike was in when you brought him back?"
I throw up my hands and stand up from the table. "You guys can talk about this all you want, but I’m going to bed."
I head towards the front of the RV with a chorus of "good night’s" echoing behind me. I climb the ladder to the large bed that is over the driver’s seat and console. Stripping down to my underwear I climb under the sheets and drift off to the sounds of the others still talking.
A short time later, I’m awakened by someone climbing into my bed with me. A quick sniff identifies the person as Kim. She gives me a quick nuzzle and together we drift off to sleep again.
***
The next morning I am startled awake by the sound of gunfire. I roll out of the bed and reach for the gun on my hip that isn’t there.
Kim sits up in the bed and looks at me as the sheets follow me onto the floor. "What are you doing?"
I start looking around for something to defend myself with. "Looking for a gun, can’t you hear the gunfire out there? We must be under attack."
Kim gives me a funny look before breaking out into a fit of laughs. I give her a puzzled look, which gets her to slow down the giggles long enough to explain. "Those gun shots aren’t an attack. That’s the guys out there doing a little target practice. They’ve been doing it every morning for the last few days."
I run a hand down my face as if to wipe away the fatigue. "Wish you guys had told me." I pick up my shorts where I left them on the floor the previous night and don them.
She gives me a puzzled look, "Where are you going?"
I give her a grin in return, "Just going to join the others for a little practice." As I climb down from the sleeping area I hear her rummaging around for some clothes.
I step out and see the others standing at a makeshift gun range, popping cans and bottles with various handguns and rifles. I walk over to my HUMM-V without them seeing me and pull out my bow case. Stringing my bow, I pull out my quiver and extract an arrow. I set the arrow on the string and walk up to the others.
Before they can notice me, I step up next to Ken and raise the bow. Pulling back the arrow I line up on a can that is still standing and let the arrow loose. With a tink, the tip of the arrow goes clean through the can and knocks it to the dirt. Before they can stop me I have pulled another arrow and released it at another can. Just after I have released the fourth arrow Kim rests her hand on my shoulder and gives me a gentle shake.
I look down at her with a questioning look on my face. "What?"
"What are you doing," she asks.
I look back down the range as I draw my fifth arrow. "Just a little target practice." With a twang and a thunk, the arrow imbeds itself in a tree. My next arrow splits it in two.
Wanderer lets out a gentle howl, the closest he can come to a whistle I guess. "Why don’t you leave the target practice to those of us who need it, Destroyer of Arrows?"
Julie steps up on my left side and gives me a glare. "You are supposed to be resting your shoulder."
I look at her with a questioning look on my face. "I am, I’m pulling the bow with my right."
She doesn’t say anything immediately, she just reaches up and grabs my left shoulder. I wince as a stab of pain goes through my shoulder. My hand opens and Ken has to snatch up my bow as it drops from my hand. "As I said, you should be resting, not out here using that arm."
I reach out and take my bow back from Ken, "I didn’t think it would hurt anything. Haven’t really had any time to try out my skills since we’ve been on the road."
Julie takes my bow and unstrings it. "Well, to make sure, I’m putting this away someplace safe."
I give her a dejected nod, "Case is sitting in the back of the HUMM-V. Please be careful with it."
She gives me a nod, "I will, don’t worry."
She walks away with my bow and quiver as Bill looks down range at my arrows still sticking out of the tree. "How did you do that, Goliath?"
I give a shrug with my good shoulder and look downrange. "I was okay with a bow before the change, but never that good. I didn’t even really aim, just let the arrows fly."
"I noticed," says Beth as she too stares down range. "Even I am not that good of a shot, and I’m the best shot here."
I give her a grin, "I used to also be good at throwing axes, but now I can throw anything."
She gives me a curious look, "What do you mean by that?"
"He means this," says Ken as he tosses a knife to me handle first. I catch it easily with my right hand. Spinning I chunk the knife down the range and watch as it sinks into the tree right next to my arrows.
Beth walks down the range and up to the tree. She pulls out the knife and slowly walks back. "You say you could never do anything like that before the change?"
"You got it," I say as I hold out my hand for the knife. She hands it to me and I give it back to Ken.
She starts looking over the others, "How many of the rest of you have gained abilities?"
Bill looks at the others sheepishly and shifts. Beth and Julie are staring, mouths agape at what they have just seen. Julie recovers first, "How do you do that?"
The wolf that is Bill gives a shrugging motion, or as close as a wolf can. He picks up his clothes in his mouth and walks around a parked car. A few minutes later he comes back clothed. "Found out I could do that on the second day after the change, don’t know much about it really, or what good it is going to do."
Beth turns her gaze on Ken, "How about you, can you do anything such as this?"
Ken shrugs, "Not really."
I hold up a finger and wag it at Ken, "Hold that thought Ken." I run over to the RV and pull out Ken’s sheath and sword. With the sword still tied into its sheath I toss it to him.
He gives a weak grin, "Oh, yeah, forgot about that."
Beth looks from Ken, to me, and back to Ken, "What did you forget?"
Ken looks up at her an smiles, "This." He gives the sword a tug, breaking the laces. In a fluid motion, he pulls the sword and starts in on a pattern of swipes and blocks. When he is done, he returns the sword to its sheath without looking.
Beth is staring at Ken with her mouth agape. "That looked both beautiful and deadly. How do you know this?"
Ken slips the sheath onto his back as he responds. "I didn’t, before the change. I’m a kitsune, a Japanese fox spirit. Played this character in a D&D game Goliath here ran some time back. Even though I played a char that shouldn't have been able to use a sword, he allowed me to use swords such as these, and I guess the skills came with the body."
"What else could this character of yours do," asks Julie.
Ken scratches the back of his head as he gives a nervous grin. "Well, he was a magician, and his main skill was in the use of magic. But I have no idea how to do such things."
"Don’t forget, Ken," I interrupt, "that your species can use magic naturally."
"Yeah, yeah, but I don’t have any idea about how to use such things," he says.
"I’m sure we can find someone to teach you," I say as I pat him on the back. "Well, since I can’t practice with you, I’ll help teach you guys something about these guns."
We spend the rest of the morning at the range. Everyone shows some improvement, Beth showing to be the most proficient of the group with the guns.
I clap my hands together and draw attention from the range to me. "Okay guys, that’s enough practice for the morning. Let’s save some ammo for tomorrow. Time for lunch." With a murmur of general agreement, they pick up the brass off the ground and start heading for the RV.
I look around the range once more. The targets down range are blasted to bits. ‘Not bad, but they can still improve,’ I think to myself. I turn and walk back to the RV.
***
As I finish my lunch, Ken and Bill stand up and excuse themselves. They each strap on a pistol and Ken slips his sword onto his back. As they reach for the door I ask, "Where are you two going?"
Bill looks at me over his shoulder as he answers, "Out, going to do a scout of the area. Even though there haven’t been any troubles with the Apache yet, doesn’t mean they’re going to leave us alone entirely. We take the HUMM-V for about an hour patrol each day. Nothing much."
I give him a nod, "Be careful you two." Bill and Ken give me a thumb’s up and leave the RV. A few minutes later, I hear the sound of the HUMM-V’s motor coming to life and speeding away.
Julie excuses herself and goes into the back of the RV. A few minutes later she comes out and hands a cloth wrapped package to me. "I think this is yours."
I take it from her and look at her questioningly. Slowly I unwrap it and find what I was looking for this morning. My cut down shotgun, hunting knife, and pouch of throwing knives, safe in their holsters. "Thanks Julie, I’ve been looking for these." I set them over to one side. "I don’t think I need them right now, but it’s good to have them nearby."
Beth nods her head, "We figured that, but if you need them, now at least you know where they are." I give her a questioning look, "We heard how you reacted this morning when you heard the shots."
I look over at Kim and cock my head at her with a sideways grin. "Yes, I told them." She starts laughing, "Besides, it was kind of funny."
"Oh, I’m sure it was, to you." This gets a laugh out of everyone still in the RV.
Suddenly there is a blast of static from the CB. "Goliath!"
I walk towards the front and pick up the mic. "Yeah Ken, what’s up?"
I can hear the sound of the engine roaring in the background over the radio. "Get ready for unexpected company. Tell Julie and Mike to get ready to do whatever it is they do."
I look back over my shoulder and yell out. "Julie, Mike, get outside. Ken says he’s bringing in someone who needs your help." They stand up and head in different directions. Mike grabs the med kit and Julie gets a bag out of the back of the RV. Together they dart out the door. I bring the mic back up and key it, "They’re ready and waiting. What else can you tell me?"
"Not much, we found another kitsune. She’s unconscious and bleeding badly from an arrow wound in the shoulder." He pauses for a moment but I can hear the background sounds so I know he is still transmitting. "Looks like she’s another victim of the Apache. Somehow they didn’t find her, or us coming by scared them off. She was riding a motorcycle apparently, we found what was left over near her."
"Roger that Ken, I can hear your motor now, we’ll be ready." I hang up the mic and head for the door.
Outside I see the dust cloud of the closing HUMM-V. The roar of the engine and the huge dust cloud has drawn quite a crowd of curious people. When the HUMM-V is clearly visible, I can tell they’re doing about seventy-five miles per hour. Ken skids to a stop right in front of us and Bill jumps out of the back, carrying a white form in his arms.
At a motion from Julie, he sets the white kitsune down gently on the grass. The medicine wolf pulls her knife from her belt and cuts away the shirt. As the people start to gather, she looks around and looks up at me. "Goliath, get people away from here."
I turn to those who are starting to gather, "Okay everyone, you heard the lady. Go on back to what you were doing." They seem a little loath to be told what to do by an outsider but a few of them do start to move away.
The rest quickly start to disperse when another voice joins mine. "I think you all have other things to do than rubberneck as Julie works to save someone." John walks up through the thinning crowd.
I give him a nod, "Thanks chief, I thought some of them weren’t going to leave."
"Don’t worry about it Goliath, they’re just a curious bunch." I arch my eyeridges and give him a nod. He looks over at the person Julie is working on. "What’s the story?"
"I don’t know yet, the guys just found her and brought her in."
Suddenly Bill struggles to hold down the female as she lets out a scream. Julie holds up what is left of a bloody arrow and drops it to the side. John walks forward and picks it up. After a few minutes examining he turns to me with a fire in his eyes. "Looks like the Apache again. This is one of their arrows."
I look at him with worry. "They’re still attacking passers by huh?"
He slowly gives me a nod. "And I have a feeling they are encroaching on our area."
"What are you going to do," asks Wanderer as he comes up.
John brushes off his concern. "We have more people and firepower than they can ever muster. We’ll just have to start doing patrols like your friends were. We have oil wells, a small refinery, and an arms plant on our lands. We’re more than ready for anything they can throw at us."
I look down at the arrow still in the chief’s hands and worry. "I hope so, chief."
Mike comes up behind us and taps me on the shoulder. I turn my head to look at him, and he looks a little tired. "She is doing better, almost healed, but she still needs to rest. Chief, if it’s okay, we’d like to put her in the same room Goliath was in." The chief gives him a nod and Mike walks back to the others.
Bill picks her up without any effort and motions for Julie to lead the way. In just a minute they are inside and out of view. The chief excuses himself saying, "I’ll go tell my people that the young lady is fine and will fully recover. Could you ask Ken exactly how they found her and what he saw?"
"Sure, I’ll ask and tell you what he says."
He gives me a nod and walks away while I walk over to where Ken is still standing, watching the house Bill and Julie had just taken our new acquaintance into. "You okay Ken?"
He shakes off his stupor and looks up at me. "Yeah, I’m fine. Just that, I am curious about her. She’s a kitsune like me."
I give a little laugh as something pops into me head. "Yeah, but she follows the light side, while you follow the dark."
Ken gives a groan and takes a playful swing at me, which I catch without any trouble. "You’re just full of laughs today, aren’t you?"
I give him a slight shrug, "One of us has to." I throw my thumb over my shoulder towards the RV, "Come on, the chief wants me to ask you some questions."
"No problem," says Ken as he leads the way.
***
About an hour later there is a tapping on the door and I look over to see the chief climbing in. "How is it going?"
Ken gives him a wave and motions him towards a seat. "Okay, I just finished telling Goliath here about our new friend."
"Yes, I looked in on her. She is much like you, Ken, except for your coloration. Julie was in there, but where is Mike, she said he helped do some of the healing?"
I point my thumb over my shoulder towards the rear. "He’s sleeping, he was rather tired."
John sits down with us, "Yes, it is a side effect of the healing power. Julie has been teaching him, but he still needs practice. As he practices it will take more usage of his power to make him tired. But there is no danger from it."
"Well Ken, since you’re still here, why don’t you tell the chief what you just finished telling me?"
Ken gives me a glare, "How many times am I going to have to repeat this?"
John gives a laugh, "How about one more time, just for the record."
Ken takes in a deep breath of air, then slowly lets it out again. "Okay, one more time." Ken leans back and makes himself comfortable. "We had just started our patrol. We hadn’t even gotten too far from the town when we saw some smoke. From the color of it, looked like an oil or gas fire. When we got closer we found what looked like the remains of a motorcycle and the female lying a good distance away with an arrow in her shoulder. Just a look at her told me she need more help then we could give with the simple first aid kit we had with us. So with Bill on lookout, I ran out and grabbed her. I carried her back and put her in the back of the HUMM-V. Then we tore ass back here to get help, radioing ahead to get Julie and Mike ready. The rest, you already know."
John gives him a nod of thanks, "Thank you for the tale. When she wakes, we will talk to her about what she wants to do. I can see you are showing interest in her. Why don’t you go sit watch and relieve Julie? She needs rest too."
Ken beams a smile, "I think I will, chief. Later." With that he stands up and exits the RV, the door slamming behind him.
The chief looks back over at me and grins wolfishly, "You might have another to go with you when she wakes."
I give him a nod and lean against the backrest of my seat, "Yes, we might indeed."