Early Winter
Friday mornings were usually slower at the garage, and today was no different. Snow had fallen overnight and most of the time customers didn’t come for oil changes or repairs in snow. Asa and I were sitting in the office enjoying a cup of coffee. It was nice to have someone to sip coffee with but it still felt off.
There wasn’t a connection that my wolf could enjoy and he was lonely.
“I may not hang around much longer.”
He glanced up, “Are you getting a wild hair?”
I looked at my cup. “No packs. It’s what I’m looking for and I haven’t found it. I’m a pack person.”
His brow rose. “Didn’t you find that shifter in the woods a few weeks ago?”
“I did. Castiel, but I’ve been back every weekend since and I haven’t seen him again. I was thinking about going this weekend and trying one more time.”
He sat his cup down. “Is that wise, Dean? There has been a lot of snow fall the last few days. Those woods could be dangerous right now.”
“Kansas gets snow as well, and I’m good at hiking in snow.”
He was quiet for several moments, sipping his coffee. “I’m going to advise you to avoid those woods this weekend. Dean, I understand that you want to join
another pack and be able to get your brother in as well. But sometimes these things take time.”
“Noted.”
“But still going?”
I smirked. “You know me. I gotta do this.”
He nodded. “Well, if you’re going up, why not head on out. It’s going to take time to get there. But please be careful.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Yes. The drive will be longer with the snow. I doubt anyone will be in today.”
“I’ll head out at noon, this coffee is too good.”
He laughed. “Noted.”
We talked about the cars we had next week, but nothing major was coming in, mostly just oil changes. We talked about his past some. Asa was a roamer, and had finally settled down here in Vancouver after roaming for years. We talked about Sam and Bobby as well. It didn’t take long before it was noon.
I headed upstairs and packed a bag for the weekend. I felt odd packing because I didn’t feel like this weekend would be any different. I was lonely though, and I needed to do this. I needed to make sure.
Friday night I just stayed at the hotel and made sure my backpack had everything I would need to travel the next day. I made sure to call Sammy and check in with him. Then I got a good night’s sleep.
I headed out earlier than normal but getting across the river this time was harder than I expected. The water was moving the same but the chunks of ice and snow were making navigation harder. Once I had the canoe docked and tied securely I turned toward the woods.
“Here goes nothing.”
I stayed on the paths that I was familiar with, so I wouldn’t get lost. I was doing well following my given paths, but I was at a clearing when I heard a deep rumbling growl.
This was a wilderness, and that meant that wild animals existed here. I’d seen some animals off in the distance the past several weeks. Birds, squirrels, various insects, and even larger animals like deer, bear, and ordinary wolves. I paused where I was, and listened. Most animals were hibernating or hunkered down somewhere due to the cold. So I wasn’t expecting anything but calm and quiet. After several minutes of that, I moved a few steps and then heard sounds that were not me.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
Silence greeted me, and I waited a good five minutes before I moved a few more steps, making sure my own footsteps were quiet. I could hear the soft crunching of the snow behind me, indicating that I was not alone. I turned around, and while I wanted to see other shifters, the large reddish brown wolf standing there did not give me the friendly vibes that I’d gotten from Castiel.
The wolf was a shifter, it was larger than normal wolves and the vibes I was getting were bad. The large solid black eyes were not helping me to feel very comfortable either.
“Hi. I’m Dean.”
I didn’t get a verbal response, but instead a deep growl. I carefully stepped back away from the wolf. His or her head was down, eyes set on me, ears back, tail was swishing quickly back and forth. Almost like he or she was agitated. I knew it was bad to run, but the signs all pointed to that being the best option right now. So, I turned and ran as fast as I could.
Evening while running, I could hear the wolf behind me. The sounds of crunching ice were loud to my ears, but I felt like he was toying with me. A shifter should be faster than me, he or she should be able to catch up to me easily.
If this was a shifter, then I couldn’t hear any words in my head from them. I was getting tired, and the snow was deeper here, something I realized too late.
I was prey. This was a trap, pushing me into deeper snow.
I glanced back to see this wolf slowly coming closer, sharp teeth exposed. I turned to keep running, but after two steps I stopped dead in my tracks. Standing twenty feet away in the middle of the path was a group of wolves. The one in front had piercing blue eyes, and black fur with rainbow hues.
“Get down, Dean.”
I didn’t question it, just got down. I’d heard him loud and clear, moments after I hit the ground they moved and ran past me, the sounds of their combined snarls and growls were loud as they moved past me but faded pretty quickly. I remained laying on the ground until the sounds had disappeared, until the woods were calm and quiet again.
There were tracks around me, proving that I’d really seen them. A true pack. Why had I never seen them before?! I’d been coming here for weeks and I hadn’t noticed a single sign that any other shifters existed beyond Castiel, and he’d been absent as well. I wondered if they would return, so while I got up I walked right around this area for over an hour.
The weather was getting colder and there was a light snowfall now, so I couldn’t keep waiting. I needed to get back to the river side, and back to the other side before nightfall. I quickly realized that I didn’t know where I was. I followed the tracks for a bit, hoping to find where I’d turned off the path, but the snow was all messed up. I paused and consulted the map, trying to pinpoint anything that was familiar, but nothing was.
I checked my phone but there was no service this far out; it was useless to me right now.
“Okay Dean, you have been in the woods before. You can do this.”
I chose the path that felt right. The snow falling made it hard to see any tracks now. I walked quietly and listened for any sounds that the pack had returned. But as the time passed I could feel the panic build. The snow wasn’t heavy, but the temperature was dropping and I couldn’t survive the low temperatures as a human.
My next thought was trying to find somewhere I could hunker down for the night, but realistically without knowing where I was I couldn’t even find the caves, or anything that could provide protection. I kept walking.
I walked as the snow fell silently around me, as the temperatures began to get lower, as the sun was dipping low in the sky. Nothing looked familiar to me. As the last rays of the sun faded, I found myself alone in the dark. This was far worse than I imagined. I couldn’t even text or call Sammy to tell him how sorry I was.
“Hello?” I yelled.
I was really hoping that Castiel was somewhere out there, or one of his pack mates. But the only thing that greeted me was silence. I walked slower because I couldn’t see much now that the sun was down. Occasionally, I’d call out just to see if anyone replied. I couldn’t even be certain of what time it was, but I knew I made a wrong step, because suddenly there wasn’t earth beneath my foot. An attempt to stop the fall didn’t work. I pitched forward and rolled and tumbled.
When I stopped moving I was at the bottom of some kind of ravine. The snow was deep here, but I could feel warmth on my face, and there was pain in my leg. I wanted to remain awake but the sky began to slip from view.
I was vaguely aware that something warm was touching my cheek, but in the dark I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t see what or who was near me; I couldn’t even hear any voices. But I felt movement and then I felt soft, warm fur against my face. Instincts told me to hang on, despite how out of it I was.
I remember the low rumble and the softness of the fur before I closed my eyes again.
I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a fireplace with a roaring fire going. The fireplace took up the entire corner and had stone work on the front going all the way to the ceiling. A block of wood served as a mantel and I couldn’t really see what was sitting on it. The heat felt great and I closed my eyes for several moments just basking in it.
I heard a door open and shut somewhere to my left, and I slowly turned to see what or who it was. I saw Mr. Novak standing on the other side of a tan sofa holding a handful of logs. He came around and placed them by the fireplace, putting one in the fire.
“How do you feel?”
I blinked a few times, I’d only seen him once in the store but his eyes were unforgettable.
“Groggy.”
“You took quite a tumble. I’ve bandaged your head up already and your leg isn’t broken, but there was a nasty looking gash on your thigh. I’ve bandaged that but I couldn’t save your jeans. I’m sorry.”
It hadn’t even occurred to me that I wasn’t in the same clothes, but I was dry and warm, so who cared?
“Castiel was there? I felt his fur and the softness.”
He sat down cross legged style near my leg and smiled. “I’m Castiel, Dean. Novak is my last name.”
“You…wolf?”
He nodded. “I’m a shifter, yes. It was me you encountered in the woods, as well as earlier today. You shouldn’t have been up here.”
“Asa said not to be.”
He tilted his head. “You should have listened.”
I went to sit up but thought better of it and moved myself back to laying. “You chased that one away, he wasn’t…”
He stoked the fire a few moments before he turned to me. “Asa told you not to come, why didn’t you listen to him?”
I snorted. “I’ve been trying to find you for weeks.”
“I know.”
I blinked. “What do you mean, you know?”
“I’ve seen you in the woods many times since our first encounter. Asa told you not to come here for a reason, Dean.”
I stared for a few minutes. “He said not to come because of the weather, he said nothing about shifters that were okay killing people.”
“Alistair has been dealt with; we’ve been hunting him for a few weeks now. It’s why myself or someone else has been watching you when you come here. I assumed you wouldn’t come up here in this weather.”
“I had to know before I left. Wait…how do you know Asa?”
His brows rose and I didn’t feel that tingle of warmth in my spine, nope.
“I’m not sure I should answer that, especially since it’s clear that Asa hasn’t told you himself.”
I blinked at him. He made it sound like Asa knew about him all along, but he’d never even mentioned knowing any of the shifters in the area personally.
Perhaps I hadn’t asked the right questions though; perhaps he knew but couldn’t tell me.
“He told me he knew shifters were here, but didn’t say he knew any personally.”
He smirked. “Asa and I are acquaintances, we don’t really talk a lot.”
I finally sat up, feeling awake enough now to do so. I was in the same undershirt but my flannel shirt and jacket were lying across a drying rack near the fireplace. My jeans were nowhere to be seen but I had a pair of black sweatpants on, clearly not mine. I could feel the bandages around my thigh.
“You said there was a bad cut, shouldn’t I be at the hospital?”
“It was bad but getting you to a hospital would have taken far longer. I brought you here and Willow came to patch you up. She’s a nurse in Vancouver.”
“She’s pack too?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Where are we?”
He stocked the fire once more and then turned to me. “We’re up near Mount Tantalus. This is my cabin and where I live. Your map doesn’t even come this
far, you were miles from where you should have been.”
“You brought me here, right?”
“Yes.”
It grew quiet, and while I was sitting up I really took in the rustic cabin. The floors were dark mahogany and ran throughout the whole room. There was a large rug in front of the fireplace that was light in color and was soft to the touch. A tan leather love seat was opposite the fireplace and had plenty of multicolored blankets on the back.
Behind me was a kitchen that was fairly small but fit the space well. I could faintly see a dresser and some shelves on the other side of the room but the love seat was blocking my view.
“You live here alone?”
He glanced at me. “Yes.”
“What’s over there?” I nodded toward the other side of the room.
“My bed, dresser and desk.”
“Log cabin in the woods, it’s awesome.”
He smiled. “Thank you. Are you hungry? I made a stew earlier.”
I hadn’t even realized I was until he mentioned it. “Starving. What time is it?”
“It’s after eleven at night. You were out for a while. Let me help you up and onto the sofa, then I’ll fix you a bowl.”
His grip was strong, and he did indeed help me to the sofa. I could see behind me now and the whole cabin had the same theme; other furniture was made from wood and had a rustic feel to it.
“These look homemade.”
He nodded as he ladled stew from a cast iron pot. “I made most of it. It’s a bit far to bring anything. I had someone airlift the couch and my mattress.”
“That’s impressive.”
He brought the bowl to me and had some for himself. It smelled delicious and after tasting it I could hear the moan.
“This is awesome, man.”
He didn’t reply but I heard a low hum and even a bit of a purr. We finished our late supper and he quickly cleaned up, placing the leftovers in the fridge.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have many sleeping options. I’m unsure how you’d feel about sharing a bed, but I will take the sofa if needed.”
“Nah man, this sofa is small and neither of us are short. I’m fine sharing if you are.”
He shrugged some. “I snore.”
I shrugged. “So do I.”
“I can arrange to get someone out here to get you back to town tomorrow. The pack and I agreed that tonight was too dangerous. Willow also wanted you to rest.”
I fiddled with my t-shirt. “What happened to the shifter that was chasing me?”
“He was handled.”
His tone was short and clipped, his voice even. “Killed?”
“Yes. He was a lone wolf that had been attacking people in and near Squamish for the last few weeks. It’s actually why you’ve been watched each weekend you’ve been out here. He was going after other shifters as well.”
I blinked. “He was?”
“Yes. He went after three that we know of and several non-shifters. It’s been kept quiet but we knew he had to go. He’s been avoiding us, so it’s fortunate that we were there today.
“Asa wasn’t meaning the weather when he said I shouldn’t come, was he?”
He shook his head. “No. I asked him to convince you to stay but when he contacted Garth he said you refused. I can explain more tomorrow but you need to rest.”
“Yeah.”
He situated the blankets and pillows and then came to the sofa.
“The bathroom is through this door; there is also a storage room back there.”
He and I both took turns in the bathroom before he helped me to the bed. It was soft and warm despite being farther from the fireplace.
“I’ll be up and down keeping the fire going. Don’t be alarmed.”
“No problem.”
Oil lamps had kept the room lit up in soft lights. Once I was laying down he moved around the room and turned them out one by one. The last one he turned out was the one beside the bed. It was cozy, but I couldn’t fall asleep.
“Dean?”
“I’m okay, resting. I just can’t fall asleep. It’s been getting worse the last few weeks.”
He hummed a bit. “I’d say that my wolf form would be good but then I can’t tend to the fire.”
“It’s alright, Castiel. I’ll drift off soon.”
I couldn’t see his head nod, but heard the hum of approval as I lay there quietly until my eyelids began to droop. I heard him once with the fire but otherwise once I got to sleep I stayed asleep.