"He is adorable," cooed Vanessa, moving forward to pet the beast. But the wolf leapt to its feet and took off out of the tent at a run.
"Uh, we had better get going," Frank said, a phony smile plastered on his face as he grabbed Joe's upper arm. He had noticed the look on Marlowe's face as well as the shocked expressions of Sully and another young man in the tent and knew the wolf's reaction to Joe was not natural.
"No!" thundered Marlowe anxiously. "No," he said again a softer voice. "Please stay. You can see behind the scenes, so to speak," he offered as an enticement to retain them. "Surely, you didn't believe what you saw. Allow me to show you how we accomplished our transformations."
"Thanks for the offer, but we have plans," Frank refused the offer firmly. He pulled Joe from the tent leaving the girls to catch up on their own.
"Dad, that was the wild wolf that has been attacking our pigs," said the young man from the corner of the tent. His green eyes were still filled with amazement as he approached Marlowe.
"I know," Marlowe said. He turned to Sully. "Follow him," he ordered. "Find out everything you can about that boy."
"Thanks for waiting for us," Callie declared in a voice drowning in sarcasm as they reached the car where Frank was whispering to Joe.
Frank spun around. In his haste to get his brother out of a possibly threatening situation he had completely forgotten about the girls. "I'm sorry," he apologized as his cheeks turned pink beneath his tan.
"Why did you two take off so fast?" demanded Callie, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at Frank.
"It was because of that Marlowe guy, wasn't it?" asked Vanessa, looking at the boys curiously.
"What?" Callie asked, confused.
"Didn't you see the way he looked at Joe when his pet rolled over on its back and let Joe pet him?" Vanessa asked. "He probably thought Joe would make a good addition to his circus of oddities. Wolf-boy or something like that," she added disdainfully.
Callie burst out laughing. "Raised by wolves, young Joseph is their chosen leader or some such rot," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "I can see that. Put Joe in a Tarzan suit and he could probably pull it off."
"Very funny," Joe replied in a droll voice. "Can we go now?" he asked. "I'm hungry."
"I hope we brought enough," Callie declared. "Here lately you could eat Chet under the table."
Joe blushed but didn't comment as he opened the rear door for Vanessa. Callie was right. Since his disease had begun, and that is how he had come to view it, his appetite had increased dramatically.
The group left the sideshow's parking area and continued their drive. Forty minutes later, Callie entered a state park and pulled to a stop. "Want to eat down here and then hike to the top to see the cascades or go up and eat while we view?" asked Callie.
Joe's stomach chose that moment to growl. "Down here it is," Callie said without missing a beat as she turned around and grinned at Joe.
After a leisurely meal the girls excused themselves to go to the public restrooms near the entrance before their hike. Joe sat up stiffly after the girls left and listened.
"What's..."
"Shh!" Joe hissed, cutting Frank's question short. Joe turned his head and sniffed. Nothing unfamiliar. His shoulders relaxed and he leaned back down to the quilt they had dined on.
"What was it?" demanded Frank.
"I could have sworn I heard someone breathing," Joe replied, unaware of how odd that sounded.
"Breathing?" Frank repeated questioningly.
Joe looked at his brother and gave a self-conscious smile. "Yeah," he admitted. "My senses are kind of heightened this close to the full moon," he explained. "I've noticed they get stronger days before the full moon and start to weaken after my transformation is over."
"How can you tell?" asked Frank. "You've only transformed once...well, by the moon anyway."
Joe told Frank about his heightened sense of smell after being scratched by the wolf in Mayhew's lab and how his senses and appetite grew the closer it got to a new moon. Then he told Frank that the weeks after his transformation weren't as bad but now he was starting to get overly sensitive again.
"Sounds logical," commented Frank. "You really think there's someone else out here? It looks deserted."
"I know," agreed Joe. "But even if there is someone else about it's no reason for me to go off the deep end. This is public place."
"You're still spooked, though," observed Frank.
"Something just doesn't feel right," Joe said, frowning.
"The wolf thing?"
"No," Joe denied, lying back and tucking his hands behind his head. "Just the same old tingling I always feel when I feel like I'm being watched." He paused for a minute before continuing. "Why did that critter do that?"
"Dogs act that way," Frank reminded him. "Why not tame wolves?"
"Dogs do it for their masters," Joe clarified. "But I can't even see a wolf doing it for its owner."
"Maybe the wolf recognized you," Frank hypothesized. "Maybe it sensed you are a powerful wolf."
"Great!" groaned Joe. "Even animals know I'm a werewolf!" he groaned way too loudly.
"Shh!" hissed Frank. "Keep it down."
The boys fell silent as the lone observer left the area, keeping upwind until he located a quiet place almost a mile away from where the boys were. "Boss, I think he's a real werewolf," Sully informed Marlowe when he answered. "Even his friend believes the kid's a werewolf so it can't be just lycanthropy."
"That would explain the wolf's reaction to him," Marlowe said. "Keep following him," he ordered. "Find out where he lives. We have to have him!"
"Uh, we had better get going," Frank said, a phony smile plastered on his face as he grabbed Joe's upper arm. He had noticed the look on Marlowe's face as well as the shocked expressions of Sully and another young man in the tent and knew the wolf's reaction to Joe was not natural.
"No!" thundered Marlowe anxiously. "No," he said again a softer voice. "Please stay. You can see behind the scenes, so to speak," he offered as an enticement to retain them. "Surely, you didn't believe what you saw. Allow me to show you how we accomplished our transformations."
"Thanks for the offer, but we have plans," Frank refused the offer firmly. He pulled Joe from the tent leaving the girls to catch up on their own.
"Dad, that was the wild wolf that has been attacking our pigs," said the young man from the corner of the tent. His green eyes were still filled with amazement as he approached Marlowe.
"I know," Marlowe said. He turned to Sully. "Follow him," he ordered. "Find out everything you can about that boy."
"Thanks for waiting for us," Callie declared in a voice drowning in sarcasm as they reached the car where Frank was whispering to Joe.
Frank spun around. In his haste to get his brother out of a possibly threatening situation he had completely forgotten about the girls. "I'm sorry," he apologized as his cheeks turned pink beneath his tan.
"Why did you two take off so fast?" demanded Callie, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at Frank.
"It was because of that Marlowe guy, wasn't it?" asked Vanessa, looking at the boys curiously.
"What?" Callie asked, confused.
"Didn't you see the way he looked at Joe when his pet rolled over on its back and let Joe pet him?" Vanessa asked. "He probably thought Joe would make a good addition to his circus of oddities. Wolf-boy or something like that," she added disdainfully.
Callie burst out laughing. "Raised by wolves, young Joseph is their chosen leader or some such rot," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "I can see that. Put Joe in a Tarzan suit and he could probably pull it off."
"Very funny," Joe replied in a droll voice. "Can we go now?" he asked. "I'm hungry."
"I hope we brought enough," Callie declared. "Here lately you could eat Chet under the table."
Joe blushed but didn't comment as he opened the rear door for Vanessa. Callie was right. Since his disease had begun, and that is how he had come to view it, his appetite had increased dramatically.
The group left the sideshow's parking area and continued their drive. Forty minutes later, Callie entered a state park and pulled to a stop. "Want to eat down here and then hike to the top to see the cascades or go up and eat while we view?" asked Callie.
Joe's stomach chose that moment to growl. "Down here it is," Callie said without missing a beat as she turned around and grinned at Joe.
After a leisurely meal the girls excused themselves to go to the public restrooms near the entrance before their hike. Joe sat up stiffly after the girls left and listened.
"What's..."
"Shh!" Joe hissed, cutting Frank's question short. Joe turned his head and sniffed. Nothing unfamiliar. His shoulders relaxed and he leaned back down to the quilt they had dined on.
"What was it?" demanded Frank.
"I could have sworn I heard someone breathing," Joe replied, unaware of how odd that sounded.
"Breathing?" Frank repeated questioningly.
Joe looked at his brother and gave a self-conscious smile. "Yeah," he admitted. "My senses are kind of heightened this close to the full moon," he explained. "I've noticed they get stronger days before the full moon and start to weaken after my transformation is over."
"How can you tell?" asked Frank. "You've only transformed once...well, by the moon anyway."
Joe told Frank about his heightened sense of smell after being scratched by the wolf in Mayhew's lab and how his senses and appetite grew the closer it got to a new moon. Then he told Frank that the weeks after his transformation weren't as bad but now he was starting to get overly sensitive again.
"Sounds logical," commented Frank. "You really think there's someone else out here? It looks deserted."
"I know," agreed Joe. "But even if there is someone else about it's no reason for me to go off the deep end. This is public place."
"You're still spooked, though," observed Frank.
"Something just doesn't feel right," Joe said, frowning.
"The wolf thing?"
"No," Joe denied, lying back and tucking his hands behind his head. "Just the same old tingling I always feel when I feel like I'm being watched." He paused for a minute before continuing. "Why did that critter do that?"
"Dogs act that way," Frank reminded him. "Why not tame wolves?"
"Dogs do it for their masters," Joe clarified. "But I can't even see a wolf doing it for its owner."
"Maybe the wolf recognized you," Frank hypothesized. "Maybe it sensed you are a powerful wolf."
"Great!" groaned Joe. "Even animals know I'm a werewolf!" he groaned way too loudly.
"Shh!" hissed Frank. "Keep it down."
The boys fell silent as the lone observer left the area, keeping upwind until he located a quiet place almost a mile away from where the boys were. "Boss, I think he's a real werewolf," Sully informed Marlowe when he answered. "Even his friend believes the kid's a werewolf so it can't be just lycanthropy."
"That would explain the wolf's reaction to him," Marlowe said. "Keep following him," he ordered. "Find out where he lives. We have to have him!"