Chapter 20.
A Dawn Too Late
Now that the lodge was a bustling hive of activity and planning, Virginia had calmed somewhat. Too calm, thought Evelyn, glancing at the girl as she sat staring into the room. She hoped the spirit journey had not addled the girls wits, although Shaman's accounting of what they had seen had been traumatising enough even for the listeners. Now, they had no shortage of willing helpers. The men of the community and the Shaman were pouring over several old maps, trying to pinpoint the old mission buildings. Shaman had recognized the area as being only a few hours from where they were now. Others were getting supplies together for the trip through the night, food, packs, tents in case they became stranded or lost. At least the moon was full tonight, giving plenty of light to see one's way by as they raced around getting things together.
There was a sudden commotion and excitement at the map table. The site had been found. It was indeed a very remote place, but still accessible by rough tracks. They would have to go a round-about way, but the men were confident of getting there at least by daybreak. The final plans were laid and Evelyn picked out a small company of reliable and open minded folk to come with them. She wholeheartedly believed that they would eventually come face to face with a being out of legend, and she wanted none of her folk to react poorly when that time came.
Presently she went to Virginia, rousing her from her dark thoughts.
"It's time to go, love. Everything is arranged" she said softly.
"I'm afraid, Evelyn, of what we might find. I don't think I could bear to see him like that again. And how can I look him in the eyes knowing that it was my people, people of my Kingdom, who have done this to him?" Virginia whispered back.
"I know, but we must go anyways. He needs our help and we cannot ignore that. I wonder, do you think he ever felt guilt over the way his people treated you?"
"Perhaps. But then he hasn't ever really thought of the 9 Kingdoms humans as 'his people', not after what they did to his family" she said, remembering the dream she had strayed into. Why would he recall something like that? He had told her that his memories of the events were gone, buried deep somewhere. She didn't think he would like it over much if he knew what she had seen. He guarded his innermost feelings most carefully, even from her.
Virginia nodded, rising finally. She paused once more, thinking.
"Evelyn, is it the full moon tonight?"
"Why yes it is. Why?"
Virginia smiled softly to herself, before explaining what she had so far omitted from her descriptions of Wolf. His moon-time changes. The extra strength, the violent tendencies, how his man-self submitted to his wolf-self, the memory lapses.
"You see, even if we do find him and free him, we must all tread very carefully or else you may end up meeting more of Wolf than you had planned" she said.
"And heaven help those priests should he find the means to turn on them" she added.
"I doubt whether heaven would help the likes of those" Evelyn muttered.
Swiftly the travellers piled into two old pickup trucks and with much revving on engines, drove off down the bumpy track into the night. After some hours they reached the main road again, turning north. Through the night they drove, in convoy. Virginia looked out the window, seeing the moon keeping time with the vehicles, flickering through the trees. It seemed to be urging her to hurry, hurry! Virginia felt so tense with fear and worry she was almost ill, sitting rigid and still between Shaman and Evelyn.
The sky was just turning pale when they turnd back off the main road and onto another overgrown track, heading deep into forested mountains. The men studied the map carefully and after another hour of slow progress and another turn off, the old mission buildings came finally into sight.
Virginia recognized the place at once and was all for leaping out and running straight into it, but she was restrained by a gentle hand on her arm.
"Careful now love. We do not know what is in there yet. We need to be calm" Shaman said to her.
Virginia forced herself to be still. She had trusted the old woman and now she was within reach of her Wolf. She would follow her lead. The small party got out of the trucks. The sun had just risen above the hill behind them. It was quiet, eerily quiet. They approached the main gates of the complex, seeing them open and swinging gently. They entered, their feet crunching the overgrown gravel in the courtyard, looking about for some sign of the inhabitants. The place seemed deserted. Spreading out through the grounds, the group investigated many small rooms and outbuildings, finding signs of hurried departures; uneaten meals, scattered books and clothing. They came finally to the abbey building, Shaman motioning for Virginia to wait outside whilst she went in the doors. Virginia stood shuffling her feet, when soon the Shaman returned, beckoning. She pushed through the doors, seeing at once that some calamity had occurred.
The hateful cage now lay on it's side, thrown with some force to judge by the scrape marks on the floor. The broken chair lay where she had seen it the night before, bits of chain strewn across the room. There was no sign of Wolf, of anyone. No Wolf! Gone! Too late! the words screamed through her mind. The floor where she was standing was sticky, she realised, seeing that she was in fact stepping in a half dried puddle of blood. She felt ill, faint, swaying as Evelyn came to her aid, holding her firm.
"Wolf! Wolf!" she shouted. Surely he would hear her, come running. Nothing. The silence crushed her. So close, so late.
"He's gone" said a dull voice, coming from a pale young man who had evidently been hiding behind the door when they had come in.
"Where? When? How?" Virginia shouted at him, looking every bit as ferocious as she felt.
"He broke out. Hours ago. Ran off. Don't know" the man said with effort. Virginia and the others could see that he was clearly in some kind of shock. He looked dazed, unfocussed.
"Who are you?" asked Shaman, not unkindly.
"I, I am called Frederick. Forgive me father..." he trailed off.
"What has happened here this night, boy?" Shaman continued, pressing.
"He hunted us down. He maimed us. Many have wounds, bite marks, gashes. One he frightened to the very death"
"You are not harmed" said Evelyn.
"No. I don't know why. He could have. I let him go, out the gates. He disappeared. Wolves went with him"
"Where are the rest of you?" Shaman asked.
"They have run, taking the injured back to the city, our dead brother too. I stayed. I don't know why"
The priest fainted away then, slumping to the floor. Two of Shaman's group went to him and carried him outside. Virginia ran back to the main gates, calling Wolf's name as she went, lifting up her arms so that her scent might travel to him. She even attempted her own little howl, knowing he would recognize it, puny though it was. Nothing. Not here. Gone. Why would he run so far? Surely he would have stayed close by, but then, he had no idea she was coming for him, did he? She heard footsteps behind her, turned to see Shaman standing, staring out into the trees. The old woman breathed deep, closing her eyes a moment.
"I feel he has run with the wolf-pack. He is far away. He is not himself, and yet he is" Shaman said cryptically.
"Well, then I must go after him, even if, even if..." Virginia spoke. Shaman looked at her.
"Even if, he does not know me, if what they have done has turned him against all humans" she added, faltering.
"I pray that this is not so, for your sake and the little one" Shaman said softly. But Shaman had seen far more than Virginia had inside the abbey. She was glad that she had had time to cover the black bag in the corner, hide it's evil contents from the girl. She stood up firmly, briskly calling the others together. One man she charged to take the priest back to the city in one of the trucks and thence return to the lodge to inform the rest of the clan what had happened. The rest quickly made up packs with tents, travelling food, spare clothes.
Virginia shouldered her pack, a sudden urgency to get moving filling her.
"We must get going. A wolf pack can travel many miles in a day and they already have a lead on us" said Evelyn, checking that all was made ready. They left in single file, the most experienced trackers going ahead. Soon, they found what they were looking for, a man's footprint, plain against the damp ground. All around it were the fainter tracks of wolf paws. Following the trail, the group disappeared into the sun dappled forest.