#61 - Nosy
"Michele, we need to talk."
Walter was seated at the kitchen table; unusual for five thirty in the afternoon. Normally he would have been making his afternoon rounds, checking post-op status in the clinic and surreptitiously double-checking the charts to make sure Cassie had given the afternoon meds. Not that he didn't trust her. It was just an old habit, and one he felt slightly guilty about…but not guilty enough to stop.
He sat in a beam of afternoon sunshine with a lone scrap of notebook paper in front of him on the table. Even though his tone was fairly serious, Michele had a doctor's point of view on seriousness; if no one was bleeding out and no one was panicking, things were still within control. So she took a moment to enjoy the dust motes dancing around his graying halo of hair before taking a seat at the table next to him.
He slid the sheet of notebook paper in front of her, but before she could even begin to read, he started explaining. "I wasn't snooping. Honest. I would never do that. But Cassie went with me on the feed-buy a couple of weeks ago, and I thought she might have stuck the receipts in her notebook. I found that when I was flipping through, and I just don't know what to make of it."
"Shh," Michele said, and began to read what her daughter had written.
The wolf was here before people. If we don't kill them off, the wolf will be here after we're gone.
I believe that.
The wolf is kind. She is a predator who has been forced to accept a new role as prey. Our prey. But still, the wolf is kind. She lends me her strength. She allows me to fight for us, and understands that while some of my kind would kill her, I will use her power to protect us both.
I believe that.
She's perfect. Her speed and endurance are astounding. Her mind is cunning and beautiful. Her instincts are sharp and simple, but also complex. Along with the need to kill is the desire to nurture. Family is important to her. She will kill and die without a moment's hesitation or regret, and that is beautiful too.
Wolf. Human. Human. Wolf.
Wolf like me.
Michele got to the end of the piece, re-read it, and leaned back, thoughtful. "What does it mean?" Walter asked anxiously. "I mean, it's weird, right? Should we be worried?"
Michele thought it over before sliding the paper back to her husband. He relaxed tremendously at the fact she had a slight smile on her lips. "Worried? No. It's strange, but it's also beautiful. Surely you see that."
Walter nodded slowly. "I thought so too. But the 'wolf like me' part…do you think she wants to be one? What is that about?"
"I'd say our daughter has done two things here. One, she's learned how to express her love and respect for the animals she cares for. Two, she's able to empathize with a so-called lower life form. I'd say that worrying is the last thing we should do." She broadened her smile. "Now put that back where you found it, Nosy Norman."