Kate walked in the battering sun for what surely had been hours. Except that big ball of fire had only just made it above the horizon, snaking across the endlessly blue sky at a snail's pace. There was no reprieve for miles other than an occasional tall, thorny plant called a cactus that did little to shade the overdressed wolf.
Never in her life had the she-wolf experienced heat such as this. Her body used to northern climate where summers very rarely this oven-like, nor this dry. Kate was convinced her saliva glands and tears ducts had all but shriveled up into tiny raisins at this point because her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth like sandpaper and every blink burned. Even though her fur had long since shed its winter coat, it didn't provide much relief.
In the distance, the landscape shimmered and rippled as if water resided there, but no matter how far she walked she never got any closer to it. It must be hallucinations caused by the early stages of heat stroke; she decided after a while. If that was the case, she was sure she'd be dead before the sun had set.
How disappointing, she thought. Having set out to find Humphrey and bring him home away from the dangers of the wilderness, only to die in it herself.
Kate thought about the city beside the airport and wondered if her chances would've been any better. They certainly would've had water and food she could've pilfered.
Water. Kate thought with a pained whine. Food.
Although her stomach had stopped complaining a while back, the emptiness inside her was a constant in her mind. Several times she had seen creatures scittering around the dusty earth. Creatures she had never seen before in Canada. However, when she attempted to hunt them they all proved to be armed with long claws as big as their bodies, or tails with poisonous stingers on the end, or one furry spider-like devil with gigantic, lethal fangs!
Yes, they may have been small but they were as much predators as she was and completely unafraid to take on something ten times its size.
Deciding to keep a respectable distance between her and them, she suffered with the hunger that was slowly beginning to kill her. Still, maybe succumbing to them would've been the better alternative. Certainly faster than this.
Now, she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen one of those arachnids.
After a while, the she-wolf was convinced she had already died some time ago, maybe on the plane somehow and now she was journeying through hell, being punished for her sins for abandoning her pack and Humphrey.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Humphrey. Lily. Garth. Mom. Dad. I'm so sorry."
She repeated this over and over until her apologies morphed into mindless garbles that she wasn't even aware she was speaking. Kate hadn't seen a single sign of civilization since she left the airport so she thought for sure it was another hallucination again when she spotted a red building sticking out from the flat, crusty ground like a blemish and surrounded by a carpet of green.
As the man-made structure came closer, Kate began to wonder if perhaps she had reached the end of hell, having been forgiven, and was heading towards heaven.
Her paws touched grass. Rough, dried, yellowish grass, but grass all the same and Kate gave a cry of relief. Behind a chipped, white fence, Kate saw more animals she didn't recognize, but thankfully they didn't look like walking weapons. In fact, they were the exact opposite. They looked like big, fluffy clouds that had fallen from the sky and grew legs.
They stared at her curiously for a few minutes, but decided she wasn't anything interesting before they lowered their heads to continue their grazing. If her saliva glands hadn't shut down, Kate knew her mouth would be watering at the sight of them. Clouds or not, she knew blood still ran under the surface. She could smell it!
Sinking into a crouch, the golden canine crawled underneath the fence, approaching the animals very slowly. She wished there was some foliage for cover, but it proved not to be necessary since the animals acted completely oblivious. A few watched her mildly, but none appeared fearful or wary. A couple walked away, deciding eventually they didn't want anything to do with her, but she didn't mind. Her eyes were only for the woolly white one that was facing away from her, clueless to its impending doom.
She just needed to get one really good bite in and let it die. If she missed, she had zero strength to fight or chase, whichever it chose to do.
Thankfully, the animal gave no reaction until her jaws were around its neck. It began screaming and crying, wriggling, and pulling but it had already lost. Its companions stared at her in alarm before they quickly fled to the other side of the field and continued to graze as if nothing had happened.
Kate laid there, barely having the strength to eat, but forcing herself to eat nonetheless. She wanted to feast on it like a rabid beast, the meat tasted so good! It was juicy, sweet, and soft both quenching her thirst and filling her barren belly. Bite after bite her body slowly regained some of its strength.
She was maybe halfway full when gunfire suddenly ripped the afternoon air and the ground exploded just inches away, flinging dirt into the air.
Turning, Kate saw a human wearing a straw hat, white shirt underneath brown stained suspenders cocking back a rifle and lifting it to plant a bullet into the body of the sheep she was feasting on. Knowing the next one wasn't going to miss should she continue sitting there staring like a deer caught in headlights, Kate jumped up and flung herself to the side when another bullet punctured the earth in the spot she was just lying in. The she-wolf ran as fast as her weak legs could carry her, which really wasn't much faster than she could before she arrived here.
Even after eating, she was far from being her strongest and if she went back into the wilderness again, she was not going to survive. So, after waiting for another round to fire and miss, Kate turned around and ran back in the direction of the barn and the farmer with the gun.
The rains had begun before Humphrey made it back to his den. It started off as a drizzle, barely even noticeable, then it morphed into a deluge. The young wolf could hardly see his own two paws in front of him past the sheets of water. Humphrey only remembered that the crevice in the cliff face was above a lake when he made it back and saw the indention he spent the night in was already halfway flooded.
The grey canine swore, completely forgetting he was supposed to look for another den after he had fetched dinner. Now, he wondered if he was going to find anything in the torrent.
The perfect spot under the beech tree once again flashed in Humphrey's mind. While getting caught in a hunters trap in the middle of this mess would be a death sentence, the thunder crackling and booming loudly overhead, causing the very earth to tremble and the air to smell of ozone, didn't give him a whole lot of room for options.
Humphrey backtracked, following the edge of the quickly rising lake so as not to get lost, most of the trails of scents he had left behind probably washed away by now. His paws sank into the mud, the earth unable to absorb the water faster than it was pouring down and puddling up quickly. It made it difficult, having to tug his legs out with a disgusting suction sound as if the earth itself wanted to swallow him whole.
There was no wildlife nearby and if there were there was no way for Humphrey to know. A constant hiss in his ears and deafening crashes making it impossible to hear and his nose filled with the scent of mud.
Another loud crack and his world turned white for a millisecond before the crackling and groan of a tree toppling over on its perch was heard mere feet from his position. Humphrey yelped, tail tucked tight against his belly as he tried his best to speed up.
It was a relief when he spotted the old beech tree between flashes of lightning, somehow avoiding any hidden trap that may have been placed around the area. He began to dig in a spot between the gnarly roots, the water flowing downhill around him, preventing it from puddling up where he dug. The wide trunk and long branches with its canopy of leaves shielded him from the worst of the storms assault. This truly was the perfect spot.
It took longer than he would've liked but he eventually managed to dig himself a large enough depression beneath the roots to fit his body into, had he done this earlier he would've been able to make it a little roomier, but at this point he was satisfied that it kept him warm and dry.
Burrowing into his crawl space, Humphrey curled up in as tight of a ball as possible and watched the wall of water in front of the entrance, his mind thinking back to the last time he got caught in a storm this bad.
He had been with Kate, which was probably the reason it hadn't been so terrifying as it was now. After saving her from a near fall into a flash flood and watching her worry over the possible dismemberment of his tail, they had bunkered down in a cavity beneath a root system similar to this, but made by nature rather than himself.
It had been a good night in his mind, actually, although he knew the sentiments probably weren't shared. Kate had been so distracted with worry for the pack that she failed to properly appreciate the perfection of the situation. Just him and her huddled together closely for warmth and dryness in a cramped space away from the dangers outside.
It had been the perfect opportunity to make a move, to maybe show her that good things can come from bad situations. . . but, he hadn't.
She had been so distraught and upset. There was no way he could've talked her into thinking about anything else. So, instead, he had held her, licked her fur dry, and assured her that everything was going to be fine until she finally fell asleep. He stayed awake for most of the night, both to watch out for any threats, but also just to watch her. She had been so peaceful, laying her head across his front paws, her beautiful eyes closed as each breath filled and left her. He was glad he had permanently seared that moment into his memories, having no idea at the time that would be one of the last times he would get to be with her.
With Kate's sleeping face still in the forefront of his mind, Humphrey closed his eyes and dreamed of licking water droplets off of golden fur.
Kate awoke several hours later to a blissfully silent night. The temperature having dropped several degrees now that the sun had decided to move on to the other side of the world.
Feeling fully rested and her stomach not too empty, Kate was confident enough to continue her journey. . . If only she could have some water. She was certain there had to be some somewhere around here if there were livestock.
Kate crawled out from where she was hidden beneath the farmers house, the skirting having a small tear from wear providing just enough space to slip through without being obvious where she had gone. It had worked though, having watched the farmers boots march around his house in search of her. At one point he had crouched to look beneath the house, but she must've been well hidden because he didn't fire. Instead, he disposed the body of the dead sheep then disappeared in the barn. After several hours he finally went back into the house dirty, sweaty, and tired and hasn't emerged again since. Not wanting to go back out to the blistering sun again, Kate decided to stay where she was where she'd eventually succumb to sleep. It hadn't been the smartest move on her part, considering this really wasn't the safest of places, but it helped pass the time.
What she hated the most though, was how much time she lost that could've been spent travelling. Hopefully she could make up for some of it now. Kate wondered, not for the first time, if she would've been better off staying home and waiting for the blasted train, but decided her goal would've been impossible to accomplish without some incident occurring. That just seemed to be how her luck was ever since being wolfnapped.
Still, those two so called 'friends' better hope they never catch up with her or they were becoming her thanksgiving turkey's!
Looking around the quiet and dark farmland, Kate concluded the humans must be asleep, gifting her the perfect opportunity to do some exploring. None of the cloud-like animals were out in the field anymore, but their scent still lingered heavily meaning they hadn't gone far.
Kate followed their smell, bringing her to the big red and white building. She considered the two large doors that separated her from the cattle before rising to her hind legs and propping her front paws against the wood, using her weight to slide it open. At least he hadn't thought to lock it.
Once inside, the alpha wolf entered into a large space where a massive, metal vehicle was parked on one side that vaguely reminded her of cars that humans drove, only with the two back wheels being twice the size of the front ones. And on the other side, stacks of hay, bags of feed, and an array of tools were stored. Further into the barn were rows of wooden stalls, and behind those stalls emanated the cattle stench and soft sounds of breathing.
Kate thought about hunting another sheep, having no idea when her next meal would be, but decided it wouldn't be the best idea to slaughter and eat the animal in front of its buddies while trapped in an enclosed space. Plus, its death screams would no doubt wake the farmer and she had no desire to hide under the house for another handful of hours assuming she could escape him a second time.
Shaking the idea from her mind, Kate continued forward, peeking curiously between the slats of one of the stalls and found more animals she did not recognize sleeping peacefully within. One reminded her of an antlerless elk with a long mane and tail and another looked like a furless, pink boar without the tusks. There were also some small goats and more of those Agnes creatures, what were they called? . . . Ah, right. Cows.
She wondered why the humans kept these animals locked up like this. What purpose did this serve them? She thought about her conversation with Agnes, Clarrisa, and Gladis but she couldn't recall them ever telling her their purpose for being shipped to Nevada nor did she ask. Were they a good food source for humans? Kate had never heard of an animal storing live prey like squirrels collecting nuts for the winter, but supposed it wasn't a bad plan. It would certainly keep the meat fresher for longer.
However, she didn't want to imagine being one of the unfortunate souls that had to await their turn to be eaten. Although, Agnes never seemed to worry about such things. In fact, she claimed to love the humans and said they had treated her with nothing but kindness. A concept Kate didn't have the imagination to envision herself.
The familiar scent of lactate drifted between the slats and she wondered if maybe the humans harvest the milk from the cows? Perhaps the other animals provided the humans with something useful as well? Kate supposed it was a win-win situation, receiving endless food and pamperment in exchange for something of theirs to produce in return. It wasn't Kate's cup of tea, but she certainly wouldn't fault the animals for taking the deal. They all appeared so much more healthy, plump, and carefree than one could ever get from living in the wild.
The golden wolf made her way back to the front of the barn and nosed around the bags of feed and oats, but was completely uninterested in trying them. Lo and behold, she did find a bucket of water stashed amongst the feed stock and immediately dipped her muzzle deep inside, lapping sloppily and greedily until her tongue was dragging along the bottom of the bucket.
"Are you a coyote?" A small voice whispered, startling Kate and almost causing her to knock into some farming tools hanging from a rack on the wall. No doubt, that would've woken the entire farm.
The she-wolf looked around her but didn't see the source of the voice. She studied the stalls where the animals were kept behind, noticing a wide, curious eye peeking through the crack between the wood panels.
"You look like a coyote although you're much bigger than what my mom described."
Remembering this was the stall she had seen that anterless elk, she realized it must've been a female and this here was her baby. Thankfully, mom remained asleep, immune to her child's noises.
Kate looked at the young foal who stared expectantly at her, awaiting the answer to his question, and pondered the wiseness of conversing with an unknown animals young after witnessing Humphrey make that same mistake with a bear during their journey through the mountain pass.
Deciding the risk wasn't worth satisfying her curiosity, Kate pretended like she didn't see the kid and proceeded to leave the barn.
"Hey, wait! Don't leave. Please? We never get visitors anymore."
"Will you be quiet?" Kate hissed under her breath. "You're going to wake your mom and I got a feeling she won't be too thrilled to see me."
"Why?" The foal cocked his head in confusion, his pointy ears flopping to the side. "Is it because you ate Uncle Harry?"
Kate's ears lowered guiltly as she thought of her white, fluffy dinner. "Uhm, that was your uncle?"
"Well, not by blood obviously, since he's a sheep and my parents are horses. He's just a really good friend of my dad's.
"Was he now." Kate frowned, never having received the back story to one of her meals before and her stomach roiled uncomfortably in response, Uncle Harry no longer sitting right with her. "Well, you can tell your dad that I'm sorry for his loss in the morning."
"Oh, don't worry, he never really liked Uncle Harry anyway. He was kind of a jerk to everyone. We just called him 'uncle' cause he grew up with dad." The foal explained, cheerfully.
"O-oh, I guess that's good?"
"Sure, but if you get hungry again, can you not eat Cousin Marcia? She tells really cool stories."
"Uhm, ok."
"Thanks, but you can eat my mom's nephew-in-law Roger! Now there's a real stinker. The farmer gave me a ball for my birthday last year and Roger popped it under his hoof!"
Kate awkwardly glanced towards the barn door, half expecting said farmer to come walking through them that second. "I'll keep that in mind, but I don't think I'll be staying here long enough to get hungry again."
"Really? Where are you going?" The inquisitive child asked, shoving his long white and brown muzzle through the slot.
"Wyoming."
"Wyoming? Never heard of it before. Now, I've been to Scottsdale Arizona where my mom did a horse show! She won second place, but I think she should've been first."
Kate chuckled. "I'm sure she was excellent."
"She was! The other horse was okay, I guess. I thought she was king of ugly but mom said that was mean of me to think."
"And she would be right." Kate replied with an amused smile as she sat in front of the stall.
"But mom also said I should be honest."
"True, but you can be both honest and nice."
The young horses face scrunched in consideration. "Sounds hard."
Kate laughed, softly. "It can be, but it makes you a more likable person."
"And I want to be likable?"
"Sure. Girls like a sweet guy."
"Ew, girls." The foal's nose wrinkled in distaste as he stuck out his tongue, making Kate laugh again.
"You think that now, but wait till you get older."
"Mom says the same thing." The foal rolled his dark eyes before staring at his hooves in deep thought. ". . . Can I be honest with you?"
"Of course."
"I think you're pretty for a coyote."
Kate grinned, heart fluttering at the compliment. "Well, thank you, but I'm actually not a coyote. I'm a wolf."
"A wolf? I've never heard of a wolf before."
"Wolves are like coyotes but bigger and smarter." Kate explained with a wink.
"Cool! So, ponies are like coyotes to horses." The foal announced, ears perking straight up.
"Are they?"
"Yeah, they look like horses but they're smaller and dumber. My brother calls me a pony because I'm younger than him. It makes me mad."
"That reminds me of a friend of mine who got called a coyote by a bigger wolf." Kate said as the memory came to mind.
The foals eyes widened. "What'd he do?"
"He changed the wolfs name from 'Garth' to 'Barf'." The foal burst into a fit of giggles at this to which Kate had to hastly shush him before he woke up anyone, although she was fighting back her own laughter with a paw pressed against her muzzle.
Finally, when the kid calmed himself, he said, "Barf. That's funny. Maybe I should come up with a funny nickname to give my brother."
"Sure, but don't say it when your mom's around or you'll get in trouble."
"You're right. I won't."
It was then Kate seemed to realize what she was doing and how much time had probably passed. Time too valuable to waste with idle chitchat with strangers. "Well, uhm, it's been fun talking to you, uh. . ."
"Kadence! But you can call me Kay. Almost everyone but mom does."
"Thank you for the conversation, Kay, but I really have to get going before it becomes daytime again." Kate got up and turned to leave.
"Wait, what's your name?" Kay rushed out in a loud whisper before she could get through the door.
The she-wolf paused, then decided there was no harm in sharing that bit of information with the young horse. "It's Kate."
"Kay sounds like Kate. That makes me like my name more!"
Kate's heart swelled with this innocent comment, the image of the perfect family returning to her mind. If she was ever lucky enough to have pups of her own, she hoped they were as bright and sweet at this young foal. "Well, thank you. That means a lot to me."
"You're not nearly as mean as everyone makes you out to be."
Not wishing for the kid to get into any more trouble with future canine encounters, Kate said, "Yes, while everyone has their bad apples, just keep in mind, Kay, wolves or other species for that matter are not all good either. Please, be careful."
The foal nodded, sensing the seriousness of her request. Before she could exit the barn, she heard him ask, "Will I ever see you again, Kate?"
"Maybe." She replied, but for both their sakes Kate hoped they never would. It surprised her how much that hurt her heart.
"I hope so. I also hope you make it to Wyoming."
"Me too."
"Goodbye, Kate."
"Goodbye, Kay."