Chapter 83

Wolves in the hills

Sasha's first litter arrived right around the upcoming winter solstice.

There were five of them.

Born blind and deaf and virtually helpless, they were hardly more than fuzzy little balls with a pulse.

Hidden away in their den with Sasha, they spent much of their first four weeks nursing at Sasha's swollen teats and snuggling against her huge body to stay warm.

Meanwhile Golden Eyes her mate, with the help of Roger and Company, kept her fed and watched over her and her children.

With his being a first time father, he was nervous and played it safe by strictly controlling who had access to the pups.

He watched anxiously as the pups were weighed, measured and photographed by the large animal veterinarian from the Portland zoo.

The veterinarian in turn being a Zoologist, took copious notes in her observations of the growth rates and changes in the pups as they grew.

After all, this was the first time any zoologist had ever observed the growth rates of a Jotun Great Guardian Wolf litter.

Conveniently their 'den' was inside a closet tucked underneath a staircase inside the house that led into the copious basement.

The external entrance to the basement that was behind the house also had a giant wolf friendly doorway added to it.

To keep out unwanted visitors, it would only open for the wolvies who had microchips planted in their ears to allow them access.

When Sasha had chosen that closet to be her den, Roger had quickly relocated the items stored in there and installed a heated floormat hidden beneath a large kiddie pool intended to catch any leakages.

To accustom the pups to people, Roger, Freya, Warren Johnson and Anita Larsen. became quite adept at bottle feeding hungry, wriggling pups.

While Roger and Freya fed them all impartially, Warren and Anita soon acquired their personal favorites.

Warren preferred to feed a little female he named Astrid, while Anita doted on a young male she named Axel.

Freya had merely rolled her eyes at this while Dena muttered, "They'll bond fur life if thes goes oan much langer."

The remaining three pups were destined to be sent north to Canada and waiting Jotun families.

With the spring thaw and the awakening of the land from winter's long nap.

Five fluffy wolf pups emerged from the den and began exploring their world under the close supervision of their watchful parents and their many 'aunts' and 'uncles', both two and four legged and in some cases, winged.

In their blue eyed innocence, they could blunder into a nasty surprise before they sensed any danger and so, the adults kept an eye out for any danger.

While their enormous parents and the others did their best in keeping any boggarts or night gaunts under control, there was always that slim chance one could slip through and steal an unwary pup or inattentive human.

Roger himself had recently witnessed a boggart being driven off by Golden Eyes, Sasha's huge mate.

He had attacked it before it could pounce on one of Dena's grandchildren.

The fur really flew that day and that particular boggart has not been seen since, to Dena's great relief.

The battle had cost one of Freya's garden plots dearly and when one of the more inquisitive neighbors asked about it, she was told that a blight had gotten among the bulbs planted there and they had to be removed and destroyed, lest it spread any further.

She seemed to accept the story and said no more about it.

The poor woman had no idea she had a tiny sprite child perched on her straw hat making funny faces at Freya the whole time she was explaining the damage to the garden plot.

The child did not go unpunished for her impish deed, Roger banned her from getting any chocolate morsels for a couple of days after that.

He also made sure Silky knew about her little stunt and the extent of her punishment.

By the time school let out for the summer, the pups had been weaned and were now eating adult food and visiting the neighbors with their parents.

The neighbors enjoyed seeing the seven of them walking along with Roger, Freya, Warren and Anita and at times, Dena.

They were also learning to howl and the neighbors could hear them almost nightly serenading the stars above.

To Roger's amazement, no one had complained either about the growing wolf pack or the almost nightly canid chorale.

The neighborhood acquired the nick name of 'Wolf Hills' as a result.

Words and images of the pups spread on social media and several animal rights groups demanded access to them, claiming their rights were being restricted.

When one activist attempted to lure a curious pup into her SUV she found herself being confronted by an eight foot tall Jotun maiden, a two foot tall wood elf and a highly pissed off Anita Larsen.

The pup in question being Anita's personal favorite, a young male fuzz ball she'd named Axel.

While Anita was a tiny, five foot tall, 90 pound, very petite girl.

She was a spitfire when angry, and in the right.

The woman escaped with a bad scare and a severe dressing down by a 13 year old girl.

She would remember her encounter with an angry wolf 'parent' for the rest of her life.

Roger, when told of the incident, remarked, "She's lucky Silky didn't catch her in the act, that house spirit doesn't play when it comes to this house and its family."

By early summer Astrid had bonded with Warren and was now staying with him in his small cottage behind the Karloff library.

Likewise, Axel had bonded with Anita and he stayed with her in her own room at the house.

The remaining three pups, now fully weaned and ready for adoption were being readied for their move up to Canada in late June, which would roughly coincide with Freya's 14th birthday.

The trip was to be a fairly brief one, they would fly up to Canada, land at Ape lake deliver the pups, spend the weekend with her family and return in time for the upcoming midsummer's Renaissance Faire known as Canterbury Shire.

To Roger's surprise, a Grumman Albatross became available for the flight.

The owner Robert Williams, offered to take them up to Canada in return for them showing him where the good fishing spots were along the rocky shores of Ape lake.

A fair sized aircraft in its own right, it was smaller than the massive Martin Mariner in that it would not allow Freya to stand up straight at nearly eight feet tall.

It had the advantage of being cheaper to fly and it was plenty large enough to accommodate three growing wolf pups, seven humans and their camping gear.

Ildico and her long time boyfriend, Phillip Thorsen agreed to go in a passenger capacity.

They were also quite familiar with the pups and could entertain them to keep them calm.

Although the zoo veterinarian had given Roger some pills to put in their food to help calm them, the presence of familiar humans would also help.

Robert and his family were going to go fishing up in Canada for a long week end to see how taking the Grumman Albatross would work out, with the idea of using it to access some of the remoter lakes.

He had gotten the idea from hearing about Roger and Freya's trips to Canadian lakes to visit her kinfolk.

His reasoning being, the smaller Grumman could land on some of the smaller lakes inaccessible to the heavier Martin Mariner, cheerfully dubbed "Moby Dick".

Roger, naturally leapt at the opportunity to save wear and tear on Moby Dick, and the cost of the expensive fuel.

Although, he did throw some money into the kitty to help defray expenses, and Robert happily accepted the cash.

Roger and Freya said their good byes to everyone at the house, coaxed the pups into his van and off they went to the airport.

On the way, Freya called her mom on the satellite phone he had given her.

There was no answer so she left a brief message.

"Mom, We're leavin' noo an' shoods be thaur aroon mid day. We'll nae be in Moby Dick as we've got a ride in another airplane. Ah'll see yer then!"

Arriving a bit early, they loaded their few things onto a cargo cart and trundled it over to the Grumman Albatross.

Among the items Roger included was his well traveled firkin ale cask.

It had run dry recently and required refilling.

What better opportunity to get a cask of Jotun ale than during a quick trip to Canada?

Ildico and her boyfriend Phillip pulled up nearby and he got out with a smile on his face.

He laughed and said, "I never thought I'd be flying up to Canada in one of these."

He grinned, "The singer Jimmy Buffet had one of these, he called it 'The Hemisphere Dancer' and used it to travel all around the Caribbean."

He chuckled, "He finally retired it after some island authorities thought it was being used to smuggle drugs. A shame really, these things are the SUV's of aviation."

Robert grinned at him and extended his hand, "Robert Williams, and you are?"

Phillip grinned at him and shook his hand while replying, "Phillip Thorsen, pleasure to meet you."

He looked over at the gleaming blue Albatross and asked, "Is this your bird?"

Robert grinned at him, "Yep! I've worked long and hard to get one of these and now we're gonna take it up to Canada to catch some fish."

"So you think of these as like an SUV?" asked Robert.

"Sure do, especially the amphibious versions." replied Phillip.

He said "My grandparents took their honeymoon aboard a Boeing 314 to Hawaii and talked about it for the remainder of their lives."

He grinned, "This'll be my first time on a sea plane and I've been looking forward to it."

Robert laughed and said cheerfully, "Well, welcome aboard Williams airways, mind your step!"

Ildico 'ahemmed' and said amiably, "Where do I put our things?"

Robert smiled and said, "Just take them inside, my daughter'll show you where to put your things."

Phillip joined Ildico and they carried their things into the waiting Albatross.

Robert smiled at Roger and Freya as they approached with the huge pups in tow and their things on a cargo cart.

He grinned and said, "Good morning. Are these the pups you mentioned? Jeez, they're huge!"

Roger grinned back and replied, "Yep, they're the ones...We'll be giving them a little something to make them sleepy for the flight."

"Good, a sleeping pup is a good thing."

Robert spotted the firkin cask and chuckled, "Afraid they won't have any beer up there?"

Roger grinned, "Just getting it refilled while we're there, no sense in makin' two trips just to quench a thirst."

Robert smiled and asked, "So they brew their own beer up there, then?"

Freya smiled and said, "Me great ooncle Harald es th' brewmaster at uir village, he gies Roger a firkinful e'ery time we visit."

"A firkin being...?" asked Robert.

"A firkin is one fourth of a barrel or nine imperial gallons. The jotuns still use the old imperial units of measure to measure liquids, their idea of a pint is 20 fluid ounces, not that weakling 16 ounces we use." replied Roger with a grin.

"Ah, okay...Well, find a place for it and we'll be taking off fairly soon."

With the plane all loaded up and everyone in their seats, Robert sat in the pilot's seat while his charming wife Valerie sat in the co-pilot's seat.

Their 16 year old daughter sat at the navigator's seat and studied the GPS and weather monitor.

She called out, "The weather looks good clear up past British Columbia, should be a smooth flight."

Robert grinned at his daughter and moments later, the left engine started cranking over.

It soon caught and began coughing to clear its throat as the rest of its nine cylinders began contributing to the noise.

Minutes later the right engine had joined the chorus and began warming up before the flight.

Freya smiled at Roger and commented, "Et seems a wee bit strange tae be sittin' as a passenger when a plane loch thes is startin' up."

Robert's daughter Patricia grinned at Freya and said brightly, "That's right, you're used to sitting in the co-pilot's seat. Well, now you get to look out the windows and enjoy the view!"

Freya grinned and replied, "Thes is th' plane Ah qualified fer me multiple engine ratin' in...Ay coorse Ah was shorter then."

Patricia laughed and pointed out the window at the bulky Martin Mariner sitting out side its hangar before saying, "No worries, you've got that big one out there to fly now!"

A few minutes later and they were airborne and flying north.

The pups were curled up in their harnesses and fast asleep, the sedatives the vet had given Roger had worked its magic.

They would sleep until they arrived, to the relief of everyone concerned.

Ildico and Phillip mostly sat quietly looking out the windows at the ground below and pointing out features they recognized from the air.

Roger and Freya simply napped, they had flown over this route many times now and there were few surprises left to see.

It was the changing of the engine speed that roused them from their nap.

Instinctively buckling up, Roger looked out the window beside saw that per his advice Robert was lining up the Grumman Albatross with the peak of Ape mountain a bit to the left of center.

As the final approach was being made, Phillip was heard to say teasingly, "This is my first time landing on water...Be gentle!"

Roger smiled as Freya took his hand and held it all the way down.

Robert eased the blue Albatross onto the lake's placid surface and the plane slowed rapidly, the drag from the water really scrubbing off their speed.

Bringing the plane about, Robert taxiied it up to the wooden dock and shut off the engines.

Gathered near the terminus of the dock was an assemblage of humans, Jotuns, wolves and doggies.

Freya laughed and said gaily, "Ah see th' Swensons ur haur gang campin'."

Roger looked and he too could see Hilde Swenson talking to Freya's aunt Barbara while her brother Chris was talking to Freya's brother Leif and another young Jotun girl.

Sigurd, her father loomed nearby as he watched the gleaming blue Albatross approaching the dock.

The giant wolves and doggies just sort of lounged about while the two legged folk gabbed at each other.

Roger muttered, "I see a big kiss in my near future...Oh joy."

Leif stepped onto the rough looking dock and caught the mooring line Robert tossed to him.

Pulling the line gently, he eased the Albatross against the bumper cushions on the dock and made the line fast.

With the airplane secured, the doors were opened and everyone piled out.

Including the sleepy eyed pups who looked around in confusion and tried to make sense of all the new scents adrift in the mountain air.

When Sigurd came up to them to greet Freya, Ildico started laughing in amazement and said gaily, "Sorry Freya, you are no longer the tallest person I've ever seen!"

Freya grinned at her and replied cheerfully, "Wait'll ye meit me cousin, Harald th' tall!"

Sigurd smiled at Ildico, "Hello," he rumbled "Ah'm Freya's faither Sigurd, pleased tae meit yer."

Ildico shook hands with him and marveled at his baseball mitt sized hand while replying, "Ildico Swensen, Freya and I are neighbors, pleasure to meet you."

Turning slightly, she indicated towards Phillip, "Phillip Thorsen, my boyfriend."

Phillip also shook hands with Freya's massive father who smiled and remarked, "Yoo're taller than most ay th' wee fowk Ah've mit, Ah nam ye Phillip, the tall."

Phillip grinned at Sigurd and replied, "Hah! Compared to you, I'm just a shrimpie, hell, all of us are!"

Roger chuckled and said cheerfully, "Forget it Phillip, Sigurd just gave you the name you will be known by up here. Jotuns like to give nick names to people that stand out a bit. You're likely the tallest human he's seen, hence the 'Phillip the Tall' moniker."

Roger turned towards Robert and his family and said, "Sigurd, I'd like you to meet Robert, Valerie and Patricia Williams. Robert taught Freya how to fly and this is the plane she earned her multiple engine ratings in."

Sigurd smiled at the Williams family who smiled back at him, "It be me great pleasure tae meit yer Robert, an' me thanks fer teachin' Freya hoo tae fly."

Robert grinned at Sigurd and replied, "You're welcome and it was my great pleasure to teach her. She was, is, one of my better students and yes, I have a picture of her up on my office wall."

Sigurd smiled at that and asked, "Sae whit brings yoo aw oop tae Canada?"

Robert smiled and replied, "To tell you the truth, I had heard from Roger and Freya about this lake and wanted to see it for myself. Bringing the wolf pups up here was really the excuse I needed, that and the fishing, which I hear is pretty good."

"Aye, th' fishin' is verra guid, we cam doon haur tae get uir fish regularly. Me yoongest son is doon haur visitin' hees wee fowk friends while they gae campin' an' fishin'. Ah cam tae meit me yoongest bairn and fetch th' pups afore gang back haem."

At that Sigurd gestured and Robert saw Roger with the pups in tow, greeting an enormous, dark furred male wolf.

The pony sized wolf was the alpha and grandfather to the pups.

Sigurd rumbled, "Th' pups ur meitin' their grandfaither, an' he will teach them hoo tae be guardian wolves afore they meit their families."

Robert looked up at Sigurd and asked, "Their families?"

"Aye, their families, th' families they wull bond wi' an' protect."

"Ah, okay."

Robert looked around and asked, "Where can we put up our tents and things?"

Sigurd shrugged and replied,"Reit near th' dock wull be fine. The Swensons ur awreddy set up an' some ay uir wolvies wull be stayin' close by tae keep onie bears away."

"Will the bears be any trouble?"

"Nae trooble frae th' bears sae lang as uir wolvies ur nearby. Me son Leif an' hees friend wull be stayin' doon haur wi' hees wolvies fer a few days while yoo're aw fishin' an' campin'."

"That's good to hear."

Robert turned away and went to his family saying, "We can pitch our tents pretty much any where...Let's find a spot and get started."

Sigurd whistled loudly and as Freya came up to him, he said, "Ah'm headin' back haem noo."

Freya nodded and she got Roger's attention by calling out, "Roger, we're gang up tae th' village, cam alang noo!"

Roger gave her a thumb's up to signify he he'd heard her and took up his back pack.

Ildico and Phillip took up theirs and joined the little procession of large people and their large wolves.

Ildico called out, "How far is it to the village?"

Sigurd smiled and replied, "'Tis nae far, abit a twa hour walk frae haur, 'at way."

Ildico and Phillip looked in the direction he was pointing and Phillip exclaimed, "Woah, we're climbing that mountain?"

Roger chuckled and commented drily, "Sigurd's having a little fun with you two. We're only climbing about half way up then we're going between the peaks and into a dell, where their village is."

Phillip chuckled and remarked, "Sure had me fooled."

Roger grinned, "You get used to it fairly quickly. It's really amazing to watch a group of jotuns carrying heavy things as if they were nothing to them."

Roger looked back at Freya's aunt Barbara, for once she was fairly sedate and had not scooped him up and planted a big smooch on him.

She had said hello but had not glommed onto him, something he wasn't used to.

She smiled at him and as if she had read his mind, remarked,"Me loover an' Ah ur noo betrothed, nae maur playin' wi' ye loch Ah did afore."

Roger smiled and said, "That's very good news indeed. My congratulations to you both. He's a good man, I like him."

Freya merely squeezed his hand as they walked, she greatly approved of her aunt's good news.

Roger asked her, "Did you know of this?"

"Aye, Ah did, me mom sent me a letter aboot it twa weeks ago."

"And you were planning on telling me about it when?"

"Sorry, wi' aw th' plannin' fur th' trip an' chasin' efter pups, Ah plum forgot."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "Hey now, don't be getting soft in the head on me now, that's my trick!"

"Sorry Barbara, I'll get you guys a wedding present later on."

Barbara smiled and replied, "Nae warries, uir weddin' won't be fur another few months, ye can 'hink ay somethin' by then"