Protector Wolf

“Really? That’s so exciting!” Maya really was impressed, wishing something similar had happened to her. She’d had to seek out every wild animal she’d seen herself without any miraculously appearing. “And did you let anyone know officially?” She thought she recalled a report on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife site, or WDFW, that could have been a description of what had happened to this woman but she wasn’t sure.

“Absolutely. I researched online what to do and filed a report there with Washington’s fish and wildlife department. Only—”

She stopped, and her face seemed to age visibly.

“Only what?” Maya prodded gently.

“Only the one thing I forgot was to grab my camera.” Tears rose in her eyes.

Maya couldn’t let her leave the stage feeling bad, so she said, “But you took a picture in your own mind, I’ll bet. Will you ever forget what they looked like?”

“No, never.” The lady smiled, and Maya gave her a brief hug, encouraging her to rejoin the rest of the audience.

Her presentation was pretty much over—at least for this day. “Thank you all so much for coming,” Maya said. “And just remember some of the takeaways I suggested to you. First, you should all be proud, as Washington residents, that wolves are returning to your state and this area, and should continue to as long as you treat them well. And second—keep up with what we’re doing at WHaM in our tracking of wildlife and otherwise. Provide reports to us, too, and photos if you happen to take any. But be sure to report, as Ivy did, to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and maybe the federal fish and wildlife department, as well. And if you care to make a contribution to help us keep WHaM going, that would be more than welcome. Just visit our website that’s on our flyers. I’ve got a boxful right here on the stage.”

“There’s something else you should all remember,” yelled a voice from the audience. Maya’s gaze lit first on the guy with the wolf-dog but he was scowling in concern. He hadn’t been the speaker.

“What’s that?” she asked, feeling as if she was setting herself up for some kind of bad situation.

She proved to be right. A couple of men and a woman separated themselves from the middle of the crowd and made their way onto the stage beside her. She felt her brows go up and a slight smile make its way to her lips, even as she continued to figure this wasn’t likely to be anything good.

One of the men, maybe her age of late twenties, wore a plaid shirt and a huge, snide grin. He put his hand out for the microphone. Reluctantly, she handed it to him.

“You all know me,” the guy said to the audience. He turned back to Maya. “But you don’t. My name’s Carlo Silling. I’ve lived in Fritts Corner all my life. This is my town, and those wolves getting close aren’t a sign of wonderful things to come, no matter what you and your wham-bammers seem to think. You don’t live here. You’re not subject to the danger that wild wolves can present to people, as well as any livestock they raise. They’re just that—wild animals. And I’d suggest you leave this stage, leave this town and let us take care of our own bad luck.”

* * *

Ryan felt himself freeze with tension as his hands curled into fists at his sides.

He’d been staring at that guy Silling as he’d come onstage, as well as the others who’d accompanied him. The malicious, menacing way they regarded the naturalist whose name he’d learned was Maya Everton made him want to rub those expressions right off their faces.

“I agree with Carlo,” the woman yelled to the crowd. “I’m Vinnie Fritts—and this is my husband, Morton.” She nodded toward the man in a yellow shirt beside her. “You all know us and how long we’ve been around Fritts Corner—Morton’s family especially. Who needs wild animals here to hurt people and ruin our wonderful town’s reputation?”

Ryan stood then and, grabbing Rocky’s leash from Piers, maneuvered from the front of the crowd and onto the stage.

Time to express their cover story.

“You’re all certainly entitled to your opinion,” Maya was saying. She had somehow retrieved her microphone and was glaring at the three interlopers. “But the reality is that if you stay away from wildlife, particularly wolves, they’re likely to stay away from you, too. You do need to be careful on behalf of your pets, though, since they can often resemble prey. And—”

The guy Carlo reached out and grabbed the microphone again, even as Maya attempted to hold on to it. “Yeah? Well, what if that lady Ivy happened to be in her backyard that night she saw those wolves? Or—”

This time, Ryan was the one to grab the microphone, even as the other guy, Morton, started to stride toward him.

That was when Rocky growled—and the guy stopped.

“See what I’m saying?” Carlo yelled out to the crowd.

Ryan smiled as he spoke into the microphone, not pleased to see those who’d admitted to be with the media continuing to take pictures. Oh, well. His cover was solid. “This is my dog, Rocky,” he said, “who only resembles a wolf. He’s well trained in many ways, including my protection. Threaten me, and he threatens back. But look, everyone. The appearances of wolves in this area clearly started months ago, even longer. I’m unaware of any farms or dairies around here. Have any people been hurt?”

That wolves had been seen, per Ivy’s story, around a month ago under the light of a full moon, intrigued him—but he’d check more into that later.

Maya strode up to him. She was as tall as she had appeared from below, though she wasn’t close to his height of six-two. He’d noted the fear and dismay on her face as he’d gotten close to the stage, but now she’d recovered all her aplomb as well as a huge smile that she leveled on him. “Thank you, sir,” she said. “And thank you, pup.” She turned toward Rocky, standing beside Ryan, who nuzzled her hand and wagged his tail just like any well-trained, friendly dog.

“That’s his way of saying you’re welcome,” he told her unnecessarily, loud enough that the audience should be able to hear. He was gratified to hear a bit of laughter.

“So, as this gentleman asked,” Maya continued, “has anyone been hurt since the wolf sightings started?”

Apparently not, since no one responded in the affirmative even though the low roar of the crowd’s voices grew louder.

“Great. Anyway, please keep in mind what I said before. And thanks to all of you for coming.”

“You’re welcome,” shouted a female voice. “Thank you for coming. And I totally agree with you.”

“Me, too,” chorused other voices in the audience.

“That’s so wonderful,” Maya called back. “You’re totally in the right.”

“So are you, and WHaM,” yelled a skinny guy in the front row, doing a fist pump.

“Thanks,” Maya returned, smiling down at him for a second before turning away.

Ryan was amused that Maya ignored the others onstage as she approached the table where her computer equipment rested. He joined her there, Rocky at his side.

“I’m Ryan Blaiddinger, with the US Fish and Wildlife Service,” he told her. “Count me with those who liked your presentation. And I want to hear more.”

“That’s great, Ryan,” she said. “Glad to meet you. You can join us.” She once more picked up the microphone from the table and spoke into it. “Hey, everyone,” she called to the now-disbanding audience. “I just got an idea. Can anyone suggest a bar in town where we all can meet?”

A bunch of people spoke out once more, this time making suggestions. The decision was to go to Berry’s Bar, a nearby establishment that sounded fairly large and accommodating.

“See you there?” Maya said, turning back to Ryan.

“You can bet on it. In fact, Rocky and I would enjoy walking there with you now.”

“Of course, though I need to drop some of my things off at my car. I want to learn more about your wonderful wolf-dog.” Her tone had turned soft and loving as she gazed down at Rocky—making Ryan wish for a moment that she’d been speaking about him instead. Which was ridiculous. She was a potential information resource for him, and that was all. And of course Rocky was one special dog.

“Good. Ready to go now?” Ryan glanced toward Piers, who stood near them. His assistant nodded briefly. He was ready to go—and to have Ryan’s back, if needed. Maybe Maya’s, too, since for now, at least, their goals seemed aligned.

“Just a minute while I gather up my stuff and turn this area back to the park personnel,” Maya told him. “Then I can join you.”

The idea of her joining him for any reason sounded much too good.

He was going to have to be careful in this lovely wildlife lover’s presence.

Chapter 2 (#ue3d16736-dda2-590d-85ee-109b922a7ca1)

Maya had encountered controversy before. She thought about that even more as she moved about the stage, first watching the local park attendants pick up their gear, then packing up her notebook and tablet computers, printed files, WHaM brochures and other items she’d brought.

The crowd below dissipated noisily, leaving the grass they’d been standing on bare, but she didn’t hear any arguments among them. Maybe the pro-wolf people and anti-wolf people had gone their separate ways. Good. She hoped to meet with a lot of the pros shortly. Maybe some of the media, too.