Goldilocks (7 page)

“It’s none of your concern!” Rone barely brought his roar in check, his eyes snapping to his wife’s when she grabbed their son’s hand to calm him.

“I am keeper of these woods too. There are three of us, not one.”

“
And you’re still my son above anything else,” Rone’s tone softened, but his words were firm. “I already worry enough, please don’t fight me on this.”

“You said the wolves are
getting bigger…stronger,” Jake pressed, his eyes pleading as they met his mother’s. “Let me help!”

“NO!”
Rone growled out, his fist slamming down onto the table with finality.

Jake’s mouth snapped closed, his
eyes lowering against the livid stare his father directed at him. He knew when to be silent, and now was one of those times. Even his mother knew not to speak, her head bowed as Rone exhaled on a heavy breath.

“In just a few short months
, when your grow cycle is complete, I’ll no longer have to worry about your mortality, but until then, once school starts, night watch only and it’ll be with me.”

“And when it becomes t
oo much for either of you?” Marigold’s words were soft, her eyes lifting to meet her husband’s, a blocked thought passing between the two of them.

Jake bit his lower lip to keep from comment
ing, his anger barely contained at his father’s unwillingness to listen to him.

“I’ll deal
with it when the time comes,” Rone finally said, the subject closed for now.

Jake snuck a look as his mother, heeding the warning in her amber colored eyes. His father had always been stubborn, but the closer Jake got to his eighteenth year
, his stubbornness had turned to downright anger it seemed. Sooner or later, he’d have no choice but to treat his son like the man that he was already, Jake just hoped it was sooner rather than later.

Chapter 7:

Hannah accepted the kiss her father planted on her forehead with a smile. It had become a ritual in their morning goodbyes, and in two more days, she’d be leaving with him to start her senior year at Lake City High. The last two weeks in the cabin together had certainly brought them closer, and he was trying hard to make her happy. Last night he’d surprised her by bringing home a small generator and power strips for their appliances. Once he’d gotten it up and running, she’d immediately plugged in her Ipod and phone, but once they were charging she realized that she hadn’t missed the electronics as much as she thought she had.

The tiny white Christmas lights, now strung around the ceiling of her bedroom is what had brought tears to her eyes. Shadowed by the rouge colored curtains that arrived on the moving truck almost a week late, her room now had a soft pink glow to it, reminding her of the room she’d had back home.
Her queen sized bed had barely fit, taking up more than half the space, her clothes hanging on pegs her father had thoughtfully nailed into one wall, designating it ‘an open closet’. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.

Hannah selected a running outfit easily enough, waiting until she’d heard ‘Big Red’ pull off before she stuck her head out into the already warm summer air. It was barely after sunrise, but today was the day that she was going to try and run all the way to the base without stopping, and she wanted all the daylight that she could have.
Two weeks of training every day and her body felt more alive than it ever had during cross country season. The old miner’s trail had proven to be more difficult than anything she’d ever run before, the higher elevation and steep climb strengthening her thigh and calf muscles to perfected tightness.

She stretched, like she always did, jogging a slow lap all the way around the cabin before heading up into the woods, her pack hooked around her waist. Even breaths, she reminded herself even though it wasn’t necessary, the steady rhythm of her cross trai
ners muted against the still damp soil underfoot. The squirrels and birds living in these woods seem to expect her now, chattering overhead but remaining on their perches watching as she went. Her pedometer beeped at a mile and Hannah grinned wide as she glanced at the stopwatch on her wrist, noting that only four minutes had passed and she hadn’t even broken a sweat yet.

Her legs were itching to stretch out into a full stride, but she only gave a little, relaxing her gate, and preparing
for the climb that would take her up past the beaver’s dam she’d discovered the very first time she’d made the run. Unlike every other day, she wouldn’t stop at her usual spot for water and a quick laze at the creek’s edge. The map had indicated that the spring actually ran all the way up to the base and then around to the other side stretching for a few more miles before it met its source somewhere down in the valley. It would be pure torture for her throat to wait that long, but she’d hydrated plenty overnight and a little more this morning, ensuring that she wouldn’t lose everything in her sweat before she made it there.

Hannah made it a point to run with the keychain sized bottle of mace in her closed fists now. She’d never had to use it over the last two weeks, but it gave her a sense of security when the occasional howl sounded through the woods. Her father still worried daily about her running
the old miner’s trail, but she’d assured him that she’d never seen anything bigger than a raccoon, and that was only once. The poor critter had been so scared that it had stayed frozen even after she’d given it a wide berth, its eyes locked on her until she was far enough away for it to make an escape.

Even the beavers paid her no mind now, their s
lick brown bodies barely visible to anyone who didn’t know exactly where the dam was located. She passed the spot with a teeth gritting “Yes!”, checking her pedometer for the third time, ecstatic that for the fourth time this week she’d reached her 5K goal in just under twelve minutes.

It wasn’t quite time to give it all she had yet. With at least anothe
r ten miles to go, Hannah switched her jog to a slow and easy pace, turning her face up into the rays of sunlight that was just starting to pierce the thick blanket of the bright green leaves overhead. Two week ago, her sides would have pinched, her lungs on the verge of collapse from lack of air, but Hannah counted her breaths easily now, the miles ticking slowly by under her trained footsteps.

The higher she went, the colder it seemed, and despite the ninety degree heat s
he knew was coming the beads of sweat that had just begun to trickle down her back, suddenly chilled her skin, causing her to shiver. The summit of the mountain was in her sights now, the tip partially blocked by the enormous trees making up the woods that seemed to continue on forever. Hannah pushed herself harder, lengthening her slower stride so that her feet covered more ground with every step.

Back at her old high school, fifteen miles on a tread mill was expected by the end of training camp, but this wasn’t a treadmill, and her thigh muscles suddenly burned as
the trail disappeared beneath her feet, soft earth turning into wild untamed forest. It was either walk or fall, her cross trainers catching time and time again on curling roots that had been absent before, the trees up here substantially bigger than the ones she’d left behind.

Her stopwatch now read ninety-
eight minutes, and Hannah gasped in relief as bright white suddenly crested at the top of the next climb. Where the trees ended, a thin strip of clearing awaited her, and she burst into it, staggering to catch herself on the nearest stable object. Her hands scraped as she flung her nearly limp body across a misshapened boulder, her fingers clinging to hold on to keep her from falling. Her breath came in ragged pants now, her heart hammering so hard in her chest that it seemed as if the air suddenly had a pulse. It was a losing battle to remain upright, a tiny cry escaping her parched throat as she fell to her knees, crawling towards the direction that she knew the creek would be in.

She felt it before she saw it, the lush grass beneath her fingertips turning to sod and then swamp as
her torso sunk down into mushy ground from her weight. The chill immediately cooled her body, and she dragged herself the rest of the way to the edge, not caring that her clothes were officially ruined by the dark earthy mud coating her front.

Hannah drank greedy from the clear trickling water, dipping her face repeatedly until the pounding in her ears
had ceased and she was able to sit up on her knees and look around. Dazed, she blinked as wide open pasture greeted her on the opposite side of the bank, wildflowers in full bloom, waving in the breeze as if to cheer her on.
She’d done it!

Her smile broke wide as she pushed to a
shaky stand, her fingers curling into fist that she pumped in the air.

“And the winner is….!” She yelled out in a fake crowd voice, doing the best boxing jig her spent legs would allow. “Hannaaaaaaaaah Adlllllllleeeeeeeer! And the crowd goes wild!!!” she laughed at herself, jerking around to stare at the mountain that towered a few thousand feet above her now.

It was just as magnificent as she’d pictured it would be, commanding its own song from the wind that whipped over and around it, drying the wet tendrils of hair that stuck to her face and neck. She stretched out her aching muscles, walking slowly, calming her still racing heart as she inspected the strip of freedom from the woods she’d fought so hard to overcome.

Even the cabin seemed a world away
, the beauty of this wide open space incomparable to anything she’d seen in Colorado so far. She yelled her name again, listening as it echoed in the distance, disappearing somewhere across the meadow without returning to her. Her mouth opened to call out once more when a single low growl caused her spine to stiffen, her body turning towards the woods she’d just come through.

Hannah stumbled backward in surprise, her shoes sucking down into the soft mud that she was standing in, her eyes widening as her gaze fixed on the biggest wolf she’d ever seen. Almond shaped coal eyes narrowed on her, muzzle barring to reveal a set of sickly sharp yellow teeth that had anything but good intentions. Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound came forth as the wolf took a step closer, the growl in its throat vibrating the hairs on her skin as her hands raised over her hands in defense.

She’d lost the mace, somewhere over by the boulder the wolf was now blocking with its massive body. Even if she’d had the strength to run her fastest, she’d never outrun something so large. Its face met at almost an inch higher than her 5’8’’, its fur quivering as it advanced further, forcing her back and into the creek. She was ankle deep in water now, her eyes darting wildly about as she searched for a way of escape. Her father would be devastated; he’d blame himself, just like he had with her mother.

“Please let it be quick,” Hannah whispered, a single tear slipping down her cheek as the wolf took
another step forward, its body locked and ready to pounce.

This was it…
Killed in the middle of nowhere; there’d be no pieces left to find. Her father wouldn’t even have bones to bury this time.
Please please let it be quick…

**********

Stupid Girl!

Jake had been watching Hannah until she’d pushed on past her usual stopping spot. He would have continued to follow
her had he not heard the explosion come from the direction of the mine, his father’s voice immediately in his thoughts. He’d been halfway back over the pass before his father had called the warning of the three escaped wolves. Rone had caught two within minutes, but the third was heading North right towards him. North would have been fine had he stayed put, but the mine was south east and backtracking uphill had taken longer than going down.

Did you get him yet?!

Jake blocked his father’s demanding question from his head, the woods around him a blur of green as he sped towards the last hill that would bring him to the base. He’d expected to hear screaming by now, anything but the dead silence that greeted him as he burst into the clearing, a guttural roar exploding from his belly as he rose on hind legs and scanned the narrow space.

He spotted her almost immediately, her eyes wide, her hands thrown up just as the wolf whirled in his direction. It wasn’t exactly how’d he’d planned their meeting over the last two weeks of following her, but their eyes met for a moment, and even though it was fear that he saw in those deep green pools, it was also relief as he barreled forward hurtling his massive form a
t the claws and teeth already gnashing out at him.

Their bodies collided with a thud, and Jake rolled the both of them
into the shallow creek bed, unable to hold the wolf’s entire weight and his. The girl was frozen in place, her mouth open, sheer terror contorting her features as she fell from the near impact, her arms and legs flailing as the rushing water sucked her under.

There was no time to help her to safety, the wolf was on him in an instant, sharp teeth breaking the thick layer of his hide and clamping down onto rippling muscle. His father wasn’t kidding when he said that they were getting bigger and stronge
r. It took everything in him to fight through the pain, searing his shoulders and neck, and slam his body against the rocky bank, loosening the wolf’s hold for just a second.

One wild swipe and Jake’s
claws ripped through thickly matted fur and hide, the wolf’s yelp like music to his ears as dark red blood spurted from the jagged wound he’d left across the animal’s chest. It was impossible to fight and block his thoughts at the same time, snippets of his vision seeping through to the searching invasion his father had now created in his head. Rone saw Hannah the moment Jake caught site of her, scrambling up the bank’s edge on hands and knees, her long blonde hair loose and clinging to her scalp and back.

Dammit Jake, I’m Coming!
Rone’s voice snapped through Jake’s scattered thoughts, raw emotions flooding his son’s mind when he least needed it.

The wolf was wounded, but still fighting, his sharp claws drawing blood more than a few times before Jake succeeded in pinning him down under the water with his weight. The normally still creek was now one thrashing wave of water, the wolf impossible to kill even though it should have been slowly drowning. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hannah struggling to break free of the thick mud, still crawling on her hands
and knees, terrified. He’d wanted to spare her from this very thing, but he couldn’t wait any longer. The second the wolf’s head emerged Jake attacked with a vice like grip on its neck, his teeth sinking like a steak knife through soft butter. A piercing yelp started, but was immediately cut short as the neck bone scraped and then crunched against his canines, blood gushing free, reddening the crystal clear water to a crimson brown.

It would be only a matter of minutes before the animal started to heal, and Jake wanted Hannah gone before he delivered the final blow.

GOOOOOO!
He roared, knowing that she wouldn’t understand the word that was so clearly human in his head, but the site of a mutant bear would be enough to scare anyone.

He could only imagine how she saw him, his chest clenching as she scrambled faster towards the
woods in fear of him now instead of the wounded wolf. She was finally on her feet again, stumbling, but running towards the trail that would take her back to old man Jacobs’ cabin.