“They’ve been restless all day,” Fox said. “Done some roughhousing but mostly he’s been stalking around like that. Very vocal. Y’know, growling and whining the way he does. Then they started yelling about forty-five minutes ago.”
“Yeah, Charley heard them all the way downtown.”
Amelie, who did not fully understand their conversation, stared mesmerized at the big gray who was watching them through golden eyes, his raised nose sensing the air.
Fox handed Cody the brown paper package. “Good shank bones,” he said. “Lots of meat on the shoulder.”
“Good. Thanks.” Cody turned to Amelie. “Wait here with Dave, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m gonna have a chat with old loudmouth there.”
“The gate’s unlocked,” Fox said.
“Okay.”
He went outside the corridor, closing the door behind him, and walked toward the gate to the enclosure.
“Where’s he going?”
“Just watch,” Fox said and then, out of curiosity, “How long have you known Micah?”
She looked at her watch. “About twelve hours. Since this morning. I started out as a suspect, then I became a witness and now? I don’t know what the hell I am now.”
“You ought to be flattered. He’s never brought a guest with him before.”
Inside, Cody opened the gate and entered the big cage.
“Is he going in there with that wolf?”
“Keep watching. That’s the alpha. He was the leader of the pack. His mate is shy. Wary of strangers. She smells you but she’ll be out in a minute.”
“I don’t believe this,” Amelie said half-aloud.
She watched as Cody closed the gate behind him and walked toward the wolves. He jumped the small stream then squatted down and opened the package, taking out two large bones and laying them beside him. He appeared to be talking to the animal. She could see his mouth moving, then he held out his hand, palm up. The alpha wolf crouched, then stood up and approached Cody slowly, leaning forward, and licked his hand. Cody began to stroke his neck between his ears with his other hand. She could hear the wolf, half growling, half whining-a strange, happy sound. The wolf hunkered down and Cody gave him one of the big bones.
A moment later the female slipped out of the den and came forward slowly, zigzagging her way to Cody who held his hand out and spoke softly to her. She finally crouched down too and, bending her head, took the other bone he offered and backed away a few feet before settling down to her feast.
“You look good, son,” Cody told the alpha. “You must be up to a hundred and twenty pounds and no fat. They’re feeding you good here, aren’t they?”
The wolf grunted as though he understood.?
The shooting had occurred two months ago, when Cody was back on the reservation for a visit.
And now the alpha and his mate were good as new, thanks to Dave Runningfox, who had healed them and built the pen in which they had grown strong.
“Three weeks, old boy, and I’ll take you home,” Cody said to the alpha. “That juvenile that’s looking to take over your pack will take one look at you and back off with his tail between his legs. And you two can have more pups and life will go on.”
Back inside, Amelie and Dave were sitting on a bench watching Cody and the wolves.
“Are they tame?” she asked Dave.
“No, not at all,” Dave answered shaking his head. “They’re wild as grizzlies.”
“Then…?”
“They were shot.”
“Where? Not around here.”
“Out in Idaho, on the reservation. Micah tracked the hunter and gave him the beating of his life.” He paused, watched questions forming in her eyes, on her brow. “How much time have you spent with Micah?”
“I told you, I met him twelve hours ago. He questioned me about a man who was killed. Probably thirty, forty minutes.”
“That’s Micah, alright. He doesn’t answer questions, he asks them.”
“I called him a little while ago. I’ve been scared all day. He came out, calmed me down, then asked me to dinner. The wolves were howling and here we are.”
“Well, wolves howl differently for different reasons. They howl one way when they’re lost, another when they’re looking for their mate, another when they’re sad. If they spot a prey they howl to the rest of the pack to come bring it down.” He laughed and added, “And sometimes when they’re feeling full of themselves, they just howl for the hell of it.”
She laughed and asked, “How about tonight?”
“That was a lonely howl. The alpha was calling Micah.”
Amelie said, skeptically, “Specifically Micah?”
He nodded. “Look, I’m sure he would’ve gotten around to this. We’re Nez Perce Indians. Ours was the tribe that befriended Lewis and Clark and led them through the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.”
Her eyes were wide with wonder. She slowly nodded her head. “I remember that from history lessons. There was an Indian girl with them.”
“Sacagawea. She was Shoshone but she interpreted for them with the Nez Perce.”
“And the reservation is in Idaho?”
“Yep. It’s gorgeous. Near the Washington border. That’s where we grew up. Been best friends since we were toddlers.”
“Does he still have a home there?”
“No. But he goes back three times a year, ten days at a time. His father was Nez Perce. Nimiipu in the language. His mother was white. She was our school teacher when we were in grammar school. His born name is Micah Cody Wildpony. My full name’s David Runningfox. I shortened it when I went to college.”
“You’re not kidding me?”
“Of course not. But I am talking too much. I should let him tell you all this.”
“Not on your life.” She looked back at Cody, and then added, “You started, you can’t quit now.”
“Well, when Cody was about three, the Elders of the Nimiipu recognized something special about Micah. They call him Ka’wan, which means Little Wolf. The wolf is the most sacred of all creatures. They pronounced he was weyekin, a prophet, someone unique. Cody is incredibly intuitive. He inherited great instincts from his dad who was a true warrior, special ops. The Nez Perce have no written language and Micah was selected as one who passes on the legends and language of the Nimiipu: the myths of nature, the wisdom of the culture, the religion of The Dreamer. He takes that responsibility seriously. So, he lives in two worlds. His spirit follows the wisdom of the Nimiipu but he chooses to live in this culture.”
“Why did he leave the reservation?”
“Micah was thirteen when his father died. His mom moved them back to her home in Columbia, Missouri. He went to the University there.”
“So how did he end up here?”
“He was in the army for a year but it didn’t appeal to him. He loves New York City so he decided to serve it as a cop.”
She exhaled. “And he talks to wolves,” she said.
“Well, the Elders were right, he’s weyekin- he has the gift. He communicates with other creatures. It’s a spiritual thing I couldn’t begin to explain. But it’s a beautiful thing to watch.”
She looked back in the compound. The alpha’s head was in his lap and Cody was scratching him behind the ears. It was lovely to behold and it touched her. She could feel her pulse in her throat. “I wonder why he brought me here?” she thought aloud.
“Well, he’s a practical guy and this is on the way to dinner,” Dave answered. “Or maybe he sees something special in you. Or maybe you are a suspect. Or maybe it’s simply that he’s a man and you, Amelie, are quite a fox, if I do say so myself-and pun intended.” Dave Fox smiled at her impishly.
She looked over at him and smiled back. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
“And what’s with the ponytail?” she asked.
“Part of the culture.”