The Avestan Viewer -- A Wolf Love Story

Chapter 19 -- Plans and Pups

Stephen kept me busy getting things ready for not only the birth of our pup, but the birth of over 200 pups- just in our pack. There were hundreds more scattered over the territories, anyone who was connected to me at the Luna ceremony was affected in some way. Also there reports of increased healing of old wounds by some wolves, but I put this down to just wishful thinking. It was a huge undertaking, but Dr. Tosell was training nurse assistants and mid-wives for when the flood came. She also contacted many neighboring pack doctors that we were allied with, and arranged for their assistance. The negotiations for this were intense, all types of inter-pack assistance came at a price. It was mostly for bragging rights, to see who would come out ahead in the deal. Stephen and the good Doctor were pros at this, and mostly offered time shares at different vacation cabins on the peninsula. Apparently these were prized and wolves loved having some time to run free in a wilderness, and the cabins near hot springs were the favorites and went fast. Wolves loved their comfort, and sex outside in the wilderness was incredible!

Stephen and I had talked about my visions, almost always in the daytime. And almost always sitting in the sun somewhere while he held me. Being able to see how the world can implode at an atomic level was terrifying, but I had to be able to learn to view these with a little distance. There was a lot of information to recall. Stephen had started his team searching for the Meriwether family, they had to be involved somehow. But they could be anywhere in the world.

A few days later as we were sitting on a sunny bench looking at the children's playground, Stephen was rubbing my stretching stomach. He enjoyed feeling our son's heartbeat, and I enjoyed his touch. Although it almost always made my underwear wet, and Stephen thoroughly enjoyed that. "I've been thinking about something, Danika, and I want you to hear me out before you say anything." He looked at me and gave me a gentle kiss. "Ok?"

I smiled at him and gave him a kiss back, "Ok."

"I was talking to the lead wolf in charge of our technology development, our 'R & D'- and he is willing to talk to us about the machine schematics you keep seeing." I flinched a little and Stephen kissed me. "Remember to let me finish," he said and then continued.

"I know it sounds like it's what Zeke is doing, but it's not. I don't want to build it, but I want to see if someone else is building part of the machine." Stephen went back to rubbing my stomach. "If we can snoop into government and private sector research projects, then maybe we can find someone who is building- or has built- parts of the Avestan machine."

It was the first time I had heard the 'death' machine called that, but that was the name given to it by the 'prophet' in my visions. Zend had named it that.

Stephen continued talking, it was like he was refining a plan out loud. "If we can discover who Zeke is working with, then we can destroy the machine parts, we can destroy all the plans. It would be a massive undertaking, but it's possible. There's so many obstacles, but it's possible to destroy it."

Stephen became silent, I knew he was thinking of the visions I had shown him. And I thought about his proposal and it wasn't as preposterous as I first thought. But the only way to destroy the machine would also involve killing anyone with any knowledge of it. I shuddered at the thought, I wasn't a mass murderer and couldn't do it. Maybe there was another way, there had to be another way.

"I'd like to think about it," I replied and Stephen was expecting this. It was my nature.

"Of course," he said and kissed me gently.

He pulled away and took my hand and we started walking toward the main path that lead to Lake Cushman. There were wolf paths all over the place, we didn't actually need paths, but they were convenient.