Timber Elizabeth Brogan was frightened. Frightened of where she was going. Frightened of the new people she was being forced to live with. She was frightened of every uncertainty. She had already been in the car for over thirty-two hours and her destination was still one hour over the Mendocino Coastal Range through Jackson State Forest. The sun was nearing the eleven o'clock position as the car passed by Whiskey Springs but Timber took no notice. Nor did she notice the hawk that was flying above the car at Dunlap Pass. She didn't get a chance to take delight in the stunning view of the world's tallest trees driving across Highway 20. It curved and twisted too much for her liking at the moment so she didn't bother sitting up.
She lay there in the back seat wishing they were still driving over the Salt Flats in Utah. At least that road didn't twist and turn without end. They had been on Highway 20 for thirty minutes when Timber felt the car pull over into gravel. Like he did every two hours, the driver stopped so Timber could stretch her legs for fifteen minutes.
He opened the door and Timber sat upright and stretched before jumping out of the car. They were in a small meadow with untamed grass on the other side of a log fence, tall enough for Timber to hide in if she chose to. Surrounding the clearing at Camp 20 were the tallest trees Timber had ever seen in her life. She liked the red hue of the bark and she enjoyed the way they smelled. She jumped up on an old steam donkey base and sniffed around for a minute. Then she located an old, red, single-room schoolhouse on the other side of Chamberlain Creek. She followed the creek and found where it met with North Fork Big River. She sniffed and found the water good for drinking so she helped herself. She headed back at the sound of the driver's whistle, though she stopped in a dense area of grass behind the restrooms so she was entirely concealed. She wanted to empty her bladder in privacy.
She considered running away and living out her life under the giant redwood trees but she reasoned with herself that it would be a very foolish decision. She was unfamiliar with these woods and the prey that would be available. She went back to the driver and he bent to pick her up. She showed her teeth and flattened her ears. He rolled his eyes, looking aggravated. After being bribed back into the car with a small slice of raw beefsteak so she would stop growling, they continued westward for another twenty minutes until the trees became thinner. Timber could smell a salty scent in the air that she was unaccustomed to, but if she was honest with herself, she was partial to it.
When the driver turned north on Highway 1, Timber sat up for a better view out the window. It didn't look like a big city that she had seen in her books at home. This was much more interesting. There were the usual gas stations and restaurants but it changed when they turned into the residential part of town. There were small old-style homes that looked different but similar at the same time. They all had small front yards with simple, covered porches. There were a few turns onto different streets. She could smell the evergreen trees, the salty air, and someone's freshly mowed grass. Then he turned on a small gravel road with a tiny brown apartment complex to the left and not much room to park.
Timber shrunk down into the back seat as the car stopped and the engine shut off. She was afraid of this new, strange home. What if everyone was cruel to her? What if they all hated her? The back door opened and her driver reached in to grab her instead of letting her jump out on her own as he usually did when they stopped. Timber backed away, growling and snapping her teeth to make herself more intimidating. Being the size of a border collie, she was threatening, but not as threatening as she had hoped. He kept trying until he had pushed passed Timber's patience and she sunk her fangs into his hand.
"Damn it, you!" he grumbled angrily, holding his bleeding hand. "You are getting out of this car! I've had enough of you. You've done nothing but give attitude since you got in my car. Now get out!"
YOU ARE READING
The TimberWolf Effect (Book I)
WerewolfNine-year-old orphan Timber Brogan was headed to an unknown future with her father's sister and her family. Being half-human and a trained killer, Timber must learn to embrace her more human side and accept her new family despite her fear. But life...
