Crissa's Mate

Chapter Five

When the six students met back at the hotel that evening for Professor Dekker's information session, they all seemed tired from the day's entertaining events. Mary and Josh were already in the meeting room, just off the lobby, sitting and quietly looking at pictures that they had taken on their smartphones of the museums and galleries. As Crissa and Julie entered, they met Brad, who with Julie had gone to the theme park and outdoor rock concert. Julie had already told her how much fun they had together, and she was a bit sunburned from the experience.

Dr. Dekker soon entered the room with a handful of packets for them. Crissa nervously looked outside the open door, hoping to see that David was on his way. Obviously he was going to be late as the professor asked the five to sit around a meeting table. He officiously passed out a packet to each and told them to peruse the contents while they waited for David to arrive. Again Crissa nervously looked at the clock on the wall and peered out to see if her outing companion that day would make the meeting.

Soon David came bounding into the meeting room, taking a seat next to her. He was out of breath and very conscious of the fact that he was the last to show up.

"Mr. Romero, we're all pleased you could join us this evening," was the professor's light but ironic greeting.

"Yes. I'm sorry about that, Sir," David said quietly, not making eye contact with anyone at the table. Crissa could smell that he was fresh from a shower and had traces of a musky cologne on his body. His hair was still wet and she imagined he had either over-slept following their excursion to the aquarium and river cruise, or had just lost track of the time and at the last minute struggled to be there. The professor handed David his packet

"Well . . . As I was saying, the information you have here in these folders is a handy resource for what we'll be looking for . . . beginning tomorrow. At mid-morning, we'll travel by van out to our lodgings in the small village of Erlightof. I have previously arranged rooms for us there at the only inn run by a local family. It's rustic, so don't expect anything as nice as your accommodations here."

David opened his packet like the others and leafed through it. He turned toward Crissa and surprisingly smiled at her. She subtly smiled back, acknowledging that she had had a wonderful time with him earlier.

"Now the species we are going to encounter in the wild . . . there at the edge of the forest . . . and somewhat deeper into it, hopefully, is a member of the canis lupus variety. The largest of the wolf family. As you can see from the images, it's a direct cousin to the wolves you're all familiar with. In Canada and in the Northern-Pacific States of Washington, Oregon and Alaska."

There were in front of them several photos of the species, face-on and as side views of what looked like an adult female with two of her offspring. Crissa smiled at the pictures, as she had always found wolf pups adorable as the heavily fur-clad and playful creatures they projected to be.

"What we'll be looking for are signs of their excrement to study for their dietary habits . . . fur samplings, of course, and an accurate tabulation of how many of them and their gender we observe in the area. Their hunting range, away from the proximity of their dens, is also something we'll try to establish and map out."

"Great!" was the comment from Josh.

"These wolves feed on local varieties of deer, rabbits, and now the domesticated livestock in the territory," the professor went on. "Cattle, sheep and pigs mostly. The villagers have complained that there is not but a handful of dogs and domesticated cats left around the town since the wolves moved near."

The group was intrigued by these facts and consumed by the many pictures. They also perused a reference page listing the measurements and parameters of the animals' heights, weights and lengths, according to their sex.

"Now, Mary and Josh . . . as part of their dissertation research, will be taking note of the communication methods these lupines use in their new habitat. They'll be interested in comparisons to the North American Timber and Gray Wolf, which they have previously studied for communication."

Josh nodded at the group and Mary looked at the others and smiled proudly.

Brad then spoke up rather independently.

"Professor, I don't want to change your train of thought here. . . but . . . just what are the dangers we'll have out there? Particularly as we track and plot the wolves further into the nearby forest? I mean . . . it sounds pretty exposed."

"Yes," he said. "There are, of course, some risks as we try to get in close to these marvelous creatures. But as you know, historically man and wolf . . . unlike their cousin the dog, do not like to keep each other's company. They have avoided each other as much as possible for thousands of years. Of course, encroaching on their new territory, we'll be put into an uncomfortable situation at times for both them and us. But usually wolves will retreat and hide when confronted by the presence of humans."

"Alright," Brad went on, "but there are incidents of . . ."

"Yes!" the professor said in an obviously irritated way. "But wolf attacks usually result in the winter. When the species roam in packs . . . hungrily and while hunting larger prey. It's been known to occur in this part of the world mostly when a pack encounters . . . well, defenseless, isolated individuals . . . usually children. They then  become fair game for their food."

Crissa looked over at Julie. Their eyes met in silence.

"That was a serious problem for early man," he said. "When the wolves were many and the settlements poorly populated. They were inside or near the wolves' natural hunting regions."

"And isn't it true that children were often boldly stolen by these animals, sometimes right out of huts or the arms of their mothers in former times."

"God!" Julie said suddenly and uncontrollably.

"Well, yes, Brad. But that was long . . . a very long time ago. And more prevalent in the Eurasian forests . . . further east of here. I'm certain, while we're studying them, we're far more threatening to the wolves than they will be to us."

David looked over at Crissa and could see from her wide eyes that the professor's attempts to dampen the risks had not been successful. He smiled at her. Crissa did not respond. She just tried to assume the professor knew what he was saying and to put out of her mind the terrible image of a pack of wolves tearing a child . . . or adult, to pieces."

"But to further the fears of you younger members of our team . . . just know as your leader, I will have with me at all times . . . a 30 caliber hunting rifle and night-vision scope. I'll be equipped with both tranquilizer ammunition as well as live bullets should things get at all threatening to any of you."

This last revelation to the group did seem to have a mitigating effect on Brad's concerns, though Crissa, and it appeared now Julie as well, were still silently skeptical. What concerned all of the team that evening, as they dispersed to prepare for the morning's departure, was not what the professor had told them about the target of their study. It was what he was not telling them of his mysterious agenda about legends—some rather unscientific details which had led him to this remote part of the world.

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