Crissa's Mate

Chapter Twelve

As the two injured came closer, Crissa could clearly see the deep wounds on Julie and David's arms and legs.

"They attacked us!" the professor exclaimed, out of breath. "From the rear, as we approached their dens."

He was busy opening his backpack and fumbling with a first-aid kit. Brad ran out of the blind with Crissa behind him. He began tearing his shirt into strips to make tourniquets. Crissa took two of them out of Brad's hands and came to David's aid, tying them around his arms. She could see the two researchers were much weakened and still in shock as they steadied themselves near the blind. Brad and Crissa continued frantically to apply the strips of shirt over the deep wolf bites on both researcher's legs. As they staved off the bleeding, the professor copiously poured an antiseptic over their wounds.

"We have to get them to a hospital," Brad said. "These are serious bites."

The professor was silent, still attending to David and Julie. Svend was standing at a distance between the group and the mountain, holding his rifle ready, cautious for any further attacks. "We must get back to the village," the guide said sternly.

Slowly, the team began to move with Crissa supporting Julie on her shoulder, and Brad practically carrying David back down the trail toward the town. The entire way back, no one spoke, only the moans of David and constant crying of Julie could be heard above the sound of the wind in the trees.

As the group entered the village, a few locals stood by on their balconies and watched with interest the obvious tragedy which had occurred. Upon entering the hotel, Svend called Horst and Jannick to come out and help the injured inside. The two wolf attack victims were brought into the lobby and laid onto sofas which were pulled together for ease of treatment. Josh and Mary came down from their room responding to the commotion in the lobby. Both immediately offered whatever assistance they could to the two prone fellow researchers. Helga was summoned by her husband to fetch the only doctor of the village, which she hastily left the hotel to do.

Crissa felt nauseated by the ordeal. She could not believe the amount of blood which had soaked throughout the clothing of the two. She and brad were instructed by the Mary to go to their rooms and bring clean clothes for them once they would be cleaned and their wounds tended to by the physician. Going up the stairs, Brad took Crissa aside.

"God damn it! I just had a bad feeling about this whole mission today. Since the beginning. Going to find wolf dens in an area these animals claim as their own was just not smart. Dekker should have known how dangerous that was going to be."

"Do you think they'll be OK, Brad? Those injuries look so awful."

"Most of them are flesh wounds. They'll heal. Fortunately, the pack that attacked did't disembowel them . . . or go for their throats. They easily could have."

"You mean . . ."

"Yes. They wouldn't have survived those type of injuries. I'm not sure why the wolves didn't use a more lethal attack. They truly could've . . . and quickly killed both of them."

"My God! I feel so terrible about this."

"Me too, Crissa. But it should never have happened, OK? Professor Dekker is crazy. We all must understand that now."

"I think Josh and Mary already do, Brad."

"Yeah, I know. They've given us plenty of clues about him."