Red, The Wolf

Part 6: The Trap

Red's mind raced as she stoodstock-still, staring at the pathetic white wolf fawning at the feetof the conniving, double-dealing peddler. What was he doing with aroasted lamb? She turned away, her loyalty to Burch Garrity and toQueston restraining her appetite.

"Not hungry?" Justin clickedhis tongue. "Poor thing; you're probably in too much pain."He reached over to the pack leaning next to his sleeping mat andpulled out a roll of bandages and a tin of ointment Red recognized.Hadn't Deborah Garrity been using tins for her salve up until lastyear? Judging from the amount of ointment left, she deduced thatDeborah might have bartered a few tins to him for things she needed acouple years back. If anything was going to help her wounds healquickly, it would be the ointment made of crimson hoods.

Justin pulled out another jar, this onestopped with a sturdy cork. He popped the cork, poured a little of iton a cloth, and very gently brought it up to Red's nose. The potentscent filled her nostrils, and she gave a little sneeze. She couldfeel him bring the moist cloth closer, until he was rubbing it allover her snout and under her chin. Her whole body felt very heavy,and her willpower slowly slipped away.

Such was the soothing power housed inthe petals of the bright-red flowers peppering the hillsides aroundQueston. The hood-shaped blooms had been the village's most valuablesecret, second only to the Guardian Wolf they were thought torepresent. Some people believed that the smell of crushed flowerswould summon the red-caped woman, the defender who could bring theWolf and rescue any innocent, punish any wrongdoer. Mrs. Garrity madeointment out of it, but most would pour wax over the petals and makesweet-smelling candles out of it, ones that would let Red know thatsomething troubled the citizens of Queston--and it was her job tomake the trouble go away.

Now she found herself the victim of itstranquilizing effects, augmented by the fact that this was a potentoil extracted from a large amount of blossoms. Her entire body feltlike a warm candle, bending and sagging to the ground at the man'sfeet.

"There now," Justin soothed,"lie still. This is going to take a while, and I don't want youspringing up on me too suddenly."

Red couldn't move a muscle as Justinset about cleaning her wounds and bandaging them with a thin layer ofsalve on them. He talked while he worked.

"Holy smokes, Rascal, you reallydid a number on this one! In fact, that stunt you pulled in townnearly cost me everything I'd made to that point." He chuckledas he moved from the wounds on her shoulders to the ones on herflanks. "I have to admit, though, it was a nice cover for theside business. Those bumpkins had no idea what was going on!"

It rankled her, hearing him speak soglibly about the people she had sworn to protect. So Rascal'sappearance wasn't happenstance, and it wasn't a provoked attack--he'dbeen a diversion! And she'd played right into their hands! Diversionfor what, though?

Justin placed the last bandage and satback. "There!" he said. "Just a few hours of rest, andyou'll be good as new!"

Her body never moved, but on theinside, Red smiled. He wouldn't know that her dual nature allowed herto heal far faster than average, wolf or human. In fact, now that shewas no longer actively bleeding, she felt stronger already. She sether mind on turning human again, imagining what it would feel like tosuddenly confront the peddler, letting him taste the full wrath ofRed, the Guardian of Queston. She felt the chill ripple down thelength of her body. Red opened her eyes.

Nothing had changed. She was still awolf. In her mind, Red cursed and raged at herself. Was it somethingabout the extreme concentration of crimson hoods coursing through herveins right now? How long would the effects last? Would she remainunable to shift until her body filtered out the drug?

Rascal had plopped down next to thefire. He and Justin shared bits of the roasted lamb.

A wave of nausea twisted in her gut,and Red let out a small moan. Rascal perked up his head and lookedfrom the bandaged wolf to the man sitting over him.