Cynthia
Quest Reporting
April
20th, 2013
This
was an interview I didn’t expect, folks, so please hang with me. My schedule
said interview at noon, but no name and now I understand why. Cynthia looked at
the chair she had directed them into with shock.
Will he really
let me print this?
Only
one way to find out. Let’s get comfortable and have us a little chat with Dog,
shall we?
Angela
waited restlessly by the door, not sure if Adrian was making a good choice
here. The camp already knew Dog was different, but to expose the wolf this way
was...
“Let’s
see… How do you like being a part of Safe Haven’s animal population?”
Cynthia
waited eagerly for an answer, expecting paw stamping, but the wolf only looked
back with a bored expression.
Cynthia
turned to Angela. “How’s this supposed to work?”
Choosing
to trust their leader. Angela waved toward the floor. “Get him out of that
chair and he’ll show you.”
Cynthia
motioned and the wolf immediately came to her side.
Staring
into those golden eyes, the reporter was almost able to hear his answer.
“I have work to
do. Ask something that matters.”
Cynthia
blinked. “What.. um, what work do you do for us?”
Dog
yawned tiredly. “I keep the ants away and
make sure the others watch their posts.”
“The
other Eagles?”
Dog
snorted, slinging saliva onto her shoes. “The
other workers.”
Realizing
he meant the other dogs, Cynthia gaped at him.
Dog
turned to Angela, who shrugged.
“I’m
not sure either, but I trust him. Do you?”
Dog
blinked once. “Yes.”
“Then
we’d best get it over with.”
Instructed,
Dog turned back to the reporter in resignation. “Next?”
Cynthia
struggled to accept it, to speak. This had to be a cruel joke, right? Her mind
flashed seeing Dog herding the ants and rats in the evening, without a trainer.
“Cynthia…”
The
reporter’s head snapped up.
“Do
your job, or someone else will.”
Cynthia
nodded, swallowing. “It’s… it’s just a lot to accept.”
Angela
nodded. “Yes, but he wouldn’t have let you know, if you couldn’t be trusted.”
That
woke the woman a bit, and she peered up at Angela with a frown of confusion. “Will
he let the camp see this?”
“I
have no idea.”
Sensing
Angela was telling the truth, Cynthia blew out a snort. “Who am I kidding? Of
course he won’t. This is just another test to screw with me.”
Dog
yawned again, sitting down. “Will this
take long?”
Amazed
to feel insulted, Cynthia shook her head. “Five minutes.”
The
wolf wined. “That long in here, with your
smell?”
Cynthia
flushed in real offense. “My smell? You’re the animal!”
Angela
didn’t smile, but there was no mistaking it in her tone. “Your perfume is a
bit… heavy on the nose.”
The
reporter’s chin went up. “My mother wore it.”
“Was she a
writer, too?”
Dog’s
question sent pride into Cynthia, and made Angela wonder if it had been
intentional.
“Yes,
she was a famous reporter.”
Realizing
she hadn’t gotten but one answer so far, the reporter forced her daze back and
got to work. “Ok, um…How many pups do you have?”
It
was a question she didn’t expect him to know the answer to, but Dog’s flash of
hot eyes said it mattered to him. “One.
Stillborn.”
Cynthia
felt his pain. How could she not with that deep voice in her head? “I’m sorry.”
Dog
sneezed again, but didn’t respond.
Cynthia
pushed her brain into the moment, and felt that shark inside finally start to come
back out.
“Do
you know that the Eagles are different from the camp members, from me?”
“Yes. They carry
the guns.”
“Do
you know they consider you to be a tool?”
Dog
seemed to grin at her. “I didn’t see the
need to tell them differently.”
The
reporter looked down at her mostly empty note page and realized she couldn’t
record this interview. Her hand started scribbling, and the comforting motion
let her relax the rest of the way.
“Why
do you stay here?”
“The Man.”
“Brady?”
“Yes. I owe him
a debt.”
“And
when it’s paid?”
“I may go or stay.
Nothing has been decided.”
“Why
do you owe him?”
“He saved me
from the brown coats.”
Cynthia
frowned. “The brown coats?”
“Rangers.”
Angela supplied. “He was supposed to be put down.”
“Ah,
he rescued you. That does make a strong bond. What about Angela and Charlie? Are
you bonded to them? If so, in what way?”
They
were detailed questions for a mental conversation with a wolf, but Dog had answers
to give. Unlike humans, he couldn’t lie.
“The woman and
his pup are my family. Where he goes, they go. The same is true of me.”
Angela
glanced at her watch, giving Cynthia a hint that the interview was about over.
For
an instant, Cynthia was stumped for a question, and then the War flashed.
“Do
you understand what happened? Why it all collapsed?”
“As much as I
can. The greed of man became too much.”
Thinking
that was close enough, Cynthia began to dig into the secret world of Safe Haven’s
animal population.
“Are
there others like you? That can…think?”
“All of them
think, but no, none here are like me.”
“Any
that are close?”
“Yes. The Dogs
watch me. In time, they too may learn to communicate this way.”
“Do
you like talking to people?”
“No.” Adrian’s scent
went through Dog’s nose. “Except for the
Alpha here. His mind is like mine.”
Meaning
Adrian. Cynthia frowned, hand cramping from trying to keep up. “Do you talk to
him a lot?”
“No. Only when
he needs something.”
“Does
it bother you that he treats you like a tool?” Cynthia guessed, not sure how
many human emotions would apply.
Dog looked at
her with golden eyes. “When he speaks, I am honored to listen.”
“Because
he’s your Alpha too?”
“Yes, but also
because he is the light.”
Dog
sneezed again, and hefted himself to his feet.
Cynthia
hurried to get in a few of the new questions that had just occurred. “Will you
take a mate soon? The camp would love puppies.”
Dog
glared balefully. “Then perhaps you
should have them.”
His
head went into the air as he padded for the flap. “I might consider you, if your scent wasn’t so ugly.”
Cynthia
stared, mouth open. “What?”
Dog
stopped to look back. “You destiny is
also set. When it comes, don’t fight it.”
Angela
and Cynthia stared after the wolf, neither of them speaking. That vivid
intelligence was another sign of the future, the world that Adrian was trying
to piece together from the ashes, and they were both drawn into the images.
Camp animals that could communicate by thought…and then people.
Cynthia’s
eyes flew to the doorway, only to find Angela gone. Why had she come with the
wolf? Did she understand?
…was
she like that, too?
"This
is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me?
Hello?
Is anyone out there?"
The Survivors
*Free on all
retailers
No comments:
Post a Comment