Marisa's Musings -October 24th, 2019 "Red Fang" Part XI

 I tried not to show how worried I was of course, since they say animals can smell fear. But that didn't stop me from mentally shouting, "NATHAN, I'M KIND OF SURROUNDED UP HERE!"

What I got back was, "Little busy right now..."

At that point my fear was instantly replaced with what I consider righteous annoyance. "FINE... just remember if I wind up as wolf chow, YOUR going to have to explain things to not only my parents, but Otto, Lisa, Richard, your sister AND Penny!"

At that point our friend let out a series of growls and barks, which were repeated all the louder by his mate. What happened next will be engraved into my brain for the rest of my life. The wolves who were all around me closed ranks and... I still can't believe this...

... they all curled up against me. 

"Lay down, they'll keep you safe and warm," came Nathan's gentle reassurance, so I did as I was told. I have to admit the added warmth of those furry bodies was more than welcome. It also spared me watching the rest of the kill. 

As expected, our friend and his mate, along with Nathan and the others made short work of the big bison. Now I'll say right up front, I felt sorry for the big animal, but I also understood that this was the way things were in nature. I've watched enough documentaries to know, this is how it goes in the wild. Hunting and killing were not for sport, but for survival. And today, with Nathan's guidance, they didn't go for a calf or a female. It was understood that they were needed to keep the herd's numbers strong. I had a feeling our friend would keep things that way in the future, provided of course this kill managed to help re-establish his leadership.

I'm pleased to say it did. After the kill and everyone took their turns at the carcass, including those who were keeping me warm. As each went to get their fill, one of the ones who had already eaten had come over to take the spot that had been vacated around me. Eventually, I risked a look and saw our friend and his mate were making up for lost time.

They had clearly missed each other. It is said some wolves mate for life, and with these two, I could believe it. But there was still the matter of the Sangui-Sapio, in the male. How was Nathan going to get it out of our friend, without alarming his mate or the rest of the pack?

"A very good question," Nathan replied aloud, not using our mental link. 

Frowning I turned, expecting to see a talking wolf, but no Nathan was in his human form. He was sitting just on the other side of the pile of wolves that were surrounding me, with his arms resting on his drawn up knees. I noticed right away he was shirtless and his legs were bare, which meant he was stark naked. 'Duh,' I thought to myself, 'I still have his clothes.'

"Yes, you do but I don't want them right now," he said with a smile. "I may do a bit of running with some the of the more rambunctious younger wolves before morning."

I started to gesture at our friend and his mate, "But what about..." 

"Oh they're fine, nothing to worry about," Nathan assured me. 

"So you already pulled the Sangui-Sapio out of him?" I pressed.

Nathan looked at me and sighed, "Not really. It's been in him too long. He and it are... integrated."

I was shocked and immediately began worrying. After all, the Cannibal Killer only had the Sangui-Sapio in him for barely an hour and Nathan was able to call it out of him. But I'd already had it in me for at least three times as long. 

"When you say it's been in him too long... exactly how long is too long?" I asked, trying to sound not the least bit concerned.

"Well," Nathan began, "In my case, the Sangui-Sapio fully bonded with me over the span of a couple of days. And..."

"It's been in him since January," I finished and shook my head. "So there's nothing you can do for him?"

This time he shot me a disappointing look. "If that were the case, neither you nor I would be here, now would we?"

I don't usually flip someone off, but this time I did it without thinking.

His reply took me by surprise. "A tempting offer but only one of us is naked at the moment, and the other could get undressed but wouldn't be able to take the cold for very long. Even with shared body heat. So I'll have to take a pass on that for the moment. Perhaps later. Besides, we don't want scare our friends off, especially not when a number of them are helping keep you warm."

Had... had he just propositioned me? Shaking my head, I focused my thoughts back on my original point. "But what about our friend? How is he going to keep from shapeshifting into a man..." That's when the penny finally dropped for me. "Wait a minute. You're in your normal form? And he's in his? But he kept changing whenever you started to shift back to human. How did you..."

"During our fight with the bison, I had a little mental chat with the Sangui-Sapio inside him. I convinced it to kind of go dormant so to speak," Nathan smiled.

"Meaning?" I pressed.

"It's still inside him, but it won't try to be in the 'driver's seat' if you get my meaning. It will do the usual things for him, help him heal quickly, keep him strong and even give him a little boost when he really needs it. But, it won't try to shift his shape and it will keep the other memories it possesses to itself. It's just going to be a helpful passenger, that's all."

"But what about the wolf's lifespan? Will it get extended?" I asked, uneasily. The idea of an animal living for over a century was not something I wanted to consider. Having shared the wolf's mind already, I knew it would drive the poor creature completely mad.

Nathan bowed his head. "No, it will let the creature live a good long life, but not too long. But he will be allowed to pass, and when he does, I'll be here to take back the Sangui-Sapio. It will need a host, and it will be happy to come back to me."

'So the wolf will have it's chance at a normal life and be able to one day leave this world. Unlike you, who have will keep walking it for God knows how long,' I thought, understanding his bowed head. 

Lisa and I have talked about how even though Nathan has a very big "Extended Family", people who he's watched over for years even generations, he could also get lonely. Sure, he'd have those he loved around him, but eventually every one of them would leave this world and him behind. And while he would keep their memories alive, and I suspect a part of them alive within himself, it wasn't the same.

I cannot count the number of times Lisa and I considered asking Nathan to make one or both of us like him and share that long existence with him, so he wouldn't be alone. He's been married twice before. The first time was in the 1860's when he didn't know he could share his gift with her, so he never offered. By the time he'd married his second wife in the 1930's he did know, and they were planning on it, but Magda had married him at the age of 16 and they wanted to wait a while until she was closer to his apparent age. Only, since she and her family were gypsies they had been rounded up by Nazis and spirited away while Nathan had been gone helping others. Months passed before he finally found where she'd been taken and it was already too late.* (as told in "The Vampyre Blogs - One Day At a Time")

But where I still wasn't sure if I could handle such a existence, Lisa had already decided that it would happen in her case. It was just a matter of when. But now I had some of his Sangui-Sapio in me, and I was already learning firsthand some of what Nathan has been experiencing for over century. Where he couldn't retrieve the Sangui-Sapio from the wolf, there was still time for him to do so with me. The question was, did I want him to?

TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT TIME.... seriously, I mean it this time.

Links for "The Vampyre Blogs - One Day At A Time", the 1st anthology of the Para-Earths series:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KMN78B2

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KMN78B2

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07KMN78B2

Smashwords (including Kobo, Nook, Apple): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1010847

MARISA'S MUSINGS - October 24th, 2019: "Red Fang" Part X

Glancing down at my watch I saw half an hour passed already. How much farther did we have to go? I mean, I was grateful for Nathan's suggestion of putting on his coat, but it was much colder out here than I'd expected. There was a strong breeze and even with the extra layer of clothing, along with the fur he'd extended to keep me from falling off his back, I was starting to feel the chill, especially in my legs. Still I had the heat coming off of his wolf form to help. But instead of complaining, I simply hugged Nathan tighter and buried my face in his fur and tried not to think about my discomfort.

Then I noticed more fur stretching and slowly covering my legs. "Thank you," I shouted over the wind. 

"You're quite welcome," Nathan replied, inside my head.

Now I was feeling much more comfortable. Between that and the rhythm of being rocked while on Nathan's back I wound up dozing off. It was only when we came to a sudden halt, that I awoke. Remembering where we were I was about to ask if we'd found the wolf's pack. But no. Instead we had come to a halt on the top of a ridge.

I was about to ask what was wrong when I suddenly had to catch my breath. We were standing right under the  Northern Lights

Or at least if felt that way. The Aurora Borealis stretches for miles and miles naturally, but at that moment it felt like we were right under the very center of it. Front, back, side to side, they were the sky for us at that moment. I could even make out the stars beyond the swirling colors, which was something I'd never thought about until that moment. It was... incredible. 

"I thought you'd like it," Nathan told me through our mental link. There was a tenderness in his words that I actually felt. I've always felt something for Nathan, but in that moment I truly knew how much I was in love with him.

Yet at the same time I wished that Lisa could have been with us in that moment. Her being there with us would have made it truly perfect. 

"Another time," came Nathan's voice in my head. 

Taking the hint I looked over at our wolf friend. I could tell he understood how we felt about the scene above and around us, but he had a longing of his own to fulfill. Nodding I said to Nathan, "LET'S GO!" 

Nathan turned his head to look at me and smiled. "Hang on!" he told me with his voice, instead of our link. 

It was a good thing I listened. The pair of them took off like shot. We were moving much faster than before. I realized they must've gotten the scent of the pack who were on the move.  A hunt perhaps? No doubt I would soon find out.

Finally we spotted them in the distance.

They were out in the open and seemingly in disarray. From the tracks in the snow near them it appeared that some kind of big prey had gotten away. A failed hunt? More than likely. 

"They apparently haven't been able to decide on a new pack leader," Nathan said in my head. "Look off to the side and you'll see the alpha female."

I did as he instructed and saw her. 

She was even more beautiful in person than in our companion's memory. She was curled up off to the side, ignoring the boisterous males who seemed to be arguing amongst themselves. Clearly she had not chosen a new mate, and nearby were several more females watching her closely. Sisters? I wondered. Possibly. Maybe that's why none of them had challenged her her alpha position, even without a mate.

But even more curious was the fact that she was staring in our direction. Ears perked up, eyes sharp and alert.

"Maybe now would be a good time to take the Sangui-Sapio back?" I whispered in one of Nathan's pointed ears.

He shook his head and did not speak aloud but through the link once more. "She knows we're here. Or rather that HE is here."

"Then she can smell the Sangui-Sapio in him," I thought back. Knowing that wolves are normally very shy of people to begin with, I didn't want to use my voice and possibly spook the pack. 

She was on her feet now and took a few steps in our direction then stopped. Clearly something was holding her back. Then I spotted the rest of the pack. They had either spotted us or caught our scent, and were clearly not happy about it.

Feeling a little anxious I mentally hissed, "Okay, NOW would definitely be a good time to take back the Sangui-Sapio." 

"Not yet!" Nathan thought back forcefully. From someplace nearby I could hear bison calling to one another. 

A herd was nearby.

I caught the look that passed between Nathan and our friend and suddenly the two of them took off, with me still on Nathan's back. Looking over my shoulder I saw that the blonde female was following, along with the other females. Eventually, the rest of the pack began to follow as well.

What was going on?

I soon found out.

On the other side of a rise, the herd soon came into view causing us to slow to a halt. There were about 20-30 of them, slightly scattered, grazing on the tall plants sticking out of the snow.

Now I understood. Our friend needed to make a kill to prove he was still a good hunter/provider to get his position back. And since Bison were extremely dangerous animals, Nathan was leaving the Sangui-Sapio where it was to give the wolf added strength to bring one down. But even with the extra strength, surely one wolf couldn't bring down a bison all by himself.

Suddenly, Nathan's backside hit the snow, and the fur that had been holding me in place receded. Taking the hint, I slid off him and stood next to a nearby tree. As soon as I was clear, the two of them began sneaking up on the group below.

I'll say it right now, I was worried. Not so much for the two of them, but for myself. Because I could tell the pack, still following the alpha female, were practically right behind me. I hadn't realized how close they were until our friend's mate came to a halt just a few yards off to my right. She was keeping one eye on me, while also paying close attention to what was happening below.

There were a few calves among the herd, and for a second I was afraid that one of them would be the target. But no, Nathan and our friend were making their way towards a lone full-grown adult. A male, I later found out. An older one, but still full of fight.

I won't go into detail, but needless to say the two of them pounced and kept their prey from escaping with the rest of the herd. But still, the odds were not necessarily in their favor. It was quite the struggle and only when it was clear that they were able to keep the bull form escaping that the alpha female turned to the pack. She became very vocal letting out a series of barks and growls, then took off to join the fight. A number of others joined her, while the several of those who remained behind slowly began to take up positions around... ME!

TO BE CONTINUED... and eventually concluded I promise!

MARISA'S MUSINGS - October 24th, 2019: "Red Fang" Part IX

The first thing I noticed was one of the poor creature's paws beginning to stretch and lengthen. "NATHAN STOP!" I cried, which he promptly did.  He shot me a confused look then saw what was happening to the wolf and quickly reverted to his own animal form. 

As he did so, the wolf's paws began to revert to their true state as well. Once they had, I gave the wolf a reassuring hug, which it accepted without hesitation. It trusted me and I knew it. Hell, I didn't just know it, I could feel it. The bond we were sharing was so strong. I'd never felt like this with anyone or anything before, except for maybe Lisa. But she wasn't here and I could feel the wolf's growing despair as if it were my own.

The poor thing just wanted to go back to its pack, especially his mate. But we both knew it would never be accepted, not if it kept shapeshifting without meaning to. Memories filled my mind of happier times of hunts, playtime, sleeping in a huge pile for warmth against the cold, the bond he shared with she who was his mate...

She was beautiful. And I say this not just because of what the wolf was feeling either. I could see her clearly in my mind.

She was more blonde than I would've pictured for a wolf, but oh that face. So sweet, so intelligent, and that fur, Lord I would've loved to have the chance to run my hands through that ruff as I had with him.  Her coat was so soft looking. And I knew from his memories she was intelligent and a great hunter, as well as a wonderful companion. 

"If there's some way to get you back to her, we will," I sighed aloud.

"And we're going to," came Nathan's voice from behind me. Then he placed a hand (a human one) on my shoulder. Surprised I turned and saw he was back to his normal self. He was even wearing some of the clothes I'd been holding onto for him, namely his shirt and pants. "You... how...?" I stammered.

"You inadvertently helped anchor our friend," he smiled, nodding at the wolf in my arms, who was still in his true form. "That bond three of us share, allowed me to see what was going on between you two. He was so focused on showing you his pack and mate, that I was able to shift back to myself without triggering the Sangui-Sapio in him." 

"Can you get it out of him now? Like you did with the Cannibal Killer?" I asked.

Nathan looked at the wolf and sighed. "The Sangui-Sapio has been a part of him for months instead of minutes or an hour. It's become a part of him, like it has with me."

I pulled the wolf closer to me. "So it's too late? There's nothing we do for him?" 

"I didn't say that," Nathan corrected. "But first I to need to get him back to his pack. And to do that, I'm going to need your help."

"Anything!" I said firmly, which earned me a lick and a nuzzle of gratitude from my furry companion.

"Good. First, I'm going to need you to take my clothes again, because I'm going to shift back into wolf form," Nathan told me and began to remove his shirt. "And then once I'm in that form I'll only communicate with you through our bond. I don't want to scare the pack, once we find them, by talking out loud. Seeing one of their own kind speaking like a man will only freak them out."

"It would kind of freak me out too," I confessed.

Grinning he continued, "You may want to put my coat on top of what you're wearing."

That made me frown. "Why? Where are we going?"

"Out onto the tundra where it will be colder. That's where we'll find the pack."

"For how long?"

He shrugged, "All night?"

I blinked. "You do know how long a night lasts up here..." I began when suddenly a distant howl pierced the night. The wolf in my arms raised his head and a feeling of longing and sadness suddenly swept over me. 

As it ended, I suddenly knew who it was. "That was her," I breathed, looking at Nathan, "His mate."

He nodded. But before he could speak, the wolf threw back his head and let loose a long howl of his own. I'm thrilled to say that before he finished, his voice was joined by hers. She had heard him and was letting him know it.

It was both strange and beautiful listening to them calling to one another. Emotions and memories, none of them my own, began filling my head until Nathan took one of my hands in his and called me back to myself. I was about to say something, but he placed a finger to his lips with his eyes closed tight. I stayed quiet.

After a few moments the howling came to an end, and I could hear were the sounds of the breeze rustling the trees around us. 

Finally Nathan broke the silence, "A few miles north of us. The pack is with her. Here, put my coat on, it's going be really cold up there."

Obediently I did as he instructed, while he stripped down to nothing. Yes, I did peak, and I liked what I saw. Well, up until the fur started appearing. Then I averted my eyes. 

After that, Wolf-Nathan came over started nuzzling his way between my legs.

"HEY! What's the big idea?" I cried, feeling slightly annoyed. I mean there have been a number of times when I would have loved for that to happen, but that was when he was himself.

'Get on my back and hold tight. Otherwise, there's no way you can keep up with the two of us once we start moving,' Once again it sounded like Nathan's voice, but now I knew I was only hearing him inside my head.

Obediently, I did as I was told. After a few more 'suggestions' I half sat, half lay across his back, with my hands firmly gripping his ruff. I wasn't really sure how well this was going to work, but then I felt some of the fur stretching and reaching up and around my waist and back. Feeling more secure I smiled and turned to our friend who had been anxiously watching and waiting.

"Let's go find her!" I shouted and immediately he took off, with us in hot pursuit.

Soon the airport and all the signs of man vanished into the distance. In spite of the ride being a little bumpy, the ride was exhilarating. Initially, I let out the occasional cry of "Watch out for that tree..." or "Oh God you're not going to jump that..." but then I got more used to it. I even kept myself from gasping when we leapt a twenty-foot gorge that no normal wolf could have managed, but by then I we'd be fine.

Eventually, I got so comfortable I began looking up at the night sky. 

It was incredible. I'd never seen that many stars before. And many of them were so bright! Brighter then I'd ever dreamed possible. Then before I knew it we were in the open tundra. 

OKAY, MY BAD, TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT TIME... I THINK...

Embarrassingly yours,

Allan Krummenacker

PS: What can I say? These stories and the characters take on a life of their own sometimes. 

 

MARISA'S MUSINGS - October 24th, 2019: "Red Fang" Part VIII

The next thing I knew I was out in the snow, running across a huge clearing. I could see the edges of the forest on all sides. The dark trees seemed to stretch high into the night sky, I could see stars. Miles and miles of stars. I'd never seen so many before in my life. They seemed endless, and so very bright. 

I remembered I was still running, and brought my attention back to what was in front of me. More snow covered ground and I realized that either the snow was really deep or... my head was a lot closer to the ground. Yet it felt perfectly normal... aside from the burning pain in my chest. Only it wasn't so bad as before. I spared a brief glance downwards. There was blood, a lot of it. Yet even as I stared it was slowly disappearing, because it was being re-absorbed through the skin under my black fur. 

Yeah, you read that right. My black fur. I was in Nathan's head right then and he was on the run and booking across the snow at incredible speed. From what I was experiencing we were on all fours, which was why the snow was so much closer to our face. He must've shifted to full wolf form after being hit by the gunfire. In the past he's complained about how uncomfortable it was to be hit by bullets, but he always seemed to be half-joking. Now I know how much it really hurts him. I've made a mental note to try to keep him from making himself an unnecessary target in the future.

In the distance I could hear the rangers and men with the guns far behind us. Their voices became more distant as we ran. They had given up the chase it seemed, but then I managed to hear the word 'snowmobile' mentioned. Neither of us liked that sound of that. 

Then I thought, 'Okay, we need to get out of here...' 

Suddenly, I/we stumbled and stopped. Then I felt Nathan's thought echo in my head.. 'Marisa?'

Before I could respond, I started hearing, "Ri-sa... Ri-sa..." over and over again, followed by something cold and wet brushing against my cheek. I opened my eyes and found I was on the floor of the room at the airport. And a pair of worried looking eyes were staring at me.

 

They were wolf eyes, and to my immense relief, they were watching at me from a wolf's face this time.

"Ri...sa...?" it spoke again. Apparently, being back in his true form was making speech harder for the creature. But the fact that it could still speak at all, meant there was not telling how long he could keep his own shape. I started to wonder how he had gotten his own form back, but then I remembered, Nathan had actually shifted back to full wolf form. Thanks to the link between the two of them, which I seemed to share now as well, the wolf had reverted to his natural form. 

Sitting up, one thought raced through my head. What would happen if Nathan shifted back to himself? Would the wolf's form change too? I suspected that's exactly what would happen, which meant I had  both myself and my new furry friend the heck out of there and quick. The million dollar question was, how?

I turned to look at the window the wolf had come through earlier. I wasn't too high and both of us could easily slip through, but then what? Security and rangers were still out there, no doubt with guns at the ready. And even if they didn't shoot, the first questions they'd be asking would be where the hell did I get the wolf?

The answer suddenly came, loud and firm. "STAY PUT! BOTH OF YOU!"  

"Nathan!" I cried and looked around, but there was no sign of him. 

I saw my companion was looking around too, so he'd heard it too. He was on high alert now, but seeing no one he finally looked back at me with the most confused look. "Easy, he's in our heads," I assured my new friend and petted him gently. 

He readily accepted the gesture and started rubbing up against me. Thanks to the 'connection' courtesy of the Sangui-Sapio, I could feel that he was very happy to not be alone anymore. But there was also deep longing inside him. He was missing his pack, especially his mate. Even if we got him out of here in one piece, and get the Sangui-Sapio out of him, then what? Even if there was some way to find his pack, would they take him back? And if not...

My thoughts were interrupted by voices coming from the window. Some of the security people had come back and I could hear them rather clearly. Moving quietly, I headed to the window for a quick look. To my surprise, I could see the men were still quite far in the distance, yet I was hearing them as clearly as if they were mere feet away. 

'Damn, no wonder Nathan always seems to know what's going back at The Crypt,' I thought. The Crypt is a club in the basement of an old building, that Nathan owns. And in spite of it usually being filled with young people, Nathan always seems to know when trouble may be brewing, or tempers rising, even across a crowded dance floor. From there he naturally intervenes before anything serious happens. 

Just a dark shape lopes from around the corner of a nearby building and heads towards my window. It seems to be emitting a greenish mist as it moves. It even walks between by two security guards who take no notice of it whatsoever.

I smiled and opened the window a little wider. "Hurry up and get in here," I hissed as he drew nearer. Just then I heard the wolf in the room with me give a little growl. Quickly I turned and saw he had his teeth bared slightly.

"Easy," I told him, "He didn't mean for this to happen to you. He's going to make you better, then we're going to get you out of here and someplace safe."

I'm still not sure if he actually understood my words, he probably did. But I think mostly he trusted me and knew I was there for him. As he calmed down, Nathan slipped in through the window which I quickly closed. A second later, there was a knocking at the door.

"Miss? Are you all right in there? I thought I heard growling?"

It was the security guard who'd been stationed outside the room. We'd completely forgotten all about him! Clearly he'd heard the wolf growling at Nathan and was now inserting his key in the lock to come in. How the hell was I going to explain how not one, but two wolves had gotten into the room with me.

Just then, Nathan (still in his animal form) turned to the wolf and the two of them nodded. Just as the door opened, the pair of them breathed more of the greenish mist at the portal. 

The guard blinked briefly and then smiled, "Are you and your dogs all right, Miss?"

"Yes," I smiled and petted my 'dogs'. "We're fine."

"They seemed to have calmed down," the guard nodded. "Glad we were able to find them for you. You'll need better kennel crates, if you're going to keep traveling with them."

So that was going to be our 'story'', I thought and nodded. "Yeah, my boys are pretty strong when they get riled up. Thanks for all your help. We should be get going."

"Of course," the man smiled, "I'll lead you through the terminal and outside."

Which he did. Of course, Nathan and the wolf continued to exude their mist so that anyone who glanced our way simply saw me walking my dogs out of the facility.

As we walked, I did catch some of what the rangers and other security people were saying. From what they could tell, they nailed the 'werewolf' which turned out to simply be a bear with a serious case of parasitic mange. The body was already being disposed of and there was nothing for anyone to worry about.

Once we were outside Nathan led the way across the street and beyond the parking lot area. After making sure there was no one around, he began to shift back to human form. But as I feared, the wolf began to change shape as well. 

TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT TIME....

  

MARISA'S MUSINGS - October 24th, 2019: "Red Fang" Part VII

I couldn't believe my ears, but I knew damn well I had heard the creature's exact words! Before I could react it spoke again, "Mar-is-a.... please... end..."

It knew my name... and it was asking me to kill it!

My eyes fell to the rifle on the ground between us. Then I looked to him. His human/wolf shaped face was nothing like the old wolfman movies I watch with my father. Nor was it anything like the faces the more modern movie-makers have come up with. This face was literally moving and reshaping constantly as I stared at him. Only the wolf's eyes themselves never changed, and were watching me the whole time with that pleading look in them. I could see tears running out of those eyes, they were red just like Nathan's. It was those tears that got me.

Instead of reaching for the gun, I reached for the animal to pull him close. At first he tried to recoil, but  then it seemed to realize that I was trying to do, and let me put my arms around it's huge neck. 

You might think I was crazy for hugging such a creature, but how could I not. The poor thing was in agony. Trapped in a body that was not sure what shape it should be taking. It's mind filled with images and memories of another life, a human's life no less. A human who could shift his shape and become other creatures. Walking on four legs, or two, or six... wait, SIX? 

Where the hell had that come from? Nathan never turned into anything with six legs. Now my own mind was becoming confused. I was seeing creatures now, things not of this world. Some reminded me of prehistoric beings I'd seen in books or documentaries, but were still quite different. I held up one of my hands and it was like I was looking at several different images all at once, each layered on top of the other. One of them almost looked like a pseudopod, while another had claws with seven fingers/toes.

What was happening to me... the answer suddenly hit me. The Sangui-Sapio! My tears, the wolf's tears, they were both running down my face. Just as the wolf had accidentally ingested some of Nathan's blood during that hunt, now some of that mixed blood had passed into my skin. The same thing had happened with Isabella all those years ago. When she had slowly been dying in her brother's arms, his tears had fallen onto her skin and been absorbed without his realizing it. 

Now, I don't want to sound like a complete idiot here. Between what happened with Isabella, and that Cannibal Killer who bit Nathan a few years ago, I knew he could infect someone else pretty easily. But he never mentioned the memories. 

Okay, technically he did. Many times in fact. He's always teasing that he has an eidetic memory, but because he's been around for over 150 years, there are a lot for him to sort through to find certain memories. But he never mentioned the 'other' memories. The ones that were not his. Mind you, I'm not talking about the one's I was getting from the wolf in my arms. There were other memories. Old ones, from other Para-Earths...

But I pushed them aside. Right then I only wanted to focus on the wolf's memories. We were connected now in a way I never dreamed possible with any creature, human or animal. The poor thing's anguish ran far deeper than I had first imagined. After having accidentally ingested some of the Sangui-Sapio, it had felt stronger, tired less easily. It had taken down a full moose by itself and the pack had eaten well. And of course with every kill there had been blood, more than enough to satisfy. 

At first this all was fine, but then the nights started getting shorter and he had found the sun becoming uncomfortable and needed to stay in a den. Not that the pack really minded, they were more active at night mostly. But when the nights became shorter and the sun lasted longer and longer, he had had to dig a den and could barely come out unless they had eaten well the night before.

The pack had tried to stick by him after first, but with his inability to hunt as often they began to grow restless. The final straw though had come when he began to 'change' physically. It had happened while he had been sleeping. He had been dreaming, or actually remembering things that had not happened to it, but to another.... namely Nathan. There had been a fight, in a place with stones and death. It was standing on two legs, instead of four and... had awoken with a start hitting it's head on the ceiling of the den. Instinctively, it raised a paw only to find the toes of that paw had elongated. So had the leg attached to it. 

Confused, it scurried awkwardly out of the den (which seemed much smaller than it had remembered) and into the clearing where most of the pack lay. The shock of seeing what had happened to their leader was too much. At first the pack growled, then caught his scent. Confused and frightened they bolted would not return. No matter how hard he tried to catch up with them, they kept running. Only his mate occasionally would stop and look. She even tried approaching him, but then his body would shift some more terrifying even her to the point that she fled.

Alone, and unable to hunt properly, the wolf had started following the smells of food wherever it could find some. Successfully killing sick or wounded prey to satisfy the need for blood. Eventually, it found prey caught in traps and would take from them, but then it began running afoul of humans. 

They had always avoided people. People had long sticks that lit up with a loud noise. Occasionally, this was followed by pain and blood. He had lost prey and even some of his own pack to those noisy sticks. The creature now knew it was called a gun, but how it knew this was confusing. There were so many memories filling it's mind. So much confusion... and the dreams.  Those terrible dreams! Places and creatures it had never seen or experienced, yet it could remember them.

But recently, while feasting on a trapped deer, a man had shown up and used his fired his gun. He had felt the piercing of the... bullet, rip through his side. Instinctively, it turned and ran, but on two legs instead of four. More shots were fired and several hit, but it managed to get away. When it was safe, the wolf had lay down in a cave. With no pack to feed to help keep it warm, it expected to die all alone and forsaken. But instead of death, the pain simply went away and the wounds healed.

"That's when you realized, you couldn't go on..." I murmured aloud, still holding the creature close. "No pack, all alone, and afraid that this painful existence might not ever end."

"Ma-ris-a..." it said once again, in that same broken manner as before. I understood now that it recognized me from Nathan's memories. As that thought passed through my mind, I realized I had Nathan's memories now as well. That startled me. Nathan's thoughts and feelings... were in me now as well.  And I now knew him in ways I'd never dreamed of before.

Suddenly, the both the wolf and I gasped. Pain! Red-hot stabbing pain ripped through our chests. Unable to help ourselves we collapsed to the ground and rolled apart. The pain was beyond belief and the next thing I knew, everything went black.

 TO BE CONTINUED...

(A thousand apologies for leaving you all on this much of a cliffhanger, but I promise not to keep you waiting long for the next installment - Yours Respectfully, Allan)

 

 

MARISA'S MUSINGS - October 24th, 2019: "Red Fang" Part VI

I have to say, the folks at the airport did not waste any time trying to get me indoors and away from the 'creature'. They were so quick, I barely got a chance to look over my shoulder and catch one final glimpse of Nathan in his Man-Wolf form as we got close to the door of the terminal. Unfortunately, one of my 'rescuers' caught my backward glance and also spotted him. Next thing I knew, he was yelling to the other around me and a couple of them were armed with rifles. 

Now I want to point out that no one in my family hunts, so I had no idea just how loud a gun sounds when it's fired. I now understand why people wear those hearing protectors that look like headphones. Damn, those things are loud. My ears were ringing and I could barely make out the sound of the airport around me. Hell, I could hardly hear a plane taking off. Luckily, one of the men who had opened fire was right next to me, and I could barely make out his shout of, "I hit him!" 

For a second my heart skipped a beat, then I remembered they were talking about Nathan not someone in a costume. Surely the Sangui-Sapio inside Nathan had protected anything vital. I know from past experience that it always does. Even if Nathan had been hit bad, the Sangui-Sapio would have either moved the organ in danger to a safe spot, or created a secondary version of whatever had been injured to keep him going. From what Otto has explained to me in the past, if healing could not take place, the new organ would simply replace the original which would simply be broken down and absorbed on a cellular level into the rest of the body. I swear, even knowing as much as I do of what that Para-Earth entity can do, I'm still in awe of it. 

But I didn't have time to dwell on either Nathan or the Sangui-Sapio. My 'rescuers' were busy hustling me past a crowd of lookie-loos who had gathered by the doors leading outside, trying to catch a glimpse of the action taking place outside. Of course, there were a number of podcasters, and Tik-Tokers on hand who tried to get close and ask me and the security people questions about the creature and my encounter with it.

Apparently, Nathan and I had put on a real good show, or someone had spotted the poor wolf itself. In either case, I was now a news story. Yay me! 

Anyway, security took over and had quite the time spiriting me away from the crowd. They wound up leading me to an out of the way office on the main floor far away from the crowd. After getting me a cup of coffee and making sure I was unharmed. Once I assured them for the 12th time that I was fine, then one of the men started asking me what the hell I was doing out side the terminal in the first place? Didn't I know that area was off limits to anyone but airport employees? 

The more he spoke the more he was getting himself worked up. He was shouting now, and several of the others in the room were looking more and more uncomfortable.

That’s when I decided to draw on some of what I had learned in the theater classes I took with Lisa during our last year of high school.  Every, time the guy started raising his voice and getting in my face, I started cringing and flinching. Finally, I practically burst into tears and began babbling hysterically. I wound up telling him I’d never been here before and that I had taken a wrong turn trying to find my way to the ladies’ room, because it was that time of the month and I wound up going through a door that led outside which locked behind me…

That was more than enough to get the “Spanish Inquisition” off my case. He backed off and ordered someone to ask one of the female employees to get me whatever I needed, then exited the room himself. Once a woman came in with what I 'needed' the others exited the room to give me privacy. 

As soon as they left I went over to the one window in the room. From there I could see what was happening outside. Clearly, the hunt for Nathan was still on. I could see bobbing flashlights and brief silhouettes of his pursuers in the distance, beyond the parked planes. I opened the window to see if I could hear anything of what was being said, but it was too noisy out. As I began to close the window I could hear some kind of report coming from over a radio nearby.

It seemed to be coming from the other side of the door to this room. Forgetting the window I sneaked over to the door to listen. Apparently, a security guard had apparently been assigned to keep the 'paparazzi' away from me, and he was currently listening what was going on outside over his shoulder radio. From what I could make out, one of the rangers had been knocked down by the wolf-creature, which had then stolen his rifle and taken off.

I frowned at that. It had to be Nathan's doing, but why? Were they getting too close? Had he been hurt by one of their shots? Maybe, they had caught a glimpse of the real creature and were taking aim.

It sure as hell couldn't have been the wolf who had stolen the rifle. It wouldn't know the first thing about guns, aside from possibly knowing they were dangerous in the hands of a human. 

Suddenly, I heard a clattering noise right behind me and whirled. There before me was the Man-Wolf, while at my feet lay the rifle.

I swear I didn't know whether to be surprised or terrified at that moment. But when it spoke, I nearly burst into tears. For in very broken English it said, "End... me... please..."

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men... Then There's Me and My Hopes for 2022!

 A whole year of planning, working, sweating, and it still wasn't enough. 

For those who are wondering, I'm referring to my unabridged dramatic reading of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol". My plan was to unveil the finished project as a picture book on YouTube. Besides spending hours recording voices, some sound effects, finding music in public domain, as well as dozens of images (also in the public domain) created over the last 150 years since the book's creation... and I still couldn't quite get it across the Finish Line. At least not in time for this Christmas. 

All I have left to do is film an opening and closing to the project, but between work and other audio and writing projects, I just couldn't do it justice this year. 

Now some of you might be asking yourselves, why? Why was this so important to you?  After all, there are so many versions available of the story available on YouTube, streaming services, Blue-Ray, DVD, etc. 

Well the answer is, none of them are 'complete'. There are a number of powerful speeches and even scenes that more often than not, wind up on the cutting room floor. There have also been new scenes created and added to the films that cannot be found in the original story at all. After having read the book cover to cover myself a few years back, I started finding myself reading certain scenes with a variety of different voices for each character. And yes, this is when I really started taking the idea of doing voice over work more seriously. I was having so much fun with these characters and that it took me a while to realize I was drawing upon techniques and skills I learned in my l theater class during my last year of high school. I learned so much in that one year, and I have often found myself regretting I hadn't taken the class sooner and then taken one of the more advanced classes afterwards. Still, I thank my lucky stars and my teacher Mrs. Nina Pfeffer for all her patience and guidance. I learned so much from her.

So after Helen convinced me to bring her books to life in audio, I went back to the idea of doing the same for Mr. Scrooge and company. Helen often refers to me as her "Voice Time Machine", since I can do so many voices of actors who are no longer with us, which allows her to 'cast' the characters from her books and helps her in turn bring them more to life in her writing. And believe me I drew upon a lot of voices of actors both living and dead, to my project. 

And in spite of having a whole year to work on "A Christmas Carol" I could not anticipate back and hip problems which kept me from my 'recording studio' and sitting at the desk to edit either images/audio recordings for weeks at a time. 

Then of course there were other projects that needed my attention as well. I'm wrapping up my 3rd audiobook narration as I write. I also created a couple of book covers over the last 12 months, as well as feeding 3 blogs with material as well. 

With so much going on, I can't feel too bad about not finishing my "A Christmas Carol" project. There's only so many hours in the day, and only so much of me...

Therefore my New Year's Resolution will be to keep being ambitious, but give myself leeway to scale back and not be too hard on myself if I can't get all that I want to done. 

And I do have plans for this coming year, oh yes indeed. Here's a little list:

- Re-work, re-edit, and re-release "The Bridge" in a special 10th Anniversary version.

- Get a complete 1st draft of "The Vampyre Blogs - Family Ties" which takes up mere weeks after      the end of  "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home".

- Release the first volume of "The Pass" trilogy, which I wrote with my old high school friend Rich      Caminiti, with some fantastic illustrations by the talented Gabrielle Callan. We will be releasing this book in hardback (yes, your read that right) and e-book formats. 

    

      NOTE: This one is a definite. The book is already written Gabrielle just getting the last of the

     artwork completed along with the cover.

      

- Rich and I will be working on the 2nd and 3rd drafts of the second installment of "The Pass" trilogy   with hopes of releasing that book in 2023.

    

     *The 1st draft is already completed so we have high hopes of getting this to happen*

- Record and release Helen's 1st solo anthology "Forever W. I. T. C. H. Hunting", which is actually      actually a spinoff from her Forever Detective Series and will feature characters from that series as well as a few new faces who will be appearing in future installments of The Forever Detective books.

- I hope to begin recording "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" with the help of Helen to bring more variety of voices for your listening pleasure.

- We may start adding some podcasts occasionally to this blog and maybe even to YouTube. We have     the equipment and the ability to do it, so you may actually get to see and hear us once in a while.

- Finally, I'm starting to look into voiceover work opportunities for myself this coming year. I'm      already on LinkedIn and have seen opportunities becoming more numerous, as well as over on      Audible. There are apparently opportunities here in and around Santa Cruz, so I may be trying out for a few here and there. It all depends on time and how many spoons I can spare without burning myself out.

So there you have it everyone. We'll see how much I actually accomplish, but time and life will tell. I'm not sure how easy the new year will be starting out with our regular jobs as we're having labor issues with management this time around. So there's a strong possibility of disruptions in our lives in the coming month. So if I go quiet for a while, you'll know why.

We'll see what happens. But in the meantime, we hope the holiday season has been treating you well and that you all have a joyful and wondrous New Year come the end of this week.

Stay safe, and keep writing and recording dear friends.