A. Finding Bohdan Rourke - The Wolf

Chapter 1- Finding Bohdan Rourke

She moved softly down the riverbank, picking her way carefully between
the rocks and trees, her passing leaving barely a mark in the firm mud
and her movement merely another whisper of the faint evening breeze.
She stopped a short way from the fallen animal and crouched low to the
ground, pressing her body into the earth and becoming a shadow of the
rocks around her. As she waited for the darkness to thicken she
contemplated the animal she had followed for the last quarter-light. It
was like many others of its species that she had seen, clumsy on its
two feet and hardly equipped to survive its current situation, front
down in a muddy stream way a half-light from its nearest pack. But she
would not presume it to be defenceless, kin had made that mistake and
paid a very dear price. Others like it although weak and slow were
cunning and more robust than they looked. She took a breath and let it
out slowly, allowing her body to mould further into the surroundings
and watched as her breath mist drifted to nothing in the
twilight.

It was nice to be warm, he had been too cold for too long, the chill
was gone from his bones now and the cramps in his muscles had started
to subside. His had been a long journey with far too few moments of
pleasure to ease the bitter sting of intense pain and anguish. To find
this haven in the dark depths was incredible. The traveller sat still
with his back to a moss-covered boulder as the warm sunlight heated his
body and glanced around for the others resting nearby that he had seen
just moments ago. There they were, a little way off at the other side
of the clearing. The tall man sat with his arms around the shoulders of
the red haired woman as they also rested in the afternoon sun, the man
moved, shifting the woman's head to rest on his shoulder and bringing
his face into profile. The traveller intensified his gaze, it was
strange but the man looked very much as he imagined himself to look,
they could certainly pass for each other&;#8230;.. He shifted his
gaze and swept the surrounding forest, he could have sworn he saw a
shadow move at the edge of his vision, a sound no louder than a whisper
in the faint breeze. He concentrated on his surroundings, his eyes
moving over every inch of the vegetation, seeking the disturbance that
would give the clues he needed. The light began to dim, he glanced up
quickly but no clouds encroached on the azure sky although it was
quickly fading to grey, he vegetation too was losing its lustre. His
eyes continued to switch back and forth, constantly searching. Now the
temperature was dropping, quickly becoming uncomfortable, he felt wet
and now cold, curling his feet under him he pushed himself upright, and
everything spun.

She watched as her quarry lying in the stream became animated,
twitching its limbs and shifting its body as her young did sometimes in
sleep. Then it became still again but not truly motionless, she sensed
a gathering of strength and felt her muscles tense as if in reply her
heart began to beat faster pushing rich oxygenated blood into every
muscle, ready. Suddenly it lurched to its feet, breaking the suction
with the wet stream bed in a powerful but clumsy motion, water streamed
from its clothing and hair as it steadied itself and drew in a
shuddering breath through chattering teeth. Then as if sensing her
presence it dropped to a crouch and scanned it's surroundings, spinning
quickly on the spot and then beginning to repeat the process more
slowly. She lowered her muzzle to the ground and remained motionless,
she had been right to be cautious.

He felt the water running off him and shivered through to his bones,
his eyes were not accustomed to the deep gloom and he blinked them
rapidly trying to adjust. Basic instincts were taking over driving his
body through the necessity to survive while the conscious mind
struggled to catch up with events. He spun full circle pivoting easily
in the soft mud of what appeared to be a stream, nothing. He began
again circling slowly, searching for the slightest movement or faintest
sound. The world around him began to take shape as he remembered the
long walk from..somewhere.. That had lead him here, sinking to his
knees in the stream, needing to drink, taking in what seemed like a
lake full of the brackish muddy water before ..what..? Falling
apparently, succumbing to the blackness&;#8230; but something had
woken him.

His eyes passed over the rocks and trees, sweeping the far bank in
detail. He felt his mind 'sink' ignoring the cold boots full of water
and the pain in his muscles, again allowing his instincts to take over.
Blip, there it was, his eyes were drawn to a lighter patch in the dark.
He moved his body to face whatever it was, lowering his crouch he felt
his heart beat faster pumping blood and adrenaline through his muscles,
ready.

She had been seen, that was obvious from the change in posture and the
focus of attention. Staying concealed would be of no further use, but
the confrontation was not yet at an end. A fight now would not help
either of them, the noise generated would bring predators that neither
of the combatants were equipped to deal with for there were things that
live in the dark that were far beyond the ability of wolf or man. She
stood up from concealment and regarded it with a steady gaze, showing
no teeth and making no noise. She waited in silence.

He noticed her movement immediately, and spent long seconds matching
her stance to her intentions. She was big, bigger than he was by far,
outweighing him by perhaps half his own weight and she appeared to be
in prime condition. With a slight nod of his head he accepted the
quarter offered and took a wary step backwards, sinking slightly in the
thick ooze.

She observed his movement with interest then turned and left returning
to the shadows in silence, moving to rejoin the pack.

He watched her leave and allowed a breath of relief to pass slowly from
his lips, but she would not be the only hunter out here in the dark and
his next encounter may not be decided by such measured intelligence. He
too turned and moved into the shadows, looking for others of his own
kind to help him make sense of his existence. For with his return to
consciousness he also remembered what he had known before, he knew
nothing about himself or his surroundings, his intentions or history.
So armed only with the present and his future he moved off to find a
place where people stayed&;#8230;