The Wolf Road Read Online Free PDF Page A

hunk a’ bread and strip a’ jerk for dinner. Thought twice afore I left and grabbed two more pieces a’ meat. Trapper’s always got a fierce hunger on him when he’s been hunting.
    When I came out the hut, the rain eased off to a weak drizzle, like it weren’t even trying no more, and I figured I was no more’n ten minutes behind Trapper. I went after him, right where he’d gone through the trees. I thought I’d paid attention when he taught me ’bout tracking, but I couldn’t see shit in all that mud and wet. His footprints had turned to sludge pools and the path quick turned to moss and mulch. I didn’t call out, that was another a’ them rules. When you in the forest, when you on a hunt, you don’t speak. Even if a grizzly takes a swing at you, keep that mouth sewn up tight.

    I walked for god knows how long, till the rain clouds cleared and the sky turned deep blue, maybe five hours, but my legs was short and I was slow back then, so I don’t know how far I got in truth. Summer meant long evenings a’ sunlight what can play tricks on you. I sure broke Trapper’s rule though: Don’t go out a’ sight a’ the hut. But I figured I knew my way back so he couldn’t go raging at me too hard. ’Sides, I was grown-up to ten, weren’t no kid no more.
    I came to a clearing with meadow grass near tall as me and I froze. Straight across the other side, brown eyes was staring back at me. Wide and terrified and belonging to a woman. A human woman. Wondered brief if it was the late light confusing my brain but she raised her hand, waved, and started limping toward me. Thought about running. My hands was shaking. My head was racing through all kinds a’ options. Hide. Help. Run. But it was a woman. Hell, I hadn’t seen no woman for years.
    Don’t talk to no one, Trapper said. But my curious got the better a’ me and I figured I’d already broke one rule, might as well break two.
    Strange as it was to see a person out in the forest, I couldn’t stop staring at her. I had hair down to my chin and I thought that was longer’n was strictly practical, but she had black silk reaching her waist. I thought my eyes was pretty brown enough, but hers were damn near golden. I thought I was tall enough, but she was half my height again. Only woman I ever remember seeing was my nana and I can tell you now, she was a shriveled shrew compared to this one. Realized quick I was smiling. Grinning like a clown watching her walk at me.

    “Hey,” she said, voice weak and raw. She had one hand held tight at her chest, holding the corners of her shirt together. When she got closer I saw it weren’t a shirt but a nightgown, lacy thing fit for nothing.
    “What you doing out here dressed in that?” I said, ’cause that, not Who in the hell are you?, was the first question that came into my ten-year-old head.
    She kept looking ’round and kept down low in the grass, like someone was chasing her or they was playing hide-and-go-seek and I was ’bout to give her away. Don’t think she heard my question, ’cause she didn’t answer it.
    “What are you doing out here all on your own? Are you lost?” she said, and came up right beside me. She didn’t have no shoes on her feet and I wondered brief if she might be simple. She didn’t sound it though, didn’t look it neither. Her voice was new to me and all the more pretty for it. So many years a’ harsh Trapper tones had hardened up my ears, but her voice melted all that away.
    “I ain’t lost,” I said.
    She knelt down and put her hands on my shoulders like she was checking I was real. “Do you live nearby?”
    I said yes and she smiled and when she did that all my doubts went skipping off. I’d found me a momma, gone off into the woods by myself and I caught me one, same as Trapper catches rabbits. He’d be right proud a’ me. I smiled wide, showing her all my teeth, what I always kept clean. Trapper always said clean teeth meant good health and his was always white