Page 99 of Eco-Activist's Mountain Men
Jim is the local veterinarian. His place is about an hour away in normal conditions. With the roads still partially blocked, it's hard to tell how long it might take. I stand up, already striding towards the barn where the quad is parked, not wanting to waste even a single moment. Every one of those moments could meanthe difference between life and death for Southpaw. We owe him everything. We need to try.
"I'll have to," I reply over my shoulder.
It's late in the day before I finally make it back to the lodge. I park up the quad and get stiffly out of the saddle, glad to take off my helmet and stretch in what remains of the day's sunshine, the sun now only perhaps an hour away from setting below the trees in the west.
I leave my helmet dangling from the handlebars of the quad and head inside.
In the kitchen, four anxious faces look up at me as I enter.
"Well?" asks Jack
"Is he…?" Luna's eyes are misted up. She swallows, unable to finish her sentence.
"Doc says he'll pull through," I say, as I sit down heavily, glad not to have the constant motion of the quad bike under me anymore. Luke pours me a coffee from the ever-present jug on the stove.
"Thank God." Luna hugs and kisses Eric, who happens to be standing beside her. Lucky bastard. "Will he really be okay?"
"According to Jim, he should be fine. He says Southpaw was lucky. A little to the left or a little to the right, and it might have been a different story."
"Shit, we were lucky." This comes from Luke.
"Yeah, seems that way. Jim's extracted the bullet, cleaned the wound. He had to anaesthetize Southpaw whilst he worked on him, just in case—he is a wolf after all—and I stayed to make sure everything was okay. Then I left him with Jim for observation.He wants to keep him for a couple of days to make sure the wound heals properly. Then, with luck, we can go fetch him."
We discuss Southpaw a little more, and we all agree that when he gets back to us, we'll have to do something special for him to say thank you for his bravery in protecting Luna. We all agree it was deliberate. He knew he was taking that bullet for her. Why else would he have dived up into the air at just that moment and in just that direction?
So did that mean he's been watching over Luna this whole time, without us knowing? We agree it's entirely likely. We also agree he's a strange animal. Half human, half wolf, half what? Guardian angel?
Whatever he is, we're all grateful to him. We all owe him so much. We will definitely be making a fuss of him when we get him back,
Meantime, though, there's something else that needs sorting out.
It's my turn now to get an update from the rest of the team as to what's been happening in my absence.
"So, guys," I ask. "What happened whilst I was gone? Where's Collier?"
"Luke knocked him unconscious," Luna giggles.
"Yeah, I was there. What happened afterwards?"
"Luke and Jack tied him up and locked him in the fuel shed."
The fuel shed is a strong, block-built structure with heavy doors and no windows, built to contain a small explosion or fire outbreak in our stored fuel. No way he'd get himself out of there, even if he wasn't tied up.
"Did you call the cops?"
"Yeah. They were very casual. They said if there was no immediate threat, could we please hold him overnight, and they'd be down tomorrow midday to pick him up and to take statements from us."
"Have you fed him?"
"No."
"Oh. Should we?"
"You can if you want." Luna looks stern. "He's getting fuck all from me."
"Fair enough. Can he move?"
"No, we told you, he's tied up."
