The Victorian Wolf Effect (Book III)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Victorian Wolf

Timber barked and the two set off to the lumber mill. It was a grueling, dark morning. The clouds let very little light through. Henry and Timber hauled as much as they could. Men were still in awe of Timber and intimidated by Henry. They learned after a few hours that Henry was just big. He was a good man and ready to laugh. Henry knew the talk would make the work go faster so he obliged. The talk was about their women. Many of the men were married and had children. Henry listened for much of the conversation until he could not anymore.

"Come on, Henry. We know you've got a lady. There's a ring on your finger. What's she like?"

"She's an angel. She's well educated and smart. She makes better food than I've ever had. She's graceful and beautiful and wild. She can hunt and fish as well as any man but when she walks, she looks as if she's floating."

"Sounds like you struck gold."

"I did. She's why I'm here. My woman needs a new dress and things for winter and she doesn't have the time to make one for herself."

"You got little ones?"

"No," said Henry. "We were only married in June."

"Ah, newlywed! That explains why you sound so happy."

"Come off it, Floyd. You're just bitter because your woman looks like she ate a cow."

"Better to look like a cow than to smell like a hog."

"You take that back!"

"No."

"Hey! We have work to do!" said Henry loudly. "Don't waste your energy fighting."

The work carried on until noon when they broke for lunch. Timber lay down and spread out on the dirt not far from one of the tracks. Henry sat down too.

"Hey, you got lunch?" asked Tommy's dad.

"No."

"Come home with me. The wife won't mind."

Henry got up and Timber followed. They walked to a little house and a woman came onto the porch with a baby on her hip.

"Hello, John. Is this a friend from the mill?"

"Yes and he doesn't have lunch."

"I don't mind him, but -"

"She's a good girl, Ruth. Good with kids. She and Tommy are already friends."

"Well, in that case."

Ruth let them in. Timber followed Henry to the kitchen and when he sat down, she lay at his feet. She was given a bowl of water and she lapped it eagerly but politely, spilling nothing on the floor. The baby crawled over to her. She smiled. She let the baby climb on her back and she didn't yipe or move when her ear was pulled.

"So Henry, I have a question I wanted to ask you earlier but I didn't want to ask publicly. How did you domesticate a timberwolf?"

Henry choked. Timber looked up.

"Sorry?"

"You may be able to fool everyone else, but not me. That's a timberwolf. The biggest one I've ever seen, but still a timberwolf."

"You're smart, John. Yes, she's a wolf. We saved each other when we were younger. We've been a pair ever since."

"You're a good man. Most people shoot wolves."

"But not you."

"Once by accident. We were targeting the same deer. I didn't see it until it was too late. I was heartbroken. Wolves are just misunderstood. Smart of you to call her a dog. With so many huskies and wolf dogs around, people believe it. They don't know better."