Crissa's Mate

Chapter Forty-Six

When Crissa entered the classroom meeting at 6:05 PM that evening, there were fifteen or so people of various ages standing around in small groups talking. She stood in the doorway for several seconds, feeling a little out of place when a stocky young woman with reddish-blond hair approached her.

"Crissa?"

"Yes. Hello. Becky?"

"You called me this afternoon? About our meeting?"

"That's right."

"Well, welcome! You're in the right place. This is our weekly get-together. We're just about to get started."

The woman of about thirty, suddenly turned toward the group and raised her voice dramatically. "Can we have everyone seated? We have a lot to discuss tonight."

As everyone took seats in the room, including Crissa, the woman whom she now knew as Becky, President of the Wolf Conservation Club, went up to the front and stood before the whiteboard. As the several conversations began to diminish she smiled at the group and waited for the last voices to stop.

"Welcome everyone. As you know, this is a very special time for our club's studies. The moon is currently in its fullest phase and we know how that activates the gray wolf. Some of you have asked by phone if we can organize an outing into the foothills one of these last nights to listen to their howling and hunting calls."

There were several nods by those in attendance.

"It's been reported that the last light was particularly active. Mainly  with our nearest clan. Just above the north Vancouver suburbs. It seems there may have been some sort of incident in combination with the maximum moonlight that set the wolves off there. As if something was stimulating or agitating them more last night. This apparently caused more pronounced vocal activities than normal."

Crissa listened with anxiety as Becky described the event. And she knew the wolves she was referring to would be in the very vicinity of her family's cabin. The reports also coincided with her father's description of the sounds he had told Crissa about the night before.

What was going on with David in this area, she wondered? How might the territorial nature of these animals be affecting him there? Could he have been the cause of their unusual behavior?

One of the younger male members of the club, with long blond hair and square-shaped reading glasses, raised his hand to speak.

"We've got about two more nights to get the full effects of this," he said, looking around the room. "Can we maybe . . . get a field trip together by tomorrow night? Up into that region? Say, around . . . eleven o' clock?  The moon should be at about a forty degree position then. We'd be able to get some good vocal recordings within the next few hours . . . and maybe some night vision zoom photography of them in a hunt."

Several others in the room nodded their heads enthusiastically and waited for Becky's response.

"I think it's a feasible  plan," she said boldly. "We haven't been out on a night observation since last year. How many of you here would be able to make this? Say . . . tomorrow evening. If we carpooled over to the foothills from the campus parking lot?"

There was a showing of eight to ten hands that shot up in the room. Most of the volunteers seemed to be students like Crissa or slightly older---though there were a few more senior members in the classroom who seemed just as enthusiastic as those to enter the nightly domain of the wolves. All seemed to understand the incursion up the mountain would be on the species own terms and in their own ancient and established territory.

One of the female members, who seemed to be near the same age as Becky, spoke up hesitantly and cautiously.

"Are you all aware of the possible security risks in this? I mean . . . there is obviously some unknown element up there right now. Perhaps hunters who are possibly agitating the clan. It could be something like that causing those loud and frequent vocalizations. And they may be more aggressive to us as outside elements."

Most listened to her concern seriously, while a few of the younger males, scoffed at the suggestion. One of them spoke up when there was a pause.

"Look. I was on that night search last year. And though it was a bit different, and yeah . . . scary you might say . . . the wolves never showed any aggression toward us. Either during the night or day. They seem pretty afraid of humans generally. Those clans most near civilization have always tolerated us over there. Even when we've gotten pretty near to their upper dens."

At that moment, Crissa remembered the horrific consequence to Julie and David when they had neared the nesting dens of the Eurasian wolf clan in Germany. She knew first-hand the critical dangers, at least with that variant species. And those animals were widely known to be close genetic cousins of the Gray Canadian wolves. She thought of raising these concerns with Becky herself but felt self-conscious as someone new to the group.

"Well, I think we should take a vote on whether the club, by a majority, will allow such an excursion . . . say for tomorrow night?"

"I second that!" The young man said.

"Alright," Becky responded. "All in favor?"

Nearly everyone raised their hands, while Crissa and the cautious young woman did not affirm the motion.

"It's a majority," Becky said. She then whispered to a young female sitting in the front row who was obviously taking minutes of the meeting, to record the official motion.

"Looks like we'll have at least three cars full of people going. Can we get three drivers to be here tomorrow at say . . . ten-thirty PM n the parking lot?"

Three people did raise their hands, offering to drive those of the group who would show up for the trip.

"Terrific!" Becky said. "I know I'll be there with my camera and recorder! Maybe we'll be lucky enough to observe and hear them in this excited activity tomorrow evening. The full moon will still be to our advantage."

A few members of the club nodded in agreement.

"So remember it's fall now, people," she added. "Mind that you're prepared for the mountain chill. Bring whatever equipment you wish, but no firearms please. Flashlights and your cell phones are a must."

Crissa could see this impromptu trip into the territory where David was probably struggling, had quickly morphed from a simple suggestion by the club into a real scheduled event. She began to seriously consider if she should go along, as well.

While the group began to break up after Becky's further announcements about the university funding for the club—its studies and activities, she wished everyone in attendance a good night.

As Crissa walked out into the cooler evening, still at twilight and with only a hint of darkness to follow, she knew that afterwards would begin the third nightly influence of the moon's powerful light—illuminating and affecting not only the sea, land and mountains of the region, but also someone very dear to her.

Passing by the many buildings on her way to the dorm, all of which had now become a part of her new campus life, she mused upon just how diverse her world had become that first week. For it offered her as a first Saturday night—either a frivolous party where students would spend the evening in comfort and flirtatious excess—or a second option, where others still would venture out energetically---potentially putting their lives in danger. Crissa was certain where her roommate Trisha would be during that next evening. And now she was sure where she would be, as well.

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