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Rudy laughed harder. “No way. But a slap on the backend and a sharp “no” might have taught him a lesson.”
Glen finally joined in and stood up for her. “No way. I tried working with him, you know… making friends. But he’d have none of it. The sucker left a few marks on me too. Between us three, I’m kinda glad he’s gone now. Didn’t like the thought of him roaming around the place.”
Demi hadn’t really thought about how Glen had taken to the wolf. Turns out, he felt the same as she did. Yet, something didn’t sit right with her. Still feeling strangely nervous about the wolf’s escape, she took a pail of hot water, gloves, and a broom and entered the space where she’d lately been greeted with snarls and lunges. Her stomach lurched when she remembered the last sight she’d had of her visitor.
The large furball sitting so careful not to hurt the kitty who’d accepted him. It still shocked the hell out of her that he hadn’t gulped it down as part of his supper menu. Didn’t wild animals eat other wild animals? Wasn’t a small cat considered food for a wolf? She’d always believed so.
When she’d questioned the boys, Rudy had answered, saying that because they’d kept the wolf well fed, it obviously hadn’t felt the need to eat the feline. Maybe so, but why hadn’t it killed it for sport?
She’d watched in the early days when Glen first arrived home that he had tried to make friends with the pup. Hell, she remembered that he’d taken an old woolen sock and held it out for them to play tug of war. Not only had it ignored the sock, but instead he’d tried to attack Glen’s arm. Appearing shaken, Glen decided maybe to leave well enough alone.
Shrugging, she quickly disassembled the cage and then began washing everything in its range. Deciding the whole room could use an extra cleaning, she went into the far corner where an incredible shock waited for her.
Running to the door, she called out. “Glen. Rudy. Can you come here please.”
Both young men rushed to follow her into her room. “What happened, Demi. Are you okay?”
“Look in that corner and tell me what you see.”
Glen went over and stopped dead. “It’s shit.”
“That’s what I saw too. That little bastard must have been able to get out of the cage.”
Plunking himself on the bed, face filled with bewilderment, Glen agreed. “I guess so. I wonder how long he’s been doing that?”
“If the various piles around here are anything to go by, I’d say at least a few days. I wondered why there wasn’t much in his cage. Figured his BM’s weren’t regular and that I needed to give him some veggies.”
Both boys stared at her comically and then howled with laughter. That made her add, “How the hell was I to know? I’ve never had an animal, let alone a wolf. Christ, all the little… ahh, wolf ever did was eat, pee, poop, and attack.”
Settling, Glen finally admitted what they all had to accept. “If he’d really wanted to harm you or me, he could have done it easily. I think we have to assume that all he wanted was his freedom.”
Rudy pointed out what they had to accept. “Maybe it was the first time you’d ever left the door open… I mean the outside door. Not only could he smell the open air, but he’d have seen the opportunity. Guess he knew himself it was time to go.”
“Funny thing is. I thought I’d say good riddance but now I have to worry about him surviving alone. Blasted males in my life are nothing but a pain in the ass… present company exempt.” She stomped off, leaving behind an astounded Rudy and a thoughtful Glen.
***
Silence reigned for a few seconds and then Glen shook his head sadly. “She’s still worried about Whit. And now her little bastard as she calls him will be added on her list of things to stress over.”
“Funny, I’d never have taken her to be so sensitive.” Rudy turned to Glen, “Seriously, man. When you first meet her, she seems like a woman who has no room for that kind of soft stuff. Guess first impressions can be deceiving.”
Glen nodded sadly. “Took me a while to figure it out but she’s all gooey inside. And when she opens her world to someone, you better believe she cares. Biggest, softest heart I ever met.”
“Then you’re one lucky asshole to be included in her circle.”
Glen nodded harder. “Oh, yeah. I know it.”
“Don’t mess it up, man.” The seriousness of Rudy’s comment seemed to drive a spike into Glen’s conscience. His face crumbled for a few seconds before he stiffened his shoulders. “Hopefully, she’s forgiving if a guy is between a rock and a hard place.”
Chapter Seven
Over the next few days, Demi finally felt as if everything in her world had settled into place. Well, except for missing Whit that is.
Every morning, the first thought to greet her was that today she’d get news they’d found him alive. And every night her last prayer before drifting off to sleep would be a wish that the next day would bring him home.
Never one to examine what all this interest in the man’s wellbeing meant, she carried on with her day-to-day activities, wrote nightly in her book, and watched Glen become more and more healthy, especially now with Rudy being a part of his life.
One morning, about a week later, they woke up to a world of white. It had snowed most of the night and the temperatures had finally dropped as everyone had warned they would.
