subplotkudzu | DTVS 1:4 Lone Wolves Part 5: Pack Meeting

Helena spends the time until the meeting with one of her many jobs - teaching watercolors to local affluent children - that help her make the rent. She then prepares herself for some automatic sketching in hopes of another vision.

According to the accounts, the beast of Gévaudan was killed by a silver bullet, a blessed bullet or both. To be sure, Edwin plans for both, laying out a large sum of his monthly funds to quickly get some silver heads for his crossbow bolts. That arranged he looks through his books, eventually locating a blessing spell that will enchant the heads. This takes longer than planned and he is nearly late to the meeting. Knowing there is no social way to invite Doris into the meeting (Helena he trusts to just barge in and not have the sense to leave) he instead loads the girl's arms with moderately relevant texts. "These are your invitation," he says before leading the way.

Inside Dr. Watkins office the professor does his best to prepare his charge. "I'm not sure why he's interested, but Professor Winterbourne has taken an interest in the wolf and I think it best to dispel any notion that you are involved up front." Frost looks puzzled, "But why do they think this?"

Watkins ticks off some points, "Many people cannot recognize Leet's breed, the press started this raised-by-wolves foolishness, the killing started shortly after you returned. Dr. Winterbourne is a professor of languages, not a scientist, and like many lay people he can be distracted by causal links - because two things happen near each other, people think that they are connected, when it is really just a coincidence. No one can suspect you of anything once acquainted with facts."

Watkins opens the door to Edwin's knock, inviting the younger man in; if he's nonplussed by the presence of the Helena he doesn't show it, and says nothing about Doris being told to sit out of the way with the books. Once they're settled Watkins asks Winterbourne to explain himself; the Watcher, cautious of Watkins reputation as being a bit of a nut on the idea of proving Native American magic real in the light of 20th century science, knows he cannot reveal much. He begins with an explanation of the beast of Gévaudan and how something similar might be here. As he speaks, Helena focuses her attentions on Roger, trying to confirm he really is human as she shows him the sketch she made of the beast - she can see an enchantment on both the boy and his dog, but it doesn't feel malign. Roger is busy sniffing, trying to identify who here, if anyone, smells of wolf - both Doris & Edwin have a faint musky smell, as if they had encountered it. Doris tries to gauge Roger's feelings, and can easily see him shift from guarded to terror[1] as he finally looks at the sketch and Edwin's description registers - Amarok! Suddenly looking quite the boy he pleads discomfort and exits for air. A few moments later Doris follows, "to make tea."

Just the adults now and Watkins asks the hard question: "civic responsibility is all well and good, but what about this concerns you. Why are you involved?"

Edwin fumbles in framing an answer that won't reveal too much, about the need for some people to hunt things in the shadows, and is blessed when Watkins jumps to a rational-if-wrong conclusion: "You say you're some sort of monster hunter? Are you familiar with Leon Holls?" Edwin quickly pulls the name from memory, "The cryptozoologist? I'm well familiar with his work…."[2] He says with a hint of implication that he can't reveal too much.

This is when Dr. Watkins spots Helena's sketch. "Good lord, it's a Waheela!" He begins explaining what he knows of this cryptid arctic wolf; at first Edwin asks questions, but Helena kicks him and instead nods encouragingly, trusting the scholar's natural tendency to lecture if given an audience. The beast he describes fits many of the physical traits of the creature Edwin encountered, and the Watcher relates the encounter, sans Doris and Vampire, and attributes Helena's sketch to his description. Watkins is thrilled with the prospect of bagging such a beast in the city! Someone must have smuggled it into the city - difficult since that incident with the rogue bear on the docks last year. "I swear the remnants of that Barnum's organization are a pox on the city even now."

[1] Stephen's: " the magic gunslingers adjusting their holsters?"

[2] This is a gross anachronism: Sanderson and Heuvelmans, the earliest Cryptozoologists, have not even been born, but the science fits with my plot, so there. Leon Holls is fictitious.

To be Continued