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As Leotie moved west with her two friends, she practiced saying basic words. The trail narrowed in some areas and didn’t even look like a trail. Without their noses, they would’ve been lost. Every so often she checked her surroundings. It was odd this Markus hadn’t come in person to talk to them. She hadn’t asked to be brought back to life as a wolf and wasn’t about to feel obligated to anyone over it.
“If we have no hope of a cure, then I want to stay with our tribe as I am. They’re still our people, even though we look different.”
“I agree, but we don’t know how they’ll react to this change,” Izrah thought.
“But what if Markus is the only one who can help us be human again?” Tala thought.
Leotie felt a wave of anxiety every time she thought the same thing. “No, we have to figure it out on our own, because I’m never joining Markus.” Leotie wasn’t about to give up control of her life to some debased creature that didn’t even have the decency to talk to them in person.
Izrah lifted her nose from the ground and stopped. “Do you smell that?”
Leotie took a sniff and a stronger scent of a human came to her. “Someone is nearby.”
Tala bolted forward.
Leotie jumped in front of her and blocked her. “Not so fast.”
“Sorry, I forgot,” Tala thought.
The three slunk along the narrow trail. Leotie’s stomach grumbled again, along with an increasing urge to hunt. It seemed the scent of humans made her hungry. She forced herself to ignore the hunger as they hid under some brush.
A lone gray-haired man was crouched behind a tree, holding a bow and arrow. He was a tall, wrinkled man, slightly hunched in deer skins. Leotie checked with her enhanced vision and sense of smell, but there was no prey ahead for him to take down.
Tala stepped on a twig, making a cracking sound. He glanced in their direction. Leotie recognized him as Izrah’s husband.
“Praise the Great Spirit. It’s Anti!” Izrah thought, “and he’s still human.” She leaned forward, stopped herself and backed up. “See Leotie, I prayed and prayed, and the Great Spirit has answered again.”
“I guess so,” Leotie thought, hoping Anti knew something about the wolf curse.
“So what do we do now?” Tala asked. “Bark at him? What if he turns the arrow on us?”
Izrah scoffed. “Anti would never hunt wolves. I’ll go see him first.”
Leotie tensed every muscle as Izrah slowly emerged with her head down. She squeaked. Anti turned again and stared. She crept closer and squeaked a few more times.
“What do you want, wolf?” Anti said. “I have no food.”
Izrah struggled to speak and accidentally barked. Anti took a step back and put his hands up.
“Oh dear, I’ve scared him. Leotie, try to say something.”
Leotie stepped forward. “I Leotie.”
Anti leaned down and his mouth dropped open. “Did you say Leotie?”
Leotie nodded. “Tala, Izrah.” She looked at them.
Tala and Izrah came closer.
Anti’s eyes widened. He approached Leotie and looked at the pouch around her neck. Slowly he reached out and took it off her neck, finding the two rocks.
“Since when do wolves carry fire rocks?” Anti asked.
Leotie shook her head.
Anti narrowed his eyes, studying them. “Can you all stand on your hind legs?”
The three stood on their hind legs and struggled to balance.
“Lay down and roll over,” Anti said.
Tala rolled around. “Somehow I feel like a trick animal.”
“It’s worth it if we can make him understand.” Leotie rolled, got up and shook the dirt off.
“Izrah, Leotie and Tala?” Anti asked, astounded.
All three nodded. Leotie felt some relief that they were actually getting through to him. He could help explain their situation to the others.
He knelt down, petting Izrah along the side of her face and down her neck. She nudged her muzzle on his arm. He leaned over and hugged her. “My Izrah. My Izrah...how has this happened?” His eyes welled up with tears. “What have I done? We should’ve never stayed behind.” He looked at his hands. “There were so many deaths. Izrah, we shouldn’t have given up.”
“Oh dear,” Izrah thought. “I was trying not to think about that.”
“You stayed behind on purpose?” Leotie asked.
“Yes, we were told Wayna and Jolan were dead along with many, many others. It wasn’t all about giving up. We were exhausted and stayed in case they were wrong. Someone had to stay at the camp for anyone who needed us. We had many children and grandchildren, not many are left and two are wolves.” She dropped to the ground and squeaked.
Anti petted Izrah. “In all our years and wisdom, we made a bad choice and this is our punishment.”
All three began barking and squealing, desperate to tell him.
Anti held up a hand, and they stopped. “I know you were killed, Izrah. I saw you shot down. Yet, now you’re a wolf.”
They all nodded again. Tala circled frantically.
“Go find others.” Leotie strained the words out.
Anti touched Tala and pulled her over until she sat down. He knelt in front of them and folded his legs. “Any mistake must be put in the past, so I’ll move on. However, I lost track of our people. Perhaps you three can help me pick up the trail again.”
Leotie wanted to tell him he had found the trail again, but it was too many words. The slow communication made her want to howl in frustration.
Leotie strained. “Rant make norrrmmm.”
Anti only stared.
She tried again. “Huuuuman.”
“You want to be human again?” Anti asked.
Leotie and Tala nodded, but Izrah shook her head no.
“I see...” Anti paused. “I’m now remembering. It seems someone changed you into something called a skin walker. From what I know of the stories, no one has ever gone back from that.”
The three lowered their heads at the words ‘skin walker.’ Leotie didn’t want it to be true.
“Someone has done this to you. Your lives were saved by this individual.”
Leotie strained to speak. “Cure...us.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think there is any medicine for this.” He paused, staring thoughtfully as if the trees would give him the answer. “The only choice is to accept what you really are – skin walkers.”
“That word makes no sense. What skin? All we have is hair.” Leotie’s stomach tightened into a knot. Would they eventually change into looking like a skin walker?
Anti went through his sack and pulled out a new arrow. “I see your eagerness to find our people. I feel the same way, but I don’t know how they’ll receive wolves, especially if they find out you’re skin walkers.”
Leotie hated how he kept using that awful word.
Anti continued, “Skin walkers are associated with dark magic by our people. However, you can’t help what happened to you.”
Leotie scratched the ground. “You tell them.”
“I’ll try.”
An awkward moment of silence lingered between them.
“You have the advantage of great senses,” Anti said. “If you could help me find something to take down with my bow, I can cook it up for us and I’ll be stronger.” He motioned to a dense area of the forest with his wrinkled hand.
Leotie couldn’t help feeling bad for Anti, being so old and out here on his own, struggling to hunt.
Izrah nodded. “Come on. Let’s show him how we can track now.”
Leotie groaned at how Izrah enjoyed being a wolf.
