Family Tails

A Story of a Mixed Family in the Genetic Age

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Names of actual businesses, their products, etc, are the property of their respective owners.

Story and characters © 2013 Ronald J. Lebeck

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Chapter 3

On Wednesday of the following week, Lupina got up a little early so that she could make the long walk into town. The high temperature for the day was going to be around seven degrees Celsius, partly cloudy, with a light wind, according to the forecast she got on her smart phone the last time she walked up to the road to get a signal. When Lupina was ready to head out, she put a large piece of wood on the fire, and made sure the screen was in place in front of the fireplace. As soon as she got to the road, she saw a moose a ways off on the other side in a clearing. It didn't seem to be paying any attention to her, though the wind wasn't blowing her scent towards it. She did keep an eye on it as she walked towards town, but it kept on grazing until she was out of sight of it. "I hope that idiot moose isn't going to be on my side of the road when I come back," she muttered. Once again, of the few passersby she met, no one bothered to give her a ride into town. "I bet if I were a human, they'd stop," she said sourly. Aside from Miki, her grandfather, and the one real estate agent, not many people seemed very accepting of her in town.

There was still nothing new available at the real estate agency, and the only responses she got from her applications were, "We're sorry, but no positions are available at this time." She wondered if jobs really were hard to come by, or if it was just her not being a human. Lupina stopped at sandwich shop and got a sub-style sandwich with extra meat and a bottle of water. Other than coffee or hot tea, she didn't really drink much of anything else, other than water. Her idea of snack food was sausage or cheese sticks, though she would occasionally eat something else...as long as it didn't contain chocolate. The biologists at The Center made it very clear what types of human foods they each should avoid. For the canines, chocolate was an absolute no-no, regardless of how good it might smell. The only thing she didn't much care for with sausage sticks (including "summer" sausages), was the amount of pepper put into them. It tended to be too overpowering, so once she found a particular brand that she felt wasn't as spicy as the rest, she stuck with it.

After stocking up on some groceries, she decided to head back to the cabin before it got too dark. Lupina didn't fancy walking alone anywhere after dark, especially out in the country. On her way towards the north end of town, a pair of humans--a man and a woman--were walking towards her, heading in the opposite direction. They didn't appear to be business people by the way they were dressed--jeans, boots, camo jacket and dirty ball cap on the man, and skin tight jeans, high-healed boots, black leather jacket with fringe and a lot of makeup on the woman. Both were wearing cheap, strong-smelling cologne that was, even from a distance, making Lupina's nose burn. As they got close to her, she saw that the man was overweight and kind of scruffy looking, and the woman looked like she had put her makeup on with a trowel. Lupina edged her way a little towards the street side of the sidewalk to give them room, but at the last instant, the man purposely stepped towards her and knocked her with his arm, causing her to drop the grocery bags she was carrying. The man and the woman started laughing and they made some rather callous remarks. Lupina flattened her ears back and she felt her anger rising. Her first instinct was to tear into the man first, and then give the woman a new meaning to being slapped by a female canine. However, she quietly growled to herself as she knelt down to pick up her things.

A ways behind Lupina, a tall man had just come out of a business and was heading to his vehicle, when he saw the female G.E.L.F. walking up the street. Thinking quickly, he started walking in her direction, hoping to catch up to her and introduce himself. He saw the couple walking towards her, and when the man purposely elbowed her, he said quietly to himself, "Bubba, ye just pissed me off." Walking at his usual quicker-than-the-average-person's pace, he headed straight for the couple. They didn't pay him any attention...so he nonchalantly stuck his walking stick between the man's legs, sending him sprawling on the concrete. The fat guy got up and turned to accost the tall man, but before he could say more than "Hey...!", the tall man spun around and had the end of his walking stick shoved firmly up under the fat guys chin. "I'd keep on walking if I were you, Bubba. You don't want to mess with me. The both of ye, just shut those racist mouths of yours and walk away. Now." The fat man slowly raised his arms part way up in submission, so the tall man took a step back and put the tip of his walking stick back down on the concrete. When the couple continued on their way, he turned and went to help the G.E.L.F. woman who had heard the commotion behind her.

"Let me give you a hand with that."

"Um...thanks, but I can get it," Lupina said warily.

"'Tis no trouble, lass," the tall man said as he knelt down and start collecting the items scattered on the sidewalk.

"Really, I got it. Thanks, though," she said trying to get her things back into the bag, which was torn. The eggs she had were a loss, as was the half gallon of milk. He just smiled and continued helping. They reached for the last item at the same time, with his hand ending up on top of hers. Lupina quietly gasped at the moment of contact and quickly looked up at the man helping her. She could sense no fear or least little bit of apprehension in him, and saw only a gentle kindness in his eyes. She pulled her hand back a little, so he picked up the can and graciously held it out to her.

"I believe this is yours, milady," he said with a bit of an accent she didn't immediately recognize.

"Um...thanks," she said quietly, not sure what to make of the situation.

"I'll help you get your things in your vehicle," he said to her as he picked up the torn bag.

"I...I don't have one. I'm walking," Lupina said, dropping her ears down a little. She noticed that he cocked his head very slightly as he glanced with just his eyes towards her ears.

"May I give you a ride home, then? My vehicle is right over there, that big gray one," he said, pointing at a large older SUV.

"Well, um, thanks, but...I'm going to have to go back to the store and replace some stuff," replied. "Besides, I've been enough trouble for one day."

"I think trouble found you a little while ago," he said with a grin and pointing his thumb in the direction that the couple went.

"Yeah, well...um...thanks, I guess," Lupina said quietly. "You didn't have to do that, you know, try to help."

"Nonsense, a gentleman should always come to the aid of a lady in distress. Come on, I'll take you to the store and replace what got ruined, and then take you home," he said. "It's the least I can do."

"Well...okay, I guess," she said, accepting his help.

Holding out his hand he said, "Oh, by the way, my name's Ron. And you are?"

"Lupina. Um, nice to meet you."

"'Tis a pleasure and an honor, milady," he said with a little bow as they shook hands.

They walked the short distance over to his SUV and put her things in the back. Ron unlocked the front passenger door, holding it open for Lupina until she was in and situated, and then he went around and got into the driver's seat. He drove her back to the grocery store and bought replacements for the eggs and milk, and added a few more things.

Once back in the SUV, Ron asked, "Where do you live at?"

"Oh, I'm in a little cabin out north of town, off of Old Steese Highway," Lupina replied.

"How far out?" Ron asked.

"It's over nine kilometers...I think," she replied.

He thought for a moment and asked, "A really small, old hunting cabin that sits quite a ways back from the road, down a grass lane?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"I know the place. It's a dry cabin, if I remember," he said.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

Ron looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I take it that wasn't your first choice of places to stay at."

"It's all I could get," Lupina said glumly.

They drove off and headed out of town towards the cabin. Neither of them spoke until they passed out of the city limits.

"Have you been in town long, Lupina?" Ron asked.

"Just about a month. I spent the first two weeks in a hotel," she replied.

"Hmm. Are you working anywhere yet?" he asked.

"No, not yet. Nobody seems to be hiring," and under her breath she added, "at least not me."

He shot her a quick glance before returning his attention back to the road. "What kind of education do you have?" he asked after a few moments.

"I've got a B.S. degree in Computer Science, though it's more on the programming side," Lupina replied.

"Well...if you think you might want to try your hand at working on computers, I know of a place that is looking for a tech. I know the owners pretty well, and if you want to get an application, I can put in a good word for you," Ron said with a grin.

"That's really nice of you...but, you hardly even know me," Lupina said pulling one ear back a little.

"Eh, you seem like a decent enough person, Lupina, no reason why you can't have a chance like anyone else," Ron said still grinning.

"Um...well...thanks. Oh, there's the turn off," Lupina said, pointing at the end of her lane.

"I see it. That would have been quite a walk, carrying all that," he said, jabbing a thumb towards the back of the SUV.

They turned off the road and pulled up to the cabin.

"There's no place like home...after all of the other places are closed," Ron said after a moment, with a bit of a smirk.

Lupina looked at him and asked, "Come again?"

"Just a favorite saying of mine," he said with a chuckle. "I'll help you get your things inside."

They got her groceries out from the back of the SUV and up to the front door of the cabin. Once Lupina got the door opened, she asked, "Uh...you...want to come inside for a bit? I can make some coffee, if you like."

"Why certainly. Ladies first," Ron agreed with a little flourish. Lupina gave him a quick look and went on ahead.

"It'll take a little bit to get this going. I think I'm getting the hang of using this thing," she said, indicating the camp coffee maker.

"Heh, yeah, those old things do take a bit to get used to, I suppose. If you want, while you're getting that ready, I'll get your fire going a bit more," Ron offered.

"Okay, sure. I suppose you probably know your way around a fireplace," Lupina said.

"Oh, yeah, I'm an old hand at this. I've been cooking over a fire of one kind or another since I was a kid. I spent many a night out camping back when I was in Scouts. I've got a nice fireplace at home in the great room, and a wood cook stove in the kitchen, along with a propane stove," Ron explained as he started tending the fire.

"Why two stoves, if you don't mind me asking?" Lupina asked as she got the coffee pot ready to put over the fire.

"Oh, during the warm months, I tend to use the gas stove more because it doesn't add as much heat to the house and it's nice to have as a backup," Ron explained.

"Oh...well, I guess that makes sense. Um, is that ready for this?" Lupina asked, holding up the coffee pot.

"Yep, all ready. I'll set that on for you," he replied. Ron got up from in front of the fireplace and reached for the coffee pot, slipping his open hand palm up under the bail handle by which Lupina was holding it. When he took a hold of it, his fingers wrapped around the handle...and her hand. There was an awkward moment when they exchanged surprised glances. Unknown to the other, they each remembered the strange dream that they had just three nights ago.

"Ahem, uh...this will heat quicker if it's...um...in the furs...I mean fire, yeah, the fire," Ron managed to say after a few seconds.

"Um, yeah, I think...so...too...," she said, trailing off and feeling very strange.

"Okay, I'll just set this over the fire...um, if you don't mind...the hand," he said. Lupina got a puzzled look on her face until she saw him gesturing towards her hand, which was still holding the bail handle.

Lupina suddenly got an embarrassed grin on her face and said, "Oh, yeah," as she finally released her hold on it.

Once the coffee pot was put over the fire to heat, they sat at the little table and waited for it. Ron asked Lupina about how things have been going for her since she left the place where she and the other G.E.L.F.s were created. By the time Lupina recounted the entire trip from The Center to Fairbanks, and everything that happened since she'd been there (skipping the part about the dream she had Saturday night), the coffee was ready. Ron watched intently as she moved about the little cabin, noticing everything about the way she moved, the way she spoke, her expressions, even her scent. Lupina had been doing much the same with him, noticing how he seemed so calm and relaxed in her presence, and appeared to be genuinely concerned about not only her, but for the other G.E.L.F.s as well. When she told him about what happened to Willie, the mouse G.E.L.F., she thought she saw a flash of anger, quickly followed by sadness. He got a wry smile on his face when she mentioned the part about the homeless man who came to Willie's rescue.

"That's not surprising," Ron said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Lupina asked, "Why do you say that?"

Ron smiled softly and said, "I'm a veteran, too; I would have done the same thing."

After a few moments passed, Ron asked, "Lupina? Would you like to have dinner with me...tonight, at my place?"

Lupina was taken by surprise by the suddenness of the question; after all, they had only just met. She didn't quite know what to say.

Sensing her hesitation, Ron added, "I realize it's rather short notice, I just thought maybe you might enjoy a little company and nice meal--I put a nice caribou roast in the crock-pot with all the trimmings this morning, so it ought to be good and tender by suppertime. Oh...in case you're wondering...you'll be safe, as long as you don't tangle with J.D."

"Well...okay, that sounds good, I guess. I've never tasted caribou before. Who is 'J.D.'?" Lupina asked.

"Heh, he's a porcupine that lives around my place. He's a little brat at times, but most of the time he's okay. Mumik made the mistake once of poking his nose a little too close to J.D., and I had a heck of a time trying to get the quills out of his muzzle," Ron smirked.

"Who is 'Mumik'?" Lupina asked, getting rather curious.

"Mumik is one of the youngest of Atka and Sesi." Ron saw the puzzled look on Lupina's face. "They're wolves, wild ones, to be precise. They come around generally about once a week to say hi. Sometimes they might stay for a couple of days before heading off somewhere else. To make a long story short, they're pretty friendly...with me, anyway. I don't think they'll get near anyone else. There are six of them altogether. Besides Atka and Sesi, they have Amaguq and Kapik--they're young adults, and their youngest are Iluq and Mumik. It might not be too much longer before Amaguq strikes off to start his own pack. I've got photos of them at home. Speaking of them, they came by Saturday night for a little while. You should have seen them, Mumik and Iluq got to playing and they both ran over Kapik, so she had to get into it, and it was funny as all get out. Afterwards, we all had a good howl, and then Atka decided it was time to head off."

"You actually howl with wolves?" Lupina asked, not quite believing it.

"Oh yeah, we howl together, play tag, and go wandering around together. I was there when Iluq and Mumik were born, and when they were old enough that Sesi could leave the den to go hunt with Atka and Amaguq, I stayed with them along with Kapik, and babysat. I'm kinda part of the family, I suppose," Ron explained.

"Isn't that rather unusual for wild wolves to get that involved with humans?" Lupina asked.

"Yeah, it is. One of my native Alaskan friends says that the wolf spirit is very strong in me," he agreed.

Lupina slipped her hand into the pocket of the hoodie she was wearing and felt the little charm that Miki's grandfather had given her. "No way...!" she thought to herself. Just then, her ears heard the very faint sound of wolves howling far off in the distance. She noticed that her guest turned his head a little, as if listening.

"Too far off to tell if that's Atka or not," Ron said after a moment.

"Wait, you heard that?" Lupina asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I've got really good hearing...and a really good sense of smell. I can see better at night than a lot of people...well, as far as humans are concerned, anyway," he said with a little sly grin.

Lupina continued to fiddle with the little charm in her pocket.

After they had another cup of coffee, Ron asked, "So, you want to head on over to my place for dinner? It will be ready by the time we get there."

"Okay, let me get my things," Lupina replied, so she got up and put the coffee pot on the little counter, and closed the screen in front of the fireplace. When she got her coat and purse, she closed up the cabin. Once again, Ron opened the passenger door for her and waited until she was settled in before closing it, and then went around to the driver's side and got in. After getting the SUV turned around, they headed off towards the road. Along the way to his place, Ron pointed out various things to Lupina, when they passed the road that went to Chena Hot Springs, he suggested that maybe they could go out there sometime.

"It's got a nice restaurant, and the hot spring is great to soak in. It's open all year around, and in the winter, you can go out, jump into the hot spring, and watch the northern lights overhead. It's not something to miss," he explained.

"Sounds kind of romantic," Lupina said, letting her imagination get the better of her.

Ron shot a quick glance over to her and said with a grin, "It is."

They made the over one hour-long drive north to his place, which was nestled in the woods a ways back from the road. The front view from the house was fantastic, Lupina thought, after climbing up the stairs to the front deck. The house itself was on the side of a hill, with trees around three sides, and enough of a clearing in front to see a fair distance.

"Wow, that's quite a view you have here," Lupina said in awe.

"Yeah, in the warmer months, it's kinda nice to sit out here and think. The nice thing is, except for an old friend of mine who lives down over there, there's no one else nearby. I've got half a square kilometer all around me, so no worries about having snoopy neighbors," Ron said with a grin.

He opened up the outside door and let Lupina in, and then closed it, before opening the inside door. He explained that most houses have an "air-lock entry" to keep from getting a blast of sub-zero air into the house proper during the winter. He pointed out the small wall-mounted heater that could warm the small room quickly and more efficiently than trying to raise the temperature back up in the whole house. The entry room opened up into the so-called great room, essentially a very large room with a vaulted ceiling and a large stone fireplace, with the kitchen and dining area adjacent to it. Towards the back were the bedrooms, and over them was an open loft with a view below to the great room. The house was furnished in a comfortable, practical, and efficient style, nothing extravagant or outrageous. There was a large screen flat panel TV, though the way it was situated, it just seemed a modest black rectangle above the mantle of the fireplace.

"Nice place," Lupina said, approving of the owner's tastes.

"Thanks. It may not be the largest place I've ever lived in, but it's plenty for me," Ron said as he was checking on the roast in the crock-pot.

"I guess you've got plenty of room whenever family comes to visit," Lupina said.

"Nah, it's just me. I don't have any family," he said over his shoulder.

"Oh," she said quietly, "I don't either, well, except for my friends, I suppose."

"I understand that," Ron said. He got a couple of plates out and set the table for the both of them. "Are you getting hungry yet?" he asked when everything was ready.

"Yeah, that smells pretty good." Lupina's mouth was starting to water, forcing her to lick her lips and swallow frequently.

Ron happened to see her as he was cutting up the roast and putting everything in serving bowls. He smiled to himself and thought, "Her designers must either have a strange sense of humor, or they just completely forgot to alter her saliva glands." "What would you like to drink, Lupina? I've got water, whole milk, and wine. I'll have some coffee ready in a few minutes."

"Water will be fine. I've never had wine before," Lupina replied.

"Hmm, never had wine, eh? Well, if you want to try a little, I've got a nice bottle that will go good with this," Ron suggested.

"You aren't trying to get me drunk are you?" Lupina teased.

"Nope, not at all," he replied with a grin. "One glass would probably get you pretty fuzzy, if you drank it too fast, though I can give you, say, a third of a glass, and you can see what you think.

"How big is a glass?" Lupina asked.

He got two glasses out of a cabinet and held them up. "They're about two deciliters."

"Well...okay, I guess. I'll try a little," she agreed.

"Okay, coming right up," he said light heartedly, and reached into what looked like a small refrigerator with a clear glass front, and selected an appropriate bottle. Once the food and drinks were on the table, and Lupina was sat at the table, he took his own seat and handed the meat platter to her.

"Oh, that smells wonderful! And that's caribou, you said?" she asked, trying not to drool.

"Thanks. Yep, it's a very lean meat, and pretty tasty I think. A lot better for you than beef from a corporate farm," Ron replied.

During the meal, Lupina took a cautious sip of the wine. "Ooo, that's...different," she commented, smacking her lips a little.

"I imagine that it might take a bit of getting used to, and I'm sure your sense of taste is a lot more sensitive than mine. If you like it, cool, if not, you don't have to drink it," Ron suggested.

"Oh, it's okay, it's not bad...I just wasn't sure what to expect, never having it before," Lupina said.

They chitchatted about various things during the course of the meal, including how she was still trying to find a better place to live at than the little cabin she was in currently.

"Well, here's a thought for you," Ron started to say carefully, "and I know this might seem rather forward to suggest, but, if you wanted to, I've got two extra bedrooms that aren't being used. You could move in here, and that way you wouldn't have to worry about living alone or having to walk so far by yourself and wonder if anyone coming along is going to do something to you. I'm pretty easy to get along with, and I wouldn't mind having a housemate. I know it's kinda far out of town, but at least you'll have transportation whenever you need it, and you won't have to worry about rent and all that. Anyway, you can think about it and let me know. Oh, and tomorrow, if you want, I can come by and take you to that computer place that's looking for a tech, and we can have lunch together."

Lupina was speechless for a moment. "Wow, I don't know what to say about all of this! He seems like a really nice guy and all, and we seem to be getting along well so far. Geez, he's done so much already just today--took me back to the store and bought things for me, brought me back to the cabin, invited me to dinner at his place, and now he's offering me a decent place to stay, is willing to help get me a job, and...wants to take me out to lunch, too! On top of it all, the guy knows how to cook!" she thought quickly to herself. "Geez, Ron...I don't know what to say," Lupina managed to say after a bit.

"I understand, it's a lot to think about. At least let me take you into town tomorrow and out for lunch, and the rest you can think on for a while. Fair enough?" he asked.

"Yeah. Well...okay, sure," she agreed.

After dinner, he showed her the photos of Atka and his pack. He had some photos that his friend had taken with a telephoto lens of him with the pack. Lupina thought it was totally amazing to see a pack of wild wolves that had taken so to a human. After looking at the photos, he let her use a slate computer of his to access her web-based e-mail so that she could check up on the other G.E.L.F.s. There was news about Willie--he was going to make it, though he was going to have to spend a lot of time in physical therapy. He had some broken bones, a concussion, and some deep tissue damage, but thankfully the arrangement of his internal organs was a bit different than a human's, otherwise a hard kick to the side he had received would have ruptured the spleen if he had been a human.

"Well, thank goodness they didn't hurt his hands!" Lupina said with relief.

"Something about your friend, Willie?" Ron asked with interest.

"Yeah, there's some news about him in our e-mail. He got roughed up pretty bad, but they say he's going to make it, and he's got a lot of physical therapy to do when his bones heal," she replied.

"That's good. Let's hope it was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not because of what he is," Ron said with a quiet seriousness.

Lupina looked at him with ears lowered, trying to fight off a nagging despair, and asked, "Do you think there's any hope for any of us in this world?"

He thought briefly, searching through his mind for a particular saying. When he found it, he smiled gently, and taking a hold of Lupina's hand, said while looking her directly in the eye, "To quote the ancient Roman philosopher, Cicero, 'while there's life, there's hope'. Every morning that you wake up, you've made it through another night, and you have another chance for new possibilities. In the evening, when you go to bed, you go to sleep knowing that you've done the best that you could with what you have. Humans may have created your form, but ultimately, the universe itself gave you life. Oh, humans may think they know the reason for creating the G.E.L.F.s, but really, do they? What if the universe gave humans little nudges here and there, so that they unwittingly created the very means by which to teach themselves a very important lesson? We may not know yet just what that lesson may be, but I'm sure we'll find out eventually, whether we like it or not. As for me it doesn't really matter how you came to be here--the fact is, you _are_here, so...we will do what we can with whatever we are given, while we can, for as long as we can. 'While there's life, there's hope', and we ain't dead yet!"

Lupina started to perk her ears up a little. How he said that seemed familiar somehow. "That's...kind of a different way of looking at things," Lupina said.

"Heh, well, I am just a little...different." He made a funny face and gesture, which got Lupina to laugh a little.

"Oh yeah, by the way, I also have a rather warped sense of humor," he added with a mischievous grin.

"Are you trying to make me laugh?" she asked getting a grin on her face.

"Sure. Think of it, how many people can actually say that they've heard a wolf laugh, I mean, really laugh? I wouldn't doubt that ol' Atka probably snickers at me behind my back, but I can't say that I've ever heard him or the others just bust out laughing, not even when I tickle their feet right behind the heel pad." He looked at Lupina and rubbed his chin as if in thought. "Are _you_ticklish there, too?" he asked getting a wicked grin on his face.

"Oh,no, don't you even think about that!" Lupina exclaimed while wagging her finger at him.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'...and I'll file that away for future reference," Ron smirked as he tapped the side of his head with a finger.

Lupina flattened her ears and her eyes grew wide. She was about to say something else when he abruptly changed direction and asked if she wanted a refill on her coffee. For a moment, she was a little confused, and then she saw that he was still looking at her with a grin...and found that they were still holding hands.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about all sorts of things, watched some TV together, and generally enjoyed each other's company. They didn't realize how late it was getting. When Lupina yawned, she finally thought to look at her watch: 01:38 a.m.

"Geez, I didn't know it's so late--it's after one-thirty in the morning already!" she said, trying to stifle another yawn.

"Hmm, yeah...it'll take over an hour to get you back home. You wanna stay here tonight? You can use one of the two spare bedrooms, and there's a full bath between the two of them," Ron suggested.

"Well...geez, I'd hate to impose on you more than I already have," Lupina said, a little hesitantly.

"Oh, it's no problem, really," Ron said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "At least you'd get to sleep in a real bed instead of on an old cot, and wake up to a nice breakfast and a hot shower."

"Ooo...you sure know how to twist a girl's tail!" Lupina said with a grin.

"Now why would I want to twist your tail? I think it's a rather nice looking tail," he said, giving her an appreciative look.

Lupina started to say something, but then she thought, "Did he just say what I thought he said?"

Before she could say something about his last remark, he held out his hand and said, "Come on, I'll show you where everything's at."

He led her to the extra bedrooms and explained about the composting toilet system (the main part of it is down in the basement), and how the water is heated by an "on demand" type of system that actually generates its own electricity for igniting the burner using a small turbine. Once a hot water valve is opened and water starts flowing, it causes the blades on a little turbine to spin, which in turn generates the electricity needed for the ignition system to light the propane-fueled burner. Ron rummaged around in the cabinet under the sinks in the "Jack-and-Jill" style bathroom, and found what he was looking for.

"I think this might be better to dry your fur with than that regular hairdryer," he said, holding the device up for her to see.

"You've got a dog groomer's hairdryer?" Lupina asked, wondering why he might have such a thing.

"Yeah, the last dog I had was an Arctic breed--really thick fur. A human hairdryer doesn't blow as much and can quickly create a hotspot. This will get your fur dry quicker without possibly burning you," Ron explained.

Lupina knew full well what he was saying, because the G.E.L.F.s used these same type of dryers back at The Center. She had used the hotel room's hairdryer, and found out the hard way that ones made for humans took forever to dry her fur. The only reason why she let him explain was that she found it rather nice to be with someone who was considerate and thoughtful.

"That's...rather sweet of you to think of that," Lupina said shyly.

"Thanks. Oh...if you need something to sleep in, I've got a flannel nightshirt you can use," he offered.

"A_nightshirt_? I didn't think humans still wore those," she said, rather surprised.

"Yeah, I'm just an old-fashioned kind of guy. It even has a matching nightcap and robe," he said with a grin. "I'll go get it; be right back."

While he headed off to his room, Lupina found herself imagining him walking through a Victorian-era house in a nightshirt, nightcap, and slippers, carrying a candle in a holder, and wearing those small wire-framed glasses. She sat down on the edge of the twin-sized bed and looked around the room. The hardwood floor had soft sheepskin rugs on either side of the bed, wall mounted oil lamps, and hidden L.E.D. lighting around the edges of the ceiling. The other furnishings in the room included nightstands, a chest of drawers, and a small desk with a docking station for a slate computer, a closet, and a chest of some kind at the foot of the bed.

There was a light knock at the door to the bedroom. When she looked up, Ron was standing there holding the folded sleepwear in his hand.

"Here you go. If you need extra covers, there are a couple of quilts in the trunk there. Oh, and I snagged a bottle of water for you, too, in case you get thirsty during the night."

"You think of everything, don't you?" Lupina asked with a grin as she accepted the items he brought in.

"I try," he replied with a grin. "Need anything else?"

"No," she replied, "I think I'll be alright."

"Okay, well, just in case you do, I'm over on that side of the hall," he said jabbing a thumb in the direction of his room. "Pleasant dreams."

"Thanks, you, too," Lupina said, and he quietly shut the door behind him on his way out.

When she was ready for bed, Lupina turned off the light and crawled into the bed. It was a lot nicer than the cot she had been sleeping on in the cabin, and it felt good to be able to stretch out on a comfy bed for once. Lupina soon found herself thinking about her host. "He seems like a pretty nice guy, and he's certainly thoughtful and considerate. I wonder if he's interested in me. I'm sure I still have some to learn about human behaviors, but...he's held my hand three times today and even complimented me...I think. I wonder what it would be like to be with a human. I've never been with anyone yet, though! He's obviously older than I am, but still, I think I kinda like him." Lupina rolled over on her right side and plumped the pillow under her head. When she slid her hand under the pillow, she thought that she felt a small, smooth object. Pulling whatever it was out from under her pillow, she turned on the little lamp on the nightstand to see what it was. Just as she opened her hand and saw the little charm that Miki's grandfather had given her, Lupina's ears heard a sound coming from outside, and not too far away--she immediately felt a shiver run down her spine. The wolves were howling.

Ron stoked the fire in the fireplace in the master bedroom and added a couple of small logs for the night. He got himself ready for bed and crawled under the covers of his king-sized waterbed. On top of the blankets, he had a large sheepskin rug from New Zealand, with the wool side down. It did a great job at holding the heat in so that the mattress heater didn't have to work as much to maintain the temperature. The king-sized bed was a lot more than he actually needed, since he normally slept in the same spot and barely moved all night. Ron looked towards the direction of the room that Lupina was staying in, and took a long, slow, deep breath. "Geez, talk about a dream come true! Who cares if she's furry, Lupina's a really nice gal, and...I rather like her. It'd be my luck she's way too young for a geezer like me, but I don't think anybody knows how long they might live,... and she might not even want to be with a human. I wonder what she's thinking right now. Well Atka, ol' boy, I hope you're right about this, because she's quite the babe as far as I'm concerned. What are you guys getting me into this time?" Right at that instant, he heard coming from outside, the howls of his friends. "I hope you guys accept her."

Atka and Sesi made their way up to the house, and sniffed around the vehicle and on up to the deck. They detected the different scent, though it was several hours old. It didn't belong to their human friend, and it wasn't his other friend, either. Sesi followed the trail all the way up to the door, with Atka right behind her. He sat down on the deck and looked at the door for a moment, and then looked at his mate. The moonlight shining on Sesi's white fur made her almost appear to glow. She looked at the door just a moment longer before turning her attention to Atka. They looked at each other for a moment, silently communicating through subtle body language...and maybe by other means that humans didn't know about. With a quiet "Wuuf", Sesi turned and padded down the stairs. Atka glanced one more time at the door before following his mate back to where the rest of the pack was. Shortly after returning, they started their song.

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Chapter 4: https://www.sofurry.com/view/493502