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Chapter 10: Wheel of Fortune

We finished our beers, and then we found ourselves at a crossroads.

“Another round?” Gunnar asked. He didn’t need to. From our expressions, it was obvious that both Ario and I wanted another round. We were enjoying ourselves, after all, and the crowded pub was a chill, relaxing place to spend part of a hot, July afternoon.

On the other hand, all three of us were worried about Rex, who had decided to stay in the apartment, alone. No doubt, he was still hoping Julia would show up, even though she never appeared later than noon.

Hence, the crossroads. Stay for another beer, or return home?

Effortlessly, however, Gunnar took charge, and made a decision.

“You go get Rex,” he said, to me. “Drag him here, if you have to. I’ll go get the next round. Yeah? Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” Ario said. “And I get the easy job - sitting here and keeping our table.”

Just then, a shadow fell over us. In unison, the three of us looked up. A rather tall (and impressively wide) Bear was standing in front of our table, staring at us. Bears had been rare in the city before everything fell apart. I wondered how many - or, I suppose, how few - Bears had stayed, after the bombings.

“Are you the one Niles was talking about?” the Bear asked, staring directly at me. It seemed an odd way to start a conversation.

If conversation was what the Bear was looking for. He didn’t look angry, but, there was an edge in his voice. Instinctively, I tensed up.

“Who’s Niles?” I asked.

“Niles is my friend,” the Bear said, which didn’t clarify anything. “He told me to look for a human with very short hair, who hangs out with a Dane, a Pit Bull, and a Wolf.” The Bear looked at Gunnar, then Ario, then his eyes went back to me. “I don’t see a Great Dane here, but I saw the three of you, and I wondered if maybe you were the ones Niles was talking about, the other day. You look like the human he described - green eyes, short hair - and a little scar under the right eye. Niles told me to look for that scar.”

“Sorry, I guess I’m confused.” I kept my voice friendly. I had no idea what was going on, or where this was going to go. “I - we - don’t know anyone named Niles.”

“Niles is my friend,” the Bear said, again, stubbornly. “And he said he met a human who was responsible for what happened in January. This human was supposed to stop the Insurgents, but didn’t, and so everything got destroyed.”

Shit.

I made the connection instantly, and with a feeling of regret. I suddenly realized who Niles was, and I regretted that I’d said anything to him.

“Niles is a Tiger, isn’t he,” I said. It wasn’t a question. “With a piece of his ear missing.” The Bear nodded. “I didn’t know his name. Well, yes, I told him I was part of the effort to stop the -”

“Hold on, hold on,” Gunnar interrupted, looking at the Bear. “What did - Neal? Or Whatever? - What did he tell you? Why are you here?”

“I wanted to meet this human,” the Bear growled. “I wanted to hear what he had to say - because - because -”

“You want someone to blame,” I said, keeping my voice calm.

“No,” the Bear said. “It ain’t about blame. Well. Maybe it is. I dunno. But the world’s all fucked up, now, isn’t it, and someone’s got to pay for that.”

“Really?” Ario asked, looking surprised. “Really? You think he’s the one who should pay for it? You don’t think you should go after all the folks who actually planted the bombs? Or whoever it was who told them to do it?”

“Well, yeah, but . . .” the Bear started to say.

And then two of his friends joined the party - if you want to call it a party. I wouldn’t. One friend was a beefy St. Bernard, and the other was a slender Beagle with a broken nose.

“Me and my pals,” the Bear said, “Were just wondering who’s gonna pay for the world being all the way it is. Things were so good, but now they’re shit. And then we saw you -” He looked at me. “ - the one Niles told us about - and we wanted to -”

“I - I just told you.” Ario interrupted. “Blame the bombers. Blame their bosses. Go after them, if you can find them.”

“Well, we can’t find them, can we?” the Bear asked. “We don’t know who they are.”

“What we do know,” the Beagle growled, “Is that it’s always humans - humans are always the ones who fuck things up.” His deep, rumbling voice seemed at odds with his slender frame.

The Bear and his two friends surrounded our table. Gunnar and I glanced at each other, both us knowing that the three intruders were looking for a fight. Reasons didn’t matter. Possibly, they didn’t even care about the world being “all the way it is,” as the Bear said. Possibly, they just wanted to fight someone, anyone.

“Selene doesn’t want any trouble here.”

The words, softly spoken, came from behind the Bear. He spun around, and saw a lean, middle-aged Wolf looking at him. It was Ramses, the friend of Selene’s we’d met earlier. He held a pool cue in his hands like a staff.

“What are you, the bouncer?” the Bear demanded.

“No, just a friend. And I think you should leave.”

“You can’t make us leave,” the Bear snorted.

“Perhaps I can, perhaps I can’t,” the middle-aged Wolf replied. “But, there are four of us, at this table, and three of you. And everyone else here seems to have taken an interest. You might find this entire crowd is against you.”

The Bear looked around. All the other folks in Selene’s pub were staring at him - some with curiosity, some with hostility.

He turned his attention back to me.

“We’ll find you again,” he said. “And I have a lot more friends.” He glanced at the St. Bernard and the Beagle. “C’mon, let’s go,” he said.

The three of them made their way to the door, where Selene herself stood, glaring at them.

And then they were gone.

“They may come back, in greater numbers,” Ramses said, looking towards the door.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “We should go.”

My good mood evaporated. I felt like I’d brought down a cloud, simply because I’d opened my mouth and told Niles, a Tiger with a damaged ear, things I should not have told him.

“Why?” Ramses asked. “If they come back, we’ll just -”

“No,” I interrupted. “If there’s going to be trouble, I don’t want it to happen here.”

Ramses started to say something, but he stopped, looking thoughtful. Then, after a pause, he said, “Okay, that’s a good point. Selene doesn’t need that. Well, then, if you want to, we can have a drink at my place - it’s across the street, and we can keep an eye on things. We’ll sit by the window, and if the Bear comes back, we’ll see him. Yeah? Think about it a moment, while I talk to Selene.”

Without another word, he dashed off.

I looked at Ario and Gunnar.

“He seems trustworthy,” I said. “But - who knows?”

“Yeah, he seems cool,” Gunnar said. “As long as the beer’s cold, why not take a chance? Besides, he’s a Wolf.” He looked at Ario. “Wolves are cool, right?”

“Every single Wolf, everywhere, is cool,” Ario replied, amused.

“Well, that settles it.” Gunnar stood up. “Besides, if those assholes come back, I want to know.”

“Sorry,” I started to apologize. “I guess I -”

“Wasn’t your fault,” Gunnar interrupted. “So don’t blame yourself. Yeah? If you do, I’ll punch you.”

I think he was kidding, about the last part.

“You know,” Ario said, “If those idiots want to blame you for what happened, that would be incredibly stupid. And you would be just as stupid if you blamed yourself for what they do.”

“Good point.” Gunnar belched, and nudged Ario with friendly affection.

Ramses returned, carrying a cardboard box stuffed full with bottles of beer.

“Now we’re talkin’,” Gunnar said, with a delighted smile.

We went outside, and crossed the street.

“I’m going to go get Rex,” I said. “I’ll be back.”

“You’re not going alone,” Gunnar stated, firmly. He looked at Ario and Ramses. “You two wait here and talk about Wolf stuff.”

“Wolf stuff?” Ramses looked amused.

“Actually, the history of Wolves in America is pretty interesting,” Ario said. “I took a class, last year.”

“Ario’s been living with three males who never went to college,” I told Ramses. “He’s starving for some intellectual conversation.”

“No worries there,” Ramses said. “I can provide that.”

I hesitated, for a second, realizing we were about to leave Ario alone with someone we’d just met. I don’t know if Ramses sensed my concerns, or not, but he said that he and Ario would wait outside, on the stoop of his building, until Gunnar and I returned with Rex.

“Don’t drink all the beer,” Gunnar said, a bit gruffly.

We started walking back to our place, Gunnar and I. Fortunately, it wasn’t far away. We didn’t see the Bear, or his friends, as we walked.

“Funny how we were all feeling so restless, this morning,” Gunnar said. “I sure don’t feel that way anymore. I feel . . . pretty good, actually. Don’t get me wrong - I’m worried about you - I’m worried about that asshole Bear and his asshole friends coming after you. But I think we can take ‘em. Shit, you were in the army. You probably know a hundred ways to kill assholes like that.”

“Two hundred,” I said, making a joke.

“Hah! So how ‘bout you - still feeling restless?”

“Nope.”

“Funny how things can change.”

“Yeah.”

I looked around, at the old warehouses, small factories, and shops which had been turned into fancy apartments. They were, probably, all empty now, vulnerable to damage from weather, rodents, and vandals. I glanced at the shuttered, boarded-up shops which had once - before the bombings in January - held delis, coffee shops, and stores.

“Yeah,” I said, again. “Things have changed.”