Chapter 14: Wolf in the Wood

By my calculation, the ninety day deadline I had given the Beletaran Wizard's Guild would arrive on the day after Thanksgiving, only two weeks away. I was beginning to regret having pulled that deadline out of thin air. If we were going to spend the Christmas holidays on Arbor, we were going to need to at least spend our Thanksgiving with the family, and there are a lot of people associated with the word 'family' when talking about the McKesson clan.

We were still trying to find the right time to let Cor's folks in on our secret. I was still looking for the solution to the concept of the 'Guard', the force which would come to protect the settled parts of the valley, and muster as the defense if we were attacked from the north. Our settlement couldn't really start until spring arrived in the valley anyway. Some problems were less urgent than others, obviously.

It had been three days since our trip to the Focus. I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop where Speck was concerned, but I knew it was getting close. He had been getting 'restless feelings' he confided. Waiting for that had kept me from acting on any of these other things.

But not everything. My Lightmitters, strung across the northern valley's ridge line, had paid off yesterday. We registered motion on the display as we fast-scanned the previous day's recordings, and a slow motion replay of the sequence of recordings showed us a ... something, perhaps the size of a large pineapple, but ghostly, vague and indistinct on the recordings. The Lightmitter's sensors were only picking up the close-effect gravitic disturbances, as well as a slight amount of leakage in the UV band.

We would let it go for another few days to see if we could detect a pattern. If we could, we would set a a trap and see if Cor and I could capture and study it. If not, we would at least block others from following the same route in the future.

This is the plan I outlined for everyone at morning meal that day, and of course Plank and Opal just nodded, happy to let us deal with these matters, but everyone else had a comment or suggestion. Even Biter offered to hit it with a stick if it got too close.

"That was as delicious a sausage as I've ever had," Speck said. "But it must've been a bit spicy for me, I'm sweating like crazy! If you promise not to miss me, I'm going to step outside to cool off."

Of course everyone told him that was fine. I followed him with my senses, and felt him shivering out by the overlook in front of the Tower before I spoke.

"Speck is going to need us very soon," I said to Thistle, Starlight, Cor and Ren. "Ketch, you and Biter need to stay in the tower with your parents until we say its okay to go outside again."

"What is it?" Starlight asked.

"He is changing," I said.

"Transformation?" Thistle said.

"Yes, but not with the typical Arborian timing. This was triggered by that drink from the pool," I answered. "I've been waiting for it. So has Speck, though he probably didn't realize it."

"What should we do?" Cor asked.

"You, Ren and I can watch him remotely. He will probably suffer some during the transformation, but we cannot help with that. All we can do is be there when it is over, to see if we can get him back at the end."

"Back?" Ren asked.

"Back into his own mind. Maybe more. We'll see."

I pulled Cor and Ren into a fusion, outside of the Light, Cor was still not up to that for long lengths of time, mostly due to lack of practice. As one mind we watched poor Speck as he fell to the ground, screaming.

With our senses, and our sensitivity to the Magic of Arbor, we could see waves of Magic rolling through and over his quivering body. Still screaming he began tearing at the clothes he wore. He had been in our now standard lounging wear of Jeans and a T-shirt. He shredded the shirt in an eye-blink, and curled into a ball, rolling on the ground, then stretching as he writhed in agony. A sudden spasm twisted him a round and he rolled over the edge of the overlook, tumbling down the rock, brush covered slope. When he stood, he howled. No longer a scream, but a genuine howl of anguish. The jeans were close to completely shredded, and with hands that seemed larger and longer fingered, he grabbed the strong denim that remained at his waist and ripped it too to shreds, until he stood facing the forest, naked.

Another ripple of Magic ran through him, from the ground up, and as it did he seemed to grow taller, his shoulders broadened and and the hair that had hung down to the nape of his neck was now a ragged mass that grew down his back. He crouched and sprung into the trees, disappearing into the forest.

We scrambled to remain with him, our senses rushing forward. As he ran, Speck Hellerin changed and grew and howled in pain. With huge padded hands that ended in heavy claws he tore at a tree that stood in his way, leaving deep gouges behind as he continued to scramble through the dimly lit forest. We watched waves of Magic run through him again and again. Finally, after crossing the river in a mad splashing scramble and then slashing again at a fallen tree and the exposed boulder that it sheltered in its roots, he howled again in agonizingly wretched frustration before he collapsed, unconscious on the ground.

<Now!> I thought. <We need to get him back here and stand ready for him.>

I jumped us all to the overlook in front of the tower and broke our fusion.

"Spread out," I said, and jumped Speck's unconscious body to the ground between us.

What lay on the ground bore little resemblance to Speck. The man/creature was long and lanky in the leg, had broad, powerful shoulders and bulging arms. His hands and feet were now large and powerful with sharp, heavy claws. His skin was a dark, mottled brown and his hair was a brownish green, and ran down to the small of his back in a tangled mane.

"When he wakes up, he's probably not going to know who he is or who we are. We need to give his mind time to find itself."

"Here!" I said, jumping a quarterstaff onto the ground in front of each of them. Everyone has an idea how to use one of these I hope?"

I saw the look of panic in Thistle's eyes.

"That's just an emergency backup Thistle, in case he makes it past me. Don't panic."

"And add yourself to the list of people who will be taking weapons training," Ren added with a growl.

I kept a light scan of speck's body, and an open connection to his slumbering mind, and well that I did, because seconds after coming awake he launched himself towards Cor, who physically was the smallest of the four of us. I caught him in mid-air and held him there.

"Speck! Find yourself. Remember who you are!" I said loudly.

The snarling, struggling figure in front of us didn't seem to have any of Speck left in him.

"Call to him. Talk to him, and use his name," I told everyone.

We began talking, reassuring, begging, coaxing and pleading. Every few minutes I slipped in a little mental nudge as well.

<Speck. Remember who you are!> I sent.

As things seemed more and more futile I finally tried what I had hoped to avoid. I entered his mind and began hunting for the Speck that I knew was in there. It quickly became a confusing chase down nameless alleys and avenues, round and round and up and down, buried in a dark fog of uncertainty.

But I had been playing this game with Ren and the twins Riah and Zaia since I was a small boy.

<Come back to us Speck, > I said to the fleeing figure just out of reach.

<NO!> came the returning thought. <Not Speck!>

<Then tell me who you are so I can ask you to come back to us.>

<Winter> Came the thought. <I am Winter.>

<Come back to us Winter!> I sent. I dropped out of his thoughts.

"Call him Winter!" I said.

"Come back to us Winter. Come back. The others picked up the chant.

When the creature before us ceased his struggles and his howls, he opened his eyes and we saw the eyes we had known before. I set him back on the ground, and as he stood, he slowly transformed back into a man from the man-beast he had just been. But little Speck wasn't little anymore. The normal man he had become stood a head taller than I did, and was muscled and fair.

"Welcome back Winter." I said at last.

He smiled.

"You know you're naked, don't you?" Ren said.

"Bear crap!" He said in a deep and yet somehow familiar voice as he ran to the Tower, vanishing inside.

Two hours later, I could safely say we were all adjusting. Winter had reacted to his nudity as his former self would have, especially with Ren and Cor standing only a few feet away. A couple of hours after disappearing into his room, Winter came into the common room wearing a blanket. None of his clothes fit any longer. He had absolutely nothing to wear!

"PFF Armor would work in this situation, assuming the form change is going to happen in the future." Ren said.

"It is. I tested it. I can do it whenever I want." Winter said. "What is 'PFF Armor'?"

"Something from a place where Midnight and I helped free some people from slavery." I answered."

"Its Worth a try." Ren said. "Besides, I have an idea! Be back in a minute."

With that, Ren disappeared. Headed for Obsidian I was sure.

"Spe ... umm Winter, are you hungry?" Opal asked.

"I'm starving!" Winter said. "Is there any of that sausage left from breakfast?"

We all sat and watched him dig into a pile of cold sausage and biscuits with true gusto. He must've really burned through some energy during the Transformation.

"Opal, give him a pitcher of the cow's milk that is in the cooler. He needs to replenish what his body just burned up," I suggested.

"Fresh fruit would be good too!" Cor added.

When Ren got back, she found us all watching Winter drinking milk straight from the pitcher and eating a pile of apple and orange slices that Opal had quickly cut up and thrown onto a plate.

"Here you go big brother," Ren said, tossing the small package to me. "Since you and I are the only two here who know how to use that, I believe I'll let you go help Winter put it on."

Winter drained the last of the milk from the pitcher, and handed it to Opal. "Thanks, I really needed that," He said. Carefully adjusting his blanket, he stood and we headed towards his room. As soon as we were inside and the door was closed I shook out the suit. It looked far too small, but I knew it would fit effortlessly.

"Lose the blanket and sit down in that chair," I told him.

"This is embarrassing," He said.

"Don't be embarrassed," I said as I glanced over. "The transformation appears to have been very good to you."

I folded the top half of the suit back, and held it in front of Winter's feet.

"Grab this side and treat it like leggings. Put your left foot in it and pull it up to your knee."

"I see," Winter said, following my instructions. Without prompting he grabbed the other side and repeated the procedure on his right foot.

"Okay, stand up, bend over and grab it at the sides and pull it up until you can see the arm holes."

"Okay," he said, following my instructions. "Ah! I see."

He slid his right arm into the sleeve and pulled until his hand came through into the glove at the end. He wiggled his fingers until the glove was smoothly covering the hand and all the fingers and thumb were properly seated. Switching sides, he repeated the process with his left hand. The suit naturally followed the arms up in the back as he did this until the last bit, with the hood, was bunched in the back between his shoulder blades.

"Okay, reach behind you and find the loose folds of cloth in the middle of your back."

"Got it."

"Pull it up until its over your head and then feel for the hood. When you've got the hood, pull it down onto your head."

"Got it!" Winter said with triumph. The suit covered him almost completely now, only the chest and neck weren't covered.

"Now just hold your arms out to the side and don't move," I said.

Just like it was programmed to, the suit closed itself up, sealing him completely. except for his face, he was completely encased.

"Move around a bit now, how does it feel?"

"I can hardly feel it at all!"

"Okay, here's the big test. Do your transformation." I said, stepping back towards the door. Winter's beast shape was considerably bigger even than the tall, broad-shouldered human shape that was Winter Hellerin.

Whoosh! Suddenly I had a nine foot tall, clawed and fanged giant standing in front of me. He still had his long mane of hair in back, and his chest and arms were bare again, but his chest and torso were covered in ... Leather? Brown and green mottled leather? There were leather armlets on both upper arms and short leather bracers starting at the wrists and running halfway up the forearms.

"Okay, change back," I said.

Whoosh! The human Winter stood in front of me, and now he was wearing an outfit of mottled brown and green leather, matching the look, but covering more completely, with full arm and leg coverage.

"Wow!" I said. "That was unexpected. I think we're going to have to ask Midnight what she did with this before she got here. This is too damned convenient."

"Makes me happy," Winter said. "Lets go, I'm still hungry."

In the common room, Winter's reappearance was met with cheers from everyone.

"Go stand at that end of the room and give them the show." I suggested.

Winter cycled through his transformation, to more cheers. Biter was especially impressed, and ran around Winter yelling "Do it again! Do it again!"

"Okay Ren, what did you do?" I asked as we stood watching Winter polish off the rest of the fruit on the table.

"Promise not to get mad?"

"I'm your big brother. I have permanently reserved rights to get mad, don't I?" I asked lightly.

"True enough," Ren laughed. "I took the suit up to the Focus and washed it in the pool."

"Ren, this was inspired all the way around. Thinking of the PFF armor was a stroke of brilliance, but to think of giving it a little Arborian exposure in the pool was beyond brilliant, it was inspired!"

"Thank you! Now, about that hot tub..."

"General Kru?" Came the sound of his aide from the door.

"Yes Dek, What is it?"

"You have a visitor sir," the aide said nervously.

"A visitor!" Since when do I have unannounced visitors?"

"Ahh, sir, I know you don't get visitors, but this is..."

"Come on, let me in Kru. Its not like I'm going to ask you to put your ass on the line or anything," came a voice from behind Dek.

"Andy? Is that you? Damn son, get your sorry ass in here!" Kru jumped up out of his chair. "Dek get me two glasses and a bottle of the good stuff, then get lost for a while."

"Just the glasses Dek, I came bearing gifts."

The two men were shortly exchanging hugs and back slaps and sharing a pair of grins.

"Geez, look at you," Kru said. Sideburns, a mustache and a staff?"

"Part of the new me," I said.

"Well, you've certainly grown into yourself, that's obvious. You're looking good"

"You look pretty damned good too, for an old warrior who's been riding a desk as long as you have. Its been what, six years?"

"Damned politicians. If I'd known that letting them call me a hero was going to mean having to strap a desk on I'd have gone missing the day of the ceremony."

"This was inevitable Kru, and you know it. You were always too good a leader and just too damned good a thinker to stay in a line combat outfit, especially when the combat was over."

"Yeah, but they were good days, and I miss spending time with Skid. I only see him a couple times a year these days. Always on The Day of Grace. Our entire unit gets together most years."

"Have they been after you to get into politics yet"

"Oh man, every year they try to talk me into running for the presidency, but I keep telling them that I wont run as long as Liala is still active duty and flying. So far its working, but Liala is definitely ready to get out of the Space corp and leave the asteroid busting and other chores to all the young fireballs she's trained. Plus I think she's finally ready to have children."

"You should. I think the two of you would be incredible parents."

Dek had returned with the glasses and I pulled the bottle of Korellian Monkheart out of my cloak pocket. I felt the slight resistance that I aways did when I was away from Arbor.

"How about you? I hear through the grapevine that you've finally got a girlfriend?" Kru asked as he watched me uncork the bottle.

"Yes, she's from Earth and I met her at MIT. She was a student there during my last couple of years, and while I was at the JFK School."

I poured a little into a glass and handed it to Kru.

"Taste this. Its called Korellian Monkheart and its one of the things I love most about the place I've made my home now."

"Damn!" He said after his first tiny sip. "This would be worth the price of admission to wherever it is you've found."

I took the glass back and half filled it, then did the same to my own. I raised my glass to him and made the toast We always made, when on Precipice.

"Free Preci forever!"

"I haven't seen Ren recently," Kru said. "How's she doing?"

"She's got her own world none of the rest of us have been to, but I see her fairly often as she's fallen pretty hard for someone on Arbor. She hangs out on Arbor a fair bit, but there are long stretches where she's not only not around, but almost impossible to contact."

"She's got her own gig going somewhere," Kru said. You'll find out when the time is right."

"I'm sure I will," I answered. "I'm sure I will."

"So, are we going to have to drink this whole bottle before you get around to telling me what prompts this visit?"

"I was going to try. I had plans of pulling a second bottle out of my pocket if you were willing to play ball." I joked. "Since your not going to cooperate, I'll come to the point. I'm looking for a few good men."

"You're recruiting?" Kru said, surprised. "for what?"

"I've got a need for a small force, perhaps a dozen, who can act in both police and military capacities."

"Veterans?" Kru asked.

"Preferably." I said. "I'm hoping you've got people who did well during the war but find it difficult to fit in now."

"Plenty of those, and I wouldn't have to look far. Do you remember Vic Green?"

"Your Quad mate?" Yeah, wasn't his nickname 'Boy Scout'?"

"Yup, that's him. He got the nickname after the war, when we served together at the Academy. He was about the finest Master Sergeant you could ask for, but once I left the Academy he lost interest in it. I think he got tired of seeing an endless line of young men go through, and no family of his own."

"I thought he got married after the war?"

"He did, and he was very happy, but when crunch time came, his wife decided she didn't want children, crèche kids or otherwise, and it drove them apart eventually. He's been divorced about a year now, and he's making a living taking families on backpacking tours of the Black River Canyons."

"If I couldn't have you Kru, Vic would be one of the few acceptable substitutes. Would he be willing to put down roots somewhere remote, maybe forever?"

"I'm sure he would if you asked. He still remembers all those 20 hour shifts you kids pulled processing the crèche kids as we rescued them just before the war, and the long hours helping the survivors afterward, praise the Day of Grace. Besides, he's just marking time here. He has no goal, no plan, and that is a frustration all its own."

"He would make sense as the leader of my little army, but are we going to find enough others to make a dozen?"

"That depends, I guess. How soon do you need them?"

"No rush really, not until spring. Though I'd love to have Vic on the ground early."

"Weapons?" Kru asked.

"Completely local and all hand-to-hand, though I've seen bows and crossbows."

"So were talking low tech?"

"you've spend some time on Meadow with Dad. Did he ever take you to Borthun's Rest?"

""Sure, loved the place, and the Library! What a fine piece of social engineering that's been!"

"Well, Arbor is about that level of technology, maybe a little less, but there are other factors that will make it seem less severe than that, including the fact that they'll be working for me."

"Long term you said."

"I'd prefer people who want to make it their home. Arbor has a tendency to change people, some dramatically."

"Give me a week, okay?" Kru said.

"Sure. What about Vic?"

"Dek!!" Kru hollered.

"Yes sir!" Came the aide's panicky voice as he charged through the door.

"Get me a link to Vic Green, and patch it through to the big screen."

"Yes Sir!"

I was grinning and shaking my head as the young man spun in place and tore back out the door.

"Most of the aides they assign me season up pretty good. This one's been on the job for only a month, so he's still dealing with getting past the whole hero myth."

"It wasn't and isn't a myth Kru. Just keep being you and the rest of us will worry about legends and history, okay?"

"Its been made clear to me that I've no choice in that department, so shut up about it already."

The desk pad beeped briefly and Kru reached over and pressed the accept button on the comm panel. As he did, the large screen on the far wall blinked to life. There stood Vic Green, holding a sandwich and a glass.

"You're interrupting my lunch you old desk jockey. What's up?"

"Good to see you too, Vic," Kru said. "Do you remember Andy McKesson?"

"Andy? It is you!" Vic sputtered. "Good to see you son. I thought you looked familiar. Damn, you're looking grown!"

"Hi Vic. Its good to see you too. How's life treating you?"

"Hah! Like old General Larger-than-life there hasn't already filled you in," Vic snorted. "Life sucks kid, generally and specifically. But I'm too set on being an endless burden to my old comrades to check out voluntarily."

"I can appreciate your point of view Vic. But if this life sucks, what would you say if I offered you a different one?"

"Different?" He said. "How different?"

"Do you believe in Magic?"

"I believe in miracles. All those of us who saw the Day of Grace do. Is that close enough?"

"Perhaps." I said. "I do believe in Magic, and I know the difference between Magic and miracles Vic. Come live a different life. I need someone who can lead men for me."

"I'll be in charge?" He asked.

"No, I'll be in charge. Someone else will be in charge when I'm not around. You won't be giving orders, you'll be leading men, helping them to follow my orders."