Wolf Knight

Chapter 10

The Raven had the boy lay down with the wolf while he attended the wound. He washed it with some water from his waterskin, and then he began a very thorough examination of the wolf. The wolf whimpered in obvious pain but did not move.

Red returned after twenty minutes, riding Easy Rider. She jumped off of the horse, climbed up the rocks and handed Raven the medical supplies. Red then went about setting up a small camp with a rain poncho serving as a one-man tent.

The Raven prepared a syringe from the medical kit and handed it to the boy. He had the boy take a large pinch of loose skin on the animal's shoulder. The boy gave the wolf the injection in the hollow under the pinch. After a couple of minutes, the wolf relaxed and went to sleep.

The knight went to work, taking a razor; he carefully shaved the wolf's leg. He injected a syringe of antibiotics into the leg above and below the wound. The Raven had the boy trim the torn skin around the wound with a tiny pair of scissors.

The Raven showed the boy how to sew the good skin together. He then had the boy apply adhesive and small strips of cloth over the stitches. The man wrapped the leg and then broke one of his arrows into two pieces cutting off the head and feathers. Using the pieces as a splint he finished wrapping the leg.

"The trick," the Raven informed him, "is to get him to stay calm and not move. He is a wild animal and not used to people. The only one he trusts is you. You will have to stay with him for the next day or so until he starts to improve. One of us will stay with you for the time needed. We'll take turns. I'll stay here first then Red will relieve me. You sleep in the hole with the wolf and we'll feed the two of you."

The knight eased himself out of the hole. Shortly Red returned with a skinned rabbit which she cut into bite-sized pieces. After an hour the wolf aroused out of its d**g-induced sleep, drank a little water and started feeding on the pieces of rabbit. After eating the wolf lay back down with his head on the boy's lap and the boy stroked his head and soon the wolf again slept.

The wolf slept fitfully, and it had a fever. The wolf would twitch a lot and every time its injured leg twitched it would yelp.

In the meantime, Red went back to camp to work and attend class and the Raven heated some beans and tea for the boy and himself. The Raven checked on the condition of the wolf and informed the boy that the wound looked fairly good. The wolf had a chance of living.

The boy asked the Raven, "Why did you let the wolf live?"

The knight stroked his beard before he answered, "The wolf has shown no intention of harming anybody, and the wound looked treatable. He would not survive if we had not treated him. That could not have happened if he didn't trust you. As it is; if he survives he would still have a hard struggle to feed himself. I don't think he can survive the winter. He may be dependent upon you. A wolf is truly a wild animal, they don't get along with people and for them, that is a good thing."

The Raven and the boy checked the wolf's wound late in the afternoon and shortly afterward Red arrived on Easy Rider, leading Midnight. She brought meat stew and fruits which she promptly served. The wolf awoke at the smell of the stew but showed no interest in eating. Red took the watch and the Raven returned to camp on his horse.

Red handed a bedroll to the boy who laid it out in the hole next to the wolf which again slept. Red then laid out her bedroll under the poncho tent, using a pile of pine straw as a pillow.

The wolf again slept fitfully, still in obvious pain. The boy tried to calm the wolf down by stroking his head, but the wolf would have none of it and jerked its head around. The boy just lay beside the wolf and that seemed to work.

When the boy awoke in the morning the wolf already awake rested his head on the boy's chest, just staring at him. He could hear Red outside already awake, cooking. He called her and she came to the opening. She had several pieces of raw meat in her hand. The wolf perked up immediately and stood up on three legs.

Red laid the meat in front of the wolf and backed away. The wolf started to eat the meat immediately, obviously feeling better. The boy crawled out of the hole and came down the rocks to the campfire, where Red had some stew and tea ready.

"The Raven said, "If the wolf is doing better you need to return to camp. So how is he?"

"He's doing a lot better. I think he'll get well."

Back at camp the Raven dismissed Red but asked Wolf to stay and sit down. The knight hadn't done that before. Wolf suddenly knew he was in serious trouble. The knight started, "I need to talk to you about something important. This is about you and me, and not about the wolf. When you saved the wolf from the trap, you should have told me. It is a matter of trust. Do you understand what I am talking about?"

The boy looked down a moment then back up at the knight, "I don't think so sir."

"I have to assume that you tell me everything. Important decisions could be at stake. As an example, the trap had been set by an illegal hunter and that knowledge could lead to his arrest and save other animals.

I don't think he does, but if the wolf had had rabies, your very life would be at stake without prompt treatment. There is only a small window of time to vaccinate you. If you're exposed but aren't vaccinated and the disease becomes active, there is no cure; it is always fatal."

"Oh," the boy shivered uncontrollably.

"In this matter of trust, I must be able to depend on you as much as you have to depend on me."

"Yes, sir."

"As it is, you will have to be vaccinated starting immediately. It isn't pleasant. We'll talk more about this matter later. You are dismissed for the night."

The boy started to walk away, then he stopped and turned around, "Sir, what about the wolf?"

The Raven stared at the boy, considering his answer. He sighed and quietly said, "I'll let you vaccinate him."

Wolf finished up supper with the Raven and Red and helped with the almost ritual cleaning. The Raven while not the most organized of knights did insist on cleanliness. He expected Wolf to wear a clean uniform for supper and keep his fingernails clean.

With the day's work done Wolf left the Raven to go back to his tent when it happened. Wayne stepped out from behind a tree and blocked his way. Two of his buddies appeared on each side of Wolf; they had apparently followed him. Wolf had nowhere to go so he looked up at the page and snapped, "What do you want?"

"I want you gone." To emphasize his point he gave Wolf a quick shove, knocking him off balance and over the outstretched leg of one of Wayne's friends.

Wolf went down in an awkward heap. Wayne instantly fell on top of him, hitting him in the face twice before a blur knocked Wayne off of him. Wart had come to his rescue.

Wayne's friends instantly went to work, one on Wart and one on Wolf. One of the pages hit Wart in the small of his side and he curled over in excruciating pain. They both received more blows to the face.

Wolf and Wart were saved by the rude intervention of two Squires. They pulled the boys apart. "Who started this?" demanded Squire David. He got no answer, so taking charge of Wart and Wolf; he started forcibly marching them to the main tent. Squire Bill forcibly led the two friends of Wayne. Wayne had disappeared.