Chapter 3

Rose had searched all over the alley where she had found the wolf and dropped her bag. Neither the sack of fruit nor the boys who supposedly had it were in sight, or within smelling range for that matter.

‘Maybe they ran off with it.’ She thought doubtfully.

“Rose!” a pleasantly familiar voice called out, “Are you looking for something?”

“Yeah, my bag.” she huffed, “I dropped it around here earlier" and apparently some of the boys that hang around here nabbed it.”

“I don’t know about any boys but I did see Michelle run off with it.” Black Fever said slowly, not entirely sure what was going on.

“That little brat!” the fire gypsy spat taking off in the direction of Vickie’s stables. Black Fever followed close on her heels.

Michelle perched precariously on the wheel and looked down at the large lump of fur. The wolf continued to sleep, unaware of her presence, unaware of his fate. Slipping a dagger out from beneath her belt, the troll child smiled, with the bounty she would be able to help feed her family. Plunging it down she was taken by surprise when the blade hit wood through the sacks. A snarl was all the warning she had as the wolf lunged. Its maw closing firmly around her throat, it’s eyes smoldering with anger.

Rose was breathing in sharp ragged gasps by the time the wagon came into sight. Behind her Black Fever cursed at the sight before them. The wolf had taken Michelle by the throat. She thrashed about helplessly, pummeling her tiny fists harmlessly around the wolf’s head and neck. For a moment time seemed to slow. A red-throat kestrel warbled somewhere in the trees, its song seeming to be muffled by wool. Even Michelle’s desperate struggle seemed to be put on pause for a brief heartbeat.

“Wolf, no!” Rose stopped a few paces away from the beast and its prey, falling to her knees. The wolf’s eyes flashed to her but he did not release Michelle's neck.

   "She is not worth the bloodshed," Rose quietly said, "though she does deserve it."

   Michelle nodded her blue head and whimpered out, "Yeah I am not worth it."

   'Shut up you troll.' the wolf tightened his grip on her neck, ‘you are so lucky-'

   "Come on lets go home. It’s almost lunch time and I bet you are famished." Rose said giving the wolf’s shoulder a gentle push. Growling, he loosened his jaw and dropped the girl unceremoniously on the ground. Her hands were instantly at her neck. A little blood trickled down from the shallow puncture wounds.

“It would be best if you went home now, child.” Black Fever looked down at the troll. Her expression calm, but her tone held a clear warning. Michelle looked up at her, tears threatening to spill, and for the most part succeeding. She began to wail pitifully.

“I just wan- wan- wanted to help my mama and papa. I thou- thought that if I- I could get the bounty for a wolf then we wou- wou- wouldn’t have to worry about food.” She sobbed shamelessly, wiping away the tears and snot from her face. The Nokia’s hard expression melted into one of sympathy.

“Oh, poor baby,” Scooping the girl up in her arms Black Fever wiped her face with a handkerchief. “I know what its like to fall on hard times.”

   Rose snickered at the thought of her friend wearing clothes with more patches and holes than its original fabric.

“What’s so funny, ya big torch?” Black Fever asked, rubbing the troll child’s back comfortingly. “Believe it or not we fall on hard times even in Jastel.”

The other girl simply shook her head, still not believing what she was hearing. With a snort the Nokia set the girl in her arms down and pulled out a couple of gold coins.

“Here, take this back to your mama and papa and buy your selves something yummy.”

“Thank you so much!” Michelle beamed through her tears. At that the little troll ran off, her short tail standing up behind her, whipping back and forth in time with her legs.

There was a snort as the wolf jumped back into the wagon. He had watched the proceedings with disinterest but it was obvious that he was unhappy about having to let his would-be assassin go. He continued to watch the little girl until she turned around a corner and disappeared from sight.

Rose sighed as she climbed up onto the wagon seat. Black Fever came up to stand next to her.

“Are you planning on taking him up into the mountains with you?” She asked,

“Yeah,”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah,”

“How do you plan to navigate the trails?”

Rose was silent for a moment, thinking. “Carefully,”

Black Fever looked studied the other girl, trying to determine if she was really being serious. Determining that she was in fact being serious about taking the wolf back to her home, Black Fever shook her head.  

“Bring him to Jastel. You can stay with me until he heals, that way you won’t have to try to get this cart up the mountain.”

   Reluctantly Rose agreed. Scooting over to give the Nokia some room she clucked to Gideon and directed him towards the forest of Jastel.