Wanderer (Book 1): Wanderer

obviously had seen what had happened to its cohort because it was no longer toying with Mandy, it was going in for the kill. Mandy’s cries had turned to panic. As bright as the moon light was I couldn’t tell if she was injured or not.
I aimed at the wolf, but I couldn’t get a clear shot, it was too close to Mandy. The only part that I could get a clear shot at without hurting Mandy was the wolf’s hind quarters, so I put a bullet in its left haunch. The beast yelped in pain as its leg was destroyed and it was spun off of Mandy. It was facing me now and it started to crawl toward me. The beast must have been really hungry or angry I couldn’t tell the difference. It growled at me one last time before I blew its teeth out the back of its throat.
I started toward Mandy when I heard a rustling in the bushes to my left. There was a third wolf. I fired into the bush and the wolf took off toward the north. I fired again and the wolf continued running. I took a split second to recompose myself and aimed at the end of the bushes. The wolf burst out the shrubbery at lightning fast speed. It ran in front of the hot tub and I fired the last round. I must have missed because the wolf kept running. I heard its paws scrape on the wood gate as it jumped it, and just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
After I regained my composure I looked toward Mandy and saw she wasn’t moving.

Entry 11
I threw the gun down and rushed to her side. I put my hand to her chest and was relieved to find she was still breathing. I was searching for a wound when I noticed my pant leg. It was wet. My first thought was blood, but this wetness was cold. If it was blood, it would have been warm.
Looking all around me I saw that the white concrete of the courtyard was turning black in the moon light. It appeared to be flowing so I followed the flow up until I came upon the hot tub.
Low on its grey side was a gaping hole about six to eight inches in diameter. The bullet missed the wolf completely and tore a hole the size of Montana into our water source, which was now leaking out all over the backyard.
I didn’t know if I could fix it, but it would have to wait anyway. Mandy may be seriously injured.
One of the battery powered lanterns lit the dining room table where I placed her after I brought her in. She had some lacerations around her face and paws where she tried to defend herself. I cleaned her wounds with alcohol, to both of our chagrins.  The superficial wounds don’t worry me, but the large gash on her front right leg does. This must be where the wolf grabbed her and tossed her to the ground.
I cleaned them as best I could and closed it with a bottle of that liquid stitch gel then I took a roll of gauze and wrapped it tight.
By the time I finished she was wagging her tail again. I think she’ll do just fine. The next few days are going to be rough and I’ll have to keep an eye on her.
Once I finished tending to her wounds I carried her to her bed where she quickly fell asleep. Now it was time to take care of the carcasses in the backyard.
I didn’t want any more wolves returning to the smell of their rotting comrades resulting in a repeat deer incident so I wrapped them in a tarp I got from the garage and drug them to the trash dump. It’s extremely dangerous taking the wolves down to the dump with it still being dark. I grabbed my manually powered flashlight, cranked the handle until it came to life, and I headed out.
It wasn’t easy, the wolves were heavy and my back was hurting by the time I got to the dump. I drug them to the edge of the sand and pushed them in with my foot.
Back at the house the hot tub wasn’t as bad as I thought, but it was still serious. The outside lining slowed the bullet so it didn’t blow a complete hole in the tub, although there is still a wide crack where the water was seeping out. I shoved a towel into the crack to stem the flow of water while I made sure Mandy was going to make it.


Entry 12
I tended to Mandy’s wounds, but she wasn’t out of the woods just yet. Infection may yet set in and I don’t have the tools or the knowledge to fend it off.
I had placed her in her bed so if she does go, god forbid, I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.
She didn’t eat anything for the first few days. I took that as normal behavior, but when she wouldn’t drink any water I was forced to make her. She still had the energy to fight me when I tried to pour water from a glass down her throat. I guess anyone would. I needed something I could easily put in her mouth to give her the water she needed. Then I remembered the turkey baster.
I found it in the drawer next to the sink. It still had the burn mark on the reservoir from when I dropped it in the oven that one Thanksgiving.
I had burnt my hand and dropped it in the crevice of the door. My mom had my hand bandaged and the baster out of the oven before I could even react. She always knew what to do in those situations and that was before Google. I hope those skills have rubbed off on me now.
Mandy takes the water a lot easier now.