Chapter 20
Canada, Twenty-Eight Years Ago
Once, the boy and his mother clambered up a white oak when a pack of wolves heard their distress calls and showed up for what promised to be an easy meal. “Hurry. Grab my hand tight,” said Chepi. “Use both hands.” She hoisted the boy onto a sturdy branch.
Mother and child remained in the tree bunched together against the cold, safe from the wolves who circled below, until Noshi returned. He yelled and threw rocks until the snarling canines at last retreated. A large male yelped when one of Noshi’s rocks found its target. “Get away from my family, you goddamn bastards,” he yelled.
The boy had never been so frightened in his entire life. He clung to his mother long after the wolves had disappeared, and the two climbed down from the tree, for the
