storm wolf

chapter 3

“Actually, I was wondering if you needed help.” Honey crouched to put herself closer to his level, keeping her body language loose and easy. “My name’s Honey. What’s yours?” The boy stayed poised on his toes, arms spread a little to block her view. He had a thoughtful, intelligent face, currently somewhat pinched with worry. His dark hair was braided back in tight cornrows. “Finley.” “Hi, Finley.” Honey offered him a warm smile. “Who were you talking to just now?” Finley’s turquoise eyes flicked toward the woodpile, then quickly away. “No one.” “It’s okay. You aren’t in trouble.” Honey lowered her voice, leaning forward conspiratorially. “I’ve only just arrived, and I don’t even know the rules yet. So if your friend is doing something that’s against them, I can’t yell at him. Or you. I just want to check that you’re both okay. You seem worried.” Finley hesitated, glancing at the woodpile again. Then he sagged. “It’s my friend Rufus.” Finley stepped to one side, revealing a dark gap between the woodpile and the wall of the shed. “He’s, well… stuck.” Honey kneeled, peering into the space herself. “Stuck?” “Not literally.” Finley bit his lip, then said, all in a rush: “Sometimes the world gets too loud for Rufus, and he needs to get away for a bit. He holes up somewhere small and dark and safe until his head settles and he can come back. It’s just how he is.” “I can understand that,” Honey said gently. “It’s pretty busy out there at the moment, and a big crowd of strangers is intimidating.” Finley’s tense, defensive shoulders eased down a fraction. “Right. We were heading to meet our friends when a whole load of new counselors barged into us without warning, laughing and yelling. They didn’t mean anything by it, but Rufus got spooked. Now I can’t persuade him to come out.” Honey put her face closer to the gap, trying to see anything—and bit back a yelp. Two points of light gleamed back at her, bright and animal. For an instant, she was convinced she could make out a crouched, staring form of some big cat, like a puma or a lynx—but then it shifted, moving further back, and she lost the half-seen shape in the darkness. Honey swallowed, trying to hide her shock. “Are you sure Rufus is back there, Finley? And, uh, only Rufus?”

The boy shot her a puzzled look. “Yes, of course.” He flattened against the ground, pointing into the depths of the woodpile, where she thought she’d seen the creature. “He’s right there. Don’t worry, Rufus. This is Honey, one of the new counselors. She’s here to help.” Must have been a trick of the light. Honey started to reach for her phone to use it as a flashlight, then thought better of it. Blinding the poor kid was hardly going to help his state of mind. “Rufus?” she called, pitching her voice low and soft. The space behind the woodpile was far too narrow for her to get back there herself. “Are you all right back there?” No answer. “He’s fine,” Finley reassured her. “I mean, he’s not hurt or anything. He’s just not ready to turn back yet. Normally, I’d go get Leonie, but Rufus didn’t want anyone to know what had happened.” “Why not?” When Finley hesitated, Honey added, “You don’t have to tell me. I understand if you don’t want to betray your friend’s secrets.” Finley paused a moment longer, head c****d to one side as though listening to something. “No, it’s okay. Rufus doesn’t mind if I tell you. His parents weren’t sure he was ready to come to camp this year. Because of, well, this.” He waved a hand at the woodpile. “Rufus doesn’t want anyone to think he can’t cope. That he shouldn’t be here.” “Director Zephyr told me this was a camp where kids could be themselves. That means all kids. If Rufus needs to get away sometimes, that’s just part of who he is. He doesn’t have to hide it.” Honey sat back on her heels, deliberately not looking in the direction of the woodpile. “Rufus, is it okay if I wait here with you and Finley for a bit? It’s a bit too busy out there for me too at the moment.” The slightest breath of sound came from behind the piled logs. “Rufus says that’s fine,” Finley said, though Honey hadn’t distinguished any words. He c****d his head to one side, regarding her curiously. “Do you really not like crowds, too?” “Actually, I don’t normally have a problem with them.” Honey wrinkled her nose, jerking her head to indicate the loud chatter still drifting from the parking lot. “But that crowd is a bit more intimidating than I expected.” Finley’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?” She supposed that to a nine-year-old, everyone over the age of twenty was equally ancient. “Well, I’m a lot older than most of the other counselors.

And I expect a lot of them have worked here in previous years. They already know each other, while I’ve never even been to camp before.” “You don’t have to be scared,” Finley said. “All the counselors that I’ve met so far have been really nice.” “I’m sure they are. But that doesn’t stop me from being nervous.” She was very aware of the intent, listening silence from the darkness. “In my head, I know that I’ll make new friends and soon settle in, but my heart’s not so sure. And that’s okay. It’s normal to feel worried about doing something new, or scared that you won’t fit in.” Finley sat down next to her, hugging his knees. “I guess I’m a little nervous too. It’s our first year as well. As campers, I mean.” “I thought you looked a little young to be a counselor.” She didn’t add that as far as she was concerned, the counselors looked too young to be counselors. “Why are you and Rufus here so early, Finley? I wasn’t expecting any kids to arrive until tomorrow.” “My parents are wildland firefighters with the Thunder Mountain Hotshots, further up the mountain.” Finley gestured at the looming peak of Thunder Mountain. “So are Rufus’s mom and dad. Zephyr lets hotshot crew kids come to camp early, since our parents might get called away to fight a fire at any moment. There’s four of us here this year. Me, Rufus, Estelle, and Beth. We’ve been here for the past couple of weeks, helping to get the camp ready.” “Well, if you’ve already settled in, maybe you’ll be able to show me around. Like I said, I’m new here.” Honey made sure she spoke clearly, so her words would carry to Rufus. “I could do with a couple of experienced guides.” A pause. Then the logs rattled, shifting. Honey didn’t look round, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of movement. A small, low shape slunk out of the shadows, sunlight gleaming from tawny… feathers? She did turn her head at that, but her eyes had been playing tricks on her again. Not feathers, but hair, as gold as a lion’s pelt. A stocky boy shrank back from her gaze, dropping his head so that unruly, tousled mane hid his face. “Hello, Rufus,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Honey. Do you feel ready to go back into camp now?” One eye peered cautiously at her from behind that shock of hair. After a

moment, Rufus nodded. “Rufus doesn’t talk much,” Finley volunteered. A hint of defensiveness crept into his tone. “Sometimes people think that means he doesn’t understand, but he does. The words just don’t come out, that’s all.” “There are lots of ways to talk besides using words.” She got to her feet. “Could you boys show me where to find Leonie? I’m supposed to report in to her.” Rufus eyed her for a moment longer, then nodded again. To her surprise, he held out a hand. Honey took it, and his fingers closed around hers, warm and reassuring. The two boys led her to several large timber buildings set in a wide square around a stone fire pit. Big, split logs ringed the fire pit, forming simple benches. This had to be the heart of the camp. She could easily picture kids seated there, shoulder to shoulder, tired faces bathed in warm light as they swapped stories and boasts about everything they’d done that day. “The dining hall is over there,” Finley said, pointing out a big building with picnic tables outside. “And that’s the main office across the way, next to the flagpole. Leonie should be in there.” Rufus shook his head, tugging on Honey’s hand. He pointed at a different building on the opposite side of the square. From the shelves and boxes Honey could glimpse through the open front door, she guessed it must be some kind of storeroom. A blonde woman who looked to be in her early thirties stood outside the building, wearing the ubiquitous camp t-shirt and a worried frown. She looked up from her clipboard as they approached, and her concerned expression cleared. “Thank goodness,” the blonde woman said. With an air of relief, she ticked something off her list. “You must be Honey. I was starting to worry that you’d taken one look at the camp and fled for the hills.” “I can’t imagine anyone not falling in love with this place at first sight,” Honey replied, meaning it. She released Rufus so that she could offer the other woman her hand. “Are you Leonie?” “That’s me. I’m lead counselor here.” Leonie juggled her clipboard and pen, tucking them under one arm to shake Honey’s hand. She nodded down at Rufus and Finley. “Looks like you’ve gotten straight to work. I hope you didn’t have to fish these two out of trouble before you even got your staff tshirt.”

Rufus went stiff. He shot Honey a swift, pleading glance from behind his shaggy hair. She could almost hear a hoarse whisper in her ear: Please don’t tell. “Actually, they’re the ones who helped me,” Honey said, smiling. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I took a bit of a detour, but Finley and Rufus set me back on the right path.” “That’s the camp spirit,” Leonie said warmly. She ruffled Rufus’s hair, and the stocky boy leaned into her touch, shoulders relaxing. “We’ll make junior counselors out of you two yet. Now, I have to get Honey sorted out, so you boys go make yourselves useful somewhere, okay?” “Okay, Leonie.” Finley turned back to Honey. Somewhat to her bemusement, he offered her a brief, courtly bow. “It was nice to meet you, alpha Honey.” “You too, Finley,” Honey said, while thinking: alpha? “And you, Rufus. Thank you for helping me.” Rufus ducked his head, hair falling over his face again. Sidling over to Leonie, he tugged at her sleeve. “She already is,” Leonie said, as though the boy had asked a question. She shooed him off with a gentle pat. “Off you go now. And if you see Estelle and Beth, tell them they’re to help with camp chores too, okay?” Rufus trotted after his friend. He paused halfway across the square, looking back. He lifted one arm in a quick, shy wave. “Well now,” Leonie murmured, her gaze lingering on Rufus. She cast Honey a sidelong glance, one eyebrow quirking. “You have made an impression. My nephew doesn’t normally take to new people so quickly.” “Rufus is your nephew?” Now that Leonie had said it, the resemblance between the two was obvious. They both had the same tawny coloring and thick golden hair, although Leonie’s was bound back in a ponytail rather than falling across her face. “He’s a sweet kid. But between you and me, I think he’s pretty nervous about camp. I hope you’ve got a good counselor lined up for him.” “Oh, I’ve got no worries there.” Leonie flashed her a teasing smile. “You seem on top of things already.” “They’re in my group?” Honey said in genuine pleasure. “I’m happy to hear it. They seem like great kids.” Leonie laughed. “Don’t thank me yet. Wait until you meet Estelle. I hope you’re up for a challenge.”

“I wouldn’t have come to camp if I wasn’t.” “That’s the spirit.” Leonie eyed her curiously. “If you don’t mind me asking, Honey, why are you here? Not that I’m complaining, but you don’t strike me as quite our usual sort of counselor.” Honey hesitated, not sure how to answer that one. She didn’t want to get into all the messy, complicated heartbreak of her divorce with a total stranger, no matter how nice Leonie seemed. She hadn’t told anyone the whole truth, not even her kids. Especially not her kids. “Just needed a change of scene,” she said, putting on a bright smile. “You know, never too old for adventure, and all that. This seemed like an interesting place to spend the summer.” “It certainly is.” Leonie turned to rummage in a box of papers. “Give me a second while I find your orientation pack. How did you hear about us, by the way?” “Oh, one of the kids at my school mentioned it,” Honey said, since the real answer would have made her sound like a crazy person. She groped for a way to change the topic. “I’m eager to get to work. Speaking of which, the director told me you assign pairs of counselors to oversee each group of kids. I take it I’ll be working with a partner for the summer?” Leonie handed her a thin folder. “Yes, we pair up counselors here. Generally one male, one female, if we can manage it. The two of you will be jointly responsible for the same pack over the entire season. That way you develop a strong relationship with the kids, and each other.” Honey could only pray her co-counselor wasn’t going to turn out to be one of the improbably tall, muscular babies she’d seen in the parking lot earlier. She doubted any of those young Greek gods would be thrilled at being saddled with someone old enough to be their mother. “I can’t wait to meet my co-counselor,” she said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “Has he arrived yet?” “Ah.” Leonie tapped her pen against her clipboard. “Now that’s… complicated.”