Dangerous Obsession

   The day couldn't have been more perfect. There was a gentle breeze rippling on the water, and the fall of the year air held a crispness that tingled the lungs. The sun was warm and the contrast between it's rays and the nip in the wind was perfect for being outside. Especially if you could do it like Dale Wilson. He was miles from anywhere, deep in the hundreds of acres of Missouri's national forest, motoring up the river in a flat bottomed boat. As the Head Environmental Researcher at Missouri State University, he claimed all the fun jobs for himself. He didn't feel one bit guilty either. He'd paid his dues in a stuffy classroom and earned the ability to put all that studying to good use.     His particular errand that day had him studying the fresh water clam population of the river. There had been an exponential increase in their population the last few years, and the university was following them closely to find an explanation for this upswing. That sounds like incredibly boring work, but to Dale, it was heaven. He felt like he had the whole world to himself. Plus, he was genuinely curious about the clams.      He'd been on the water for close to three hours when he saw the first little red flags sticking up out of the water indicating he'd arrived at the location he'd chosen for observing the clams. He'd chosen this particular spot because the water was fairly shallow and calm here and there was a nice gravel bar to secure his boat on while he worked. He steered the boat as close the bank as he could before cutting the engine and pulling it up onto the loose gravel. After he had his boat secure he stretched the kinks out of his bank and grabbed his gear, intent on getting right to work. A growl in his stomach stopped him in his tracks. He glanced at his watch, almost 1:00. He'd eat his lunch first.     An old log, long dead, and battered into beautiful smoothness by the power of the river made the perfect back rest while Dale devoured his lunch. His wife had packed him a feast, as usual, but he wasn't complaining. He swore that woman thought she had to feed his entire department when she packed his lunch. He smiled fondly to himself thinking about Michelle. They'd been married 17 wonderful years and he still couldn't get enough of her. He shook himself from his daydreaming and headed for the water. Those clams couldn't research themselves.     To say that Dale had been absorbed in his work would have been the understatement of the century. The hours slipped by totally unbeknownst to him. He carefully counted clams. Took samples, took notes of changes in the area surrounding the clusters, measured everything imaginable, and painstakingly photographed everything from every passible angle. A sudden shiver jerked him back to reality. When had it gotten so cold? And Dark? He looked around to see dusk falling, the purple light making magical shadows on the water.     Damn. Dale said to himself. He'd forgotten that it got dark so much earlier these days. Michele was going to kill him. She hated when he was alone in the woods after dark, with little-to-no cell reception no less. She'd be worried sick. I can think of a few ways to make it up to her, he assured himself, a wicked smile creeping up his face. He couldn't afford to stand there daydreaming about make-up s*x with his wife though, he had to get his butt back on the water. He still had three hours of river to travel ahead of him.     The woods were dark now, the sun had completely forsaken them. It would have been pitch black if it wasn't for the glorious full moon. She was showing off tonight, and her light made it quite bright. Dale was upset at himself for staying too long. Despite his earlier bravado, he hated to make Michelle worry, but here on the water, on a night like this... He couldn't totally regret it. The air was totally still, the only sound was the occasional stroke of Dale's paddle through the water. He could turn on the motor, but the thought of disturbing the magic of the night seemed almost like blasphemy. Besides since he was going downstream now, it was almost as fast to just float. His paddle was resting across his knees and he was soaking up all the beauty of nightfall on the river, when the outline of something sitting atop a cliff ahead caught his attention. Outlined by the moon, sitting proudly on his haunches was a magnificent silver wolf. Dale could not believe what he was seeing! Wolves had not been seen in these woods for a hundred years, they were believed to be completely extinct in the southern US. He'd been all over these woods and never seen a trace of them, and an animal that large was sure to leave some evidence behind it. He had almost convinced himself that he was seeing things when the wolf raised his nose to the moon and let out a mournful howl. Goosebumps broke out on Dale's arms and all the hair on his body rose in response. No doubt about it, that wolf was real!   Suddenly, Dale knew he had to get a picture. No one would believe that he had actually seen a wolf if he couldn't provide proof. He reached for his waterproof pack and quickly unzipped the pouch holding his camera. He fumbled with removing the lens cover and getting it turned on, willing it to hurry. He glanced up at his intended target. The rustle of movement had alerted it to Dale's presence and it turned to look at him. Dale's brown eyes met piercing yellow ones, and he swore he saw surprise in them. Just like a human who's been caught unawares. Before Dale could think too much about it though the beautiful, and massive, animal jumped to his feet and dashed away. Dale raised his camera and furiously captured as many frames as he could. He sat for several minutes in stunned silence. He honestly could not believe what had just happened. He had seen the first wolf to be seen in the state of Missouri for one hundred years, and he had the photographic evidence to prove it. It was a scientists dream.  Michelle will have to forgive me for being a little late when she sees the pictures of my newest research project! I might even get tenure at the university with a discovery this big. We'll be able to afford that house in the Estates she's been drooling over. This is it Dale Wilson, this is your big break. His internal monologue excited him to hurry home. He could not wait to share his discovery with his wife. He put away his camera, and his paddle, started his motor and opened it up as fast as it would go. He had the biggest news of his life, and he was ready to tell the world!