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                Reports

of a loose zoo animal circulated through the news outlets, for lack of any

definite information. They were assuming that the paucity of a clear

identification was mere obfuscation on the police's part. Of course, the

Leningrad Zoo denied having any of their animals missing, and especially

something answering the description that the witnesses gave. It sounded more

like one of the exhibits in the ice age section of the zoological museum had

come to life and had wandered away on a drunken rampage.                Maggie

followed his trail as it led out of the western portion of town. Gone were any

chances of seeing her grandmother's home now, as the need to find Edward was of

grave importance. His trail led her along the southern shore of Lake Lodoga,

across the wilds to Lake Onega. It was there that she lost it along the shores of the great expanse of water. One moment she had

it, and then in the next it was gone. She looked out across the waves and

shivered. She didn't think he could drown, but in his present mental state

there was a chance he just might try.                She

gave up the search and huddled down for a long night, just one of so many over

the distance she had traveled on foot. She wasn't a quitter, but she had to

wonder where he was going. Russia was a big place, and if he had some specific place in

mind, she wished she knew where it was. For once she wasn't getting a handle on what was going on.                For the

part of the werewolf, that is to say Edward, his rage had burned out over the

course of tearing through the city and then mile after mile of countryside. He

had killed a few sheep on the way and had eaten his fill. It was while he was

lapping up water at the edge of a great lake that he lost his feral form and

returned to being human in appearance.                That

was all well and good, except that he was now naked, and worse yet, without his

memories. His head was still paining him, though he knew not why. Had he known,

it would have meant little to him in the state he was in. There was, however, a

silver bullet lodged in his brain and pressing against the right side of his

brain, buried to its core.                 He was having

pain in his chest to, though the head was bothering him more.  He looked around to see where he was at,

totally lost as to time and place. There was a chill wind blowing, bringing the

smell of water and muck to his nose. He stood and scanned around him, looking

for a clue as to where he was. Then it came to him that he had no idea even who he was.

It struck him as odd, and he grew upset with the complete lack of this information.                He

trudged off to the west, away from the water and walked for miles. He came to a

village, but something inside him made him shy away from the people. Instead, he

walked until he came to a tumbledown structure, an old church, and he slipped

through the wooden structure to hide in the safety of the shadows. He sat and

took an assessment of his person.                The

only thing he had on was a ring. When he slipped it off, the pain in his head

increased so he stuck it back on. His feet had no shoes, his back had no shirt

and his legs had no pants. His hair smelled of fire and his feet felt sore and

blistered. He tried to find a name for himself in the mangled mess of his mind,

but he came up with nothing. There were a horde of fleeting images, but none of

them made any sense to him. It was like watching a carnival; while on drugs; through a kaleidoscope.                 He

wasn't hungry for the moment, which he counted as a blessing. He had no idea

what he might find to eat here. He stayed under the decaying roof for the

longest time with his head in his hands. He was wracked with conflicting

emotions and he didn't know why. It was like his life had been erased and

something new was trying to take hold. Eventually, he fell into an exhausted

sleep.                He

awoke to the strangest dream, though upon waking he couldn't say what it was.

But the hand on his startled him to full alertness.                The man

looking down at him was also startled, but his countenance was kind and gentle.

"You are in a sorry state my friend. What has happened to you?"                Edward

sat up, "I don't remember."                "How

did you end up inside of the old church? This is a dangerous place to be now."                "I

crawled in. Why are you here?"                "I saw

a board pulled away and decided to investigate. The children of the village

have been warned not to come here, but that doesn't stop them."                "Village?

What village?"                "Paltoga.

And this used to be the old Church of the Sign. But no longer."                "Paltoga?

I don't think I know of it. But then, I'm not sure of anything right now."                "It

sounds like you've had a rough experience." The man focused n Edward's

forehead. "And what is this? It looks like a healed over bullet hole. Were you

shot?"                Edward

rubbed his forehead, feeling the little dimple there. "I don't know. It's all a

blur."                "So be

it. I think we need to get you some clothing and a place to rest. I will send

out inquiries to the nearby villages to see if anyone from there is missing. In

the meantime you will stay with me."                They got

up and crawled out of the old building. Edward turned to look at it and

wondered that it hadn't fallen on them as they were talking. There was another

church close by, in better shape, but equally as deserted.                 He

followed the man to the village, hardly paying attention to the looks he was

getting. Apparently naked men weren't a common sight. He would put that down in

his mental notebook. Whenever he went out, he would have to wear clothing. That

seemed odd to him for he had a notion that he once had a coat of warm fur.  But this man obviously didn't have fur; well he had hair,

and it was thick, but it wasn't fur.                The

house was simple, and a more than a little rundown. But the man pulled out some

old clothing and set it before him. "Here my friend, these will be ill fitting

for you, but they will be better than nothing."                Edward

put them on, finding the man to be right on both accounts. "Thanks. But what

now? I have no idea where I'm at or how I got here. And for that matter, who I

am and where I was going?"                "Have

no fear. We will figure it out. Do you have a family?"                Edward

sat in thought for a while.  "I don't

know. I think so, but all I can grasp in my mind are snatches of faces."                "That

is at least something. It can give you hope that you will know them when you

see them."                Edward  shook his head. "I hope so. I feel lost right

now."                "You're

not lost my friend, for you found me! That has to mean something! It seems I am

always finding lost things, or else they find me."                "Lost

things?"                "You

are not the only one who has make it to this village after being lost. Come,

I'll show you."                They

walked to another house where a woman greeted them with a smile. She showed

great gaps in her teeth. "This is Akilina. She is my sister. Together, we help

those who need it."                Edward stuck out his hand. "Hello.

I'd give you my name if I knew it." Then he turned to the man. "Do you have a

name?"                The man

slapped himself in the head. "Yes! I got off the topic and forgot to tell you.

It's Czernobog."                "I'm

glad to meet you both. But what was it you wished to show me?"                "Sister,

where is Kolzak?"                "Out

and about. He doesn't ever go far, though he will not sleep in the house. He

still prefers the ground."                "Come,

we will walk and find him." The two men walked around the village, and after

asking some of the children, were directed towards the waterway to the north.

The eventually found the boy, sitting by the water and looking off into the

distance. He didn't move at first, but when he saw Edward, he crouched as if to

run. The man held up his hand. "Don't run boy. This is just another lost soul,

just like you."                The boy

looked at Edward. "Who are you?" he growled.                "I wish

I knew. I don't remember a thing about myself. What about you?"                The

boys eyes lit up like floodlights. "You speak to me?"                "Uh,

yeah. Wasn't I suppose to?"                "No one

speaks to me! All they do is make strange noises and expect me to understand."                "Wait,

what? I was just talking with Czernobog here. Didn't you hear me?"                "I

heard nothing but strange noises."                Edward

looked up to his new companion only to see him staring at the two of them like

they were aliens. "What's wrong?"                The man

stuttered. "Why are you growling at the boy?"                "I'm

not growling at him. I'm talking to him."                "You

are growling like a beast, just as he does. We have never been able to get him

to speak a word."                Edward

stopped. In his head he was speaking all the same. Yet this man was saying that

his words to the boy were growls. That made no sense. He was talking plainly

and clearly to both of them.                "Boy,

are you saying you can't understand him?" Edward asked, pointing to the man.                "Nothing

but foul noises. I think he means well, but I would rather be back with my

pack."                "Pack.

What pack?"                "My

pack. We ran through the woods and we hunted, but I got lost and separated from

them, and then I was injured. I figured if I came to these creatures, they

would either kill me or save me. Either was preferable to being alone and

lingering."                "Did it

ever dawn on you that you look a lot like them?"                "Yes, I

found it strange. I thought my looks were because I had not grown enough to be

like my pack."                Czernobog

was listening to the two and doubting his own sanity. The boy communicated with

no one, and yet this stranger was talking with him as if it were an everyday occurrence.

And the talk was all wolf growls and howls. It was the only the sound the boy

had ever made, and everyone thought he was just a little lunatic.                "What

is he saying?"                Edward

looked up. "Not much at the moment. He says he wished he could go back to his

pack."                "Pack?

As in wolves?"                "I

assume so. Are there wolves in the area?"                "Yes, on occasion, but they don't come around here very often. We have guns to fight them off if

they attack our livestock."                "Understandable."

He turned to the boy. "Does your pack attack the people here?"                "No.

Only their animals and only when we are starving. It is much safer in the

woods."                "That

makes sense. So why do you stay here, if you don't feel like you belong?"                "I look

like them, but my heart is with the pack. What can I do? I am a lingering demon

that belongs nowhere."                "I

wouldn't say that. You just haven't found your place yet."                "Well I

hope it comes along soon. I tire from all of the noise here. What I wouldn't

give for some good old singing." And he began to howl. It carried a sad note to

it, and Edward joined in, somehow knowing the old words. It made him wonder how

he knew them.                 The

noise brought the villagers to see what the sounds were all about, and stood in

rapt amazement. No one understood what was going on, but they thought it either

a miracle or an evil omen. Funny how that worked.                 Edward

ignored them and continued to talk with the boy. "I don't know what to tell

you. If I knew more about where I was from, and who I am, then maybe I could be

of more help."                "I

don't want help. I want my pack."                "I

don't think I can help out there boy. I think that like me, you're here and this

is where you're going to stay until something happens."                The boy

crouched down in an attack position. "Make something happen. I'm tired of being

here."                "Like

what? I can't help you anymore than I can help myself right now."                The boy

lunged, sinking his teeth into Edward's arm. His instinct kicked in and he bit

back, drawing blood from the boy's shoulder. There were simultaneous yelps and

they sized each other up. The boy however quickly backed down. There were two

reasons. The first was that Edward's wounds healed over in front of his eyes.

The second, which meant more to his nose than to the other villagers, was that

he was smelling the odor of a wolf, and no ordinary wolf.                "My

apologies master. I did not know."                "Master?

Know what?"                "You

are a supreme alpha. I have only ever encountered one other."                "I'm

very confused. What are you talking about?"The boy lunged, but it was only to

avoid a blow from one of the villagers. One of the old ladies was making a sign

of the cross and beating at the boy with a broom. That irritated Edward and he

stood. He meant to yell at the woman, and in a way he did. His yell was a roar.

Her hair flew back behind her and she fell to the ground.Czernobog grabbed his arm. "My

friend, what is wrong with you?""Me? I wasn't the one trying to hit

the boy!"The man stopped. "Now I can

understand you again. What are you, a vodianoi?""I don't know what that is. I guess

I could be. What is it?""A water spirit, perhaps lost

because you are now on dry land.""The boy said I was a supreme

alpha, which I think has something to do with the pack he was talking about.

Does that mean anything to you?"The man made a sign of the cross.

"My grandfather told me about men who could shift form. They would become bears

or wolves. Can you do this?""I have no idea. How would I go

about doing it?"             "I

would not begin to know. But I am afraid that I may not be able to keep you

safe. The people here are a superstitious lot, and whether it is the old ways

of the ways or those of the church, they will likely not tolerate you remaining

for long."                 Someone

yelled and the men turned in time to see the boy running off through the tall

weeds. Edward made as if to chase him.                 "Don't.

If he runs, no one will find him. He has never been forced to stay here. He

stayed of his own volition. Now he runs off. I cannot keep those who do not

wish to stay, and I may not be able to keep those who do but who are not

welcome. I will feed you my friend, and then I think that you must go. I am

sorry."                "I

don't want to cause any trouble, and to be honest, I'm rather curious where the

boy is going. I'll follow after him and see where he's going."                The

meal was simple, and was silent except for a single interruption. The man had

noted Edward's ring before. "My friend, what is the significance of your ring.

Does it denote your marital status, or is it for something else?"                Edward

tried to take it off, but the pain in his head increased. "I don't

know. But when I try to take it off, it hurts."                "Then

leave it. Perhaps it's a lucky charm or talisman. I have a feeling that where

you will be going, you will need all the luck you can get."                At the

edge of the village, and near the old church, the two shook hands. "Be well my

friend, and if you find that you are a spirit, please come back and tell me. I

have never had the fortune of meeting one, and so I do not believe as strongly

as my ancestors did. I will think of you only as a strange man for now, but if

you are more, I would wish to know. Then I will have something to tell my

grandkids. They live in the city, but they like the old stories. A new one

would delight them even more!"