Wolvren Ch. 03

Thank you to all the feedback on the first two chapters and thank you for your patience. All prior disclaimers still apply.

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"Attention all passengers, we have arrived at Nome Airport, Alaska. Thank you for flying with American Airlines. To all our first class passengers we would like to thank you for your patronage-" Keean blocked out the nasally happy air hostess and straightened himself up from his light sleep.

The 17-hour flight from New York to Alaska was long and he stretched his arms overhead, glad he had the sense to book first class, he slowly got up and rubbed his legs. At 2pm in the afternoon and even in the warmth of the plane cabin, he could tell it was freezing outside and as such, he put on his thick snow jacket over his hoody. He was not dressed for the cold weather and standing at 5ft10 and weighing a plump 180lbs, he knew even with his natural padding he would get cold soon. His short black hair was faded into spikes and a thin beard framed his round light caramel face. Looking at his reflection in his phone as he powered it on, his deep brown eyes looked weary and his nostrils flared as he squinted. He was contemplating buying snowshoes, as trainers were not going to get him far in this weather.

Thanking the ever too happy air hostess and making his way to baggage claim, he wondered if his driver was waiting for him. The man seemed willing to drive him to the cabin for a fee, but told Keean via email that there was almost no one out that side. Just mountains and snow. Lots of snow.

Keean had no idea how long it would take him to get to his family's cabin and hoped he could grab something to eat before then, as airline food did not sit well with him. He also needed to buy some provisions, as he knew the cabin wouldn't be stocked. Right now, a smoke is what he needed. Stepping out into the frigid cold, he lit up a cigarette and checked his backpack. Making sure he had the 2 solar powered battery banks for his laptop and phone, he put his wireless ear buds back in its case. He squashed in some sweat shorts and a few t-shirts as well as his dad always said to pack some emergency items in case his luggage got lost. Luckily enough, the airline provided a small toiletry kit to first class passengers that slotted in nicely. He hoped the carton of cigarettes would be enough for his stay but at the moment, he didn't know how long he would be staying. His one oversized suitcase had clothes and toiletries for a few weeks and he hoped that he wouldn't need to be here for that long.

Making his way back inside to the food court, he ordered a burger and coffee from one of the vendors and checked his phone for messages. He had a few that wasn't urgent, completely ignoring work emails, and replied to a few of his friends and his assistant that he had safely arrived and was waiting for his driver. After stopping by the restrooms and then the airport's supply shop, he made his way to the front entrance and searched for someone holding a board with his name. Keean remembered the description of a white man in his 50's with a beard and flannel jacket, which described everyone here. Finally seeing an older man wave at him with a board that said "Kevin Andrew", Keean made his way over to the man named Sam. After an enthusiastic handshake and a "Welcome te Alaska!" Keean helped Sam load his belongings into the canopy truck and eagerly went into the warmth of the front seat.

The man looked too comfortable in the cold weather and Keean sighed to himself as he knew this drive was going to be filled with happy idle chitchat and comments about the weather.

"Different kinda snow out here in the wild, don't you think," began the already cheerful Sam. "You city folk has fancy snow there in New York, don't you think."

"Yeah, it wakes you up when it hits you in the face, like an avalanche," his sarcasm seemingly lost on the older man.

"Oh no, avalanches are real my friend, losta toe to frost bite when I was twenty," said Sam.

Keean felt a little bad that he was acting cold to a genuinely helpful person and tried to engage in the conversation.

"So how long is the drive? You think we will make it before dark?" Keean asked.

"Ya you know, the snow is fresh and there aint no strong winds. I think we should get you up there in about three hours, don't you think. You'll have plenty o' light when you get there." Sam said as if a 3-hour drive was a positive point.

"But lad, what you gon be doin up there all by yourself. I heard of the Mungumry cabin around here but apparently nobody been up there in like 5 years," inquired Sam. "Sheriff Porter, he and I been best friends from time we was young, he stops by now and then to check up on the place but it's all closed up."

"My family hasn't used it in while. But I have a few weeks of vacation time and needed someplace quiet to relax and get away," said Keean. Not all of that was a lie but Keean just wanted to get to the cabin and see where this goes.

"Ya you know, a man sometimes needs to get away and just be in nature. To relax and be a man, don't you think," said the older man understandingly. "What bout the missus and kids?" asked Sam

"No wife or kids. Just work," Keean said sheepishly. He knew that small town people didn't take too well to gays. Sam nodded understandingly and Keean was silently grateful. He didn't need the 3-hour long sermon of how his soul was damned.

"Can get lonely like that friend," said the older man. "Work is money but it aint everything, don't you think."

"Yeah, but my work is important to me. I'll find all that other stuff when I'm ready. That's why I'm taking this trip, to rest and clear my thoughts," Keean said sincerely

"Ya you know, everyone takes their own time, don't you think. Me and the missus, we been together since we was 18. Three grown kids and five gran babies," Sam said proudly.

"That's great. Must be lively," Keean said with genuine interest.

"Oh ya you know, the scamps think they can run round their grampy, but I aint as old as they think I am," Sam laughed.

Keean sadly remembered that other people had families and partners in life. He burrowed so deep into his work that he genuinely didn't find any time to date and kids wasn't his thing. Sometimes he went out to a few gay bars and hooked up, spending the night at some guys place before making the walk of shame back home. Relieving some tension was fun but afterwards Keean felt slightly empty. The next day he vowed to never to go back to those places, but every 3 months or so, after a few whiskeys at home, he made his way down to the gay village in New York. Listening to the happy Sam, Keean felt small twinge of envy of the grandfather and his loving family.

Two and half hours later, Keean listened to the proud Sam and the stories of his kids and grand kids shenanigans. In spite of himself, he found the stories entertaining and another small part of him realized that within the hour he would be alone at his family's cabin.

Coming up to the cabin, Keean noticed that the forest was dense and a thick blanket of snow covered the whole area. The cabin was situated on a flat section with the forest in front and the mountainside to the back that provided a windbreak. The cliffs to the west side of the section was also dotted with trees and there was an alcove near the top.

As the cabin came into view, Sam whistled his awe.

"She's a big one, don't you think," said the older man.

The cabin was a 5000 square foot English inspired stone mansion with 5 bedrooms, wide-open plan formal dining room and gourmet kitchen, family room with rear staircase, 4-car garage and even a barn. All of which was supported by its own electrical grid connection and water system. Keean's parents spared no expense on their family's winter getaway. Now that he saw it again after all these years, it did not have the same grandeur it once held. It looked dull and empty and he was beginning to feel a bit nervous to be staying here alone.

"My parents built this ages ago and they never really liked to do anything small," Keean laughed slightly embarrassed.

"Oh ya. But you gon be fine up here by yourself. Nearest folk up here are about 20 minutes eastward. I gotta radio that I can give you in case you run into any trouble. Ill set it to the Sheriff's station," offered Sam.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. But what trouble would I run into out here?" Keean nervously asked.

"Ya you now, bears are hibernating now, but what you must watch out for is the wolves. They don't attack people so much, but you can never be too careful, don't you think," said Sam

"Thanks, I'll be careful and I'll use the radio. Would you like to come in for something to drink?" Keean offered.

"Ya you know, I could use some coffee. I'll help you check around to see if everything's okay, don't you think. You know how to light the fireplace?" asked Sam a bit worried about the young man.

"Thanks. And yes I can light a fire," laughed Keean.

Sam went and lit a fire and checked to see if the water in the tanks were frozen, switching on the geyser and heating up the pipes. He went upstairs with a rifle from one of the closets downstairs, much to Keean's surprise, and checked the 4 bedrooms. Sam even went out back and checked the barn and garage, and saw a snowmobile parked. It had fuel in and sputtered to life when the old man turned the ignition. Judging from the tank size, Keean was informed he could get about 80 miles on a tank. After the hot coffee an hour later, Keean shook hands with the older man and promised to call him if anything happened. Sam climbed back into his truck and waved to Keean as he made his way out. Keean was alone. He finally came to that point on a trip when people realize they actually made it after a long journey.

Yet this whole trip still didn't make sense to him. Upping and leaving work and home to travel alone to a place that brought back old memories, wasn't something that smart people did, yet here he was yoloing it out.

The last month had something gnawing at the back of his mind. He would wake up drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, feeling...exhilarated. It was exciting, intense and left him yearning for something.

Running through the snow, feeling the fun and exhilaration of being chased. The excitement of wondering if whatever that was chasing him would catch him. He wasn't scared at all of his pursuer, in fact he couldn't wait to see what was chasing him and he would peer over his shoulder through the drifting snow and stare into...nothing. He would wake up nerve wrecked. Every time he felt that whatever was chasing him was getting close, he would turn to see and then "poof". He was awake.

For the last two weeks, he spent almost all of his waking hours online researching the area around the cabin for news of anything out of the ordinary. The snowy mountain and the plateau where he ran in his dreams looked precisely like the one by his family's cabin. His assistant, who thought he was working intensely on new proposals, was shocked when Keean told her that he was taking a few weeks of vacation time. When queried about what was to happen for those few weeks at the foundation, Keean just smiled at her and told her to figure it out.

Keean Andra is the Chairman of the Andra Foundation. After the death of his parents in a car crash when he was 24, Keean inherited his fathers and mothers estates. His father was the only son of the wealthy Andra steel industrialists of India and his mother came from the equally rich Montgomery family from Upper-East side. Whilst at university in New York, they met and instantly fell in love.

When they died, Keean's whole world came to a standstill. His parents were the most loving and understanding people he had ever known, and whilst they were shrewd in business, they were the most adoring parents to him. He showed to be a prodigy at piano but what he really excelled at was physics and math and graduated early from high school at 14. His parents supported his dreams of being a scientist and doctor, getting his MD at 20 and then his PhD in chemical and molecular science at 23, wanting to help people by using his family's technology company for scope to provide free healthcare to the developing world.

At 24, he joined the board of directors as Chairman of Andra Technologies with 75% shares and sold 70% back to the board for a billion dollars whilst stepping down as Chairman. The remaining shares made for a nice dividend once a year and he pretty much felt that working for profit was not something he was meant to do. His parents had faith in their partners and he left the company in their capable hands. The billion he inherited was put to good use and he started the Andra Foundation in memory of his late parents.

Now at 30, Keean was visiting the one place he had all but forgotten, wondering what possibly could have possessed him to follow through with this.

He walked around the inside of the cabin and packed his things away in the master bedroom downstairs. Putting another pot of coffee on, he plugged in his laptop and hooked it up to the old plasma screen in the main living room. With a mix of top 40 songs playing in the background, Keean made supper for himself and tidied up the place.

After his meal and a hottish shower, he slipped into his worn out Nike hoody and some sweatpants. His Adidas trainers were by the fire getting dry, so he wore thick winter socks to cover his feet. He packed up his laptop into his backpack and took it back to the master room to watch Netflix later. He opened a beer from the groceries he bought, downing the bitter ale. He stepped into the one place he adored at the cabin, the giant bay windows at the front of the cabin that looked over the plateau and into the forest. Above the treeline, you can clearly see the Milky Way at night and the moon when it rises to full. Sitting by the windows with his second beer, he lit up a cigarette and peered out the glass and into the still twilight.

For the last 5 years, he had put the thought of Alaska at the back of his mind. The cabin was his family's hide away. The sanctuary were the three of them could just be with each other and forget about the outside world. After losing his parents, it felt weird to be back. He knew it would never be the same but a small part of him wanted to move on and live life. His parents built this place for him and he would use it. Even as wealthy as his family was with servants and drivers, whenever they went up to the cabin, it was just the three of them. Getting away from the hustle and stresses of the working world and relaxing for a few days with each other. He remembered playing in the snow and loved sitting by the bay windows and watching the soft white powder drift to the ground.

His telescope was still here by the bay windows. He finished his cigarette and dusted the old thing. He used to sit up late with his telescope, looking at the full moon and stars while his parents slept. The light outside had waned and it was slowly getting dark.

Peering through the lens he was shocked to see crystals and realised the telescope was pointing down to the ground. Adjusting it, he checked through again and saw a dog. A dog? What was a dog doing out here? He checked through the bay windows himself and couldn't see anything so he turned back to his telescope and zoomed. He saw a dog that seemed to have its paw caught in something. The dog suddenly looked at Keean as he peered through the lens. The do- nope it was not a dog as he saw it clearly, was a wolf. Solid grey fur, the wolf was very big and seemed powerfully built.

The wolf, aptly named "Fluffy" was tugging desperately at its paw. It seemed to be howling up at the sky for help and Keean was torn as what to do, he knew he couldn't go outside and help a man-eating predator. He loved dogs and foregoing the conventional teddy bears, his assortment of toys growing up was very much canine. Keean was slightly allergic to them and he even begged his parents to get him one of those genetically breed hypoallergenic dogs, but his parents felt it too risky.

The wolf stared back at Keean as if it knew the man was watching him and almost seemed to plead with the man for help. It violently shook its front paw and Keean knew it was going to seriously hurt itself if he didn't do anything.

He quickly made a dash for his backpack, jacket and shoes and grabbed his pocketknife. Just in case. Judging from where he saw through the telescope, it seemed about five hundred feet upward towards the alcove ledge. Using his flashlight, he speedily stepped towards his destination. The cabin was big enough to see for a mile so he couldn't get lost. Five minutes of brisk walking, he came up the side of the ledge and saw the wolf. Dark spots were spattered around and Keean knew the wolf was bleeding.

The wolf growled low as Keean stood there with a flashlight shining on it. It pulled at its paw again and Keean saw that it was trapped in a bear trap. It kept pulling desperately as if to get away but whined horribly when it hurt itself again. Panting heavily, the wolf growled and curled its lip to the strange man.

Keean didn't know how he was going to do this, so he slowly stepped forward and cooed to the big wolf.

"There there. Nice woofy. Please don't eat me," pleaded Keean

The low growl coupled with the whining made Keean cautious, but he knew he couldn't waste time. Zipping up his thin jacket and covering his head, he walked fast to where the wolf was. In a sudden burst of speed, the wolf jumped up, snatching the ruff of his jacket and dragged Keean down. Snow hit his face and he covered the back of his head when his hood came off, as he couldn't find the voice to scream for help. The wolf stood over him and obviously staring at his newfound meal, Keean waited to be...licked? The big wolf was licking his face and sniffing his hair.

The ticklish whiskers and wet tongue made him tense and the big wolf whined. The wolf came to stand in front of Keean and stared into his eyes. The bright amber showed an eerie intelligence and the wolf whined and tugged at his paw. Keean saw that it was almost mangled with teeth marks showing that the big male must have bitten some of his fur away, desperately trying to free itself. Keean sat up on his haunches and reached out a gloved hand. The wolf whining softly, sniffing and licked the glove.

"I'm not going to hurt you. But I need to open the trap and its going to hurt," said man to wolf.

As if sensing his impending freedom the wolf straightened up and silently waited. Keean placed his backpack and flashlight on the ground, shining it on the bear trap. He grabbed both sides of the metal teeth and with all his strength tried to pry the jaws open. The wolf yelped at the movement and cried aloud at the teeth digging into its leg. Gratingly the teeth opened and the wolf yanked it paw out at lightning speed, spraying blood and fur over Keean and snow as he set the jaws open. In the speed of everything, Keean cut his palm right through his glove on the serrated teeth and yelped as he pulled his hand away. He took off his glove and stared at his wound that wasn't too deep but stung.

Keean felt something wet poke his ear and shrieked aloud at the intrusion. He turned his head and was face to face with the freed wolf. A yip and lick later had Keean on his back with the big wolf sniffing and inspecting his savior. As Keean sat up, the wolf put its head under Keean's chin and sighed. It moved to sit next to Keean and started licking frantically at its paw and wound as its front leg was badly damaged. Keean opened his jacket and pulled out his arm. Reaching into the jacket pocket for his knife, Keean heard a low growl and looked up at the wolf who stared cautiously.

"It's to help your paw Fluffy," said Keean. The wolf tilted his head to the side in curiosity at the name and Keean couldn't help but smile at the cuteness.