“How do the punctures look?” Xander asked as he got dressed. She liked his voice just after he changed. It was rough and deep and sent delicious shivers through her.
“Pretty good, though you nearly shattered his scapula and snapped his clavicle.”
“I barely put any pressure on it at all,” Xander said, scratching his cheek. There was a bit of fur there and she watched as it slowly disappeared. His fur was nearly black with red highlights. He had just a bit of silver going through it as well. He looked very dashing as a werewolf. Besides her father, he was the only one she’d ever seen in full wolf. She’d sniffed out others at the agency, but they’d only looked at her as she’d done the same, nodding in acknowledgment, a slight knowing smile crossing their faces. A secret found and kept.
There was a tapping on the door and Zahara opened it, Xander buttoning his shirt.
“How is he?” Rose asked, uncertain.
“It’s done. I was as gentle as I could be. I don’t think he’ll turn, Rose and honestly, I think this was a mistake.”
“You may be right. I’ll sit with him now and watch,” Rose said, her gray eyes large with concern and hope.
“I wiped him down but didn’t clean the wounds. We’re in the realm of the unknown. I don’t know if you should give him antibiotics and if you do, will that negate the ability for him to turn?” Zahara said.
“We can perhaps wait and watch. If he starts to become infected around the puncture wounds, I can put antibiotic ointment around that. If he starts to run a fever, I’ll give him a broad-spectrum antibiotic,” Rose said.
Xander took Zahara’s hand and they left Rose to watch over Ethan. Only time would tell if it worked.
“If this does work, how long do you think it will take before we know?” she asked as they made their way downstairs.
“Maybe a day or so? Hell, the zombies turn people in a few hours, there’s no telling with werewolves,” Xander said as he opened the door to the porch. It was a warm afternoon and both went to the porch swing. Shay and Lauren were over at the tire swing and they saw Reggie with the boys. Mike was carrying a basket of red tomatoes and Luke was carrying a basket of green beans.
“I don’t suppose you know how to grow vegetables?” Xander asked. That brought a snort from Zahara and she eyed him.
“Oh, you were serious? That’s a laugh, I don’t even know how to cook, why?”
“Once we get to the cabin, I’ve a feeling we’re going to have to figure out how to grow our own food. Not this year, it’s too late in the season, but next spring, we’re gonna have to try.”
“How in the hell do we do that? I’ve no clue,” she said.
“Guess we hit up the bookstore and seed store and also pick up more long-term storage food as well. I think we’ll have a couple of years of trial and error to figure it out, but we need to really think about the future. Shay’s going to need to learn as well.”
“Shit. I guess you’re right. I’ve been so caught up with zombies and Shay that I guess I forgot that we’ve got years and years ahead of us since I suspect this zombie crap won’t end.”
“At least Reggie seems to know what he’s doing. He’s taking care of the animals here. Maybe we can take a couple of chickens with us, you know, so we can have fresh eggs?” Xander said as he eyed the trio walking toward them.
“Hey Reg, you know anything about raising chickens?” Xander asked as the man walked up onto the steps.
“Sure. Pretty easy. Just make sure they got a place that’s secure at night, so the predators don’t get to them. If you want more than what you got and want to grow your flock, you’ll need a rooster. My grandfather used to keep the feed in metal garbage cans, kept the mice and such out. You could build a little fenced in chicken yard if you don’t want them to free range. They’ll find their way back to the coop at night, just make sure they’re locked in. Other than that, chickens take care of themselves.” Reggie opened the door so the boys could take the baskets in.
“Sounds good. I think Zahara and I’ll run into town and take a look and see if there’s a feed store and pick up supplies. Should I pick up more feed?”
“Sure, could always use more. Maybe pick up a few metal trashcans while you’re at it. How did it go with Ethan?”
“Only time will tell,” Xander said and watched the man disappear into the house. He could hear the twins arguing and he heard Reggie say something to them and they stopped. It seemed like the boys were starting to adjust to their new environment. He thought it was good that children seemed to heal faster. His eyes shifted to Lauren, who stared out into space. Hopefully she’d heal as well.
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Rose laid her hand over Ethan’s forehead. He was hot and running a temperature. She had cleaned up the puncture wounds on his chest and back and shuddered at the thought of the werewolf doing this. She understood Ethan’s reasons but she wasn’t sure she agreed with them. He’d talked to her about staying on at
