Katherine W. Vegas And The Mystery of the Wolf

1976, 8hrs on a sunny morning in Brackttville in Kinney County, Texas, United States of America.

A young blonde woman in her bedroom lying on her bed. She is surrounded by bloodstained bandages. Her peaceful countenance of someone who really needed a break is undone by her brows furrowing against the morning light now on her face.

She opens her eyes slowly. Still lying down, her mind takes her back to the night before into the early morning hours.

A few memory arrows begin: blood-stained claws "pass" quickly! It is barely hit in the face! And those red eyes! Horns with yellowish tips. Leather wings with "anemic" edges! The thing or demon attacks it without stopping with its hands, or wings with claws! She looks hungry for blood! It's tireless! It deviates in the last milliseconds! The memory arrows are now confused between the creature's many successful onslaughts and well-known human faces. Sounds of shotgun fire and revolving between screams mingle. A final image reveals a flight of a giant bat with tails passing in front of the clear moon that dawn. The memories end up giving way only to the vision of a cozy room.

"My friends!" Remember her.

"Father!"... he shouts, sitting up quickly, but a cold silence is the answer.

She gets up, stumbles over to the dressing table, and practically "falls" onto the bench knocking some things off the furniture, including a wooden jewelry box and broken glass on the wooden floor, separating a photo from a painting revealing a happy family on paper.

She looks in the mirror and sees only her green brown eyes through those bandages. She lifts her hand to a piece of tape near her cheekbone. She closes her eyes and again those flashes of memory; smell of blood amid the violence of merciless attacks on her face. She dreads what she might find beneath the bandages, but the heat of those memories makes her quickly pull back the tape. She begins to unwrap the streaks stained with congealed blood and drops them to the ground. She opens her eyes, but keeps her head down with her face looking at the rags imagining the marks that will remain forever on her face. She has to look at herself and face her fate! She lifts her face...

"How can you?!" She thinks contemplating a completely refreshed skin, incredibly unmarked! Appearing not to have participated in any battles, she discovers that her "restorative sleep" is more powerful than she imagined. She runs her hand over her face almost in disbelief in what she sees!

She then proceeds to take off all the bandages on her arms, chest and legs until she is only in her panties and bra. The bandage fabric is filthy, but her skin looks undamaged! But how? And those cuts and scrapes from yesterday? She discovers that her accelerated regeneration during a deep night's sleep really is stronger than she imagined.

Now a cold look at her rifle propped up next to the piece of furniture... She's only thinking about doing it justice! She quickly picks up the weapon and, checking that it is armed, sets it down. She opens the drawer and only a pale pink lipstick, a brush, and a bullet box new . She picks it up quickly and starts loading the gun...

She gets up, still a little dizzy, opens the wardrobe and looks at some half-new boots. She pulls out a leather jacket and old faded jeans, now with a belt, and a button-down shirt with a checkered print in red, brown, and beige.

She takes her heavy holster with her revolver and puts it on her waist over her belt with a large brass buckle emblazoned over long ox horns that says "Texas Girl."

...

Minutes later...

A chevy c10 69 pickup is speeding along a gravel road leaving a cloud of dust behind... Seconds later, the vehicle pulls to a stop in front of a house that marks the entrance to a ranch. Jack Williams Vegas (52 years old) opens the door in a hurry and walks quickly around to the passenger door, opens:

"Let's go Carlson!" Carlson Brown (47 years old) is an old friend of Jack's and has a bleeding left arm and a broken left leg. Jack takes it out carefully with Carlson clinging to his neck. Amidst the pain he still finds time and jokes:

"If you cry at my wake I'll just come back to 'kick' your ass!" ARGH! (pain)

"You still have many rodeos ahead." Jack responds at the height but can't disguise the worried tone of voice with everything that has been happening in the last days in that region. He walks up the three porch steps with Carlson clutching his neck. He puts him on an old wooden rocking chair and pulls a stool supporting his friend's injured leg and speaks in a rush:

"Wait... Let's make a tourniquet and run to the emergency room." The man takes the revolver from its holster and hands it to the victim who receives it saying:

"We're going to get out of this, let it go. (panting)" Jack with a haggard look, sweat

going down, she presses her lips together and nods.

Then Jack grabs the door handle and quickly opens it, hurrying into the room and in a worried tone, calling for someone:

"Katherina! (walks with long strides) Kate!" The worried man, walking in long strides, passes through the living room, reaches the corridor and sees blood-stained bandages lying on the floor near a bedroom door. He opens the door quickly and finds an empty bed:

"Daughter?!" Run your hand over your head, dropping your hat. He looks at a desk and sees a hastily written note. He quickly picks up the paper and reads:

'Forgive me, I had to go. You taught me what to do in a situation like this. It has to be done. I know I can do it. It's time, this has to end! I love you Dad, for all eternity .'

"What?!" He crumples the paper pressing it against his chin, closing his eyes, his heart fears the worst. He opens his eyes widening them looking at the window. The curtains sway in a wind that seems to announce a ballet of death...

...

20 years before.

3:07 am, November 2, 1956.

"Jack! ... wake up! ... The sheep are making noise ... I think something is scaring them." But Jack was too tired! So in a deep sleep, he would not wake up so easily. Judy doesn't insist. Her husband had spent the day repairing the property fence. She then puts on her boots that she had gotten from Jack, a gift for being pregnant with her second son (or daughter). She puts on a World War II aviator jacket with a hawk logo written on it; 'The hawk's eye!' ... AND, as a precaution, takes the classic rifle. Calmly descending the stairs she heads in "cat steps" to the door! She puts himself in an attack position with his weapon ... she carefully touches the door latch and, in a quicker action, opens the door, aiming the rifle, hour to the right, hour to the left ... hoping to find some threat! But until that moment, she still saw no danger! But the sheep keep screaming! Something is wrong! "Why doesn't the dog bark ?!" The woman thinks. "You have to go to the pen and find out what it is!"

The dawn is cleared by a new moon, free and with few clouds. It will be possible to see the "danger" with the "naked eye"!

When walking with the lightness of a feline through the sandy terrain of the place, she sees a silhouette familiar to that of a canine, however, twice the size! It is clear! It's a huge wolf! Immediately, she puts herself in a position to aim, aiming at the beast! ...

But something intrigues Judy Vegas ... Still pointing at the animal's face ... But she can't shoot! The huge wolf is there, sitting, with a serene and fixed look at that woman!

Judy also realizes that the wolf did not attack the sheep! What got even weirder! So what was he doing there? Why didn't he jump over the fence to attack the flock? And what is the reason for him to be there without provoking any reaction? "And where did that damn dog, which shows no sign of life?" She thinks.

The big animal still looks at her serenely... tilts its head to the side and gives a low growl ...

Judy already has the rifle low, without any fear. When the wolf lowers his head, expressing respect, and starts walking towards her ...

"JUDY !!!"

That moment is interrupted by a cry of agony! Her husband wakes up and, when he misses her, comes down the stairs. When he sees the door open, he goes out and sees that beast going towards his wife! He gets scared, letting out that scream, drawing the attention of his wife, who turns her face in his direction and then turns to the supposed threat ... but realizes that the dust rising in the animal's race at high speed, unlike the side for the couple.

The man runs towards the woman, hugging her, kissing her on the cheek, and holding her against his chest, saying:

"It was just a scare! I thought ... Thank God, it was nothing!" While Judy is silent, pensive, her eyes fixed on the horizon, on the side where the wolf has gone.

...

A pack of wolves is resting, while they see in the distance, approaching, the alpha wolf ... everyone gets up and runs to meet them in races until they reach. They seem to celebrate something with their grunts, bites, and howls! Coming to be blurred by the dust they raise in that "celebration". While a couple is watching them from a distance while standing, at the entrance to their tent ... The head of the indigenous community declares:

"The wolf has already chosen its guardian! ...They are wanting an alliance between species."

"As they were in ancient times." Agrees the leader's wife.

"That's it ... They recognize the dominant species and know that they will need a mediator."

"But why not one more of our people?" Question Lyira Márick, intrigued waiting for an answer ... But the leader of the indigenous community is silent for a few moments, and then says:

"The Creator's designs are greater than those of men."

The two hug each other while watching the wolves playing in the distance ... while the first rays of sunlight give them a silhouette brillant.