Michaela cut an incision over the bite and filled it with fine salt to absorb the poison. She then used the juice of a plantain mixed with water and salt to make brine. She filled the wound with the mixture and placed a damp bandage over the wound.

“This should absorb the poison,” Michaela said as she watched her husbands’ obvious affection for his pet.

“Will he be ok?”

Michaela looked at the animal, unsure of his ability to withstand a wound so close to his wind pipe. “If the swelling doesn’t abate, it may close off his windpipe and he won’t be able to breath. I’ve placed the bandage slightly above the wound to encourage the swelling to move downward and hopefully it will begin to subside as the poison is absorbed, but Sully I can’t promise you anything. You got him here quickly so his chances are fair.”

The pain in Sully’s eyes was enough to break her heart. Wolf had been with Sully for as long as she had known him. She couldn’t imagine him without his furry shadow. “All we can do now is wait; perhaps we should move him by the fire to keep warm.”

Sully picked Wolf up and gently moved him to the rug in front of the fire. He then sat down next to his friend and gently caressed his fur.

*~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~* *~*~*

“Ma, is Sully gonna eat supper?” Brian asked. Sully had not left his vigil at Wolf’s side since he had brought him home earlier that afternoon.

“I’ll bring him a plate in a while Brian.”

“Is Wolf gonna be ok?” Brian remembered all too well the pain of losing his beloved pet. When his Pup died a few years ago he hadn’t wanted to eat or sleep or even talk to anyone.

“Sure Ma.” Brian headed into the living room and sat down opposite Sully. Sully didn’t acknowledge Brian’s presence; he just stared into the flames and buried his hand in Wolf’s soft fur.

After a while Michaela came downstairs and started to make some coffee. She knew it would be a late night, and Sully would want to stay up to comfort wolf. As she came into the room she saw that Brian had fallen asleep at his father’s side with his hand clasping Wolf’s paw.

She placed the coffee on the side table and gently woke Brian and sent him to bed.

“I brought you some coffee,” she said to her husband, handing him the cup.

“Thanks,” he replied not looking at her.

“Sully, I’ll need to change the bandage now.”

“Sure.”

After the bandage was removed and a new one in its place, Michaela sat next to Sully and stared into the fire with him.

“How’s he doin’?” Sully tentatively asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“Sully, I’m afraid time will only tell. If he isn’t better by morning we’ll have to put him down.” She hated to tell him that his friend might not make it, but felt that he should be prepared for that possible outcome. “Sully?”

“Humm?”

“Tell me about him.”

“Michaela you know about him, he’s been with me since before I knew you.”

“Yes, but you never said how you came to be together or where you found him.”

Sully let out a deep sigh, the memories of that winter fresh in his mind as if it had happened yesterday. “I didn’t find him . . . he found me.”

*~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~* *~*~**~*~* *~*~**~**~*~**~*~**~*~**

It was the winter of ’66, there was a blizzard coming in but Sully didn’t care. He had just crossed into the Colorado territory heading back west after his time with the army. He hadn’t eaten in days and was sorely under dressed for the frigid Colorado winter. He didn’t care. He had lost everything in his life that mattered to him, including his dignity in the past year; he didn’t care if his life was the next thing to go.

What was the point? He didn’t have anywhere to go anyway. He was only heading back west to visit his wife’s grave. He wanted to say goodbye one last time. Feeling weak, Sully found a hollowed out tree that had fallen to the ground for shelter. He crawled under it and shut his eyes. At some point in the night the snow had begun to fall and heavy sheets were covering the ground.

Weak from his traveling, the cold and lack of sustenance, Sully could barely open his eyes. As he slowly emerged from his hiding place, he took note of the white nothingness around him. He used to love the winter, the warm fires and cozy nights with his wife in his arms. But that was before, before Abigail had been taken from him, before his daughter Hanna was taken. Now the winter just meant cold, cold like his heart. It seemed appropriate for the way he felt. The blandness of his surroundings matched the emptiness of his soul.

Pressing on towards Colorado Springs Sully huddled into is wool jacket attempting to extract every last bit of warmth that it could provide. He wanted to die, to see his Abby again and hold his little girl. He felt sweat forming on his brow. He was developing a fever. He reached up to wipe the sweat away with his shirt sleeve, and felt his burning skin. It wouldn’t be long now. Seeing what appeared to be an abandoned lean-to Sully sought shelter to rest and let the cold consume him. He lay down under the shelter and closed his eyes. “I’m comin’ Abby,” he whispered as he fell into a dark and inviting unconsciousness.