Red flowers dotted the grass stretching in front of David. He was lucky and knew it. If the bear was less confident, he might have hidden his tracks better. Might have decided that, even in a world with very little magic, he could not afford to leave evidence of his crimes. Wizards rarely lacked for hubris.

  David looked toward the playground equipment from his vantage point within the shadow of the trees. He wanted to make sure he could investigate without interruption. The sun was setting, it being early evening, but that did not mean children were done playing. It was the mild time of year where most stayed up late. If the schools operated anything like they did in his world, it was summer vacation and they did not have to wake up early.

  Not that he minded children. He actually liked them. Any hero did. They were the highest priority for any rescue. They liked him far less. That did not bother him; he knew how he looked. Large, imposing, oddly proportioned, he had not encountered anything that looked like him outside of monsters in fiction. Seeing him probably brought to the surface all manner of childhood fears. That was fine. They can run home while he dealt with the bad guys. As long as they were safe, that was the important thing. Of course, even if they were not afraid of him, they asked a lot of questions. That got in the way when he tried to think.

  Were these the correct flowers? For all David knew, they were similar, but not the same. He knelt for a closer inspection. Delicately, he placed one of the blossoms between two of his fingers. Such a fragile thing for someone with massive hands; it needed a soft touch. He was capable of that. As if cradling a small, but bold, mouse, he plucked it and brought it to his hooked nose. One sniff and then two.

  It smelled atrocious. Reeking of magical contamination, he threw it away in disgust. It did not smell similar to the flowers in the bear’s fetid den of depravity. It smelled exactly the same. Kiam did nothing to hide his presence in this world. He must have thought himself untouchable. David was eager to prove him wrong. He exhaled sharply through his nose to rid himself of the magical, tainted aroma that infested his nose like an unwelcome swarm of gnats.

  His quarry was here. Or, rather, in the forest. He walked to the edge of the woods, but did not enter yet. It was getting dark, but there was still enough light to see deep inside. A walking trail extended into the distance, but it was doubtful Kiam’s cabin was at the end of that. He may be haughty, but no wizard was so much of a fool to place their lair somewhere easy to find. Doubly true of a child snatcher.

  He sniffed the air. Forest smells, vague and rich and earthy. Nothing specific. He frowned. The rains were frequent and he had been here nearly a week. Usable scents washed away. He remembered what the bear smelled like, but it was entirely likely he wandered throughout the forest. Tracking him off that would take too long and he did not have time to spare. Every minute the children were with him was too many and he had no idea what they smelled like.

  Only one solution. He had to visit their parents to get something to track them. Knowing their scent would narrow his search time considerably. He would ask, of course. Stealing was not something heroes did. It meant he needed to talk to someone, but if he cleared his throat enough, he could make enough words to make his intentions known. They should help him.

  Where were the Averys? Everyone knew where they were. A prominent family, their address was public knowledge.

  A knock on the door caused Diane to jump. Not so much a knock as a series of three bangs. Loud and jarring, especially with her nerves on edge. Marcus was less disturbed. His attention was entirely focused on aerial drone photographs of the surrounding forests. A friend of his sent his drone out to take video daily and daily he reviewed the film for any sign of their triplets. Marcus left the running of his business to his management team. He had not gone in to the factory for a week and would not return until the triplets were home again.

  Diane, once she gathered herself, looked at her husband. His eyes briefly flicked to her before going back to the screen. “Want me to get the door?” She asked.

  “Hm?” His head turned, but he did not look away this time. An irregular patch of the topography caught his attention and missing it was unacceptable. “Yes, please. Thank you.”

  She nodded. It was just as well she leave him to that. He had a sharper eye for that stuff than she.

  The path to the front door took her past the kitchen, where Ronald and Cecilia were engaged in conversation. The most likely topic was how they could help find their missing brother and sisters. Since Marcus and Diane informed them about their meeting with detective Kite, they were convinced the police were useless. It took a lot of convincing to keep them from running into the forest to look for them themselves. It brought to mind the time they saved her husband from an unruly mob bent on setting him on fire. Good for back then, but this time they had no idea where the people in need of rescue were. Diane could not bear the thought of her other two children lost in the woods. Shivers went through her at the idea.

  Those shivers were nothing compared to what she saw when she opened her front door. Eyes forward and expecting something canid height or lower, she got a view of a pair of shins wrapped in dusky jeans. They were old jeans and covered with patches, but still clothing. Oh, a human was visiting their town. Odd, but not unheard of. Her eyes traced upward. And upward. And upward. As they did, they widened. The person at her door was very tall, even for a human. Was he a human? The proportions were not right. Arms were too long, hands too big, and the skin tone a dark, dusty shade of gray. In addition to the jeans, he had on a gray overcoat, stained white shirt, and a large backpack. The clothing made him look even taller.

  That was not what unsettled her, not entirely. He had no scent. A canine nose was sensitive, so she picked up someone’s scent the second she met them. She smelled road dirt and forest on him, but nothing else. No pheromones, no body odor, no oils. Nothing. Everyone had a scent, why not him?

  Her ears lowered as she looked up at him, trying to find words but unable to locate them. Uncomfortable seconds passed. His icy, steel gray eyes locked with hers and his square jaw worked to form words.

  “Know who has your kids.” He stated in a guttural tone like rocks grinding together. It sounded like he had a sore throat and it hurt to talk, making her wince from her natural empathy.

  Then the meaning of the words hit her. He knew who had the triplets! Her ears perked up. “You…you do?” She asked, feeling hope for the first time since they vanished. The man nodded.

  There was a suspicion in the back of her mind that he was responsible somehow. That lasted all of one second. Her loving husband was falsely accused of a crime in the past and she had no evidence of him doing anything untoward. If he had, why would he come here and confess to their faces? No, he had to be there to help.

  “Please, please take me to them. Right now!” A pleading look sparkled in her blue eyes. “I don’t care how long it takes, we have to go get them!”

  The gray man shook his head. “Need to find them.”

  Then why was he here instead of looking for them? He must need something. A picture? No, pictures of the triplets were all over the place. They made sure of that. Something else?

  “We’ll help however we can. Just tell us what you need, sir. Whatever you need, if you can get my triplets back, you’ll have it.”

  The gray man stared a moment as if he was processing what she said. Was he surprised? It was hard to read him; his face was inexpressive, like a mask. Not having a scent made it harder.

  Finally, he spoke. “Something of theirs. Clothes, blanket….with their scent.”

  Diane blinked. Odd request from a human. Unless. “You want to track them by…smell?” He nodded. Was he human? “Um….maybe you should talk to my husband.” For just a moment, she felt like inviting him in was a mistake. There was something dangerous about him. She rarely got that feeling about anyone and never the same feeling as he gave her. Dangerous, but he meant them no harm? Like quartering an army division in one’s home.

  Hebrews 13:2. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” It popped into her head. She sincerely doubted he was an angel, but he was certainly strange. Discernment told her he had good intentions.

  “Will you be okay waiting there while I go tell my husband? He’ll want to know we have a guest.” Marcus was the head of the family, so Diane wanted to ask him first. Particularly with a large, unusual stranger like this. The gray man nodded his assent. He seemed fine with it regardless, so she vanished into the house to prepare her husband for a surprise.

  Thankfully, their house was large enough to accommodate him. Marcus’ business did well, so they could afford a spacious home. Plus, it was necessary to entertain much larger guests than wolves or squirrels. He had to stoop to get inside of the doorway, but that happened to him quite often. She noticed him pause when he entered. He sniffed the air and looked around. Satisfied with….whatever it was he checked for, he followed.

  She led him by the kitchen on the way to Marcus. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ronald do a double take. Eyes went wide upon seeing their guest. No doubts at all about whether or not he and Cecilia would follow them into the main room.

  Marcus faced them when they came in, waiting expectantly. While Diane did tell him he looked unusual, he was not prepared for how unusual. His eyes went wide when he saw the man. More uncomfortable silence while he composed himself. When someone sees another person completely unlike other people, there was always a moment of shock. A moment of wondering what caused a person to look like that. Lucky for the gray man, Marcus knew better than to judge him harshly based on the fact that he looked like a homeless circus performer.

  “My wife tells me you can help us find our children….if that’s true, it’s the best news I’ve heard all week.” His reaction being what it was, he felt the need to apologize. “Sorry about the……surprise. You’re taller than I thought you’d be.” Seven and a half feet tall sounded shorter than it looked.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The gray man nodded in response, but said nothing. He was looking at Marcus like he expected him to speak. Diane had the feeling he was uncomfortable being here.

  “You can get comfortable if you want. Sit down anywhere.” She stated.

  The gray man shook his head. “Will not stay long….need something from the children. To find them.”

  Marcus frowned. “Now, I know you probably came a long way to get here, but we don’t even know who you are. We don’t know why you want to help us and we don’t know how you know what you know. We don’t even know your name and we don’t know why you came here instead of to the police.”

  “We’ve been hurt by people who said they want to help us.” Diane walked in front of the gray man, between herself and her husband. “Please, tell us what you know.”

  The gray man let out a slow exhale. It sounded like a mix of an annoyed grunt and a sigh, but it was hard to tell. He looked to a couch sitting against a wall, then back to the wolves. Then to the squirrels.

  Ronald and Cecilia thought they were hidden just outside of the door frame. When the gray man’s eyes fell on them, they shrank back for a moment. Just a moment. Ronald stepped out with his sister in tow and gave the man a little wave. He raised an eyebrow and looked to the wolves.

  Diane chuckled. “Those are our other two kids. Ronald, our oldest, and Cecilia, his sister. You can come in, kids. I think you’ll want to hear this too.”

  “Hi.” Said Ronald.

  “…..hi.” Said Cecilia.

  They walked to Diane’s side with Cecilia giving the gray man a wide berth. She had her eyes glued to him, as if he might lunge at her at any moment. The gray man made no such motions, nor did he make any hostile moves at all. Visible discomfort colored the squirrels’ body language, even if he was not overtly hostile.

  Instead, he walked to the couch and took off his backpack. He set it to the side of the sofa and settled on the edge of it; a posture suggesting he was ready to spring up at any sign of danger. Of a restless countenance, it was clear he wanted to move. One thing at a time, though.

  With no further prompting, he started to talk. “I am David.” He began.

  “Nice to meet you, David.” Marcus smiled, ever the graceful host. Diane was glad he said something. So intent was she to hear what he had to say she would have forgotten her manners.

  “Television told me to find you. Saw the flowers, knew it was the bear.”

  Diane’s ears perked. “Flowers?” She knew it! The flowers had something to do with it! Wait, calm down, he might be talking about something else. “What did they look like? What do you mean about a bear?”

  David cleared his throat. His voice sounded very hoarse; he was not accustomed to talking this much. “Red and gold.” He replied.

  “Those are….those are the ones.” Diane’s heart sped up. The first lead they had in nearly a week and it came out of the blue from a stranger. “They put me to sleep….somehow. I remember them opening up and then…I went out. I know it sounds weird, but it’s true!”

  She fully expected David to laugh at her. Instead, he nodded. “Bear is evil. Seen his work, his magic…..his victims.”

  “You keep mentioning a bear.” Marcus interrupted before Diane had a chance to let the part about ‘victims’ sink in. “He’s the one who has our kids, right? Who is he?”

  David shifted in his seat and reached for his backpack. Heavy canvas shifted and rustled as he opened it up and drew something out. A roll of what smelled like dried animal skin came out. When it was unrolled, the gathered family saw a very peculiar creature.

  A bear, but not a bear. He had the features of a bear mixed with those of a human. He stood on two legs, which bears could do, but the posture was more humanoid than the broad, lumbering stance a of a typical ursine. He wore clothing, a fancy looking green robe, and had long, black hair tied into a braid. A pipe stuck out of his muzzle. He was standing there as if in thoughtful contemplation before a forest. The picture was a hand drawn thing, a self-portrait, but they had no reason to believe it was not accurate. The police often used sketches for identification purposes. The bear looked so unique they would have no trouble identifying him. No one they ever saw looked like this thing.

  “Name is Kiam…..evil wizard. Here to kill him.” David stated once he felt they had enough time looking at him. He rolled the picture back up. “And save innocent kids.” He added, almost as an afterthought.

  “A wizard?” Marcus tilted his head. “Is something like that possible? I mean….you’re clearly not from around here, no offense, but magic?”

  “The flowers are proof he’s capable of some weird stuff.” Diane remembered the forceful way that sleep overtook her. That was not something she would ever forget. “He made them bloom right in front of me. If it isn’t magic, he has some talent for poison.”

  “And I believe you. It’s not the strangest thing I’ve ever heard of. Pharaoh’s sorcerers had powers too.” Marcus replied.

  “Hm….” Diane wondered just how dangerous this Kiam was if he had actual magic. “Where do you think he gets his magic? Demons?” Demonic possession could account for it.

  “Do not know.” David replied. “Do not fear magic. Dies the same.”

  He had a one track mind. Diane briefly wondered if she could trust him. Only briefly. He seemed too earnest to be a liar. What other options did they have? “I hope you know what you’re getting into. If he really is that dangerous.”

  David nodded. “Will get him. Need something from your kids first. Need to track them, or cannot find him.”

  “We’ve tried following their scent before. All that happened was we kept looping out of the forest.” Marcus offered. “Do you think you can do better than his own parents, who just so happen to be wolves?” David nodded once. “….I mean, you are human, right?”

  David stared for a moment, then gave his answer. “Will find them. Always do.”

  “We’re not flush with options….” Diane wanted to temper her husband without explicitly guiding him. “What do we have to lose?”

  “Dad…..I don’t trust him.” Ronald finally spoke. “There’s something wrong with him. I’ve traveled around a lot lately and I’ve never seen a human who looks like him.” Feeling brave, he stepped toward David. “Where ARE you from? What’re you doing here?”

  “That’s enough, Ronald.” Marcus intoned. “He’s our guest and wants to help. No reason to interrogate him like that.”

  Diane knew that tone of voice. Ronald may have been a grown squirrel now, but the dad voice was still effective on him. He stopped the line of questioning and took on an immediate, contrite air.

  “Sorry. I was just curious.” Ronald rubbed the back of his head and stepped back. David never reacted to him at all. If he was offended, he gave no sign.

  But, they had to keep this moving and Marcus knew it. “Diane, please get him some of the triplets’ blankets. Will that work?” David nodded.

  The question remained as to whether or not she trusted David. He was so hard to gauge with his inexpressive features and his lack of a scent. Being a wolf, she could tell if someone was nervous or fearful by smell alone. He had none of that going for him. All she had to go on was his words and he used those sparingly. So many questions circled in her mind, but would he even be able to answer them?

  She had to trust him. At least a little. They trusted the police and they failed on every front so far. Their last meeting with Detective Kite was still fresh. If this earnest stranger wanted blankets to track their children, fine.

  “Do you need to take them with you?” Diane asked.

  David shook his head. Good. Some people might want a blanket to have a weird memento of their children or to commemorate their tragic kidnapping. People were horrible like that. Good enough for her.

  “I’ll be right back.” She informed her husband before leaving the room.

  Every day since the kidnapping, Diane spent a little time in each the triplets’ rooms. The beds were still made, the toys all put away, and everything looked unnatural. She had to convince herself daily that, one day, they would be here again. Playing, learning, resting, enjoying life, and enjoying the company of their family. Being in the room hurt, but it also reminded her of what she wanted back. She felt closer to them in here than she did anywhere else. It still hurt being there. She wanted to be in there to help her think about them and did not want to be in there because it made her think of them. Both senses fighting to a stalemate.

  She shook her head. Soon. That man would find them. She forced herself to believe it as she gathered up a blanket from each of their beds, trying not to linger too long in each room. Three blankets for three young wolves. The children vanished the day before she was to wash their bedding, so they would be more than enough for the man to track them. She hoped.

  She returned in time to hear the tail end of a conversation between David and her husband. Maybe she spent a little too long lingering in her children’s room?

  “You’ve done this before..……Sorry for worrying, but I’m not used to dealing with people who aren’t legitimate authorities. No offense.” Marcus stated.

  The gray man nodded. “Always find them.” He paused, then added something else. “….usually are still alive.” If that was meant to comfort them, it did not work.

  Diane swallowed and buried the thought of finding her children as anything but completely unharmed. “One blanket from each of my kids.” Diane held them up to him. “Just give them back when you’re done. My pups will need them when they’re back home.”

  He reached down and took them, she moved her paws back to try and best avoid touching his hands. She was not disgusted by the thought of touching him, far from it. Scars covered the palms of his hands and looked painful. The wrong touch in the wrong spot might hurt him and she did not want that.

  He brought them to his nose one at a time. Each one got one or two long inhales. Ronald shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and looked away. Cecilia just looked confused. It was a little weird, especially for someone vaguely human, but would have been weirder if he lingered longer.

  “Just….put them down on the floor when you’re done.” Marcus stated, feeling the surreal nature of this like everyone else.

  He put down the last blanket and stood up. “Thank you.” He said before picking up his backpack and turning to leave. He made it two steps to the door before Marcus spoke up.

  “And we’re right behind you.” The wolf said as he walked forward.

  That made David stop. “No. Stay here.” It did not sound like a request.

  “If you know how to find our kids, we’re coming with you.” Marcus replied, also not a request.

  “Hnn…..” The gray man made what sounded like an annoyed sigh. “No reason to. Stay.”

  Marcus shook his head to further emphasize his position, then clarified. “Our kids are scared and alone right now. They’ll want to see their parents as soon as they can. I’m not going to be miles away when that happens. I’ll be right there as soon as they’re free.”

  “They’ll be scared.” Diane added. “Terrified. When you save them from the bear, they’ll see another…..” Do not say monster. He is trying to help. Soften your words and do not let on that he is a very scary looking man to a young pup. “…stranger. They’ll run and I don’t want them getting lost in the woods.”

  The gray man’s eyes went from Diane to nothing in particular. He was thinking. Eventually, he spoke. “….I can track them.”

  “But they’ll keep running. It’s better if we come. Even the police bring parents along when they’re about to arrest their kidnapper. Kids want to see their parents as soon as they can so they know they’re safe.” Marcus explained.

  The gray man frowned. “Kiam is very dangerous. Safer for you here.”

  Marcus chuckled. “I don’t care how dangerous he is. They’re my kids. I’ve faced down far worse mobs than one bear.”

  David looked away. “No, you have not…..”

  Marcus was not going to budge on this. Nor was Diane. The gray man had to realize this. He knelt down to look Marcus directly in the eyes. Diane was happy she was not on the receiving end of that gaze. The eyes were inexpressive before; now they had a focused intensity that made her husband shift uncomfortably on his paws.

  “Stay close. Do not attack him. Stay behind me when I find him. Or else cannot protect you.” Blunt, but needed.

  Marcus swallowed and nodded. David stood back up to move toward the door. As Diane and her husband moved to follow him, they noticed two squirrels joining at their sides.

  “All right, let’s go.” Ronald stated.

  “Want us to ride on your back? Or are we going to drive?” Cecilia added. Could David even fit in their car?

  It did not matter, because they were not going. “You kids stay here.” Marcus ordered. “A bear is too much for a couple of young squirrels.”

  “I’m a grown man now!” Ronald puffed up. “And I’m going to help!”

  “Young man, you….” Diane started.

  David cut them off. “Wasting time. Come or do not. I am going.”

  Marcus frowned. This demanded more careful planning and a long conversation, but their guide was about to leave without them. They had to cut out the argument and make a decision.

  Ronald and Cecilia ended up coming. They walked there, following at David’s back. And, even though Ronald said he was a grown man, he still rode on his dad’s back with his sister.