"Ye be making a fool'o me lass!? I'd kick ye hindquarters outa here!" Frankie yelled getting up.
Blair stood in awe, his language was so broken up she could barely follow him "Uh? What does...?"
Tom held his hand to her "Better not ask Missy, let me talk to him" He said turning to Frankie.
"So Frank, how's the hats commin?"
"Tommas! You don't wear hats! What ye be lookin for in me shop?!?"
"I have an interesting girl here, she's looking for that werewolf you saw"
Frankie looked at Blair with his quivering head, she looked at him, her eyes widened, that quivering had her head subconsciously quivering aswell.
"Ye be commin here to make a mockery of me ey lass? Why ye head be shakin!?"
Blair twitched "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
"Tell her your story Frankie, trust me she'll listen"
The old man grunted shifting his cane to the next hand "Off to Kentucky, that's why I be here now, I'll never go back there, ever! People laughed at me, spat at me! Sayin there be no such nonsense as werewolves! But I saw it! I saw that beast with the glowing green eyes, standin on it's hind feet like some human!" He elevated his voice pointing his cane at Blair who took a step back.
"I just shot me a doe, pretty big one, woulda held me two months I tell ya, then it came! It landed next to me quarry and snatched it up! It looked back at me, asif sayin, ye snooze ye looze old man! Me! I stood there flabbergasted! Never thought I'd see that shit! But I have!" His eyes darted from Blair to Tom then back at Blair.
"Whell!? Go ahead! Laugh ye bastards!"
"Where did you say you saw him?" Blair asked, she knew she missed it.
"Kentucky! In some woods over there!"
Blair looked at Tom "Where is Kentucky?"
"It's a ways south of here, is that all you needed?" Tom asked her.
"Yes, thankyou mister Frankie" Blair said giving him a formal nod.
"Aye, ye don't believe me, that's fine by me! Yer funeral, now if ye ain't here to buy a hat, beat it!"
"Thanks Frankie" Tom said opening the door so Blair could step out, then shut it behind him.
"He said he's seen a werewolf right?" Blair said with a confused face making Tom snicker.
"Don't tell me you missed all of that?"
"I did! It's all ye-hall, bleemin and bastards... What does bastard even mean?"
Tom bent over and laughed loudly again.
"Don't laugh! How can you even understand him!? It's like an entire different language!"
Tom slapped his kneecap laughing then leaned against a porch post "Oh my gosh, this is hilarious!"
Blair folded her arms stubbornly making him wave a hand "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll stop laughing now"
She smiled "Well, at least I got a location, which direction is this Kentucky?"
"South" Tom said pointing "Down this road, if you follow it for about two days on horseback you'll reach it"
Blair gave him another formal nod "Then this is where we part, thankyou for all your help Tom"
He frowned "Just like that?"
"Well, yes? You said you'd help me, I don't expect any more from you"
"You don't want to stay for dinner at least?"
Blair smiled climbing off the porch and heading down the road "Thanks again Tom, but that elk was a sufficient meal"
Tom watched her walk in between the crowd, then frowned "Elk?"
'Follow the road hey?' Maikah said.
"Easy enough, once we get to Kentucky we can ask for more eye witnesses there"
'Good idea, I must say, you left that Tom with quite a cliffhanger'
Blair giggled "The part about the elk?"
'Yes, he's baffled beyond the reaches of his mind now'
Blair laughed holding her hand to her mouth, the path lead out of town onto a dusty road winding into the forest, she walked next to it so the horses can pass her freely, as night approached a last horseman passed her and called out
"The sun is low Missy, and the forest is dangerous at night, be careful!"
"Will do kind gentleman" She called back to him.
When the sun set, and the road is quiet, Blair shifted into her wolf form again and darted down the path, caring this time to keep to grass and stones, not allowing her paws to leave prints.
This method of travel sped up time, she didn't care to keep track but sooner than she thought the sign 'Kentucky' passed her.
"Two days on horseback, a few hours on wolf paw" Blair said giggling.
"The moon still seems three quarters, I think it will be full tomorrow night" Maikah said.
"So he won't come out tonight?"
"No, the best you can do is start looking for signs and scents, to make our search a bit easier"
Blair nodded and walked deeper into the forest, her nose low, her ears high, she knew if she was patient something will stand out here. Deer, elk, even humans, they all tread these woods, it was a little scary, way different from those in Alaska.
There was a noise that made her ears and head rise...
'Hunter!' Maikah screamed but he crack of the rifle broke the silence and Blair felt the lead ball pierce her shoulder, she yelped and ran off limping.
'Blair! Are you ok!?'
"It burns!" She whined.
'Keep moving dear, you must not stop! The wound will heal soon!'
There was another shot booming and a tree burst a hollow hole next to her ears making them whistle.
'Faster Blair!'
"I'm trying!"
Then a plume of confusion, all around her the ground gave way, she fell! Then when it felt like an eternity she got rose into the air again, into the trees.
"What's going on!?" She cried.
'You ran into a trap!' Maikah yelled.
She struggled to move, the net tightened around her until she couldn't move anymore.
"We got it lads! We got that blasted werewolf!" Blair heard a yell then a group of men cheered.
"Oh no! They have it wrong!"
"Get the carriage! We'll show her to the world!"
There was scenarios running through Blair's head, she could shift into a great wolf, tare out of this trap! But that would leave eye witnesses, Blair doubted they will be as easily to convince to be silent as her tribe. Then the other option is to kill them!
'No Blair! That is not an option!'
"They shot me!" She growled.
"Whoohoo! Listen to that boys! It's huge!"
Blair watched through the net at the horse carriage coming in under her, she roared loudly to spook the horses but they didn't flinch, it seems they are trained to stand fast in the face of a predator.
'Stay put Blair, remember you don't have to be a wolf at all times, the cage they made is for something big, not something small' Maikah said making Blair realise what she ment.
The cage has thick steel bars, but large triangular gaps, as a human she can squeeze out there.
The net dropped and she fell into the cage, then the lid shut on top. Now inside Blair felt she could escape the net, she shook it off but yelped at the pain in her shoulder.
"Gholly ho! Look at her! She's a beauty! Have ye seen a wolf that size before men!?" One yelled.
"Ye, ye, ye, what is it with that language!?" She asked herself loudly but all the men heard was snarls and it made them cheer.
"Ya!" Another called whipping the horses and the carriage started moving.
"We're gonna make a killing off her boys!" The main mack of the group it seems called and they all cheered.
"But, she's wounded Boone, what if she dies?" Another, more sympathetic voice asked.
"Well check on her where there is more light!"