“Yes, and he lives forever. His is a sad story because he is lonely. Everyone he loves will die of old age, unless he drinks their blood and turns them into a monster, too.”
He said, “Ye said the wolf is sometimes a man other times a wolf?”
“Yes, he can shape-shift at will. Unless... when he’s angry he becomes a wolf?—”
“Then he might eat her?”
I nodded. “Either way it’s a tragedy.”
“Aye, but the decision is easy, if she has tae choose it must be the wolf man.”
“It must be? Why?”
“Aye, because a man who is a monster, who will drink yer blood, how can ye trust him? If he canna die, if he is not a part of the circle of life, then he is not a part of the natural order?—”
“The case could be made that your family of time travelers aren’t a part of the natural order either.”
“Nae, we age, we feel all the pain and horror of life. We are on the wheel. We are just spinning differently than most, but we arna monsters. Ye canna want tae live with a... what did ye call it?”
“A vampire.”
“Aye, a vampire would be terrible. Ye would hae tae sleep with one eye open, worried about him drinkin’ yer blood. If he was lonely or he thought he might lose ye tae time, he’d just... how would he get yer blood?”
“Use his teeth to prick holes in your neck and suck yer blood out.”
“Och nae, Ash, tis a horror story.”
“Yes, it is, but it’s also very romantic. But you think you can trust a wolf man?”
“Aye, he is a man or a monster. Tis more natural I think. If he daena get angry he might never be the monster at all.”
I put my head on his shoulder. “I never thought of it that way.”
“And wolves are good beasts. They live in dens with their family. They hunt in a pack. They are protective and smart. And they are the grandfathers of dogs.”
“That is true.”
“One is a bloodsuckin’ monster, the other is a wolf — I think the wolf.”
“I heard once that the reason why humans have been so successful in creating a world is because of the domestication of dogs. They helped us hunt, protected us while we slept, lived alongside us. I’ve always liked that about dogs.”
“So ye would pick the wolf man as well. We are wishin’ we had a dog right now tae beat back these rats.”
I swung the light beam around again, watching the shifts and scurries of vermin rushing away.
“Can we get out of here, soon?”
He said, “Wait here.” He crawled up the stairs and peeked out. He was still and quiet. I hoped he would say, ‘come on,’ but instead he crept back down, and resumed his seat. “We must wait.”
I put my head on his shoulder. “Am I too heavy?”
“Nae, tis alright. Tis the good kind of heavy. Are ye scared or cold?”
“Why?”
“Ye are shakin’.”
“Both.”
