Before Dawn: The Lobo Cliff Incident

  “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.” Alex told himself in his head.

  He wasn’t sure if he moved, it might move to… and he wasn’t sure if it would move away… or toward him. His stare was deep and intense and though he felt scared inside, Alex instead decided to sit still and stare back.

  “I… I’m Alex.”

  The animal stood straight, still glaring at him, put his paw on the window sill.

  “I know.” he said.

  “Huh? You can talk?”

  “Come outside Alex, I need your help.”

  “Uh… well, heh… I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  His voice was almost half human and half animal. It had a deep growl addition on it which was weird to hear, almost like two voice meshed together.

  “Well… depends…”

  “On what, Alex?”

  “On whether you had dinner or not!”

  “I don’t eat children.”

  “Oh, ok… what do you eat?”

  “Anything I find in the forest, but mostly mushrooms.”

  “What if there’s a stranded kid in the forest?”

  “I don’t eat children.”

  “Wait… I’m dreaming, right? That’s what it is… who ever heard of a talking wolf? Ha, what’s next you’ll tell me your name is Jacob, right? From the Twilight Series.”

  “No, my name is not Jacob. Please come outside.”

  “Well…”

  “I will keep my distance from you, I give you my word.”

  “Well ok… I mean if you can’t trust a wolf…”

  Alex climbed out of his window with his flashlight in hand. They walked out past the yard to the end of the cul-de-sac where the woods started.

  “I’m not going in there with you?”

  “Why not? You’ve been in here many a time at night, you and your friends.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I have dwelled in these woods for many years.”

  “How many?”

  “More than you’d care to believe.”

  “Ok, well I’m here… how can I possibly help you? I can’t believe I’m talking to a wolf.”

  The wolf walked over to a tree, scratched it with his claws, blood came out. Alex shined his light on it and gasped.

  “These woods, they are alive. They are my home. You have to stop your father from building.”

  “Is that real blood?”

  “It only bleeds when I scratch it, it is a part of me, it is my home.”

  “That... cliff we saw… is that..?”

  “It is a ravine, they named this town Lobo Cliff... Lobo is Spanish for wolf, because the original founder discovered the ravine deep in the woods but could never find it again. And he died before he could prove he found it.”

  “You killed him?”

  “No he died in battle during one of your many wars. He did kill my ancestor; we have lived hidden in here for generations. I am among the last of my line… but we need to keep the ravine away from your kind.”

  “My kind?”

  “Humans… they damage, destroy, maim… this land is precious. You must help me.”

  “Help you? My dad won’t listen to me. You saw how well he believed Marcie when she said she saw a wolf!”

  “They didn’t believe the town founder either.”

  “Figures.”

  “I… I’m dying Alex, I need someone to help keep my home safe, keep my family safe. When they built your neighborhood they cut us off to the last remaining piece of woods we have here.”

  “I don’t know how I can help, I’m only ten years old.”

  “I have followed you. I have seen you at your place of learning, you are a champion of nature. You fight for the rights of animals and the earth.”

  “Geez, how long have you been following me?”

  “Ever since you came to live here, our people we have a belief, ‘he of the humans who lives among the woods, will save us’. I believe you are the one.”

  “Ok wait, I’m standing at the edge of the forest, talking to a… a werewolf, and now you’re telling me you think I’m the one that you wolves believe is going to save you? You know, when I wake up from this dream and I tell Marcie tomorrow in school, we’re going to have a good laugh.”

  “You are not dreaming… and I, I can save your friend.”

  “Dorian?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ok that’s it, I’m dreaming. I’m going back home.”

  He turned to walk away and the wolf reached out to his arm, his nail cut into his pajamas and slightly scratched his skin.

  “Hey, man these are my favorite Captain American PJs!”

  “My apologies Alex Davison, I will see you tomorrow.”

  “Uh yeah… sure. After I wake up.”

  He turned on his flash light and walked back to his house.

  CHAPTER 5:

  Friday, it was lunch time and the two friends sat at the table. Normally they sat with other friends, but Alex wanted them to be alone, so they sat at the table where the geeks sat. And the Geeks usually ate fast so they could leave and go to the library before the bell rang. So the two friends sat alone, except for one kid who sat at the end of the table reading on his iPad.

  “So what were you saying? The wolf talked to you?” she whispered.

  “Well, I’m not sure. It was late, I was sleepy and I’m not sure that I was dreaming. He said Lobo Cliff was named after the ravine that we saw, he’s lived there forever. I just don’t know. I could’a been dreaming the whole thing.”

  “Geez Alex, this is all just... kinda crazy.”

  “Tell me about it!”

  She turned around, the principal was walking by them. He stopped at their table, reached out and patted Alex on the arm.

  “Davidson, behaving yourself today?”

  “Ow. Yes sir.”

  The principal walked off. Alex grabbed his arm.

  “Alex, what’s wrong with your arm?”

  “I... I don’t…”

  He rolled up his sleeve, saw the scratch.

  “Hey, how’d you do that?”

  “I... oh man Marcie, he scratched me last night.”

  “Who?”

  “The werewolf!”

  “Shh!” she said slapping him on the back.

  “Uh excuse me, did you say... werewolf?”

  The question came from the kid at the end of the table. The two friends turned to him, he had just put his iPad down from his face.

  “Uh, no… no FabianRoss.”

  “Yes you did… I heard you. Do you have a werewolf story? I have one too, but…” he moved closer to them, “… no one believes me, they think I’m weird, so I’ve learned not to bring it up anymore.”

  FabianRoss Morgan lived in their neighborhood, just down the street. But he wasn’t a very sociable kid. The two friends got up to leave. He got up and followed.

  “Guys, really. Tell me, do you have a werewolf story? You can trust me, no one believes what I say anyway.”

  “FabianRoss, really. It’s nothing… it was a dream I had.”

  “Why do you guys avoid me so much? Because I’m a nerd? I wanted to go trick or treating with you guys last year and you just ditched me.”

  “FabianRoss, who dresses like a computer mouse?”

  “And why would a parent insist on giving you two names as a first name? Isn’t that annoying?”

  “I can’t help that Marcie, you can just call me Fabian if you want… or Ross, or FR, or F-Ross, or…”

  “We get it!”

  “And I can’t help being a nerd, I come from a long line of knowledgeable men and women, you know?”

  “Yeah, isn’t one of your uncles a pilot and rocket scientist at NASA just up the coast?”

  “Yes, Uncle John, he’s my hero. Anyway… let me tell you what happened to me once.”

  He put away his tray. Alex nudged Marcie and they both stared at the left over food.
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  “Oh, vegetarian huh?”

  “Duh, you have to kill an animal before you eat it Alex, you love nature like I do, I can’t even see how you can eat meat.”

  “Don’t duh him, you eat leaves! Isn’t that nature!?”

  Alex started laughing.

  “She’s got you on that one, dude.”

  He followed them out to the patio, then over to the benches outside the band room.

  “I was in the woods on the other side of the fence. You know, the woods that your cul-de-sac leads to? I had my iPad and was doing some research on the stars. I figured what better way than to lie down in the woods, and stare up. The sky looks so much clearer there, right? So anyway, I’m minding my business, as usual, lying on the ground. I have an app for my iPad that let’s me find the constellations just by pointing it up in the sky, cool huh?”

  The two friends rolled their eyes.

  “So, anyway… I’m lying there, minding my business and I was there maybe an hour. I was on my back staring up and I heard something, like someone running. I turned and I saw what looked like a dog running on his hind legs. Running through the forest! It hopped on a tree and started hopping between trees, it kept going further and further away, deeper into the woods until I heard nothing. So I got up and ran home and told Mom about it, and she told me not to tell anyone or they’d think I was nuts.”

  “Whoa.”

  “I know, right? So I stayed up that night, looked up stuff on my iPad. Did you know that our town Lobo Cliff was named for a mystical cliff the founder of this town claims he saw once? Lobo means “wolf” in Spanish. Because he claimed that he killed a wolf that nobody else saw. So…I kinda put two and two together… what if there’s a werewolf that lives in the Lobo Cliff woods?”

  The two friends bounced glances off each other then turned to him.

  “FabianRoss… uh Fabian, so what if what you’re saying is true, and say only the three of us believed it. What does it mean? How do you prove a werewolf lives in our neighborhood?”

  “Why would you want to prove it? What if he’s lived there since the town was born, we’re invading his town, think about it.”

  “We’re going in the woods after school Fabian, wanna come?”

  “Marcie!?” Alex scolded.

  “Wow, sure!”

  “GEEZ, Marcie!”

  “Alex, he’s seen it too, so he’s a part of us.”

  “Oh, so you have seen it!”

  “Shhh!”

  “It’s not an it... it’s a him.” Alex sighed.

  “How do you know?”

  “Uh… just trust me, ok?”

  “Ok so, after dinner… meet us at the end of the cul-de-sac, ok?”

  “Ok Marcie…”

  “Uh Fabian?”

  He turned to Alex who was getting up to leave.

  “Don’t tell anybody.”

  The two friends walked off, he looked back down at his iPad.

  “Who’d believe me anyway?”

  CHAPTER 6:

  The twinkle of sunlight was slowly fading on the horizon. Marcie walked up to Alex’s front door, rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, she heard the footsteps approach the door from inside. As it swung open she was ready to shove her finger in her friend’s face.

  “Alex, I thought you said after dinner… Oh, hi Mr. Davidson. Uh, is Alex allowed to come out?”

  “Actually, no, Marcie. He’s grounded, I took his cell phone from him.”

  “What did he do this time?”

  “Weren’t you in last period with him?”

  “No, there was some fight and some kids got taken to the office… oh, he was in it, huh?”

  “He tells me that the teacher was talking about how important it was to build new homes and businesses, to help keep people employed, but he and another student started an argument about how us constantly building is killing off nature and our wildlife.”

  “FabianRoss,” she whispered to herself, “…oh man, I bet that was an interesting argument, you know how Alex is about nature.”

  “Yes Marcie, I do… my job isn’t something he’s proud of. But I’m a contractor, my job is to build.”

  “Can I talk to him, please?”

  “Sure Marcie, come in.”

  She walked in and he closed the door. Unseen to them, FabianRoss had just crossed the corner and was headed to the edge of the forest to await them.

  Marcie walked into her best friend’s room. He was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling.

  “Hey, ya bum.”

  “Huh? Oh hey... wow Dad let you in?”

  “Yeah, you ok?”

  “Yeah.” he sighed, “… I guess.”

  He got up, looked out the window.

  “Stupid Mr. Chapman, he thinks the world grows around ruining nature. I don’t know why they let people like him teach, he don’t even like kids.”

  The sound was faint, but they heard it get louder and louder. A siren.

  “Oh no, Dorian!”

  Alex ran through the house and to the front window. Sure enough the ambulance stopped at Dorian’s house. His dad ran out the door to go across the street. The two friends followed. Dorian’s mother ran out of the house in a hysterical fit.

  “Hurry, he can’t breathe!”

  The paramedic ran into the house with his bag, Alex’s dad rushed up to her.

  “Vilma, is he ok? Where’s Mike?”

  “My husband is working late shift at Wal-Mart. I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

  The two parents rushed back into the house. Alex grabbed Marcie’s arm.

  “Come on Marcie, let’s go!”

  “It’s getting dark, Alex. Where are we going?”

  “I need to see the wolf.”

  They turned and ran towards the woods.

  “Why!?”

  “He said he could help Dorian!”

  The two friends ran to the woods and followed their usual track. They had totally forgotten about FabianRoss, who wasn’t standing there anyway. And the fog was forming on the ground, something they rarely saw at night.

  “How can he help, Alex?”

  “I don’t know, but he told me last night that he could. We need to find him! Do you remember how to get to the ravine?”

  “No!”

  Within a few minutes, they knew they were lost. With the fog rolling in and covering most of their landmarks, they stopped at a stump in a clearing.

  “Great, here we go again, now what?”

  “Hey, look.”

  Marcie was pointing at the ground just a few feet from them. Even with the fog there, she could see a gleaming light on the ground a couple of feet from where they stood. She bent over and looked at it.

  “An iPad?”

  She picked it up. The screen had constellations on it and was beeping.

  “Fabian’s iPad. Hey, he was supposed to meet us here, remember?”

  “Oh snap! Where is he?”

  “FabianRoss!?” she screamed.

  Her voice echoed through the woods.

  “Alex, what if he… ate him?”

  “He doesn’t eat kids.” he smirked.

  They heard footsteps hurriedly approaching. They both turned to the sound. It went from the ground to the trees to the top of the trees, and then stopped. The kids got close together looking around them, no one was there.

  “Hello? Fabian? Uh… wolf?”

  Just the sound of the breeze was all they heard, that and their own hearts beating.

  “Alex, I don’t like this. Let’s leave.”

  “No, I need to see the wolf. This time I need to see him. Hey! Wolf is that you? Ok, I agree. I’ll help you… but you have to help me. My friend Dorian… he might be dying. You have to help! I promise, I give you my word… I’ll do whatever you want. I promise.”

  Silence.

  “Do you hear me!? I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

  “I don’t think he’s here, Alex.”

  “Come on wolf! Please!?
”

  She took his hand.

  “Come on Alex, let’s go. Come on!”

  She pulled him on and they walked back through the trail.

  “Maybe… maybe he doesn’t need your help anymore?”

  “Aw man Marcie, he said he could help Dorian!”

  Eventually the two friends walked out of the woods and back into the cul-de-sac. Marcie still had the iPad in her hands. They ran to Dorian’s house.

  “Dad! Dad is he ok?”

  His father was walking out of the house and the two friends ran into him.

  “Son, don’t go in there. Come on, let’s go home.”

  “Dad?”

  “It doesn’t look good, son.”

  The two friends lowered their heads and walked back with him. Marcie turned to go to her house.

  “See you tomorrow Alex.”

  * * * * * * *

  Morning. The sunlight crept in through Alex’s window, but it was the phone that woke him. His father answered it in the kitchen. He got up, could smell the pancakes and bacon. He slowly got out of bed, reached for his remote then realized it wasn’t there.

  “What the…? Oh yeah, I’m grounded.”

  He got up off the bed and walked out of the room. The phone finally stopped ringing, someone picked it up, then he heard footsteps running through the house.

  “Dad?”

  He heard the front door slam and he ran to the front to look out the window. His father was running across the street to Dorian’s house.

  “Oh man, this can’t be good!”

  He ran out of the house in his PJs and socks, met his Dad on the porch across the cul-de-sac. Dorian’s mom was in tears and fell into his embrace. A car drove up, stopped in the middle of the street, it was Dorian’s Dad. He left the car on and ran out. Marcie was running over too. Alex got there just when Marcie did.

  “Mrs. Garcia... is Dorian..?”

  The screen door was slowly pushed open. Alex turned to it. He and Marcie’s faces transformed from worried to overjoyed.

  “Dorian!?”

  “Dorian!”

  Marcie jumped to him and grabbed him in a hug.

  “Son, you’re ok? How did this happen, que paso Vilma?”

  “Hay Dios mio, yo no se Miguel, el nene se levanto solito y…”

  “Hey... hey… we’ve got Americans on the porch here… come on, don’t leave us in the dark!” Alex’s Dad said mussing Dorian’s hair.

  “He woke me up this morning, asking me for breakfast. I … I thought I was dreaming, no? My baby is ok!” she screamed in her Hispanic accent.

  “Dorian, what happened?” Alex asked.