(1st story)
In the cave of Uncegila, Blind Owl has his arm wrapped around Logan’s eyes. While he does, Logan tells him to get out of his way. He got him some killin’ to do.
Blind Owl tells him no. He implores him. There’s only one way to kill this creature. Logan angrily exclaims that he doesn’t care what that old holy man back at camp told him. He knows what that thing did to Sparrow Hawk. And he knows that it’s gonna pay. Blind Owl replies that his woman is dead, that is true. So are many of his people. They dwell in the land beyond the sand hills now, crying out for the blood of this beast. He’ll have his revenge. But they must do things his way. With that, Blind Owl grabs Logan’s rifle out of his hands and turns his attention on Uncegila.
As Logan starts getting attacked by Uncegila’s evil children (smaller dog-looking creatures), he calls Blind Owl a crazy little fool. He’s going to get them both killed. Pointing his rifle at Uncegila, Blind Owl tells Logan to keep the worm’s evil children off their backs. But look not into the face of their mother. For to see her face is to die. And that is something which he doesn’t have to worry about.
Fending off the evil spawns of Uncegila, Logan tells Blind Owl that he’s a fool young buck and to give him back his rifle. Just then, he tells the boy to watch out. She’s almost on top of him. Blind Owl confirms that he can feel her breath, he hears her heart. But he must wait, to be sure that he hits her in the right spot, as their holy man instructed. At that moment, the young Blackfoot Indian pulls the trigger that sends the giant worm falling to the ground, much to the surprise of Logan. As Blind Owl celebrates his victory, he is knocked to the ground below by one of Uncegila’s evil spawns.
Looking down towards the ground, Logan sees that the kid’s shot had been a good one, but not quite good enough. When Uncegila rears up to attack Blind Owl, Logan leaps down onto her back and yells at her to die, ugly murderin’ she-worm. As he begins to stab the giant worm in the back with his knives, Blind Owl calls out to him that he isn’t doing it right, he can tell. Logan answers back that he had his chance, now he can just shut his yapper. It’s time he did things his way. Blind Owl calls out to Logan to listen for her heart, it’s the only way. He must strike her in the heart.
Just then, Uncegila is able to knock Logan off of her back and onto the ground below. While Logan lies on his back, Blind Owl reminds him to not look at her. Listen for the heart. As Uncegila opens her mouth to engulf Logan, Logan readies his knives and rears backwards, jamming his weapons into her gut. With the monstrous creature injured, Logan cuts out her heart in memory of Sparrow Hawk and proceeds to toss it at the feet of Blind Owl.
Logan took the boy back to the village to tell the truth. He wasn’t a boy anymore, he had what he wanted. He was a warrior. He had what he wanted, too. Now, there was nothin’ left for him there. The longer he stayed, the emptier he got.
As Logan prepares to leave, Buffalo Snort tells him that he’ll always be welcome there. Wherever the years may take him, remember that he always has a home there in the mountains. Lighting a cigar, Logan thanks him and says he’ll keep that in mind, always. By the way, in Canada, they call him Logan. They can feel free to call him the same. Blind Owl states that, with their people, a man must have many names, so that his enemies can’t gain power over him and bewitch him. They’ve chosen a good name for him, a name of great power. They will call him “Skunk-Bear.”
Choking on his cigar, Logan thanks them and remarks that “Skunk-Bear” sure has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it. Blind Owl replies that he’s glad he accepts the name. The creature they call “skunk-bear” is a mighty animal, small but very powerful, and very hard to kill. When angered, it will show its claws to even the largest animal. Some say it can never die. He thinks that Canadians know this creature by another name. They call it “carcajou.” Smiling, Logan says “carcajou” – the wolverine.
It was the shinin’ time, and the time of ending. The dawn before the night… the never-time… the always time… Some say the wolverine can never die…
In the present, Logan happens upon the same cave that he fought against Uncegila all those years ago. Inside, he sees the skeleton of Uncegila inside.
(2nd story)
I think it was somewhere in Kansas, or Nebraska maybe. These days, I don’t pay all that much attention to the arbitrary boundaries, like state-lines, that ordinary people use to imprison themselves. But then, one thing I’m not is ordinary. My driver’s license reads “Jack Russell.” Though some people call me Werewolf by Night.
Places like that roadhouse are weird for me these days. I’m different, somehow, now. My instincts, my built-in reflexes, the way I see the world – they’re all different from what they used to b, back when I was more… fully human. Sometimes, these days, I look around me and I’m overcome with a sudden horror, an inescapable feeling of being surrounded by… well… monkeys. I suppose that sounds kind of, I don’t know, egotistical or something, but it’s true. All the little status games, mating dances, sudden bursts of violence… it’s all so clear and obvious to me now. Some places, to me, are like going to the zoo.
After ordering a beer at the bar, Jack surveys the bar. He watched the dancers with an indifference which surprised even him. He can remember, not so long ago, when they would have had his complete and undivided attention. Now, it’s just… more monkey antics. And then he saw him. He hears they call him Sabretooth. He smirked back at him, each of them recognizing the other for what they were – wolves amongst the sheep. Then he knocked back the rest of his beer and cut out, one of the local girls in tow. As he paraded her past him on the way to the door, he shot him another toothy smirk. This one was a predator. And this farmer’s daughter was going to be his next notch.
As he made his way outside, Jack recalls that maybe it was really none of his business. But it’s cretins like Sabretooth who give the rest of them a bad name. It’s long since time they started policing their own. Otherwise, well… He’s met some who actually remember the inquisition. Well, anyway, it was up to him to straighten this mess out. It wasn’t hard to track them, between her cheap K-Mart perfume and the tang of his anticipation. And it wasn’t long before he had the neon arrow of the scent of fresh blood to follow.
In soon time, Jack finds Sabretooth and the young woman in the woods. When he finds them, Sabretooth has already started carving up her face with his claws, toying with her. Upon seeing Jack, Sabretooth tells him to get lost and find his own date. Jack decided that he thought he’d at least give him the opportunity to be reasonable. He only shifted partway to wolf-form. Once he did, he said to Sabretooth that he didn’t think the lady’s enjoying her company. He thinks that maybe he should hit the road – now. When Sabretooth leapt at him, Jack recalls that he didn’t really think it would work either. Sabretooth proceeds to tell Jack that he doesn’t realize who he’s dealin’ with. Jack replies maybe not. But then… neither… does he. Completing his transformation into a full-fledged werewolf, Jack tosses Sabretooth away with ease and tells him to either walk or be carried. Check a box.
Facing off against each other, Sabretooth tells Jack that he’s gonna kill him slow. Jack defiantly tells him that he’s welcome to try. After growling at each other for a moment, they begin to fight. Punching Jack away, Sabretooth says to him that he’s bigger’n him an’ maybe stronger but he ain’t never gonna be meaner. Grabbing Sabretooth by the throat, Jack says right. And does he know why? Because him, and pinheads like him, make him sick. Give him one good reason to let him live. Sabretooth responds by telling Jack to get stuffed. When Jack tells him wrong answer, Sabretooth says he doesn’t have the guts. Jack tells him wrong again.
Before he can finish Sabretooth off, he is shot by some hunters with rifles. Letting go of Sabretooth, Jack looks over at the hunters and thinks to himself that they were morons. They figured Sabretooth for the good guy, just because he looked more like them than he did. At least the bullet wasn’t silver, so it didn’t do any permanent damage. Just stung a little. Okay, a lot. Enough to make him think, who needs this?! They could have Sabretooth. They deserved each other.
Once Jack has left, one of the hunters mentions to Sabretooth that he had never seen the like. Sabretooth replies that you gotta be careful. Monsters’ll likely turn up. Almost anywhere.
After he healed, Jack got into a set of unshredded clothes and hit the interstate again. He thought that maybe the next town over might be better. If nothing else, that’d be different.
