"Napoleon and the night visitor"~ for the Short Affair July 20th

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Challenge: The Short Affair

-Prompt Word #2 – Howl

-Prompt Colour – Grey

Title: Napoleon and the night visitor

Author: mrua7

Word Count: Approx. 1000

The engines cut in the twin engine Cessna Bobcat.

Not a surprise to Napoleon Solo as he’d been leery of boarding a plane that was used as a trainer during the War. It was over twenty years old, and though it seemed to be well maintained, something didn’t sit right with him about it.

Now he was regretting he hadn’t trusted his instincts.

There was a split second warning from the pilot but there wasn’t much they could do about protecting themselves. At least there was snow on the ground, maybe that would cushion the impact...if they didn’t burst into flame?

Though in reality it was happening fast, it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion.

“Hold on!” Jake, the pilot hollered.

When they hit, the plane skidded, losing a wing as it swept a large fir tree. It dug into a snow drift burying it up over the cockpit and covering part of the fuselage.

When Napoleon woke, he found his head bloodied, though it was just a minor cut. Head wounds tended to bleed more, making them look worse than they really were. Jake, didn’t fare as well; it looked like his neck had been broken.

“Aw Jeez,” Solo groaned as he took Jake’s pulse just to be sure. Nothing. Poor guy was dead.

Solo, feeling light headed, dug out his communicator to call for help.

“Open channel F-Emergency.”

“Napoleon… you? Your ...weak.”

“Illya? You’re breaking up.”

“Where are...?”

“We crashed less than a half hour out of Gustavus and were on course. Can you home in on my signal?” He knew Illya was roughly forty-eight miles away waiting for him in Juneau.

From there they were to meet up and head down to Vancouver, and head to Los Angeles. There they’d drop off the package they were to deliver to headquarters, and at last it would be home to New York city.

There was only the crackling sound of static. “Illya? Come in Kuryakin.” Napoleon tried contacting him without success.

The sun would be setting soon, and Solo knew he needed to work fast. He had to build a shelter as the smell of leaking fuel made staying in the plane too risky.

He found some tools and rope in the back, and removing one of the seats, and both doors; he created walls for his shelter. Using a small hatchet; he hacked down pine branches to make a thick covering for his lean-to. Once that was done, he put the seat inside inside so he wouldn’t have to sit on cold snow.

Now it was time for a fire, and he gathered as much wood as he could, finally resorting to chopping dead branches from the trees. There was just enough to get him through the night. He’d need a fire not only for warmth but to ward off wildlife...bears, wolves or who knew what else.

Napoleon grabbed a first aid kit from the plane, two sleeping bags, a thermos of cold coffee, some dried sandwiches and a metal drinking cup that he could use to melt snow in it for drinking water.

Jakes discarded was taken, and in a pocket was a handkerchief, that he soaked in some of the leaked fuel. Using it as tinder to light his fire with his lighter; it worked after only one try.

He took one of the sandwiches from their saran wrap; salmon...no surprise there.  He liked salmon but in this part of the country it seemed like it was served all the time. Still it was nourishment.

Looking out past the fire, that was when he saw it, a large grey wolf standing there, staring in his direction.

Though Illya spouting statistics on the flora and fauna of the state of Alaska weren’t really points of interest to him he did recall that the wolf population was on the decline, leading to possible extinction.

That fact he didn’t exactly find comforting, as one of the last wolves perhaps just had to be right here. What were the odds?

”Hmm, Illya would know no doubt,” Napoleon chuckled to himself.

Looked like it was going to be a long night...

And so Napoleon waited, leaving his communicator open in hopes Illya would pick up the signal.

He wrapped himself in the sleeping bags and sat in the seat after pouring some of the cold coffee from the thermos into the metal cup, warming it in the fire.  When he was finished he scooped some snow into it, melting it for drinking water.

The Solo luck was on overtime as there was no wind, and as he tossed more wood on the fire, until he realized the wolf was standing right there on the opposite side of the fire, looking him.

“You’re not going to eat me are you?” Not expecting an answer; Napoleon continued talking.

“Well you’re welcome to warm yourself by my fire, but that’s as far as you go. We have a deal?” He tossed the other sandwich to it.

A short while later his wolfen companion seemed to have gone. There was a lonely howl in the distance; the wolf no doubt calling to its pack or looking for a mate perhaps.

There was no howl answering back, and that somehow made Napoleon feel sad for the creature.

The fire crackled, filling the lean-to with warmth, and Solo found the smell of the burning wood, combined with the pine that surrounded him quite pleasant and relaxing.

Everything became very quiet, except for the crackling of the fire. Though Napoleon had his Special ready in his hand as a prudent agent would do; his eyes became heavy and he fell asleep to the sound of...nothing. It was a differnent sort of silence, vast and still.

Solo awoke with a gasp; the rising sun blinding him for a moment.

“Good morning. Are you not an interesting sight?” Illya chuckled at his partner cocooned in the sleeping bags, sitting in the airplane seat. “Quite an innovative shelter you built yourself.”

“Hey it worked didn’t it?  So what took you so long?” Napoleon grinned.

“Weather was bad in Juneau. The helicopter is just over that ridge if you’d care to join me?”

As Solo unwrapped himself, he spotted tracks in the snow leading right up to his lean-to. The wolf must have come in for a closer look.

                                           

“Looks like you had a visitor during the night,” Illya said.

“Yes, a wolf. We were ummm...communing with each other.”

Illya flashed him a quizzical look as they made it to the helicopter and climbed in. Slowly it rose into the air whipping up the snow around it.

In the distance Napoleon sportted the wolf, still sitting alone, watching and waiting...

Comments

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

That is a melancholy little story, especially the line 'there was no howl answering back'. Effective storytelling.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Thank you for getting that. When I was reading up on wolves for this I discovered they were close to extinction in Alaska during the 60's. I want the sadness and loneliness of that to come across, along with Napoleon's empathy, rather than fear of the wolf.

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

I like the idea that the wolf was just looking for a little company for a while, and sensed there was no threat Napoleon. Thank you for this lovely tale.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Yes perhaps company for the wolf instead of Napoleon being its meal. When I read about them being endangered back then, it made me feels sad (though they're on the increase again) I wanted Solo to feel that for the poor creature.

Thanks so much and glad you liked the story!

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Effectively done about the poor wolf. That bottom pic is a good contribution, too.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of you when writing this. Happily the wolf population has made a comeback!
Thanks for reading and commenting my friend!

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Much appreciated, Hug sent, for this and general reasons!

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. Purrrrs back at you and Samantha!

[otherhawk.livejournal.com]

Really interesting story here. I love the atmosphere of it all, with the loneliness both of the setting and the wolf. And I really love how creative Napoleon is at creating his shelter - he makes it seem effortless. Thanks for this.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's exactly the mood I wanted to get across in this piece.

Napoleon making snow shelters... he and IK have had plenty of practice. I wrote a story for pactnmmt last year in a Halloween prompt in which she put up was a photo she'd taken of a howling wolf. Called "A Howling in the Night."

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10795317/1/A-Howling-In-the-Night

[carabele.livejournal.com]

Eerie and yet sad. Somehow that the wolf only wanted to share the warmth of Napoleon's fire provided an unusual comfort to the story.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I wanted to get across a general sadness that Napoleon picked up on. Thanks so much for reading and commenting.

[lindafishes8.livejournal.com]

I saw the wolf as a symbol of Illya (the Russian Wolf) watching over Napoleon as he was lost in the wilderness.

The lone wolfs howl and the photo of his tracks in the snow really brought the story to life.

Well done.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Chuckle...you're actually reading way more into the story than is there. It's really about the wolf, (not IK) a dying species back then, and Napoleon's empathy for the animal.

Thanks for reading and commenting!