Chương 27: Ranger's Reckoning

Claire I sat in my truck outside the station, staring at the vial of creek water on my passenger seat. I'd just finished collecting the water before visiting Abe and was ready to ship it off. The 'experimental' water sampling kit had arrived from the regional office a couple of days ago. Because of this, I knew they'd been aware something was happening. I also knew that they'd even been testing for it. As for what the results would be, who knew.

Of course, the fact that I had been shipped a different type of water sampling kit with new instructions let me know that the phenomenon wasn't just local. Whatever the mana tide was, it was big enough that federal agencies were quietly preparing. And I'd just decided to work outside their system entirely, with a reincarnated raccoon as my primary intelligence source. Part of me couldn't believe what I had just agreed to. That was when my phone buzzed. I looked. It was Luke.

"You okay?" the message said. I stared at the message for a long moment before typing back.

"Define okay." Three dots appeared, disappeared, and then appeared again.

"Fair point. Want to talk about it?" Luke responded.

"Not yet. I need to process first," I said. If it had been any other than Luke or Abe, I probably would have been much less trusting. I'd known Abe for years, which was one reason why I suspected something was up. As for Luke, being one of the local veterinarians, we'd become friends long ago. I trusted both of them with my life. He was also one of the reasons I hadn't ratted out the werewolf pack.

"Understood. I'm here when you're ready," Luke said. Damn, why can't I find a man like that. If I didn't know he was already happily engaged, I'd probably do something I'd end up regretting, I thought. Sighing, I set the phone down and leaned my head back against the seat. Abraham Pratt was a talking raccoon. And his corpse had been hijacked by an ancient trickster god named Raven to make YouTube videos warning people about the apocalypse. The last couple of years had been… interesting.

I'd discovered the existence of werewolves because of Luke's friend, Pierre. I'd also seen unnatural animals. With that in mind, I'd always been a little suspicious of others, which was one reason why I didn't trust Shelly. There was something different about her that I couldn't quite place. And I was the only park ranger in the district who knew any of this was happening. Because of budget cuts, we were already working with a skeleton crew. Now I wasn't sure whether I wanted more rangers in the area or not.

Last week, I was begging my superiors for more help. About the only thing that happened was an increase in reports about mutated animals. A farmer outside Longview called in about chickens that were glowing. They weren't sick, They just had a faintly luminescent glow, like someone had installed LED lights under their feathers. Two days later, a hiker reported squirrels that were moving with unnatural coordination. Not just group behavior, but actual tactical cooperation, like they were communicating in real-time.

From what I could gather, they were being commanded by a particularly large squirrel. Then came the deer. The hiker had been nearly hysterical when she called it in. A doe had approached a dead armadillo on the roadside. She touched it with her nose, and suddenly, the armadillo started breathing again. Then both animals had walked into the forest together like nothing weird had happened. I'd filed reports on all of it. Morrison had even called me into his office and suggested I might need a vacation.

Maybe see someone. The stress of the job could get to anyone. I could read between the lines. He thought I was losing my shit.

"You're filing too many irregular reports, Stevens," he'd said, not unkindly.

"People are starting to talk." Translation: Stop making us look crazy or find another career. I'd been tracking the mutation reports anyway, off the books. The pattern was centered around this area. Abe's area. Then I'd seen him on YouTube. Abraham Pratt didn't do social media. I was actually a little surprised to see him watching YouTube. He'd always complain it was fake and AI generated. The man barely trusted email. He'd still been using a flip phone last Christmas when I'd brought him that casserole.

It had been more of an obligation rather than close friendship, but he'd been the only person in the entire district who didn't laugh at my reports. Despite that, we're friends, sort of. Frankly, I didn't really understand why I liked the old man. A missing father figure? An empathetic friend I could confide in? Whatever the case, I trusted him completely. There was just something… solid that I knew I could depend on. Something that wouldn't let me down.

When I'd mentioned the coordinating squirrels a few weeks ago, he'd just nodded and said, "Makes sense. They've always been smarter than people give them credit for. I still think one of them made me fall on purpose." He'd believed me when nobody else would. So, when I saw him on YouTube, calmly explaining 'mana tide preparedness' like he'd been planning this PR campaign for years, I knew something was wrong. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

The voice was right. The face was right. But something about the way he moved... It was too smooth. It looked like someone pretending to be a 73-year-old man without quite nailing the details. I'd seen how Abe's aches and pains made him move differently. The comments section was full of people taking him seriously. They were making preparations and asking questions. His credibility as a local survivalist was selling the impossible. I'd come to his cabin to ask him about the mutations.

And to see if the old prepper actually had answers, as to what was happening and why he was acting differently. Instead, I'd found out he had died and been reincarnated as a three-month-old raccoon. Somehow, that was both worse and better than I'd expected. Abraham and I had never been close. Professional acquaintances and sort-of friends. He'd call me when he spotted poachers. I'd stop by occasionally to check on him during bad weather. But he'd been real, honest in a way most people weren't.

And now he was something else entirely. He was something that shouldn't exist but was somehow more real than anything in my official reports. He'd gotten very quiet when I'd mentioned that deer bringing back roadkill. Guilty quiet. Which meant the resurrected deer was probably his fault somehow. Or was he reincarnated in a similar way. I didn't know what to believe, but I knew he hadn't told me everything. Then again, I hadn't told him everything either.

Yesterday, I'd overheard Morrison talking to someone on the phone. Something big was going to be happening soon. My job was definitely getting weirder. Talking about weird things, I thought. Earlier, Luke had positioned himself protectively between Abe and me. He definitely looked ready to do something stupid and heroic if I'd tried to call for backup. The man was loyal, I had to admit. Too bad that's hurting me now, I thought.

Now that he was in a relationship, I doubt he'd leave it unless his fiance was a total idiot. And only a moron would do something to make a man like Luke leave. A memory of that slow dance at the Christmas party a few years ago flashed through my mind. The way his hand had trembled on my back. We'd both been too scared to acknowledge what was happening between us. God, why didn't I make a move on him when I had the chance, I criticized the past me. Still, why was Luke so protective of Abe?

He was acting like Abe was just as important to him as his fiance. What was also weird was that so many people were gathering around Abe. For example, Shelly. I'd only met her a few times, but I'd done some digging. There was more to her than meets the eye. She was friendly and wore crystals and talked about 'earth energies' like it was perfectly normal. Once, we'd somehow ended up in an argument about wildlife management. She'd wanted to 'let nature heal itself.'

I'd tried to explain that invasive species don't care about holistic philosophy. Abraham had been there, awkwardly trying to mediate between the park ranger and the hippie, clearly wishing he was anywhere else. Now apparently she was his... caretaker? Friend? Maid? Druid contact? All of the above? Yep, I thought, I definitely need to ask a few more questions. If Shelly could actually help manage the supernatural chaos that was about to hit this region, I'd swallow my pride and figure it out.

The alternative was watching everything fall apart while Morrison told me to stop filing crazy reports. Of course, it sounded like he might not be the top dog for much longer. I could already imagine his face if I tried to explain any of this to him. It sounded like he was getting some pressure from the higher-ups. Apparently, they were sending… someone, or a group of someones, to come and investigate. My phone buzzed again, breaking me out of my thoughts. It was Luke, sending a photo.

It was the Team Edward clothing he'd delivered to Abraham. They were purple and bedazzled with a sparkly vampire face on them.

"He's going to use this for Pierre. The revenge is complete." Despite everything, I smiled. I had no idea what it was revenge for, but I knew both Abe and Pierre. The playboy had absolutely done something to annoy Abe. And being who he was, Abe wasn't about to let things go. I liked him more for it. You had to respect someone who stood up for their beliefs. Maybe that's why we got along so well.

"Perfect. Keep me updated on any new mutations. I'll handle Morrison," I sent back.

"You sure?" Even through text, I could tell he was still concerned about Abe. Again, it made me wonder. Why does Abe command so much respect from Luke. It hadn't been that way last year. I'd heard Luke tell jokes about Abe before. Never mean, but definitely making fun of him. Judging by what I saw today, though, Luke sees him more like a boss you don't mess with. Why, though?

"No," I texted back.

"But I'm doing it anyway." Then, against my better judgement, I added, "Just be careful. I heard rumors that other officials might be showing up soon to investigate the… situation." After a pause, Luke responded, "Thanks. I appreciate the head's up. I'll let everyone know. We can't let anything happen to Abe." I stared at those words for a long moment. Then I shook my head. I knew I'd find out soon enough. If I was new to paranoia, Abe was a master. Despite this, I knew he wouldn't keep me in the dark for too long.

Sighing, I picked up the water sample vial and looked at it. If I didn't send it in, someone else would. Also, there was no guarantee that they would discover anything weird about the water. With that in mind, I made a mental note to send it off as soon as I got back to the office. After that, I put down the vial and pulled out my notebook. Then I started writing. Not an official report though. No, Morrison would never see this. It was just for me. I needed to document everything to sort things in my mind.

A terrible habit, but one I couldn't seem to break. Movers and Players Abraham Pratt - Resurrected as a raccoon? Were-raccoon? Previously a werewolf? Leader of the local supernatural community? (How is he associated with the animals who are being resurrected?) Luke Meadows - Veterinarian and member of Moonbound Pack Shelly Richardson - Druid? (Is she Abe's assistant?) Raven (Native American spirit) - Possessing Abraham's corpse, making warning videos Pierre Dubois - Werewolf, (Is he another guard. Why do they value him so much?) Tala - Primary guard?, Appointed by…? Other players? Although I trusted Abe with my life, that didn't mean I had to believe everything he said. He could be lying to me to protect others. He was that type of guy, who would do something he hated if it helped others. My radio crackled to life.

"Stevens, you copy?" Morrison's voice. I reached for the radio, then hesitated. Once I answered, I was back in the official world. The world where none of this could be real, where I was just a ranger filing too many crazy reports. The radio crackled again.

"Stevens? Pick up. I have something important to tell you." I sighed and looked down at my notes. Then I picked up my radio and responded, "Stevens here."