She couldn’t tear her eyes off from the glowing screen no matter how hard she tried. She couldn’t move her hand for the necessary inches that it would have taken to reach the remote control. She could only sit and stare, chilling feeling of dread spreading through her whole being.

The sound of the commentator had long ago faded to incoherent whispering in her ears. Only thing she could hear were the sounds of the scuffle. Yelping, barking and screaming.

She hated nature shows. For a reason. Nature was cruel. It had played the dirtiest possible trick on her years ago when she had been conceived. Nature had seen it fit to bless her with a gift she couldn’t return. Couldn’t go to the nearest super market with receipt and demand compensation. So she usually avoided nature shows like a plague. Now she had accidentally stumbled upon one and couldn’t make herself to turn off the damn TV.

*Bravery? Stupidity? Or sheer stubbornness? What made Wade decide that the carcass it found was worth to fight for?*

Wade? The commentator had even named the animal? So this was one of those corny pieces where you got to see a whole lifespan of some poor critter under an hour, from birth to death.

*Wolverines are loners by nature. Accustomed to harsh conditions. Willing to face the impossible odds in order to survive…*

How long? How long and detailed footage they had? She didn’t even notice the tears streaming down her cheeks before the image on the TV started to blur and she had to blink and wipe her eyes. Wade was still going at it with the polar bear. Both were showing signs of tiring. Snow around the animals was generously decorated with bits of fur and blood.

*We have seen Wade growing from clumsy pup to a clever and cunning survivalist, but this time, I’m afraid…*

For a moment it actually looked like Wade would make it. The bear looked hesitant, as if it was trying to find a way to back off from the battle, but Wade the wolverine was having none of that. Great white bear represented a threat. Somebody, something that stood in the way of Wade’s survival. Wade had obviously worked hard to find the half rotten carcass of the seal.



“Hey. What’s on?” She glanced up and wiped her cheeks, flipping the TV to another channel quickly.
“Nothing. You came to watch hockey?” She asked, trying to stop her voice from trembling when Logan flopped down to the couch next to her.
“Nope. Just got back in. Was out with Summers. Saw you in here, and after all, it’s my duty to inform you that it’s past curfew already.”

Out with Scott? Logan didn’t hang out with Scott. When they went out it was business.
“You alright?” She squeaked, hating the way her own voice got all thick and whiny.
“Are you? What were you watching anyway, some chick-flick?” Logan asked, offering her a handkerchief.
“I’m fine… I’m… It was just some stupid movie…” She muttered, wiping her eyes. Logan harrumphed and threw his arm over her shoulders, pulling her against his side.
“Want to get some ice-cream? Isn’t that what chicks are having when they’re down?” He asked. She shook her head.
“No. I’m kind of tired… I think I’ll go to bed…”
“Want me to tuck you in?”



She closed her eyes. Inhaled the scent of tobacco and leather that still whispered in the air, trying to forget Wade. Trying to forget how it had launched to the final, futile attack from the carcass, clearly aiming to the throat of the polar bear. Trying to forget how the bear had risen to its hind paws, and how one, almost playful swipe of massive, white-furred front paw had snapped Wade practically in half. But the hardest part to forget was what happened after, when the bear had started eating the frozen carcass of the seal. Wade had still been alive, but paralyzed. It had been staring at the bear; steady murmur echoing from its crushed chest, still itching for a fight.

”Where are we going?” It wasn’t like Logan to rise early in the morning, but here they were, seven thirty in the garage.
“To the zoo.”
“To the zoo?”
“You’ll like it. Trust me.”

There was no line this early, and the lady selling tickets just waved at them to go straight in.
“Friend of yours?” Marie asked. Logan gave her a lopsided grin.
“Not that kind of friend. I come here every now and then.”
“You in a zoo? That’s…” She didn’t know what to think about it. And she wasn’t completely sure if she even wanted to think about it too hard.
“I bring in animals I find. Wounded, sick, lost… They take care of them, and if those animals recover well enough they get released back out. If not, at least they have a home.”
“Oh.”

They walked past numerous of enclosures. None of them seemed to have what Logan was looking for. She was about to ask if they were going to actually watch the animals now that they were here when Logan stopped and leaned against a sturdy metal railing surrounding a huge chasm on the ground.

“You didn’t much like that nature documentary last night. Can’t blame you. I didn’t like it either. I think this is better.” She glanced at him, blushing rapidly. How long had he stood in the doorway before he had walked in?
“Wade… It’s one side of life. One way to see those critters. But there’s more in them. Just look.”

She turned her gaze from Logan to the enclosure. Far down below was rocky terrain, huge, wide-open space. Several wolverines lay there in the sun. They had just been fed, bits and pieces of their meal still littered the ground, and cubs were squabbling over huge ribcage of a deer. Adults were keeping their distance and just enjoying the sun and full belly, still keeping an eye on each other, warily but relaxed.

“But… They’re in a cage…” She whispered, leaning to see better when one of the cubs trotted over to where one of the adults was laying on its back. When the cub started to chew on its ear the adult shook its head, stood up and climbed to a higher rock, leaving the cub yipping until it got bored and joined the other cubs.

“This is just the display enclosure. The real one, the one they spent most of their time is behind this one. And it’s huge. See those tunnels? At the far end of that rock wall? They come here because their food is here. They spent their day in here and then return home when they feel like it. It’s better than what they would have outside alone,” Logan explained, lighting a cigar and smirking when one of the cubs managed to chew off a whole rib from the torn carcass. It was smaller than the other cubs, and limping its front paw slightly.
“Brought that one in last month. A car had hit it. Don’t know what the poor bastard was doing that close to human settlement, on the freeway, but it’s good to see it back on its feet.”

They spent several moments in silence, just watching the wolverines.
“Is this real? Is this how they live?” She asked, puzzled, because the document had painted a different picture of wolverines, representing them as some sort of crossbreed between Hannibal Lecter, John Rambo and gun-crazy survivalist.
“Pretty much. Females can tolerate each other’s company for brief periods. Males… They sneak in here at night, one or two at the time and there’s somebody here waiting and feeding them. But yeah. Wade is the wolverine to the extreme. A myth. This… This is your average, every-day wolverine. The other side of the coin.”

They spent few more minutes watching the animals.
“Hungry?” Logan asked. She nodded. She was downright ravenous, having skipped the breakfast.
“Come on. We better get some food in to you. I know this place; it’s just around the corner. Their morning special’s a killer.”
“Really?”
“Bacon, eggs, pancakes… The whole deal. You in?” Logan asked.
“I left my wallet back home…”
“It’s on me. Only fair, since I made you skip breakfast.”

It was easier for Marie to go to sleep that night.