The Collector Series: The Wanderer

The being known as THE WANDERER calmly walked down the western slope of the great mountain barrier, known to the violent mutants of the East, as The Wall.

He was tall, taller than most humans and he had abilities he kept well hidden. His constant companion was Gar, a huge canine, known to the Before People as a Cave Wolf. In the measurements of the Ancients, he stood nine feet at the shoulders and weighed a thousand pounds.

They were equals, partners in the task they had been set to, they were, to save humankind from extinction! Both beings were mind speakers of great power and both were accomplished shifters. From where they had come, none would ever know, but they would live many times the normal lifespan allotted either humankind or canines.

Their destination was the encampment of the Toma. The traditional leader of that group was always named Toma and the tribe was comprised of ten small family groups of related individuals. Humans living on the Plains of Nev had long ago learned to trade women with other tribes, otherwise, the tribe would finally die out for some reason unknown to them.

It was a two-day walk for the pair to reach the hunting grounds of the Toma. They had spent the night ranging their minds, The Wanderer had planted the seeds of acceptance in the minds of the Toma to ease their way.

Before they entered upon the last stage of their trip, Gar, the Great Wolf, brought down a huge male Near Buck. Wander had determined that such a beast was a great delicacy among the humans and would make their acceptance by the tribe much easier.

Gar brought his kill to Wander to be gutted and dressed out and they continued their trek with the Near Buck slung over Wander's shoulder. They walked down the last slope into a shallow valley, where a stream of clear water ran and a grouping of trees provided shade and firewood for those living there.

Wander called out, "I am Wander, I and my companion, Gar, wish to abide with you. We bring you a gift of meat."

There was a mad scramble, the men of the tribe grabbed up their throwing sticks and Toma led them up the slope to confront the newcomers.

Wander had set the Near Buck down on the soft grass and the two stepped back to wait.

Toma inspected the offering and, finding nothing wrong with it, he looked at the newcomers and asked, "You look nothing like our neighbors and your companion is a large version of the beasts that inhabit our mountains. What do you do here?"

Wander replied, "We come to assist you and live among you for a while. I challenge you not for the leadership of this tribe"

Toma had to look up at Wander, who stood head and shoulders taller than the tribal leader and he had the sturdiness that no man in the tribal group had. Toma could detect no deceit nor harm in the two newcomers and he offered them the hospitality of his tribe.

Wander smiled and easily picked up the Near Buck, a beast that would have taken at least four of the tribe's men to carry, and slung it over his shoulder as Toma and his warriors led them back to the Tribal Encampment.

The men, who had remained in the camp to protect the women and children, looked at the huge Near Buck that was being brought into their village, they marveled at how just one man, however large, could have brought down such a supply of meat and then carry it whatever distance! They all knew there were no such creatures left in their home valley.

They did not, at that time, understand that it was Gar who was the hunter of the pair.

Wander set the Near Buck down and the women proceeded to cut it up. Some of the meat was placed on a rack over the fire to be cooked immediately and the remainder they cut into thin strips to be dried for future use. They rubbed some of their precious salt into the meat to help preserve it and laid the strips on stones set near the fire for that very purpose.

The combination of the salt and leaves from nearby bushes with the heat of the fire would preserve the meat.

While Wander sat and talked with Toma and the Elders of the tribe, Gar wandered through the village. He soon had a following of boys, their natural curiosity and a little mental "nudging" by the huge canine brought the village boys out to play.

One boy brought a ball made from old hides and they began to throw it among themselves. Gar got into the play and the boys found the huge wolf could toss the ball as well as themselves, with just a shake of his massive head.

There was soon a furious game going on in the field next to the encampment that drew the attention of all the villagers, two teams emerged one led by Gar and consisting of five boys, the other side was fifteen boys, led by Mac, a teen in the cusp of manhood. Mac was larger than most of the boys, and they all suspected he had talents not shared with the rest of the villagers.

The game went on for some time, with the entire village rooting for one side or the other. As the boys began to tire, Gar grabbed the ball in his huge mouth and ran the length of the field with it, plunking it down on the ground as in a goal.

It was obvious that Gar had a smile on his muzzle and all the boys came up and hugged the huge animal. It was then that they discovered that he could speak in their minds. He said to them, "Let us go and eat a meal from the animal I brought, then we must talk. He turned to Mac and Mac heard in his head, I do not wish to take these boys from your leadership, but I will help thee in making your leadership better, more food and discoveries."

The boys led Gar back to the village and told their parents the animal could speak. Their parents did not believe their sons until they plainly heard Gar in their own minds, "Let's eat!"

Toma looked speculatively at Wander, wondering if he was after all, evil or just out to get him. Wander smiled and thought back to the leader, "No Toma. I am here to help you. It is time for your people to reclaim their heritage, the heritage that has been lost since the great wars of the Before People."

Toma replied, "But, those people are gone now."

Wander sent back, "No, Toma, you are their legacy, you and your people are what is left of the Before People, this land is your land, yours and those of the other tribes."

Toma continued, "If you do not learn to break free from the confines of this Plain of Nev, you will all die. Look, each year there are fewer pups born, eventually, there will be no more pups, then it will be too late!"

Toma replied, "I must think upon this, we are safe here, we are protected and have been happy here for many years. If we leave here, we must fight the terrible beasts that inhabit the outside places, beasts that would use us for food."

Wander smiled again and sent, "Let me show you what the outside can be beyond your protective mountains." He sent mind pictures of flat plains filled with food beasts, green grass and trees with fruits and nuts that could be eaten safely. It was a wondrous sight to a man who had lived on the bare edge of starvation since birth.

He said, "All this could be yours if you are willing to follow me, it was once the homeland of your kind and it can be again, you have only to venture out of the small space and go where your tribe has room to grow."

Toma said, I must take council with my people, it is not for just me alone to decide. Will you show my people what you have shown me?"

Wander said, "Surely I will and so also will Gar, for we are to be your guides and Guardians for this journey."

So it was that Toma called all his folk into Council and invited the leaders of the other related tribes nearby to join them. He sent runners to the nine other tribes to come to Council in sixteen suns' time. He told the runners to describe Wander and Gar to each leader so that they might know that wondrous strangers were in their midst.

The runners departed immediately and spread throughout the known lands telling of the giant Wander and his companion, Gar. It took the runners full seven suns to reach the furthermost of the tribes, most were skeptical, but the story of fewer babies scared them, they had already been aware that the birthrate was falling. Worse, they also knew that the food beasts were becoming scarce.

They all agreed to come and, at least, listen to what the newcomers had to say.

None believed the description the runners gave of this giant man and a great beast as his companion, much like those that preyed upon them, but they were willing to listen to what Toma had to say. Nothing like this had ever taken place in their memory and the leaders believed it to be a great story, a hoax.

The meeting was set for the first day after the next new moon, nine days hence. Wander and Gar traveled up into the mountains, Wander told Toma that they were going to commune with the night sky until the meeting. This did not surprise Toma as his people believed that the gods lived in the specks of light they could see in the nighttime sky.

When the pair reached the highest peaks, Wander sat down with Gar beside him and they both sent out their minds. They were warmly welcomed by their fellows, for they truly were from the stars. Their races had left this planet long before the terrible bombs, they had left early in mankind's history with the help of another race that was now gone from them. Legends had remained for generations of their kind, until the terrible bombs had wiped out all learning.

Wander reported, "The tribes of humankind have agreed to meet with us, they seem to have no great fear of either myself or Gar and they recognize the problem of the falling birthrate. I believe we can help our cousins reclaim their heritage."

Gar added to the report, "The young humankind pups do not fear me and they have accepted me as an equal. I can teach them, they are receptive to my mind and they thirst for knowledge. The legends of werewolves and such have been lost."

Had Wander and Gar arrived during the civilized times, they would have been labeled a Vampire and a WereWolf. Neither label was accurate, yes, Wander did have fangs and yes, he could drink blood, but none of his kind had done so in more generations than even he could count. Gar was, truly a WereWolf, but the legends that had been lost were not accurate, his kind had always protected humans, not eaten them!

The Council of Races had sent the two in an attempt to save Humankind from extinction. They were well pleased with their choices of representatives and they sent to Wander and Gar, "We will stand back and let you two handle this matter, we are within two hundred Earth years of a critical tipping point, if we do not turn the declining birthrate around in that time, there will no longer be sufficient DNA variance to sustain the race and they will die out. We must not let that happen, they are the parent race of us all. They recognize you both on a subliminal level, their old legends once told of your kind and those legends have now been lost, but their memory remains."

Gar asked, "Do you see any of my race on this planet, I saw none in the Human villages?"

The Council Chairman, Soo, replied, "Yes, my friend, there are those of the Canine Race still on the planet, they live in the mountains that surround the safe zone. When you and Wander have time, go into those mountains and call your folk home. There are also smaller canines that may live among humankind as companions and for safety", he added.

Gar bowed deeply and said, "Thank you My Lord Chairman Soo, I feared I was the last of my kind. It is a comfort to know that my race remains faithful to their trust and guardianship of humankind."

Wander knelt down and hugged his huge companion and said, "Friend Gar, when you are ready, I will go with you. Together, we shall return the Great Canines to their rightful place beside the humans in rebuilding this world."

There were tears flowing from the giant canine's eyes, he could not speak. He sent to Wander, "Thank you, I and my cousins shall revere you for the remainder of time. We were once the guardians of Humankind and, now it is time we resumed that which we were entrusted so long ago."

Wander and Gar returned to Toma's village a few days before the planned meeting. Gar began immediately in teaching the human children, he played games with them that taught them about numbers, adding and subtracting and how numbers could be manipulated. He realized that the human children picked up on what he taught rapidly and he hoped that it was some part of their minds that was remembering what his kind had taught their people a millennia ago.

He taught them how to use symbols to represent the numbers by making scratches in the soft rocks that surrounded their village. He also taught them strategy and planning as they played their ball games, the children did not realize they were learning, it was a small beginning, and whole new thought processes were already taking root.

He was encouraged by the children's rapid acceptance of what he taught, it showed him that their minds were still capable of the things their ancestors had accomplished.

The day of the meeting dawned clear and warm, the tribes began to arrive, friends and relatives warmly greeting each other. They all marveled at the tall man and his huge canine companion. Only the shamans knew of canines, there were none in the villages and it was thought they had nearly died out. It was believed by the shamans that canines existed only in the far mountains and had forgotten their ancient ties to humankind.

This made Gar sad, for humans and canines had a history that went back into the mists of time when the first young wolves decided to throw in their lot with humans. The canines had been the companion of humankind ever since humankind had crawled out of the caves in the legends of a forgotten time.

Gar had told Wander that he had not known what he was missing and that he already loved the young human pups and would do anything for them. Every day he could be seen working with them, teaching and playing. There was an almost magical connection between the huge animal and the children. One could see the children's eyes light up when Gar came out to play with them. It was mutual, Gar felt complete when the children were with him.

The children from the other villages were invited to join in their games and Gar taught them as well, he hoped to have them ready to accept reading by the time the meetings were completed. The Canines were the ancient teachers of Humankind and Gar was anxious to continue what his race had been designed to do.

When all of the tribes were finally present, it was all Wander could do not to cry, the sum total of his own ancestors numbered only eight hundred individuals!

Wander spoke with them and showed them mind pictures of what he wanted to do with them, warm homes that did not leak cold wet rain, admit freezing winds and blowing snow in the winters, clothing other than the skins of dead animals, food that did not spoil or go rancid, and cures for sickness that took their babies and children.

The humans were primitive, but they were not ignorant. They recognized that their race was failing and they were eager to get some help. They saw in Wander a being much like themselves who had knowledge that they could learn. They had an instinctive liking for Gar, especially the children. They all felt safe and protected whenever Gar was nearby.

Gar was happiest when he was playing with the children, he would allow the little ones to crawl all over him, he would romp and play with the younglings and he loved to play ball with the older boys, they would go out to the playing field and race after the ball until they were all but worn out!

One afternoon, they had been playing since the midday meal and, in his joy, he let out a howl from deep within his huge body. Only his sharp ears heard the reply of one of his kin from deep in the surrounding mountains. That night, the great wolf slept better than he had since he had been a pup himself!

Both Wander and Gar "spoke" to the leaders of humankind, telling them of their danger and that they were there to help them. They would show them how to grow food plants, keep animals until they needed to be eaten, use the hair of animals and plant fibers to make clothing, make bricks with which to build warm houses and to treat injuries and sickness so that their children did not die. And, lastly, that the canines living in the far mountains were their protectors and partners.

The leaders and their people were excited and eager to begin, so Wander suggested that they form just two villages, separated by a day's journey apart. He did not tell them that was so that not all humankind could be wiped out in case of attack by the creatures of this world that still existed, creatures who had hated humans since the beginning of time.

He showed them how to capture some of the wild cattle and use them to till the soil to plant foods that could be stored for use in the cold time. Within weeks, a few planted fields began to appear, it would be some time before there would be bountiful harvests, but it was a beginning.

Wander had roamed the land looking for seeds that could be grown for food and clothing, and wild animals that could be tamed for food or useful for work. He showed them how to make bricks with which to build warm, dry homes and thatching for roofs. It was slow, but during the first cold season the humans saw the benefits, for the first time, they did not lose half their children to sickness!

The following warm time saw an increase in the planted fields and Wander had discovered a vine plant that grew along the ground and produced fruits that were high in nutrition and could be stored during the cold time. They had discovered full headed grasses that had a handful of edible seeds at their tops and they had captured some birds that would stay in pens if they were fed regularly. They produced young birds and also edible eggs that the younglings particularly liked.

The first ten years were hard, there was much work to be done to change from a hunter-gatherer society to a farming society, but the humans could see the benefits, even before Wander's arrival they had worried about their survival.

Each year, more of their children survived! Each cold time, fewer people went hungry! Hunters spent more time at home with their families because their next meal was already scratching in a pen next to their warm, snug house! When the cold time prevented them from hunting, the next meal was in a pen next to their hut or stored in a cool place and needed only to be placed next to the fire to be cooked.

With more hunters home, more babies were born! At the end of the first ten years, the population of the humans had doubled! The villages were bursting at their seams, there were small children everywhere and there were young teens making "moon eyes" at each other, each girl had her choice of husbands as did the young men have their choice of mates.

New houses were being built continuously as the population grew. Some families had to wait until a new house could be constructed, new and faster methods of constructing homes were invented, homes that were better, warmer than those of their fathers.

The tenth year was a turning point, the number of children being born outnumbered the people dying and the population was growing. More fields needed to be planted, the small herds of cattle increased and the number of yard fowl greatly increased. Family groups were larger and more conversations between parents and children became the norm.

The need for schooling was becoming critical and Gar realized he could no longer do all the teaching. He and Wander sat down and, together, they decided they had to locate Gar's relatives, the canines.

Wander announced at the beginning of the tenth warm time, "Gar and I must leave you for a while, but, when we have completed our quest, we shall return to you. Put up food this warm time for use during the next cold time and feed your animals well as you have many babies coming soon."

He looked around and saw pregnant women no matter which direction he looked! The villagers knew where babies came from, even if they had not yet determined just how they got there.

The villagers were sad to see their friends leave, but they understood they were going in search of Gar's wolf folk. They did not look upon Gar as an animal, he spoke, he taught and he related with the humans, in their eyes, he was "a people" on four feet!

The two companions departed as soon as the snows had cleared from the high peaks and they headed into the mountains that surrounded the Plains of Nev. Both ranged their minds out as far as they could drive them, they occasionally felt a mind touch of those they sought, but could make no solid contact.

They swung around to the South with no success, when they reached the mountains on the eastern side of the Plains, they began getting stronger contacts.

After they had been searching for half the warm time, they were seated at their campfire, Gar was becoming discouraged, he was afraid his relatives had sunk into savagery and might never be reclaimed.

Wander was trying to keep Gar's spirits up, but he, too, was becoming fearful that they might not ever be able to contact the canines. They had just finished their evening meal when Gar growled, "DO NOT MOVE, Wander, they are here!"

Wander let his eyes move, at the edge of the light from their fire, he saw four sets of eyes glowing in the dark. He let his mind roam and he detected faint sparks of intelligence, with strong shields protecting them.

He sent out, "Are you of those we seek, the folk of my friend and companion, Gar, the Teachers and Guardians of Humankind?"

The thought came back, "A two legs, friend and companion of a canine?"

Gar sent, "Yes, he is my life companion, we were pups together and we have never been apart."

The inquirer asked, "You respect each other and protect one another?"

Wander replied, "Of course, we are brothers!"

Slowly, out of the dark came four canines, wolves somewhat smaller than Gar. The lead wolf sent, "I am called Wen of the Timber Pack. There are five fives of us and two pups who are sick. Can you help us save them?"

Making no sudden moves, Wander replied, "We can try, bring us to them and let us see what we may do for them."

Wen turned around and motioned Gar and Wander to follow them. They were led through the thick trees to a protected hollow, where a number of other wolves were waiting.

In the middle of the circle were two younglings. Lying in a bed of leaves, panting heavily, the two pups were in obvious distress. Wander put his hands on the ailing pups and asked them, "Have you eaten any carrion lately?

One of the pups hung his head and sent, "Yes sir, we were so hungry and we didn't think it would hurt us."

Wander looked at Wen and asked, "Is there a patch of tender green grass nearby?"

Wen sent, "Yes, on the other side of those trees." His nose was pointing to the trees.

Wander went quickly over to the direction Wen had pointed and found the grass. He gathered an armload of the grass and brought it back to the sick wolflings. He told the first one, "You must eat this grass and swallow it. It will make your stomach rebel. Hold it down as long as you can, when you must vomit, it will expel the tainted food you have eaten."

He did the same with the other young wolf and sat with them until they could no longer hold the grass in their stomachs. They violently expelled the grass and the noxious, foul-smelling meat they had eaten. Almost immediately, the two young wolves began to feel better.

Wen and a female wolf came up to Wander and sent, "Great Lord of the Humankind, you have saved the lives of our two pups, we would be yours to command."

Wander put his hand out to the two wolves and replied, "No, you are free beings, never would I put you under my command, but I would ask for your friendship." He continued, "I would ask for your friendship of the humankind, for without thy friendship, they shall not survive."

Pack Leader Wen vowed his whole pack would follow Wander!" The two wolflings, Nat and Gin, would remain as companions to Wander for the remainder of their long lives.

The word went out among the canines that a member of their ancient mankind had returned and within days, small packs of wolves began arriving to pledge fealty to their ancient companions. Wolves far and near came to pledge allegiance to Wander and ask how they could assist him in his quest to restore Humankind to their lands. They spoke of the great loneliness since the two races had parted and traveled separate paths.

They looked at Gar in wonder and Gar told them he was the same as they, only he had led a better life with his Human. The ancient bond between man and canine was beginning to be re-established. It would not be long before the wolfkind and the humankind resumed their ancient relationship.

By the end of the warm time, it was common to see local wolves mingling with the humans of the villages, smaller predators did not dare venture close to the villages nor did any member of the felines. The felines had preyed upon the humans and carried off many of their smallest children.

When it was time for Wander and Gar to return to the humankind council of the stars, they came with representatives of the Wolf Packs, standing proud in communion with their human brothers. The new canines were smaller than Gar, but, in a few generations, they would be as large as the huge canine protector and teacher. The Great Council of the Stars told them all to return and finish the job they had so ably begun.

Gar went back to teaching the human pups and both Nat and Gin, while smaller than Gar, led the human younglings in their ball games, and fiercely fought for the championship! By the second season, every village had a ball team and a wolf leader, the games tested the stamina of both wolf and human and it would be a proud team who carried off the lion skin banner at the end of the warm-time season.

By the end of the twentieth year, the human and wolf population threatened to overflow the Plains of Nev and the reconstituted Village Councils, now called The Council of The People, included representatives of both human villages and the wolf packs equally. The humans recognized they shared something of great importance with the canines and they were not about to lose it a second time!

They decided they would have to expand outside the protective confines of the Plain of Nev. Accordingly, the Council appointed six scouting parties, each under the command of a human and a wolf in equal partnership. There would be six humans and six wolves assigned to each of the teams and they were to go outside the protective walls of the plains and explore for areas where the people could live.

Of the people, there were now over two thousand humans and twelve packs of wolves, they would soon outgrow their food supply, so expansion was not an option, it was a necessity!

What will the explorers find outside the walls that had protected them for so long? Can they rely on assistance from the Council of Star People? Will the wolf folk grow in size to be like Gar? All these questions are already being asked by humankind and wolfkind as they climb again the stairs to the stars.