Chapter 7: Lone wolf.

Dal-kel had been on the planet on his own for three rotations. On this part of the planet there was a simple farming community with one settlement where the settlers would take their produce to trade.

They had a hard life, there were large landowners who had great influence across many planets and they often bullied those who worked hard on small pieces of land that they worked.

There had been sightings of werewolves recently and this had attracted a few bounty hunters to the area. The landowners particularly liked the idea of the status they gave to the town, nothing much happened and at least now there was some excitement. Dal-kel had come in to the settlement to check out who they were and see if he could take any action against them. Working on his own was less suspicious than if two or three of them had turned up.

If you can picture the old west in America, there was a simple row of shops and businesses on both sides of one main street. People came and went, some on powered vehicles others using domesticated animals that bore a resemblance to horses and oxen. Life moved slowly, based on the seasons and the crops. The benefit of this planet was the growing conditions and regular rain that allowed crops to flourish.

Dal-kel walked into the main refreshment room of the hotel in which he staying.

The barman looked up at him recognising him from the previous evening.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" he asked.

"What have you got that is local? Something with some punch to it?" replied Dal-kel.

A drink was poured for him and his stood at the bar and surveyed all the others that were there. It was a mixture of farmers in their simple clothes mixed with businessmen and a group around a table playing a card game. There were a lot of tokens in the middle and this interested Dal-kel.

He walked towards the table. As he did a large, muscular terran rose from his chair and stood purposely in his way. The two looked at each other as if working out the strengths and weaknesses of each other.

"Can I help you?" asked the Terran. He was carrying a side-arm and his clothes looked like some type of uniform that Dal-kel did not recognise.

"I was just going to look at the game, see what the stakes are?" replied Dal-kel.

"You're new here aren't you?"

"I got in a couple of days ago."

"Why are you here?" the terran spoke with some authority and Dal-kel thought he must have been a law enforcer of some kind.

"Looking for some work, but thought I might be able to look at that card game and earn myself some money a much easier way."

The law enforcer seemed happy with the reply and stood to one side. As Del-kal passed he had one more question to answer.

"What's your name stranger?"

"Jal-kel. I won't be here too long."

"I am the law here, just make sure we don't have to have any words in the future."

Dal-kel thought it was harsh for a stranger to be picked out like this on his first encounter, but maybe this was the way of the planet.

The game was for high stakes but Dal-kel could not follow how it worked and he did not want to arouse any more suspicion by asking any questions. He left the bar, with the eyes of the law enforcer following him, and walked out onto the main street.

There was a sweetness to the smell of the air, it was natural and made him feel alive, a treat compared to the artificial atmosphere of their spacecraft.

Opposite him there was a trading post with goods outside. An attractive blonde female terran was leaving the store with armfuls of supplies and she moved towards her cart.

Two men in dark outfits moved towards her, Dal-kel thought nothing of it thinking that they were going to help her. Instead they blocked her path. As she tried to move one way they countered her.

Dal-kel looked up and blew out his cheeks and nodded his head from side to side. With his mind made up he walked across the street and towards the harassed woman. The terrans were now excited and the female was becoming more angry and frustrated.

Dak-kel walked straight through them and turned to face the two terrans.

"It seems like you are blocking the way, why don't you just move?" he said staring at them in turn.

There was a moment when the two looked Dal-kel over and thought it was probably best to move on. They said nothing but kept their eyes on Dal-kel.

"Thank you," said the female, "I could have handled the situation."

"I know, but sometimes we all need a little help." Dal-kel's slight smile helped ensure the female relaxed. She dropped on the small sacks that she was carrying. Dal-kel picked it up, took a few more off her and placed them on the back of her simple cart.

By now the two terrans had got onto two high powered floating bikes and had started their engines. The horse-type creature that pulled the female's cart reared up. Dal-kel quickly grabbed the reins. The animal calmed quickly. Dal-kel looked into its eyes, the creature recognised a fellow creature. Moving away from it he smiled at the female.

"Thank you again," she said.

"Let me escort you out of town, I've got time on my hands."

Looking over at the two terrans who continued to watch them she said, "I would appreciate that." And so Dal-kel jumped up onto the front, helped her up and took the reins.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Jal-kel," he lied again.

"I'm Cazandra. Where are you from?"

"Most recently from the Coobal system, how about you?"

"Me and my husband came from Aros on the promise of land of our own."

"So you are an Aron? I've never met an Aron, heard all about your plane though. Did you get land?"

"We have land, but it's the worst and most infertile land on the planet. We work hard to just to make a living."

"Who owns the good land?"

"The Igneon Corporation, with their law enforcers, politicians and automated farms."

"I think I might have met one of them in the hotel. Not a nice man."

Soon they turned off on a track and were heading towards a metallic hexagonal one storey building in the middle of some fields.

"It's not much, but it is home," said Cazandra.

As they stopped the cart a large man, with a long beard and simple clothes came out to meet them. He held a primitive type of rifle in his hand.

"It's ok Jozuah, this is Jal-kel, he helped me with the supplies in town today."

As Dal-kel jumped down the giant hand of Jozuah was thrust towards him. Dal-kel could not help but notice how hairy his arm was, his instincts told him that this might be someone of similar blood to him.

"It was a pleasure," replied Dal-kel. "I was promised a meal, and then I'll leave you in peace."

"You can't walk back to the settlement tonight," said Cazandra.

"I'll be fine in the dark," replied Dal-kel.

"I think you might be fine, there's a full moon rising later." responded Jozuah. Jozuah twitched his nose while looking at Dal-kel.

"I'll be fine under a full moon."

Jozuah thrust out his arm again. "We don't get many like you passing these ways."

They looked at each other with neither wanting to say that which was unsaid.