The Superior Guardian Chapter 4

[ThePoetryNinja]

      On the highway of Lake Superior, there are many small towns that offer gift shops, restaurants, and lodging for tourists. For most of the locals of these towns, eating and drinking usually happened at one of these tourist establishments. But further away from the main road and the small towns lived a place where drinkers, card sharks, and hunters of all sorts came to have a good time. A small bar that was deep in the woods, hidden amongst the towering trees and mountainous rocks, was the only place known to a select few to house these types of men and women. Only a name of disgust would draw in such villainy, and the name chosen was truly fitting of that; “The Wolf’s Bane”.

      The outside looked like a small log cabin with a wooden sign hanging over the front door with the picture of a wolf howling at the moon. The interior had tables, chairs, and the bar itself made of the very wood the place was made of and smelled of sweat and alcohol. At the bar, there were old neon signs of beer labels that barely gave off a glow, but were still bright enough for folks to see what was in front of them. The back wall was filled with animal mounts such as moose, deer, black bears, cougars, and many other local big game animals that were prevalent in the area.

      Most nights, the place had only a few people who just came for a small bite to eat or a little bit of conversation. But this was a special night. It was one of the last few nights left for hunting season, and the place was packed with rowdy drinkers and filthy talking gamblers. All of the seats at the bar were filled and the bar room floor was filled with people standing and sitting around the tables, drinks in hand and loud conversation. It was so loud inside, due to the conversations, that hardly anyone could hear themselves think.

      At this moment, the loud noise of laughter and cursing from the customers instantly disappeared and the entire place turned silent. The front door slammed open and everyone felt an ominous presence fill the room like a rolling fog. In the door way stood a tall, well dressed man with a clean, dark hair cut. He wore a long, buttoned up dark colored trench coat and small rimmed glasses. All eyes were on this ominous man, for folks like him would be considered “yuppies” by the regulars and would instantly be harassed by the customers. He began to slowly walk up to the bar with an expressionless face and the air began to intensify from the men’s urge to “take care” of him.

      Before the well-dressed man made it to an open spot to the bar, a large individual who was sitting at the bar moved in front of him to stop him from going any further. He had large muscles, a large gut showing his love for the drink, and was full of hair from head to toe. He reeked of sweat and alcohol and began to sit his drink down and cross his arms in front of his chest.  

     “Hey, buddy”, he said to the well-dressed man in a gruff voice. “You look a little lost.”

     “No”, the well-dressed man said in a proper tone, after adjusting his glasses. “I do believe this is the right establishment. This is the Wolf’s Bane, is it not?”

     The man from the bar began to get a little irritated.

    “Listen pal”, he said with a tone of authority. “In case you haven’t noticed, you have no friends here.

    “Ugh, please”, the well-dressed man uttered to address his frustration with not being able to get what he truly needed. “Your statement is as true as your love for drinking. I’m only here to meet with two of my associates. Perhaps you know them?”

    “Let’s see.” The man from the bar began to look around the place. “Sorry, I don’t see any lawyers here. Maybe you’ll have better luck at Dewy, Cheat’ um, & How.”

     The entire place erupted in laughter over his joke. The well-dressed man stood silent and undeterred by the joke. He began to adjust his glasses and the whole bar became silent again.

    “I’m not here to play games”, said the well-dressed man in a much more serious tone. “Now, will you please excuse me?”

     The man from the bar was not willing to let him pass and have his way here. He knew if he was able to get in, the place would turn into a regular tourist bar that almost any rich man from the cities could come to. It would ruin the image of the place and would prevent him from coming to a place he would feel welcome to be at. He continued to stand in his way by moving in front of him, never letting him pass further than where they were.

    “Don’t you get it”, questioned the man from the bar with an attitude in his voice. “We don’t want ya here.”

    “And I don’t want to be here, however my associates insisted on coming to this place. So, without any trouble, I will ask again for you to kindly move. Please.”

    “Trouble, huh? Maybe this will give ya some trouble ta deal with in the morning.”

     The man from the bar lunged at the well-dressed man with a fist heading for the face. The well-dressed man dodged the fist as if it were nothing and moved so quickly behind the man from the bar that no one had time to blink. The well-dressed man grabbed the arm of the man from the bar that was not trying to hit him, lifted him over his shoulders in everyone’s amazement, and slammed him to the floor. The well-dressed man held the arm in a grip that was so tight, the man from the bar that was now on the floor was feeling utter pain. The arm then was twisted to a point where it was immobile, except for being able to be lifted up to the well-dressed man’s face. Now the ominous feeling that was felt earlier was being turned into a reality that made everyone shake with fear. No one wanted to face a man that could put a giant on the ground and reduce it to nothing more than a crying baby.

    “I have tried to ask politely and have told I did want trouble to ensue”, said the well-dressed man with tension to try and hold the man’s arm. “Now look what you made do. You’ve made me show my ugly side to everyone here. So I shall ask more directly to see if you may know my associates.” The well-dressed man went closer to him to the point he was breathing down his neck. “I do hope you answer me soon. I would truly despise it if I had to twist an arm just to get what I want…Literally.”

   The well-dressed man then pressed into the man’s Achilles tendon on the back of one of his legs and began to twist his arm harder, which caused him to cry even more in pain. Everyone in the bar was beginning to worry that they would see him truly break his arm.

  “What da ya want”, asked a husky sounding older man from behind the bar. He was the local bartender and owner of The Wolf’s Bane and knew that there could be real trouble for his business if this man’s arm were to break.

   “I am looking for two men”, said the well-dressed man to the bartender. “Sam Sheen & John Turner?”

   “They’re in the back. Now can ya stop scarin’ my customers?”

   “Thank you. With pleasure.”

    The well-dressed man then released the man with a smile on his face and began to walk toward the back of the bar. The man he released was in a bit of shock and realized this well-dressed man seemed to be more than he appeared. The well-dressed man finally found his clients, the men Tamayoshi fought earlier, sitting in a small corner in the back. Sam Sheen, the fat man, was hanging over a drink tightly grasping it in his sweaty palms. John Turner, the bear man, was also holding a drink, but had the look of a man who was ready to kill the first thing to cause him trouble.

   The well-dressed man walked forward to their table greeting them with a small, showmen bow.

   “That was quite a stunt there”, said John while coming to offer a seat.

   “I really didn’t want to”, said the well-dressed man in an apologetic way. “But he left me with no alternative.”

  “Bah, it’s normal around here for guys like that to get roughened up every now and then.”

   “Well, let’s get down to business, shall we? I do hope you finished your first job.”

   “Sadly no. We had a little set-back.”

   “Well, that’s quite alright. Just don’t fail me on this next one. I need you both in Silver Bay tomorrow morning to take of something for me.”

    “Count me out”, said Sam with worry in his voice.

    “Calm down”, said John trying to coax him to calmly sit back on his chair. “Don’t draw any attention, or we’ll loose this job.”

    “I can’t”, said Sam with his voice and panic growing. “That thing is still out there.”

    “What on earth are you worried about”, asked the well-dressed man.

    “Don’t worry”, said John trying to avoid any more problems. “He’s just getting hysterical”-

    “You bet I am”, Sam shouted while interrupting John’s thought. “I know that green wolf is wishing for my death right now.” The bar was silent again, and drew their eyes toward Sam now standing in a shaking position. There were a few moments when everyone in The Wolf’s Bane began to worry over things people have said out loud. This moment, particular was truly terrifying. No one had ever stood up and stated with fact and dread that someone, or in this case something, was out to kill them. In all the hush, a man, known by everyone in The Wolf’s Bane as Song Bear, his native name, stood up and slowly walked toward Sam in a caring gesture. He was tall, wore a black leather jacket on top of a jeweled shirt, and was young, full of energy for his age. He had muscles that were gained from hunting and blue denim jeans. His hair was long, black, and wet looking since he always liked to keep a clean look for his outward appearance.

    “You saw it”, asked Song Bear. Sam shook his head with tension and tears running down his face. “Then you have gotten yourself in trouble with the land.”

    “But I didn’t do anything wrong”, shouted Sam. He was now looking like a child crying over getting in trouble for something he did wrong.

    “You may not think so, but the Lake seems to say otherwise.”

     “What are you talking about”, asked John coming beside Sam to try and comfort him.

     “Your friend”, said Song Bear referring to Sam, “Has done something to upset the spirit of the lake, and her guardian has made contact with him.”

     “What do I do”, asked Sam, crying.

     “There is one simple solution”, said Song Bear. “Do not try anything that will upset her.”

     “But all I was doing was”-

     John Turner put his mouth over Sam’s to try and stop him from spilling the beans. The work they were doing was illegal, but were being paid handsomely for it. If word got out, they’d be persecuted on the spot.

     “He was trying to hunt a buck in his sight”, said John. “He said it had a nice rack and then he was attacked.”

     “I’m sorry”, said the well-dressed man coming from behind John to enter the conversation. “But I am having trouble understanding what exactly is going on.”

     “Just as I said earlier”, said Song Bear. “Your associate has angered The Great Lake, Gitchi Gumi. Because of her anger, one of her guardians was sent to try and stop him. My grandfather has told me the story of the Lake Guardian for many years. They say whoever poses a threat to her waters or her land will face her guardian. The guardian has many forms, but whatever it may be, it always sends a message to warn those that would cause harm.”

      “What kind of message”, asked John, as if he were clueless as to everything that was being told?

       “A warning that would threaten death”, said Song Bear.

       “And this lake’s Guardian is a green wolf”, said the well-dressed man with humor in his voice.

       “This is not a comedic joke. The Guardian has been a sacred hero of my people for many generations. As I said before, it has come in many forms. Sometimes a bear, others a wolf or a lynx, more often than not many have seen it as a hideous monster. It should come as no surprise that recently, stories have been going around this bar of a green wolf attacking people. At first many thought it was ludicrous, but recently we have realized that the only explanation is the story my grandfather passed on to me.”

       John and the well-dressed man began to realize that this guardian would only mean trouble for future jobs. If they were going to prepare themselves for what was to come, they needed to learn more about this guardian. They both said in unison to Song Bear, “Tell us everything you know.”

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Till your good is better, and your better is the best.

Poetry is power.
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

[Author]

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