Chapter One

He was unlike any other man. They called him the "lone wolf" and the "wayward wanderer". He was a strong fellow. A man of 20, he had lived the life of a traveler. He did not have a true name. Born of Navajo heritage he knew how to survive with just the necessary things. He knew the tricks of the trade. He could sneak his way onto a farm to get food and kill a deer in silence. His strong muscles could get him anywhere over the course of a day. He could walk for a whole day, hunting while traveling. Many saw him and wondered. No one ever talked to him. He liked it that way. He never stopped except at night. He could travel more. He didn't really have anywhere certain to go; he just went on. He was not full-blood Navajo. The Navajo liked him but whites thought he was an "Indian" so they did not. Those who did not know him could not tell he was half white. They would not like it that way. They would think he was Navajo. His mother was Navajo, but he did not know his father. His father was not well liked by Navajos. He was a man passing through the wilderness who had violated his mother. He left her to care for Lone Wolf alone. Lone Wolf did not trust white men. His mother had never even met him. She died the day he was born.

As he wandered on he felt someone or something following him. He would turn to see no one. Finally, he turned to see a grey wolf - a lone wolf. He had a patchy coat; a lank form battered by a troubled life trying to endure through cold winders and the season of the hunt. Lone Wolf looked around to see no other wolves. As he walked on he always had his companion. This wolf would not let him near, but followed everywhere he went. He wondered if he would be able to hunt and go through town with a wolf following him. Everyone would surely stare, although the wolf might not even go near the town. He like his new companion and did not want to desert him so he decided to go around town. The wolf would help him hunt deer and rabbits and he cared for the wolf by leaving him scraps of food as he walked along. The wolf knew to stay away from the town. Lone Wolf talked to no one and no one bothered him. They all knew of him from others. The others did not know whether to trust Lone Wolf. They all left him alone. He could never buy anything from the town because he had no money, but people would trade furs with him. He never spoke so as not to offend people. He was lonely without a family but now he had the wolf as his family - his brother. He loved the wolf. He worried when the wolf was on his own. He worried that he might get hurt. He nicknamed the wolf Solo Viajero - meaning the lonely traveler.

One day things didn't go quite as he expected. He went through town only to find that Solo was not at the other end waiting. He worried that his friend was gone, to never be found. He retraced his way through the forest, to hopefully find a sign of Solo. He traveled for hours but would not give up on his friend. He finally found Solo, wounded but still standing. He had been shot by a hunter, but kept on moving. Lone Wolf dressed his wounds and carried him for the rest of that day. At night he redressed his wounds and Solo was on his way to keep night-watch and hunt for himself. Lone Wolf was worried about how his day had gone. What would he have done without his "brother", his hunting partner and friend? They had to stick together as two lone wolves. Lone Wolf did not know where he was going but Solo Viajero did not seem to mind. He would follow him every day. He hunted with Lone Wolf, and Lone Wolf protected him. He had saved his life and maybe one day Solo would do the same.

Lone Wolf wondered if he came to a friendly town, could he stay with Solo out in the forest waiting? Solo would not be able to come into town. Lone Wolf could never find a home in town because he could not leave Solo behind. He could not do that to his companion. One day, as Lone Wolf walked through a crowded town, he saw a woman who seemed tormented. She was with a man who held her wrist very tightly. She was screaming for someone to help her. No one responded. Everyone looked away and ignored her cries. Lone Wolf normally wouldn't interfere, but he couldn't let her be tormented. He walked up to the man, and calmly asked, "What has she done that you are punishing her so?" He asked in such a way that the woman was even more frightened. Lone Wolf meant no harm to her. The man explained, "I took her shopping and she screamed that she would never like anything that I could buy for her." Lone Wolf was shocked. This man must be so wealthy to treat any woman this way. Lone Wolf asked, "has your wife ever done this before." The man hesitated and quietly explained, "this is not my wife. This is my mistress... and I cannot take her home to reprimand her because my wife is at home. I hope she does not hear of this disturbance." Lone Wolf told the man that he agreed with him. This woman should be reprimanded, but if he did it his wife would surely hear of it. The man agreed... then told Lone Wolf "Why don't you reprimand her? You are an Indian and she will learn to behave in public." Lone Wolf agreed. The woman fought him, but Lone Wolf held on tight to her and she soon conceded. Lone Wolf explained, "Well, I can't do this on the street.. it would surely cause a scene.. I will secretly reprimand her and bring her back." The man hesitated, but then agreed when Lone Wolf claimed - "to prevent a disturbance". Lone Wolf walked off with the woman.

He took the woman to behind a building. He talked to her and calmed her down. He found out that she was not yet 17 and had been sold by her family into prostitution. She had been born to an un-wed mother, and the family despised her. Although she was a beautiful girl with blond hair and fair skin, her family rejected her. "I met this man and have been with him ever since. He takes care of me and found me a place to live. Although small, it is a shelter from the cold and the sun. I have a place to rest my head at night. Every night he comes to my place and has his way with me. I do not like it much, but he gave a choice. With him I have a home, without him I would be out on the street. He is wealthy in this town, and no one says 'no' to him. I discovered that in the store." Lone Wolf convinced her he would not hurt her. He told her that she could come to him and not worry about that man. She thanked him but told him that man would just come after him. She told him that should would please the man, and he would not hurt her. Lone Wolf let her go and told the man that he had greatly reprimanded her. She would not embarrass him again. Lone Wolf and the woman agreed to tell the man that she had been reprimanded even though he had never laid a hand on her. The man thanked Lone Wolf and then they went their separate ways.

Lone Wolf left that town and met up with Solo Viajero. He could tell that Solo had been waiting, and was very angry with him. He would not walk along with him like usual. He would run through the woods at his side. That night, Solo disappeared and went off on his own. Lone Wolf didn't see or hear him until morning. Lone Wolf felt sorry for what he had done to Solo but he couldn't just leave the girl in the town. No one seemed to care about her. Lone Wolf did not travel far that day. He wanted to stick by that town. He was worried about that woman... for what the man might do to her.
He learned from other around town that this man secretly had 2 wives and many numerous mistresses. He was a big burly man; not to be messed with. Wealthy and powerful, he had his way with any town - no one bothered him or he would soon leave them homeless. He was abusive with many of his mistresses but no one had the courage to do anything about it. He was a wealthy man owning a lot of property. No one wanted to turn on him, because he could foreclose their property. Lone Wolf could not understand how one man could do all that. He went through the town to find the man. At that moment, he realized he had changed his ways. He had talked to someone in town, and had offended no one; and he had made a friend. His friend was even a woman. He loved that woman but had no way to take her away from that man. He would not be able to take good care of her and wondered who she would be better off with. Would she even go with him? Probably not. Not if she knew he lived off the land, and had no home to call his own.

He found the man in the saloon with another woman. He went in and sat with the man. They had a nice conversation and the man thanked Lone Wolf for what he had done the day before. Lone Wolf stayed a little while longer then went outside to look for the young woman. He found her walked through the town. He pulled her aside and kissed her. She didn't hesitate. She seemed to like it. She didn't fight him and she seemed to kiss him back. She asked him what his name was. He told her that most people called him the "Lone Wolf" and the name just stuck. She asked what his parents had called him. He hesitated and then started to walk away from her. She grabbed his arm and asked him what was wrong. He told her of his Navajo mother and 'white' father. He did not know his father because he had raped his mother. His mother had died after he was born so he didn't know her either. No one really named him, and he didn't stick around long enough for someone to really call family. As he wandered from town to town, he heard people call him the lone wolf and he adopted that name as his own. She put her hands to his face. He loved how soft and gentle her hands were.
She sympathized with him and told him, "you don't have to wander so much. You should stay in town and get a good night's sleep". "Oh I do fine living off the land". She told him "you can stay at my place tonight. I will be staying with that wealthy man. His wife has gone to visit family on the eastern coast and he has the house to himself. He is having his mistresses and my place will be empty." Lone Wolf agreed. He turned to walk away when he remembered he didn't not even know her name. He turned to ask but she was gone...