Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“And what was it you found out?”
Olivia slipped into tour guide mode. “The werewolf myth is one of the oldest legends to be recorded in the history of human monsters. They were hunted just as witches were since many witches were also believed to be shape-shifting werewolves. Werewolf trials were held just like witch trials, and werewolves suffered the same fate as witches. Historical records show that a serial killer team in France in 1521, Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun, were executed as werewolves. Then in 1573, again in France, a Gilles Garnier, known as the Werewolf of Dole, and a confessed serial killer, was executed as a werewolf. But the oldest story of werewolves isn’t the recording of a dreadful group of serial killings but rather an Ancient Roman myth. Ovid, a Roman poet, wrote the Metamorphoses in 1 A.D. It was the story of King Lycaon, the name which many believe is the origin for the word Lycanthrope. King Lycaon offended, purposely or foolishly, most likely both, the gods by serving them none other than human meat at dinner. Jupiter, outraged, punished him by transforming Lycaon into a werewolf. Naturally, since then the werewolf myth has evolved. Full moons had nothing to do with Ovid’s tales but do with others and some tales say that werewolves change shape whenever they please. Then there is the multitude of beliefs in how a werewolf can be killed, not to mention the belief that werewolves live extremely long lives.
“So why has the werewolf myth remained so popular with endless books being written about them and endless movies made as well? There could be several reasons for the werewolf myth. But fear and superstition top the list. Most likely, genuine wolf attacks were not the cause for gruesome deaths, but fear and superstition had people believe the impossible. Torture produced the desired confession, which led to so-called proof, cementing the belief in werewolves.”
“I am impressed, Olvia, with your knowledge of werewolves. It is no wonder Ms. Langford chose you to write the section on the sexual appetites of werewolves.”
“There is also the werewolf myth concerning Clan MacMadadh, MacMadadh meaning son of the wolf,” Olivia said, not being able to ignore it, though she thought it nothing more than a myth, but one she had to follow if she were to give proper credence to what she was to write for Vera. “An ancestor of yours, the laird at the time, killed a village woman and blamed it on a wolf?”
“He wasn’t an ancestor,” Tiernan corrected. “He was the Laird of Clan MacMadadh at the time, and after his death one of my ancestors became laird and his bloodline continues to remain in every laird of the clan throughout the years. And it became known that the laird who had actually killed the woman had killed other women as well.”
“Proving the serial killer theory, which was not recognized until later when doctors and men of science began to question deaths more vigorously and eventually scientifically,” she clarified. “Though looking back on some old, documented murder cases of thirst for blood and flesh, it is logical to assume why they had been attributed to wolf attacks.”
“Except for one important fact that never was considered,” he argued.
Olivia smiled, knowing what he was about to say. “Wolves have no interest in humans and there isn’t a credible documented case in history of a wolf attacking and killing a human for no reason. And the scant cases that do exist show that the wolves were provoked or that they had foolishly been given the taste of human food and it drew the wolves to places they would have never gone. Wolves fear humans as much as humans fear wolves.”
“Almost right. Wolves don’t fear humans. They just prefer to have nothing to do with them. Their only concern is for the survival of their pack.”
“I am looking forward to meeting your pack of wolves and your staff,” she said, intentionally changing the course of their conversation to see if she could learn of any opportunity of a job at the preserve, while trying to ignore her continuing attraction to him.
“My part-time staff have already left for the winter, and I keep a minimal staff who live on the property year-round and have been with me for several years. Knowing the area, the wolves’ habitat, is essential to caring properly for them.”
She had thought of that and surmised it might prove a barrier for getting a position there. She was counting on her years of experience, extensive knowledge, and most of all her love of wolves to break that barrier. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she was determined from when she had first heard of this preserve to eventually work here one day. She never had the nerve to apply for a job here, many of her colleagues, with more experience than her, having tried and been turned down. But being here was different. Being here she could show him what an asset she would be to the preserve, at least she was hopeful she could, but she had to ignore this overwhelming appeal she felt for him.