History of Wolves

The cabin is much darker than usual when Linda walks in. She finds Leo in a chair with Paul wrapped in a quilt in his lap, looking so much younger than usual. The cat scurries off, and Linda notices that “the room fell into a hush” (115) from Leo’s influence. Patra moves quietly and timidly, unnerving Linda a bit. Linda asks if Paul is still ill, but soon learns that “this was a question [she] was not allowed to ask” (116); Leo frowns, and Paul instinctively mimics his father; Patra touches Linda with a gentle warning. The three of them are taking a trip to Duluth to watch “the tall ships” (117). 

Later, as Linda prepares for “the trial,” someone asks why she didn’t ask more questions, what she thought of Leo, and what he and Patra were like as parents. She didn’t question them at the time because they had been so kind to her. 

While in the house, Linda notices a strange, sickly sweet new smell to it. Leo attempts to make small talk with Linda, and she thinks of how the prosecution asks why she didn’t ask questions in return; she replies that she observed them in other ways, taking in the strange ways he moved through the house.