Kayla: A Cry in the Wilderness Page #2

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You heard of strychnine, ain't ya?

Wolf poison.

Mr. Nightingale.

I didn't come here to discuss.

The chair recognizes August Nightingale.

Wild dogs ran down

three of my best calves

the night before last.

They have to be exterminated.

Wold poison, and plenty of

it, paid for by this township.

That's the only way we're going...

He's right!

Terminate 'em.

Kill every last one.

Now, now, hold on just a minute.

A farmer's got the right

to protect his creatures.

- That's right.

- Now I say put it to a vote.

I'm not the only one

that's losing stock.

Wolf poison's extremely dangerous

and it's extremely toxic.

If you set it out in

sufficient quantities

to destroy a pack of ranging dogs,

God knows what else will pick it up.

There are cases in Megantic

of children getting

strychnine poisoning from squirrels.

You're no farmer.

Come on, August.

Be reasonable.

What gives you the notion

to run this township.

Put it to a vote, I say.

- Put it to a vote.

- [CROWD CHANTING] Vote!

As township health officer I have

to say we must maintain the

ban against using poisons

to get rid of unwanted animals.

[CROWD CHANTING] Vote!

[GAVEL BANGING]

Settle down.

Vote, vote, vote!

Settle down.

It has been proposed and seconded

that this matter be brought to a vote.

All those who agree

that the township raise

the ban on strychnine... wolf

poison... will raise your hand.

[AUDIENCE] Yes.

The proposal has been

accepted by the township.

There you go.

They set out poison.

Kayla will eat it, won't he?

He's not Kayla.

Won't he?

Yeah.

That's what they're hoping.

Come on.

All the way from Florida.

Must be expensive.

Give it back.

Too good for a city pup like you.

[SCREAMING AND GRUNTING]

Boys, stop it!

Stop it!

[SQUEALING AND PLAYING NOISES]

Get the city pup!

[YELLING AND CHEERING]

Get off of him!

Stop it!

[DOGS BARKING]

Wild dogs!

[SCREAMING]

Come on, get up.

Get up.

Who are you?

[DOG GROWLING AND BARKING]

[YELLING]

I'm not afraid of you!

Come on.

He was my father's dog.

His leader, Kayla.

Be thou my breastplate,

my sword for the fight.

Be thou my armor and

be thou my might.

Thou my soul shall

turn now my high tower.

Be though...

Hey!

...my breast...

Wait up.

Pass.

So, uh, they play hockey around here?

Yep.

Come on, bring it up.

Come on, guys.

Block him.

Pick it up.

Over here.

Pass.

Sam, pass.

Come on bring it up.

He tripped me.

You should have passed.

Get out of my way.

Yay!

[WOLF HOWLING]

That's the big gray.

He was after our sheep last night.

He saved my life.

[LAUGHTER]

I fell down a cliff.

I was freezing to death.

I got knocked out.

I kept falling asleep

so he chased me home.

[LAUGHTER]

Dogs don't save people

they don't even know.

[WOLF HOWLING]

Bugaboo. That's what Mama Mass says.

Werewolf.

No bullet kills him.

Ghost dog.

Maybe it comes back from the dead.

Like Sam's pa.

Shut up.

[WOLF HOWLING]

Well, I, I got chores.

Yeah.

Me, too.

[HUMMING]

[DOG GROWLING AND BARKING]

Bugaboo?

Where's Herbie?

I gotta go milking.

Feed the pigs.

Herbie!

[DOG GROWLING]

Go away.

Leave me alone.

Herbie!

Go away.

[DOG BARK]

Ahhh!

Get away!

Get away!

Ahhh!

Get outta here!

Wait'll I tell the other kids.

When you guys rescued me?

I'm not gonna forget it.

Stuff like this they put in

the newspaper with a headline

like, Innocent Child Nearly

Devoured By Savage Beast.

How about what really happened?

Innocent Weenies

Devoured By Savage Beast.

Nah.

Herbie ate most of them.

Innocent Weenies

Devoured By Savage Child.

Come on, guys.

I only saved one.

He got the rest.

Innocent Weenie Saved By

Stalwart Young Herbert Gooch.

[WOLF HOWLING]

[SAM HOWLS]

Come on, you guys.

Let's get outta here.

Maybe he isn't your father's dog.

He is.

[WOLF HOWLS]

[SAM HOWLING]

Ohhh.

That's a very good splint, very nice.

He kept saying he was cold, cold.

SPEAKING FRENCH But I did

like it said in the medicine book.

Keep him warm, blankets, you need

blankets SPEAKING FRENCH.

...SPEAKING FRENCH Shock is the worst.

You have to keep them warm.

You did everything exactly right.

[SPEAKING FRENCH]

...SPEAKING FRENCH Sam,

I'm going to need your help.

I'm going to reset the

bone and then I'm gonna...

I'm gonna sew up this nasty cut.

Hold his upper leg.

This is gonna hurt.

Yell if you have to, Monsieur.

Let it out.

Scream if you have to.

Ahhhh!

Gaah!

Sam, in the little bowl of iodine

there's a length of surgical gut.

Looks like thread.

Bring it here.

Hold on.

[COUGHING] Oh!

Ahhhh!

Hold him steady.

Ahh.

Ooooooh!

Hold on.

[DOG WHINING]

Strychnine.

Mmmmmf!

Nothing else to be done, Sam.

Sam.

You're not going to shoot it.

I will not set poison on my land.

A dog runs wild, there's

nothing else you can do.

What about your dogs?

Dodger and Mike?

Bullets cleaner than poison.

I'm going with you.

Sam!

All right.

[DOGS BARKING AND WHINING]

There's no shame in going back, Sam.

(WHISPERS) No.

I used to hunt every inch of

this land when I was a boy.

My father hunted polar bears.

Yeah, well, squirrels were more my line.

I used to camp out all summer.

Fish the river.

Take down a deer every autumn.

I haven't hunted since the war.

Seem to have lost a taste for it.

[COUGHING]

Take it easy, Sam.

Take it easy.

It's a fresh kill.

They'll be back.

Let's go.

No!

[SHOT FIRED]

Sam!

What is with you?

That is the most childish,

the dumbest... Sam, stop it.

Asa.

Asa!

Stop it right now.

You understand?

Did you get him?

No, I didn't get him.

I missed.

[WOLVES HOWLING]

When my Mary heard those beasts howl,

said this country was too hard.

[INAUDIBLE]

I told her I'd protect here.

Papa, don't.

It's not your fault that Mary died.

It was the influenza.

It was nothing you did or didn't do.

Papa, let's go home.

They'll pay.

But you keep that filthy

stuff off of my land.

Your land?

Yeah.

You crossed the property

marker about 10 yards back.

Come on, Sam.

Let's go.

You think this is sport, Asa?

You and your fancy $100 rifle?

Papa, it's cold.

Let's go home.

I'll get 'em.

I'll get 'em, I swear to you I will.

Come on, Papa.

You're going straight to bed.

You never saw the grey?

Not a trace.

Come on.

Very good.

Ba dum, ba bum, ba rump, ba bum.

[INAUDIBLE]

Hey, Mom?

Red, Red Rose?

Oh, sweetie, it's too sad.

I don't feel like being sad anymore.

It was dad's favorite.

Play it.

[HUMMING]

I swear a vow my only love,

so deep in love am I.

For I will come again my dear,

though 'twer 10,000 miles.

(SINGING TOGETHER)

Though 'twer 10,000 miles,

my love, though 'twer 10,000 miles.

Oh, I will come again my love,

though 'twer 10,000 miles.

I wish you felt well

enough to come to church.

You seemed so much better yesterday.

It's funny, isn't it.

There isn't a single photograph

of the three of us together.

How come?

Your father liked being

alone in his photographs.

Sam, what your going

through, it's my fault.

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