Fire Wolf: CINAED (New Scotia Pack Book 3) (8 page)

Like natural wolves, werewolves know instinctively which job best suits individual talents. In this particular group, Loper had the best nose so he took the lead. Ken took the rear, partly because he was strongest and could best defend an attack from behind and partly because he could keep an eye on the wolves that would be his responsibility for the next three weeks.

The view to the east on the other side of the front range was, as Ken had said, more mountains. The second day they made it to the canyon floor that ran between the first and second ridges without anything noteworthy to report. As they climbed higher the deciduous trees disappeared so that the only vegetation was cold-hardy evergreens.

Left unencumbered, Redruff was able to run down four plump rabbits, which was enough to feed the five of them for a day. When they reached a mountain stream, they stopped to drink before they crossed. Redruff shifted and shivered as she filled each canteen with clear and cold running water. Since it was impossible to know when the next water would be available, it was prudent to fill up whenever possible.

They stopped at dark. Redruff removed Ken’s pack first. He immediately shifted and pulled out the journal he’d brought to use as a log. While the others gathered firewood, he meticulously recorded exactly what they’d seen.

When the fire caught and burned brightly enough to give off some warmth, he asked the others to share their observations for clarification and verification. By that method he was able to add detail and the richness of multiple experiences. For instance, Starfire had been taken with the round and yellow leaves of white-bark trees growing on the second range east. Loper had noticed that two days in a row the wind had gusted during the day, but laid at night.

The journey eastward continued much the same with little about which to comment other than changes in rock formations and the fact that every step that took them higher was colder and colder. When they reached the ridge of the second range, again the view was more mountains, but higher and snow peaked.

Ken was secretly beginning to think that the timing of the expedition had been a mistake. While the valley the werewolf tribes had colonized was a lush and verdant green at that time of year, the weather up high in the mountains was altogether different. He wasn’t a stranger to heights. After all Scotia had its highlands, but he’d never encountered mountains such as these.

The first nine days were uneventful. They’d seen some big horn sheep and smiled at each other over a campfire when they’d heard the howls of natural wolves, but they’d encountered no sign of anything that might threaten the safety and security of their tribes.

On the tenth day it began to snow.

None of them had ever seen snowflakes so big and fluffy. They took their time drifting downward lighter than feathers. After a time the packs gathered a light dusting on top and the tightness of the harnesses prevented them from shaking the moisture away as thoroughly as they would have been able to do otherwise.

That night when they stopped and shifted to build a fire, Loper came close to Ken then lowered his voice to a near whisper.

“Did you see him?” he said.

“Aye,” Ken replied. “He followed us for the past two hours. Stayed just inside the tree line. Did no’ seem like he was bein’ especially careful to remain unseen. I’m guessin’ he’s two twenty pounds.”

“You think we could take him?”

“The five of us takin’ down that big bastard?” Ken shook his head. “Maybe, but I would no’ bet on it and I hope we ne’er have to find out.”

“Couldn’t agree with you more. You ever fought one of those?”

“There are no such creatures where I come from, but I’ve heard tales of big cats o’ course. The fire will keep him away tonight, but we need to keep a sharp eye. I’ve heard they attack their prey from behind, sink claws into shoulders and bury their fangs in necks before the unsuspectin’ can even turn ‘round.”

Loper shuddered at the image he got. “You sure the fire will be a big enough deterrent?”

“Ye think we need someone to keep watch? ‘Tis no’ a bad idea. Better safe than sorry they say.”

“We’ll need to tell the others.”

“Maybe no’. They have eyes.”

Loper looked around nervously. “If he rushes us when we’re in human form, no weapons…”

“Aye. Agreed. At least two of us need to be on watch as wolves.”

When everybody had settled around the campfire for the nightly report to be digested for his log, Ken said, “Tomorrow at sunrise we’re goin’ west instead of east. Assumin’ it takes the same length of time to return, we’ll make it back before we cause undue concern.

“Ye may have noticed that we had company this evenin’.”

“I saw him,” said Starfire. It had taken every bit of discipline she had not to panic. Given what had happened to her parents, she hated big cats and was understandably terrified of them at the same time.

Ken looked over at her. His admiration for her had grown immensely while they’d traveled together. She was efficient, agreeable, and never complained.

“Saw who?” Brack said.

“A mountain lion was keepin’ pace with us for the past couple of hours, just inside the tree line.”

Brack looked angry. “And you’re just now mentioning this?”

Taking Ken’s words out of his mouth, Loper said, “You have eyes and the same opportunity to use them as the rest of us.”

“He’ll hesitate to approach with the fire going,” said Redruff.

“Aye.” Ken nodded. “But two of us are goin’ to keep watch as long as he’s around. “Loper, you and Redruff shift. Wake me up in four hours or if ye hear anythin’ before then.”

Brack huffed, shifted, and lay down on the other side of the fire with a rock wall at his back.

Ken moved over and sat next to Star, who couldn’t have been more surprised. “I’m curious how ye came to be named as representative from New Elk Mountain.”

“I volunteered.”

When she offered nothing further, he said, “Is that all there was to it?”

“No. My Uncle Windwalker vouched for me. I hunted with him a few times before we came here. He told Grey that I have a
suitable
temperament for exploring.”

Ken was embarrassed when he heard his own choice of word thrown back at him. It had been hastily said without conviction. Now it was coming back to haunt him, as careless words often do.

“I see. And what were ye hopin’ to get from the experience?”

“Truthfully?” she asked.

“Aye.”

“Away from you, Cinaed.”

He couldn’t have been more surprised. “I do no’ understand ye. We rarely saw one another before this venture.”

She nodded. “You’re right. I meant to say away from
thoughts of
you.”

He was secretly pleased at the revelation that she thought about him enough to want to escape her own mind.

“Everyone calls me Ken.”

“Everyone does not. I don’t.”

“Why no’?”

“My uncle told me your name means born of fire. That’s beautiful. Poetic. Why would you run from a name like that?”

Ken looked puzzled. “I would no’ say I’m runnin’ from it. ‘Tis no’ unusual for people to shorten names. Likewise Starfire is beautiful. Poetic. If I called you Star, ‘twould no’ be because I do no’ think it so. ‘Twould be a show of affection.”

“Brack calls you Ken. You think he’s being affectionate?”

Ken laughed at her wit. “Ye have me there.”

“Before I go to sleep, I just want to know one thing, since you seem talkative all of a sudden.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you dislike me so much?”

Ken scowled. “What makes you think I dislike ye?”

Star barked out a laugh. “Well, for one thing, you tried to reject me coming along as a team member. Called me unsuitable. Remember?”

Ken hated that she’d gotten the impression he didn’t like her. His actions were motivated by the opposite emotion. He liked her too much. Far too much.

“’
Twas no’ because I do no’ like ye.”

“Oh? Well. For the past six months you’ve been doing a good job of conveying that idea.”

“Well. That’s no’ it.”

Star stood abruptly, said, “Whatever,” shifted into wolf form and padded over to the face of the rock wall where she curled into herself near Brack.

Ken built up the fire before doing the same.

Just before midnight Loper nudged him awake with his nose. Ken stood and stretched his back legs out straight behind him then, in turn, tried to nudge Brack awake. When Brack refused to get up for a turn at watch, Ken chomped down on the hindquarter nearest him. Brack let out a yeowl and shot straight up. He turned on Cinaed with a growl, but Ken quickly stopped the show of defiance with hair bristling, fangs bared, and eyes blazing. Brack immediately quieted and ducked his head.

Redruff, who was rebuilding the fire in human form, laughed. “Won’t do you any good to challenge that one, Brack. He’s an alpha in disguise.”

Star had opened one eye a slit to see what was going on. She stood up, turned in a circle, then lay down on her other side with a deep sigh and went back to sleep.

CHAPTER SIX

The next morning they woke to several inches of new snow and more coming down faster than before. There was no need to put out the fire. The snow had been falling fast enough to douse both flame and coals.

It was Ken’s turn to get everyone into their rigs and go packless. He looked at Loper. “You know the way home?” Loper trotted a few yards back the way they’d come then stopped and waited. Ken nodded. “Sharp eyes.”

Loper woofed quietly to indicate acknowledgement.

Just an hour into the return trek they came to the place where the mountain plateaued. They passed through a stand of trees just before the next rock incline. Their passage had been uneventful on the way and they had no reason to think the return would be different.

Suddenly Ken stopped and thrust his nose in the air. Perhaps it was a faint scent on the wind. Perhaps it was intuition or instinct. Either way, he didn’t have time to act on his internal warning.

The wolves had alarmed a female grizzly who had recently emerged from hibernation with two cubs sprouting baby hair and new teeth. She was nearly eight feet tall, seven hundred pounds, grumpy about the long slumber with no snacks and waking to find she’d given birth to two cubs. On top of that she was infuriated that interlopers had breached her forest and posed a possible threat to her babies.

When they realized there was a mad mama grizzly charging their way, it was too late for a successful retreat or they would have simply turned and run. She chased them onto a wide snowy ledge with a rock wall on one side and a sheer drop off on the other.

Ken ran in front of the others snarling and snapping teeth, trying to draw her attention his way. He darted in close then tried to scramble away before her powerful paws could reach him. Likewise, the other four began biting at her hind legs and haunches when they saw an opening.

At first she whirled in confusion blindly swiping at the wolves, but as her anger grew, so did her focus. Ken knew the moment the bear decided she was going to ignore whatever the others did until she’d rid herself of his menace.

Star had been repeatedly pulling at a tear she’d made in the bear’s hamstring by ducking in and out. She ran around behind the bear to inflict further damage, but the bear swiped Starfire off the side of the cliff when she drew her great paw back, without even meaning to. She fell twenty feet before hitting an outcropping and tried to scramble for purchase, but the new snow gave way and she fell another twenty feet before she began to roll down a rocky incline without enough snow to cushion the beating. By the time she crashed into a pine tree, she was glad for unconsciousness.

Hearing Starfire’s shriek and seeing her knocked off the outcropping distracted Ken or the bear would not have been able to land such a powerful blow. The bear’s mighty swipe picked him up and threw him into the rock wall of the cliff face behind them. Ken slid down the wall and landed in the snow unconscious.