Page 77 of 15 Summers Later

“You can’t leave me here!”

Madi pointed to the keys in the ignition. “If I don’t come back in ten minutes, you can go back to Cullen’s camp for help. It’s straight up the trail, then turn left at the fork.”

“No! I won’t let you go by yourself. Forget it!”

She thought about arguing with her sister, but that would waste precious moments of their remaining daylight. “Fine. You have to keep up, though.”

Ava scrambled out of the side-by-side. “I might be pregnant, but I’m not the one with a bad leg.”

“Fair point,” Madi admitted.

The undergrowth was sparse at this higher elevation, which made the going easier. They walked over pine needles and around clumps of wildflowers. The barks and yelps continued at random intervals, growing louder as they moved.

“Is it a wolf?” Ava asked, casting a wild eye through the trees.

“I mean, it’s possible a wolf might have strayed from the Yellowstone ecosystem but I don’t think so. I’ve not heard of any sightings up here.”

“Coyotes?”

“Again, possible. I suspect it’s a dog. Remember, I told you about those strays people have reported? In fact, Luke had planned to come up tonight to look for them.”

Ava didn’t look any more relieved about the possibility of stray dogs than she might have if Madi had said there were slavering werewolves.

“What kind of dogs?”

“From what I heard, maybe a border collie and a corgi mix that had a collar.”

Ava relaxed slightly at that. Madi wanted to tell her any dog could strike out in the right circumstances. If hungry, in pain or scared enough.

“We have to be getting closer,” Ava said, her attention fixed on the terrain ahead of them.

“There!” Madi exclaimed. She pointed to a small meadow ahead of them. Perched on the edge of a gaping pit, a small stocky corgi barked ferociously at them.

Ava froze and looked as if she wanted to turn and run back to their vehicle. While she stayed locked in place, Madi moved closer slowly, making her way around boulders and fallen logs scattered through the meadow. She tried to look as unassuming as possible.

“Hey there. Hi,” she crooned to the dog, who had stopped barking and was now growling ominously. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. Look what I have.”

She stuck her hand in her pocket, grateful that she had had the foresight to bring some treats, just in case. “Look. It’s a beef stick. Yum!”

The dog’s growling stopped abruptly and it took a step toward her before retreating another step. The dog looked down at the pit and Madi heard it again, a whining yelp coming from the depths.

It was the other dog, she realized. Possibly injured and definitely trapped. Poor thing.

Holding out a piece of the beef stick, Madi took a step closer to the corgi. She needed to see what they were up against, how difficult it might prove to rescue the other dog.

She tossed one small piece to the dog, who almost swallowed it whole in her hunger.

The grasses and weeds growing around the pit were flattened, as if the small dog had spent considerable time crouched here, unwilling to leave the other animal. Her fur was matted, not unlike the grasses, with burrs and other random pieces of debris stuck in it.

Madi tossed her another piece of treat. The dog moved closer this time to retrieve it.

“Good girl. That’s right. I’m not going to hurt you or your friend. You’re both so hungry, aren’t you? Should we see if we can get him out?”

She continued speaking nonsense in the same low, calming voice. Dogs never seemed to mind if she stumbled over words, which was one of the things she loved best about them.

Finally, she managed to move close enough to the edge of the pit so she could look in.

It appeared to be an old mining shaft, about twelve feet deep and seven or eight feet at its widest point. She could barely make out a white blur in the fading daylight until she aimed her flashlight down and saw wary canine features looking back up at her.

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