Page 44 of Campfires & Canines
No, shit, no!
Hazel pulls away, her expression twisting to confusion.
I spin, gripping her arm to hold her behind me. I have to keep her close. I can't see anyone, but it doesn't mean they aren't there.
My head swivels as my ears catch subtle noises. The smell is unmistakable now. We don't have long. I have no doubt they're closing in. I shouldn't have let her wander this far.
"Hazel, can you climb this tree?" I demand.
"What?" Startled, her voice pitches high.
"Right now. I'm going to help you up." I lace my fingers together to boost her up. "As fast you can. Get up at least ten feet."
For once she doesn’t argue. I push her as high as I can. She hooks her arms around lower branches and heaves herself up andout of reach. It won't keep her safe long, but it should be enough time for help to reach us.
A dark shape moves between trees. I follow the movement, every muscle tense and ready.
Stepping from behind the foliage, a gray and brown wolf slinks into view, fifty yards out. I bristle. He could close the distance in three seconds.
I bare my teeth at him. He snarls back.
A second wolf, darker gray and black, emerges behind him. Together, they stalk towards us, slowly spreading further apart to attack from both sides.
We are in trouble. I hope the breeze turns and Heath or Hawthorne can sense them too. I'm not sure how long I can hold them off.
"Holy shit!" Hazel shrieks. "Slate, get up here!"
I pray someone hears her.
The first wolf springs. In an instant, I shift into my canine form, leaving a torn shirt behind. I leap up to meet the rogue wolf, a tangle of fangs and fur.
"What the fuck?!" Hazel screams.
He lunges for my throat, but the scruff around my neck protects me from his snapping jaws. My momentum knocks him aside. The other wolf is already on me. She catches my shoulder, slicing the skin. Growling, I twist and clamp my teeth down on her ear. Blood hits my tongue as she yips and scrambles back.
But the first wolf is up and successfully sinks his teeth into the skin of my neck on his second attempt. He doesn't tear but tries to force me down.
I claw, snarl, and snap. His teeth pierce deeper. Instead of pulling away, I lurch forward. He loses his balance and stumbles, his jaws loosening the fraction I need to pull free. I ignore the rip of my skin and the pain.
The female barrels into me. She pushes me down with her paws, her jaws snapping like a bear trap. I tuck my chin, trying to catch her leg and drive her off. I hit the dirt. Her partner closes in. I won't give in. Not when Hazel needs me.
The darker wolf snarls. I brace myself, waiting for the moment to strike, the split second I have an angle to exploit. I don’t get a chance.
A steel-gray blur crashes into her. My pack made it. Fisher knocks her aside, Aven flanking him.
Hawthorne drives the other one back, his hackles raised, tail curled, and ears pressing forward. Lazuli is right behind him, his white chest making him easy to distinguish.
Heath follows them, bigger than the rest of us. His posture is rigid and a deep growl resonates from his chest.
The male rogue scrambles away and then switches direction and leaps for Fisher. Fisher twists to meet him, but it’s a feint. Both wolves take off running. Fisher, Hawthorne, Lazuli, and Aven race after them.
Heath turns. His golden muzzle is lifted, looking at Hazel in the tree. She's still letting out a stream of quiet curses, clinging to the branches with white knuckles. He looks from me to her and I feel his intention.
While her terrified eyes are on Heath’s hulking wolf form, I shift back and pull my sweats on as fast as I can. As soon as I'm standing, he turns and trots away.
Blood drips down my collarbone.
"Hazel, you're okay. It's okay now." I reach up towards her, speaking slowly like she’s a terrified animal.
