Home -- Wolv book 3

Chapter 14 - Where are you now?

For two hours, she stood on the far side of Gyles Lake, watching as the flames danced about the lodge. They grew, they brightened, they even roared, until finally, after what felt like an eternity, the wooden structure caved in on itself. As the roof crashed down, pulling down the walls and ceilings into the basement, a monumental eruption of sparks and embers shot up into the night sky, brightening the stilled waters of the lake.

Even after the lodge had crumbled, Nadie still stood on the rocky shore, her paws slightly submerged in the icy water. From across the flatness of the lake, she could hear the victorious hoots and yips of the timberwolves as they pranced around the ruins, daring anyone to step out of the ashes. The large expanse between Nadie and the fire wasn't enough to keep the putrid stench of ash from finding her nose.

Plik.

Plik. Plink.

She bat her eyes numbly as a few icy raindrops dripped down onto her muzzle. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the nightmare that had unfolded across the waters.

Plik. Plik. Plik-pli-pli-pli-p-p-p-p-p!

Gradually, the drizzle evolved into a shower, and the glassy smooth surface of Gyles lake morphed from a mirror to a jumble of tiny ripples as the rain came down.

"Hey." A paw reached out and gently nudged Nadie's shoulder. She twitched her nose, noting Hutch's soaked, wet-wolf smell.

"Go away, Hutch."

"Nadie. We need to go now."

She kept her eyes locked on the glowing remains of the Gyles Lake outcamp. As the rain poured, slowly, the flames lowered, and smoke billowed and hissed as the inferno was cooled. "I'm not leaving."

"..." The Alpha direwolf huffed quietly next to her, than sat down heavily in the shallow water alongside her. "Nadie, Tara is still sick. She can barely walk."

"So then carry her. I'm stayin' here."

"Daanis is injured. She won't make it far, an' she can't run."

"So then get Sarah to carry her!"

Hutch blew and exhausted breath into Nadie's erect ears. "Nadie."

"No!"

"You've been standing in freezing water for hours. You're gonna catch hypothermia."

"...No..."

"Where do you think those timberwolves are going to go now? They already think that we're responsible for bringing Abrams up here. We're next on their list."

"No."

"They will come for us. Whether it is here, or back at the den." Hutch looked out across the waters, grimacing at the pile of glowing embers that now occupied the lodge's basement and yard. "We don't know this place. We need to go home, before they start looking for us. At least we know the lay of the land around our den. We'll have much more of an advantage there than here."

"..."

"Nadie. Daanis and Tara cannot run, and neither will Sarah and I be able to once we're carrying them. We need to leave. If the timberwolves start chasing us, it'll all be over. You saw what they did to those hunters. We won't stand a chance if they catch us at our slowest."

Across the lake, the last, standing section of wall slowly careened over, shattering into a hundred charcoal fragments as it fell into the glowing ember-pot that was the basement. The sound was muffled by the expanse, but it still made Nadie flinch.