Read Online Fire Wolf: CINAED (New Scotia Pack Book 3) by Victoria Danann - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Victoria Danann
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“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.
Suddenly everything, even the irate bear, quieted at the sound of the mountain lion’s scream. She stopped, looked away, raised her muzzle, sniffed the air and then loped off toward the forest. Having heard the cat, the cubs were standing on their hind legs and braying for her. They followed her deeper into the forest when she loped away favoring the side that Starfire hadn’t injured.
With the battle over and snow falling faster every minute, the world turned eerily quiet. All sound was absorbed by a blanket of white except for the wind that was beginning to gust and was already blowing snow into drifts.
Redruff shifted to better take a look at Ken, first feeling for a
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.
Suddenly everything, even the irate bear, quieted at the sound of the mountain lion’s scream. She stopped, looked away, raised her muzzle, sniffed the air and then loped off toward the forest. Having heard the cat, the cubs were standing on their hind legs and braying for her. They followed her deeper into the forest when she loped away favoring the side that Starfire hadn’t injured.
With the battle over and snow falling faster every minute, the world turned eerily quiet. All sound was absorbed by a blanket of white except for the wind that was beginning to gust and was already blowing snow into drifts.
Redruff shifted to better take a look at Ken, first feeling for a
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