around the field and catch them on the other side. We need to draw them out before there’s too much property destruction, so we’ll spray some pheromones to get them moving. You two move in to cut them off.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Eleanor said.
“Are you questioning me?”
“No. They’re already on the move… sir.”
Both Yasir and Seth turned their attention back to the laptop. The telescopic camera mounted on the first SUV was keyed to motion, so it should have tracked the werewolves no matter where they went, but the screen only showed a bunch of bloody ribs that had been gnawed to stubs.
“Find them!” he barked.
The cameras scanned. Seth got out of the car and propped his elbows on the hood as he searched with the binoculars.
He didn’t look for the wolves. Instead, he imagined the route they would take, decided how long they had been moving, and made an educated guess about their location. Given the forest stretching beyond the ranch, it wasn’t hard to guess where they would go.
Seth spotted them moving into the trees. He tracked their path until their gray tails disappeared into shadow, and a hint of relief eased through him.
It took another twenty seconds for the equipment to pick them up.
Inside the Chevelle, Yasir swore loudly. “They’re gone. Damn it! Get in, we’ve got to move!” Seth jumped into the driver’s seat just in time to follow the SUVs as they peeled down the mountain road. “Faster, kid! They’re going for the mountain.”
“I don’t think so,” Seth said. “Not yet. They’re scared, the mountain is still a few miles away, and they’ve eaten. They’ll find somewhere to den in the forest.”
He tried not to smile when he said it. There were a lot of places werewolves could den without being found. The forest became very thick, very fast once they got to the other side of the pass, and that was less than a mile away. They would never catch them in time.
Jakob and Stripes seemed to realize it, because they jumped the SUVs off the road to cut them off.
Seth tried to follow. Abel would have beaten him around the head if he saw his little brother off-roading in his baby, but the Chevelle didn’t make it far in the forest anyway. They hit a cluster of brush and got stuck.
Yasir jumped out. “Open the doors!” he shouted to the rear SUV.
It stopped, and he waved to Seth to climb in.
The only seat in the back was next to Eleanor, who was still grinning maniacally. She gripped her husband’s book on hunting werewolves in both hands. Her smile faded a fraction when she saw Seth.
The SUV bounced through the forest. He had to grip the handhold to keep from getting thrown out of his seat.
“They’re moving fast,” Jakob said through the earpiece. “We’re a mile behind them.”
“Take your vehicle north. Stripes will take us south. Find an opening—we’ll get around them.” He climbed into the cargo area, pushed away empty gas tanks, and flung open one of the rear doors. A few boxes of supplies fell out, but he didn’t seem to care.
Seth’s heart thudded in his throat as they chased the werewolves. He watched the tracking monitor through the gap in the front seats, and saw them close in on the blinking blue line.
The flashing dot disappeared. Seth swerved to get around it.
“Closing fast, sir!”
“Seth! Give me the gun!” Yasir shouted.
He hesitated only a moment before passing a rifle over the seat. The commander braced himself against the side of the SUV, dug his feet in, and took aim at the trees. A deer darted past the back door.
Eleanor grabbed the other rifle and took position next to Yasir.
“Hit the floods!” he ordered.
Seth pressed his face to the side window as the lights cast the forest in a ghastly white glow. The humans had completely wolfed out and left a massacre in their wake. There was blood and meat everywhere. He wouldn’t have had any clue they were deer if he hadn’t seen the survivor running away.
When
“That won’t be necessary,” Eleanor said.
“Are you questioning me?”
“No. They’re already on the move… sir.”
Both Yasir and Seth turned their attention back to the laptop. The telescopic camera mounted on the first SUV was keyed to motion, so it should have tracked the werewolves no matter where they went, but the screen only showed a bunch of bloody ribs that had been gnawed to stubs.
“Find them!” he barked.
The cameras scanned. Seth got out of the car and propped his elbows on the hood as he searched with the binoculars.
He didn’t look for the wolves. Instead, he imagined the route they would take, decided how long they had been moving, and made an educated guess about their location. Given the forest stretching beyond the ranch, it wasn’t hard to guess where they would go.
Seth spotted them moving into the trees. He tracked their path until their gray tails disappeared into shadow, and a hint of relief eased through him.
It took another twenty seconds for the equipment to pick them up.
Inside the Chevelle, Yasir swore loudly. “They’re gone. Damn it! Get in, we’ve got to move!” Seth jumped into the driver’s seat just in time to follow the SUVs as they peeled down the mountain road. “Faster, kid! They’re going for the mountain.”
“I don’t think so,” Seth said. “Not yet. They’re scared, the mountain is still a few miles away, and they’ve eaten. They’ll find somewhere to den in the forest.”
He tried not to smile when he said it. There were a lot of places werewolves could den without being found. The forest became very thick, very fast once they got to the other side of the pass, and that was less than a mile away. They would never catch them in time.
Jakob and Stripes seemed to realize it, because they jumped the SUVs off the road to cut them off.
Seth tried to follow. Abel would have beaten him around the head if he saw his little brother off-roading in his baby, but the Chevelle didn’t make it far in the forest anyway. They hit a cluster of brush and got stuck.
Yasir jumped out. “Open the doors!” he shouted to the rear SUV.
It stopped, and he waved to Seth to climb in.
The only seat in the back was next to Eleanor, who was still grinning maniacally. She gripped her husband’s book on hunting werewolves in both hands. Her smile faded a fraction when she saw Seth.
The SUV bounced through the forest. He had to grip the handhold to keep from getting thrown out of his seat.
“They’re moving fast,” Jakob said through the earpiece. “We’re a mile behind them.”
“Take your vehicle north. Stripes will take us south. Find an opening—we’ll get around them.” He climbed into the cargo area, pushed away empty gas tanks, and flung open one of the rear doors. A few boxes of supplies fell out, but he didn’t seem to care.
Seth’s heart thudded in his throat as they chased the werewolves. He watched the tracking monitor through the gap in the front seats, and saw them close in on the blinking blue line.
The flashing dot disappeared. Seth swerved to get around it.
“Closing fast, sir!”
“Seth! Give me the gun!” Yasir shouted.
He hesitated only a moment before passing a rifle over the seat. The commander braced himself against the side of the SUV, dug his feet in, and took aim at the trees. A deer darted past the back door.
Eleanor grabbed the other rifle and took position next to Yasir.
“Hit the floods!” he ordered.
Seth pressed his face to the side window as the lights cast the forest in a ghastly white glow. The humans had completely wolfed out and left a massacre in their wake. There was blood and meat everywhere. He wouldn’t have had any clue they were deer if he hadn’t seen the survivor running away.
When
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