Footprints. Alex Archer

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      Was that a snarl?

      Her pulse quickened. Wild packs of dogs sometimes roamed through the woods. And they would gladly tear a lone female apart without hesitation.

      She knew she was far better to be off the ground. She reached for the next series of branches and pulled herself into a seated position about twenty feet up before pausing to catch her breath.

      Below her, a series of snaps made her look. Something was destroying her camp. She could just make out the black shape moving back and forth. But it wasn’t unrestrained carnage. More like calculated destruction.

      Whatever it was seemed to be searching for something.

      She could easily jump down and attack them, but what would be the point? She was safe, and the idea of facing an unknown adversary didn’t sit well with her. She frowned and climbed even higher.

      Annja’s foot slipped. And the branch supporting her cracked.

      She gulped as her stomach spasmed.

      The branch gave way.

      Annja fell toward the unseen danger.

      4

      As Annja plummeted through the branches, time seemed to slow down long enough for her to feel every poke, prod and stab from the mighty tree’s limbs. She kept her eyes closed and prayed that her body would relax enough to somehow survive the fall. As she waited for the inevitable thump, she kept her eyes firmly locked on the sword. If, as she suspected, something nasty was waiting down there for her, she’d need it as soon as she landed.

      If she could move.

      But instead of a hard impact and broken bones for her trouble, as Annja’s body hit the ground she tucked and turned into a roll. She exhaled hard, rolling several feet before coming to her feet.

      Underneath the canopy, something still lurked.

      And now she heard a distinct growl.

      Last I checked, the legend of big foot didn’t include any growling. Howling maybe, but growling? No way.

      Annja closed her eyes and summoned the sword. In the darkness, its blade glowed a dull silver.

      A gust of wind nearly knocked her off her feet but she bent her knees and kept her balance. What was rustling through her backpack? A bear? Was it late enough for a bear to come out of its hibernation? Annja wondered if the bears around these parts were grizzlies and then decided that pretty much any animal would be dangerous.

      She caught a sudden glimpse of yellow and realized that there were two eyes staring out from under the tree canopy at her.

      It had to be a wolf.

      Annja stepped forward, keeping the blade in front of her. The last thing she wanted to do was kill an animal but if she had to defend herself, she wouldn’t hesitate. She knew it was highly unlikely the animal was maliciously trying to kill her. She had inadvertently stumbled onto its territory and the wolf was simply defending its home turf.

      Still, a threat was a threat.

      The wolf growled louder now, clearly threatened with Annja’s advance. But she kept moving. There were things in the backpack she wanted, and letting the wolf tear it apart wasn’t going to happen. Annja had already suffered through enough headaches thus far on the trip and she had no intention of giving in so easily for this.

      “Get out of here! Scat!”

      Annja thought it sounded ridiculous yelling into the night, but if she could scare the wolf off, that would be the best outcome.

      The wolf, however, continued to growl, and it grew even louder. Annja took a glance around her and tried to recall if wolves hunted alone. As pack animals, she reasoned there could be others nearby. That would drastically reduce her chances of winning a confrontation.

      She heard more rustling under the canopy and frowned. The wolf was probably tearing everything apart as punishment for Annja trespassing on his land. Great.

      She stepped closer to the overhang and slashed the air in front of her with the sword. It cut several branches off with a dull singing sound that made the wolf stop and regard her again.

      This time it didn’t growl.

      Annja paused.

      Had the blade convinced it? Could it see that if Annja pressed forward, it would probably die on her sword? Maybe it didn’t want any part of violence tonight. Maybe it was simply out hunting for something to eat after the terrible storm.

      Annja looked around, but saw nothing else lurking in the night. It seemed likely that the wolf was alone. A lone hunter. Annja smiled. I know the feeling.

      “You’re not going to kill him, are you?”

      Annja nearly fainted from fright, but recovered quickly enough to pivot and aim her sword into the darkness.

      “Hey, whoa, be careful with that thing, lady. I don’t want to be run through.”

      Annja squinted and could just make out the form of another person in the shadows nearby. The voice was familiar enough for her to guess who it belonged to.

      “Joey?”

      “Yep.”

      Annja exhaled. “Want to tell me what you’re doing wandering around out here in the dark?”

      “Isn’t it obvious? I’m looking for you.”

      “Why? I can take care of myself, thank you.”

      Joey stepped out of the shadows, his eyes running along the length of the blade. “I can see that. Where did you ever get that thing? I didn’t see you with it earlier today.”

      “It’s a tool I carry around with me.”

      “Something that looks like that isn’t what I’d call a tool, Annja. That thing has one purpose—to kill.”

      Annja shook her head. “You’d be surprised what else it can do other than just take a life.”

      “Yeah, you’ll have to explain it to me. So you got a wolf rummaging through your gear, huh?”

      “You know it’s a wolf?”

      Joey pointed at the ground. “Tracks. Yep, it’s a wolf.”

      Annja smirked. “One wolf under the canopy and one creeping wolf outside. I’m surrounded, I guess.”

      “At least you had the good sense to find some shelter. I smelled your fire a ways back, too. I would have come in sooner, but I picked up the wolf stalking you and couldn’t interfere.”

      “Why not?”

      Joey shrugged. “He’s just doing what a wolf does. No sense interrupting him, you know?”

      “Is СКАЧАТЬ