Footprints. Alex Archer

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СКАЧАТЬ to be naturally suspicious, anyway. He’s probably making sure he understands what your intentions are.”

      Annja raised her eyebrows and glanced back at the canopy. She couldn’t tell what the wolf was doing right then. There wasn’t any movement in the darkness under the canopy.

      “You should probably put that away,” Joey said.

      “Why?”

      Joey smiled. “He’s not going to hurt you. Let him get on with what he’s doing and he’ll leave. He’s got other things to be doing tonight, like finding dinner somewhere. He was tracking rabbits when he veered off to check you out. Probably found you the same way I did—the fire.”

      “I really needed it or else I would never have had one.”

      Joey nodded. “No sweat. With all that rain, it was a good thing you did build one. You must have been soaked.”

      “I was.” Annja thought about Jenny. She would be soaked, too. “You didn’t happen to find any sign of Jenny while you were out looking for me, did you?”

      Joey shook his head. “No, but I thought I’d start with you first.”

      “You took the kids back to town?”

      “Yeah, they’re fine. I think they’re leaving tomorrow. They couldn’t stop talking about the guns and stuff the entire way back. I’ve never heard so much talking in my life. It got ridiculous and I had to tell them to shut up.”

      Annja smiled. “Thanks for taking care of them.”

      “They wouldn’t have lasted without me. Guess you were right.”

      “Well, every once in a while I get something correct.”

      Joey pointed behind her. “You really should put that away. The wolf doesn’t want to hurt you.”

      Annja turned her back to Joey and let the sword return to the otherwhere. She wasn’t sure how to explain the sword’s behavior to Joey. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed by the sudden disappearance.

      “I guess you don’t want me telling anyone about that, huh?”

      “I’d prefer that we kept it between us, yes.”

      “People find out, there’ll be way too many questions. I can dig it.”

      “You sure?”

      “Well, another fifty would help seal the deal.”

      Annja pointed at the tree overhang. “Tell you what. If you help me get my stuff back from the wolf it’s a deal.”

      Joey smiled. “No sweat.”

      He knelt in the muddy ground and put his hands to his mouth. In a split second, he exhaled and made a strange sound that resembled a type of bark, but nothing like anything Annja had ever heard before.

      The effect, however, was instantaneous. From under the tree, there was a rustle of movement. And then Annja saw a large shape dislodge itself from the branches and come through the darkness toward Joey.

      Her heart raced but she stayed where she was. Joey must know what he was doing to tempt fate this way. She had to trust him.

      The wolf trotted out and sniffed Joey’s hand. He spoke to the wolf in a low voice and a different language. With a casual glance at Annja, the dark gray predator stood at Joey’s feet and let himself be stroked.

      Joey looked up at Annja. “You want to pet him?”

      Annja held up her hands. “Are you kidding?”

      Joey smiled. “Humans spend too much time thinking that animals are different from them. The truth is, we’re all just the same, made by the Creator. We’re not different—we all belong to the earth. And the spirit that moves in all things moves in this guy just as much as it moves in you.”

      Annja watched the wolf loll its head back to better expose his ears to Joey’s fingers. From its throat, Annja heard a low rumble come out, but it didn’t sound remotely menacing. It almost reminded Annja of a cat purring. But somehow she thought maybe the wolf wouldn’t appreciate the comparison.

      Joey waved her over. “Trust me, okay? I wouldn’t tell you it was safe if it wasn’t. This guy is one of the protectors of his forest.”

      “You know him?”

      Joey shrugged. “We’ve kind of grown up together. I’ve been coming here for years, ever since I was old enough to run around on my own. Cheehawk here has been around about the same time as me.”

      “It’s got a name?”

      Joey frowned. “Well, what’s wrong with that? I’ve got a name—several, actually. And so do you. Why shouldn’t this guy?”

      “Cheehawk, huh?”

      The wolf turned its head again to better see Annja as she started to approach. Joey held up his other hand.

      “Take it nice and slow. Don’t do anything to upset him and you’ll be fine. Just like any other animal, you’ve got to give him time to scent you and get used to your smell. Once he does, he’ll be fine. Just come to him without the intent to harm him.”

      Annja approached very cautiously. This was, without a doubt, one of the stranger things she’d done. Making friends with a wild predatory animal like a wolf wasn’t what she’d expected to happen when she responded to Jenny’s e-mail from her New York City loft.

      Cheehawk continued to appraise her as Annja drew nearer. When she was within a few feet of the wolf, she sat down and extended her hand until it was under Cheehawk’s snout.

      She could feel the wolf’s hot breath on the back of her hand as he sniffed her. And then she felt the curious sensation of his tongue lapping at it.

      Joey chuckled. “I guess you passed.”

      Annja let her hand wander up behind Cheehawk’s ears and ran her fingers through his coarse fur. It was almost like patting a big dog, but not quite. Even though Cheehawk seemed to have accepted her, Annja couldn’t shake the idea that this animal could easily tear her throat out if it wanted to.

      Joey shook his head. “Don’t believe that.”

      Annja looked at him. “What?”

      “Cheehawk would only attack if he felt threatened, just the same as you.” He smiled at Annja. “Don’t look so surprised. The expression on your face was enough for me to figure out what you were thinking.”

      “Oh. Well, this is a bit new for me.”

      Joey nodded. “For Cheehawk, too. You’re only the second human he’s let pet him.”

      “Really?”

      “I’m the first,” Joey said proudly.

      “I’m honored, then,” Annja said. СКАЧАТЬ