caught a glimpse of Grant jumping out of the way of a large boulder as it crashed past him before grit drifted into her eyes, obscuring her vision. She squeezed them shut. John grunted near her ear, and she guessed he’d been struck by a rock.
The ground beneath them gave way. They slid down the slope, back into the ravine they’d just climbed out of. Sherrie reached in vain for John’s hand as he tumbled away from her then she grabbed for anything to stop her fall. Her fingers scrabbled against rock and hard earth, her fingernails digging into dirt, but there was nothing to stop her fall. Gravel and rock pelted her until she landed on the ground with a breath-jarring thump.
As quickly as it had started, the rock slide ended. Sherrie blinked and coughed, clearing her eyes and throat of dust. She rose on her hands and knees to look around. Nearby, John sat and shook dust from his hair. Not far away on the other side of her, Grant lay prone beside a boulder the size of a Volkswagen.
She staggered to her feet and over to him, heart pounding. Crouching by his side, she wiped rubble and blood off his face.
His eyes opened and fixed on hers. “You all right?”
“Yeah. What about you?” She dabbed at a wound on his temple, and her fingers came away smeared with the blood that welled from the deep gash.
John knelt beside her. Taking off the pack that had miraculously remained on his back, he pulled out a bottle of water and a spare T-shirt. He moistened the cloth and wiped Grant’s face, patting the open wound carefully. The other man hissed and grabbed the shirt from him to take over the job himself.
Sherrie sat back on her heels and looked around. The sheer face of the mountain rose on either side of them. The path they’d climbed toward the caves was cut off by boulders, and the way into the crevasse was sealed behind them with more rocks. They were hemmed in on all sides in a natural stone prison. Perhaps in their animal form either John or Grant might have the strength to clamber over the rock fall, but Sherrie doubted it.
“We’re trapped.” She stated the obvious as she craned her neck to look up the wall of rock.
Somewhere at the top was the cave where their nemesis lived. Was this avalanche a coincidence or had he meant to kill or capture them?
John moved around the perimeter, pacing the limits of their enclosure. Perron got to his feet, tossing the bloodied T-shirt aside and scaled a pile of stony rubble. He attempted to climb over the boulder that had nearly crushed him.
“Damn it!” he roared in frustration as he fell back and landed on his feet.
“I told you rushing into this was a bad idea,” John said. “Now we’re trapped. I’m sure it’s no accident.”
Grant scowled and started to take off his shirt. “You can stand here and complain about being stuck.
I’m shifting and finding a way out.”
Without another word, Walker followed his example, quickly stripping. Once again their bodies rippled. Charged static electricity lifted Sherrie’s hair and made her arms prickle. Suddenly, she longed fiercely to be able to shift too. Into what form she had no clue, but the idea of releasing the primitive animal inside her to howl and run was deeply seductive.
She pressed back against the stone as the two wild beasts ranged around the pen in a similar way to their human counterparts. The wolf nosed the ground and whined as he searched for a break in the rock pile big enough to squeeze through. The big cat gathered its weight and sprang with a powerful thrust of his hind legs, but the leap carried him only halfway up the boulders. His nails scrabbled on stone before he fell back into the debris with a howl of rage, tail lashing.
There’s no way out, but feed me their energies and I’ll release you. The voice sounded in Sherrie’s head as clearly as if she wore headphones. She clapped her hands to her ears. It was one thing to receive silent communications in a dream, but shocking in her
The ground beneath them gave way. They slid down the slope, back into the ravine they’d just climbed out of. Sherrie reached in vain for John’s hand as he tumbled away from her then she grabbed for anything to stop her fall. Her fingers scrabbled against rock and hard earth, her fingernails digging into dirt, but there was nothing to stop her fall. Gravel and rock pelted her until she landed on the ground with a breath-jarring thump.
As quickly as it had started, the rock slide ended. Sherrie blinked and coughed, clearing her eyes and throat of dust. She rose on her hands and knees to look around. Nearby, John sat and shook dust from his hair. Not far away on the other side of her, Grant lay prone beside a boulder the size of a Volkswagen.
She staggered to her feet and over to him, heart pounding. Crouching by his side, she wiped rubble and blood off his face.
His eyes opened and fixed on hers. “You all right?”
“Yeah. What about you?” She dabbed at a wound on his temple, and her fingers came away smeared with the blood that welled from the deep gash.
John knelt beside her. Taking off the pack that had miraculously remained on his back, he pulled out a bottle of water and a spare T-shirt. He moistened the cloth and wiped Grant’s face, patting the open wound carefully. The other man hissed and grabbed the shirt from him to take over the job himself.
Sherrie sat back on her heels and looked around. The sheer face of the mountain rose on either side of them. The path they’d climbed toward the caves was cut off by boulders, and the way into the crevasse was sealed behind them with more rocks. They were hemmed in on all sides in a natural stone prison. Perhaps in their animal form either John or Grant might have the strength to clamber over the rock fall, but Sherrie doubted it.
“We’re trapped.” She stated the obvious as she craned her neck to look up the wall of rock.
Somewhere at the top was the cave where their nemesis lived. Was this avalanche a coincidence or had he meant to kill or capture them?
John moved around the perimeter, pacing the limits of their enclosure. Perron got to his feet, tossing the bloodied T-shirt aside and scaled a pile of stony rubble. He attempted to climb over the boulder that had nearly crushed him.
“Damn it!” he roared in frustration as he fell back and landed on his feet.
“I told you rushing into this was a bad idea,” John said. “Now we’re trapped. I’m sure it’s no accident.”
Grant scowled and started to take off his shirt. “You can stand here and complain about being stuck.
I’m shifting and finding a way out.”
Without another word, Walker followed his example, quickly stripping. Once again their bodies rippled. Charged static electricity lifted Sherrie’s hair and made her arms prickle. Suddenly, she longed fiercely to be able to shift too. Into what form she had no clue, but the idea of releasing the primitive animal inside her to howl and run was deeply seductive.
She pressed back against the stone as the two wild beasts ranged around the pen in a similar way to their human counterparts. The wolf nosed the ground and whined as he searched for a break in the rock pile big enough to squeeze through. The big cat gathered its weight and sprang with a powerful thrust of his hind legs, but the leap carried him only halfway up the boulders. His nails scrabbled on stone before he fell back into the debris with a howl of rage, tail lashing.
There’s no way out, but feed me their energies and I’ll release you. The voice sounded in Sherrie’s head as clearly as if she wore headphones. She clapped her hands to her ears. It was one thing to receive silent communications in a dream, but shocking in her
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