she scared a yelp from both Daniel and Paul.
“Check on our guard.”
Jacob was the first one to come to alertness and he hurried from the tent when Alexa didn’t speak again. He noticed their empty fire, heating water, and followed Mark’s boots into the corn.
He found the missing man a minute later.
“What are you…”
“Sh…!”
Mark didn’t want to fight with a child at his side, but there was no time to get her out as the large wolf padded closer to where they were. Mark wasn’t sure if the big animal had noticed their presence or not. If so, it was coming to get a meal. If not, it was about to be surprised and defend itself. Either way, he wasn’t allowed to use his gun and he wouldn’t.
Jacob wasn’t sure why Mark hadn’t pulled the trigger yet and he lined up his sights to take care of it before remembering Alexa’s no-gun rule was still in place. As Jacob had the thought, Mark snatched his knife from his belt and threw it.
It was amazingly accurate. The blade sank into the creature’s eye and dropped it to the ground with only a whimpering and then the dull thud of the body falling.
Mark retrieved his blade and little girl remained by his side.
“It’s so big!” Jacob exclaimed, examining the carcass.
“Yes.” Mark bent down and scooped the child onto his hip, where she curled as if she’d been there all her life.
“Let’s get you to your family.”
Jacob trailed them, watching the corn for more predators and replaying the throw in his mind. He wasn’t nearly as good. He wondered if Mark had learned that skill before or after the war.
3
Alexa was at the flap as they emerged from the corn and she sighed tolerantly when Mark first carried the little girl to her shed and waited for her to slip inside.
When he returned, Mark paused for Alexa to punish him over becoming distracted, but she only returned to her place and lay down. After a few minutes, there was silence again except for snores.
Jacob joined Mark on duty, unable to go back to sleep. Daniel and Billy had the best places in the tent (either side of Alexa) and Jacob was still admiring Mark’s throw. He wasn’t sure he could have even hit the wolf in these foggy conditions, let alone have killed it.
“Can you teach me?”
“Have to pick up a stronger blade than the one you carry now,” Mark said.
“Okay. You’ll advise me on it?”
“Yes.”
The men enjoyed the coffee and the end of night finally coming, though they both also dreaded it. Right now, they were alive. Come daylight, Alexa would put them all in danger once again. The morning was to be savored, as each one with her had been, because there was no promise of another.
In a dark corner of the circle, a shadow pulled a handful of dust from a pocket and blew it across the station. The tiny yellow spores scattered, vanishing as they landed, and those who inhaled them slid into a deep sleep.
As the bodies fell and the dreams ceased, the shadow walked calmly into one of the camps and resumed a hiding place among the sheep.
The girl giggled and was quickly hushed by her brother.
The sight of a single, lanky white wolf inside their ring of protection was something of a concern to the fighters lying on the hard floor of the tent. To see dozens of glowing eyes waiting hungrily in the tall corn behind it, was terror.
“No one moves!”
Alexa’s command froze the men who were taking aim on the wolf inside, closest to her
Time slowed as the animal in the open flap also reacted, baring its fangs to grin furiously.
“We will leave. Now,” Alexa tried to barter.
The predator snarled in response, death in those red eyes.
There was a slow pause as the sun came up, then chaos ensued as the wolves attacked and Alexa opened fire.
The wolf in the flap had been lunging and the bullets now hitting it knocked the corpse into the side of tent, clearing the exit for a second. More wolves took its place and there was little time to plan or think as
“Check on our guard.”
Jacob was the first one to come to alertness and he hurried from the tent when Alexa didn’t speak again. He noticed their empty fire, heating water, and followed Mark’s boots into the corn.
He found the missing man a minute later.
“What are you…”
“Sh…!”
Mark didn’t want to fight with a child at his side, but there was no time to get her out as the large wolf padded closer to where they were. Mark wasn’t sure if the big animal had noticed their presence or not. If so, it was coming to get a meal. If not, it was about to be surprised and defend itself. Either way, he wasn’t allowed to use his gun and he wouldn’t.
Jacob wasn’t sure why Mark hadn’t pulled the trigger yet and he lined up his sights to take care of it before remembering Alexa’s no-gun rule was still in place. As Jacob had the thought, Mark snatched his knife from his belt and threw it.
It was amazingly accurate. The blade sank into the creature’s eye and dropped it to the ground with only a whimpering and then the dull thud of the body falling.
Mark retrieved his blade and little girl remained by his side.
“It’s so big!” Jacob exclaimed, examining the carcass.
“Yes.” Mark bent down and scooped the child onto his hip, where she curled as if she’d been there all her life.
“Let’s get you to your family.”
Jacob trailed them, watching the corn for more predators and replaying the throw in his mind. He wasn’t nearly as good. He wondered if Mark had learned that skill before or after the war.
3
Alexa was at the flap as they emerged from the corn and she sighed tolerantly when Mark first carried the little girl to her shed and waited for her to slip inside.
When he returned, Mark paused for Alexa to punish him over becoming distracted, but she only returned to her place and lay down. After a few minutes, there was silence again except for snores.
Jacob joined Mark on duty, unable to go back to sleep. Daniel and Billy had the best places in the tent (either side of Alexa) and Jacob was still admiring Mark’s throw. He wasn’t sure he could have even hit the wolf in these foggy conditions, let alone have killed it.
“Can you teach me?”
“Have to pick up a stronger blade than the one you carry now,” Mark said.
“Okay. You’ll advise me on it?”
“Yes.”
The men enjoyed the coffee and the end of night finally coming, though they both also dreaded it. Right now, they were alive. Come daylight, Alexa would put them all in danger once again. The morning was to be savored, as each one with her had been, because there was no promise of another.
In a dark corner of the circle, a shadow pulled a handful of dust from a pocket and blew it across the station. The tiny yellow spores scattered, vanishing as they landed, and those who inhaled them slid into a deep sleep.
As the bodies fell and the dreams ceased, the shadow walked calmly into one of the camps and resumed a hiding place among the sheep.
The girl giggled and was quickly hushed by her brother.
The sight of a single, lanky white wolf inside their ring of protection was something of a concern to the fighters lying on the hard floor of the tent. To see dozens of glowing eyes waiting hungrily in the tall corn behind it, was terror.
“No one moves!”
Alexa’s command froze the men who were taking aim on the wolf inside, closest to her
Time slowed as the animal in the open flap also reacted, baring its fangs to grin furiously.
“We will leave. Now,” Alexa tried to barter.
The predator snarled in response, death in those red eyes.
There was a slow pause as the sun came up, then chaos ensued as the wolves attacked and Alexa opened fire.
The wolf in the flap had been lunging and the bullets now hitting it knocked the corpse into the side of tent, clearing the exit for a second. More wolves took its place and there was little time to plan or think as
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