Who did they mean? Me?
I told myself it didn’t matter what they meant. In the morning I wouldn’t be a monster anymore. The Legwalkers would never find me.
At last I fell asleep.
Chapter 33
I woke to the sweetest sound—Wolfmother howling for me, her lost cub.
The moon had set. It was just before dawn. I ached, and the nightmare of being a monster forever stuck to me like a bitter taste in the mouth.
The water was too dark to see through and my skin was too numb to feel. Was I still a monster?
My heart in my throat, I hauled myself out of the frigid water. And collapsed in relief. I had made it through the three nights of the wereing and I was Gruff again.
After a few minutes I was shivering so hard, I thought my bones would break. But I didn’t care. It was all over now.
“Aroo-oo-ooh!”
I howled for joy and to let Wolfmother know I’d be along soon and then started scrounging for something to eat.
I was starved. But I barely had time to dig up a few roots and settle down with a twig next to a busy ant hole when I heard Wolfmother bounding toward me, giving soft calls.
I called back and stuffed a couple more fingerfuls of crunchy ants into my mouth before I set off to meet her.
Wolfmother found me in a clearing and licked my face in joy. I could tell she’d been frantic, worried that I’d never return.
“I’m okay!” I growled, nuzzling her warm fur. “I’m little Gruff again. Let’s go home!”
With Wolfmother leading, the trip back to the den was quick. Wolfmother went on ahead, her tail wagging in anticipation of having all her family together again.
I had just started after her, when a sharp CRACK! stopped me in my tracks.
The noise exploded in my brain.
I had never heard such a thing before, but I knew instantly it was dangerous. Nothing ordinary could make such a shattering noise.
CRACK!
Deafened for an instant, I stood paralyzed with fear.
I knew in my bones that the noise meant death was coming—for someone.
Chapter 34
I was running for the safety of the wolf den when suddenly—CRACK!—leaves exploded off a tree above me. My head swam.
CRACK!
Animals fled in panic from the noise. As it died away the swamp was deathly quiet.
But into the silence came the excited shouts of Legwalkers.
Legwalkers!
I wanted to flee into the quiet of the deep swamp. But I couldn’t run.
“There! I heard something over there!” a Leg-walker yelled.
They must be hunting the hideous werewolves who prowled around their dens and peered in their windows and had stolen a cub. But I was safe. I looked like them now and not like the night creatures. Maybe the Legwalkers knew where to find the werewolves. If they did, I could help track them down.
Moving soundlessly, I slipped through the trees toward the Legwalkers. Something told me not to let them see me first, even though I was eager to help. Jumping over a narrow stream, I circled a boggy area, keeping to dry ground.
The Legwalkers didn’t know the swamp very well and it was easy to creep up on them.
There were a bunch of them and they didn’t look happy. These were big Legwalkers with harsh voices. They were mud-spattered and scratched up. One of them had a sniffing animal with him. The animal was tied to the Leg-walker and was straining to pull the Legwalker along faster.
Each of the Legwalkers carried a long, stick-like thing. But it was no stick that ever came off a tree, I could see that.
A hidden squirrel chittered angrily from a branch just above me.
“Over there, Roy!”
Startled, one of the Legwalkers swung his stick toward the noise.
BOOM!
I dropped flat to the ground and covered my throbbing ears. Pieces of leaves rained down on me.
I raised my head an inch. The one with the dog turned on the one who’d used his stick.
“No more shooting, Roy,” said another Leg-walker. “Not until we can see what we’re shooting at. Now put your gun down,” he said, scowling angrily.
Gun. I sounded the word in my head. Such a short word for such a big, nasty weapon.
The other one scowled, too, but lowered his gun. “Okay, but I hope you don’t let those mangy wolves get away, Mike!”
Wolves! I understood that. And I heard the murderous threat in their voices.
My heart turned to stone. I felt like something heavy had wrapped itself around my neck and squeezed. How could they mistake the ghastly night creatures for wolves, beautiful wolves?
Maybe it was because I was the one they’d seen. I knew I was right when I told myself I was no hideous monster. I must have looked like a wolf to the Legwalkers.
My first instinct was to rush out and tell these Legwalkers what a big mistake they’d made. I was the one they wanted! They had to leave my family alone!
But I didn’t know how to make the sounds they did. Even though I could understand a lot of it, I had no idea how they did it.
But I had to try. I had to make them believe me.
I took a deep breath and pushed aside the branch that hid me.
All I saw was a blur as Roy raised his gun.
CRACK!
Chapter 35
I fell flat to the ground, my face in the dirt.
“Dang it, Roy, you got to stop that,” shouted Mike, the man with the sniffing dog. The animal was barking wildly.
Was I hit? My knee was throbbing. I didn’t dare move. Somehow the Legwalkers hadn’t seen me yet.
Mike took a step toward Roy. “I know little Benjy is your nephew and you’re upset,” he said, “but we all love the boy, too, and we want to make sure nothing like that happens again.”
Benjy? That must be the cub’s name. Was it all right? I tensed, waiting to hear.
“Wolves are smart animals,” said Mike through clenched teeth. “And a wolf
