I remembered the night creatures cackling when they said they knew who’d be blamed. I’d thought they meant me, but it was my wolf family that was being blamed, just as the night creatures planned all along!
“Burn down this whole miserable swamp!” Roy burst out. “That’s what I said we ought to do last night and that’s what I still say. Who needs it!”
“That wouldn’t get the wolves,” Mike insisted. “They’d only run off. Like they’re going to do if you keep shooting that gun. Follow my plan and I promise you that we’ll get those wolves.”
His eyes narrowed to mean slits and he smacked his animal—who was straining in my direction—to quiet him.
I wriggled back into the underbrush, getting myself hidden again. They would never listen to me. They had revenge in mind and couldn’t think of anything else.
My only chance was to hear their plan and find a way to stop them.
“The wolves haven’t been hunted around here,” said Mike. “They won’t be expecting us to come after them. They’ll think we’re after deer. I’ll bet they’re holed up in their den right this minute, sleeping off a long night’s mischief and waiting for us to go away.”
“You think so?”
“Sure. They know we could never find their den on our own. But what they haven’t reckoned on is Lady.” Mike leaned down and patted the panting dog. “Lady can track a wolf like nobody’s business. She’ll lead us straight to their den.”
Mike looked around at the other Legwalkers, his eyes cold. “That’s when we use our guns. They’ll be like sitting ducks. We’ll kill every one of the beasts, down to the last mewling cub.”
Chapter 36
“Yeah, come on, boys, let’s get ’em!”
“We’ll shoot those wolves to pieces!”
“They’ll wish they never heard of Fox Hollow!”
“Think they can attack our kids—we’ll show ’em!”
Killing words ringing in my ears. I fled back through the swamp, running for the den as fast as I could go.
My legs seemed to get tangled up in every root, tripped by every mud hole. I could hear the Legwalkers behind me. They were slow, but the sniffing dog was leading them straight for the den.
My breath whistled in my lungs. I ran faster.
Finally the clearing was in sight. I crouched in the bushes outside the clearing and looked back.
The Legwalkers were stumbling through the underbrush, grunting with effort and annoyance. They were close but they weren’t in sight yet.
I dashed across the clearing and dove into the den.
They were all there, huddled deep inside. The wolf family that had raised me, protected me, given me a home when no one wanted me. I was gasping for breath so hard I couldn’t make a sound. Wolfmother made a welcoming noise in her throat and put a reassuring paw on my head. Sharpfang made room for me to squeeze in beside him.
They thought the hunters had frightened me! I barked, shaking my head vigorously, trying to warn them of the danger. But wolves didn’t have the sounds for everything I needed to explain. I barked for danger and flight and ran at the entrance again and again until Thornclaw began to get annoyed.
The rest of them looked at me with sad, uncomprehending eyes. All they saw was poor dumb Gruff who didn’t know when to stay silent and lay low.
Time was running out.
The Legwalker hunters were getting closer and closer.
“Grrraaaw,” I growled harder, making the sounds for terrible danger.
Wolfmother put her paw on my head again, pressing down like she did when she wanted the cubs to lie still.
I was frantic. In minutes the Legwalkers would be here with their guns and the wolves would be trapped.
I pointed over my shoulder. “Woof,” I said, trying to imitate the dog. “Woof.”
Sharpfang bared his teeth to me, a warning to be silent.
There was only one thing left to do. The Leg-walkers were almost at the clearing.
I grabbed the cubs and snatched them out from behind Wolfmother. I lunged for the opening of the den. Now Wolfmother would have to follow.
But Thornclaw leaped across the floor. Before I could push the cubs out, he silently grasped my neck in his mouth.
This was going to hurt, I thought, closing my eyes. He might even rip my throat out, though he wouldn’t mean to, of course.
But there was no more time to reason with them. I braced myself.
Chapter 37
“YELP!”
That wasn’t me!
The wolves jumped to attention, ears quivering.
Thornclaw let go of my neck. The cubs squirmed free and scrambled behind Wolf-mother.
“Hang it, Roy, you stepped right on Lady’s tail,” I heard Mike say furiously, only yards away. “That’s torn it for sure. Now they know we’re here.”
“I say we rush ’em now, guns blazing,” said a third voice.
“Yeah!”
A gray blur swept past me. Sharpfang burst out of the den, growling ferociously.
CRACK!
“There he goes! Get him!”
Sharpfang bounded across the clearing and disappeared into the swamp.
Thornclaw dashed to the door of the den. He stood there, growling and showing his teeth, making himself a target.
CRACK!
Thornclaw sprang for the trees, heading in the opposite direction Sharpfang had taken.
“I see him!”
The Legwalkers split up, going after Sharp-fang and Thornclaw into the swamp.
I looked over my shoulder into the depths of the den. Wolfmother was trying to drag Leaper and Snapjaw out, but the cubs were terrified and struggling. All their lives they’d been taught that the den was the world’s one safe place. And now when real danger came for the first time, Wolfmother was trying to make them leave. They scrabbled at the wall as if they could hide inside it.
I reached out, grabbed the cubs, and hauled them after me, scrambling for the opening of the den.
Footsteps pounded
