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I’ve urged her to take the lead so I can get a read on her trail skills. She’s a few feet ahead of me when she pauses. “Wolfie, stop!”
I give my head a shake. “My call name is Wolf.”
She smiles over her shoulder. “You gave me the stuffie. You know I named him after you, Wolfie.”
“You use that in front of anyone on the team and I will tan your hide.”
She turns back to the trail, but I swear I hear her whisper, “Promises, promises.”
A few feet further on she squats down to point to the side of the trail. “Aren’t these wolf tracks?”
“Very good. How many?”
“Three, maybe four.”
I point to a smaller print. “Probably a breeding pair with one or two pups.”
She stands and stares into the distance. “I hope they know to stay in Oregon. Montana sucks right now.”
“If we run across them, you can warn them.”
We’re walking the line between my private property and the national forest as I do almost every day. This is where I cross over to make sure there has been no activity around the pair of drop offs and dangerous trails that run parallel to my land. Although quite a distance from the better-known trails, there’s occasionally the intrepid hiker or hunter who thinks they can outsmart mother nature. But our mountain is always cracking, shifting and changing, and you better damn well know what you’re doing before you head out. It’s why visitors are advised to stay on the marked trails.
I take the lead, pointing out different spots where caution is important.
Suddenly, the crack of a rifle splits the air followed by shouts and a scream. Fuck!
“Stay behind me and follow in my steps.”
CHAPTER 9
Juni
I’m excited and scared at the same time. Micha is all business as we make our way through the woods via a shortcut only he knows. Knowing his military training and what Dad said about Micha being able to follow the sound of gunfire like a wolf tracks smells, he probably knows exactly where we’re going.
He slows, holding up his hand to halt me with the military gesture he and Dad taught me as a kid. Then he tells me to stay with another signal. When I nod, he gives me a tense smile. Then he’s gone.
Trying to see through the branches I drop to a crouch. One, maybe two guys in hunters’ camo are standing near what looks like a pile of rocks. Micha approaches from the side behind them. He must say something because they both spin toward him. One is agitated and pointing to the rocks the other keeps studying his feet.
Micha turns and looks in my direction then whistles. Funny how quickly I remember the survival games he and Dad played with me when I was young. Not surprising, since they were always larger than life to a young girl. I loved and doted on them both.
As I approach, I recognize two of the guys from the dinner. Micha has taken his pack off and is retrieving his rope and pulleys. He looks up at me. “We’ve got a situation. Man over the edge is stuck in rocks. May have a broken leg and arm. I’ll go over and secure him to the pulley system and get him loose.”
She grabs the second line. “I’ve studied the procedure to manage the belay line, but I haven’t done it.”
He smiles. “You’re already light years ahead of these guys. Monitor the ropes and let me know if you notice anything. I’ll call out instructions as I go.
He taps his ear. “I’m online but we can’t wait for backup. We need to move.” He nods toward the west where dark storm clouds are rolling quickly in. “Back-up will meet us as soon as they can.”
He finished hooking up his gear and guides me to the position he want me to takes as he’s talking to whoever is on the line. One of the hikers walks over to peer over the edge.
“Get the fuck back,” Micha growls, staring intensely at the two guys from the diner. The guy staggers back hands raised in surrender. “Stay put and out of the way. Do not move unless she says so. She’s in charge. Do exactly what she tells you.”
Then he glances at me, winks and repels backward.
The guy he warned off looks my way as if debating my importance. Keeping my attention on Micha, I speak loud enough for both hikers to hear me. “Careful. His bullshit meter has a very limited range, and you are already sitting right on the edge of it.”
Once we have the injured man secured at the top of the ridge, I assist Micha back up. A light snow has started to fall. Micah has the guy secured in his portable gurney and we’re halfway down the official trail by the time the dispatched SAR team arrives.
