So they were going to need their guns for this, that was all. Hopefully Eli would come quietly. Two people with guns should be enough to stop even a large wolf, but Misty didn’t want to chance it.
They crept up close, behind the shed. Misty caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye: there was Eli. He was moving a box from the shed to his truck. As he turned his back, Misty motioned to Gene, and came forward in a couple of quick strides, her gun out.
“Eli Haversham, this is the sheriff! Put your hands above your head!”
Eli froze for the barest of seconds—
And then, in a blur of movement, he was shifting, hurling himself forward.
Misty had been right. This day was only going to get worse.
***
Ty
Ty had forgotten what the scenery around Glacier National Park was truly like.
Thick, dense forests led up to rocky mountain peaks, the stark beauty stretching out in all directions. Fall had hit hard up here, unlike back in LA, where it
was still in the eighties. There was a crisp bite to the air, and the leaves had turned yellow, orange, and brilliant red. And just a bit higher in elevation, Ty could see where snowfall had already begun.
His jaguar was yearning to stop the car, get out, and run. Ty had to remind them both sternly that they were meeting up with Carlos, Nate, Ken, Cal, and Colonel Hanes—and all of their mates—and there wasn’t time to gallivant around the countryside.
But he was looking forward to doing some exploration. Soon.
He was reviewing the mental map he’d memorized of the area—some Marine skills really did come in handy, even twenty years later—trying to figure out if the turnoff was still coming or if he’d driven past it without realizing, when he heard the gunshot.
Another Marine instinct kicked in immediately. Ty pulled the car off onto the shoulder, killed the engine, ducked down under the windows’ sight lines, and listened carefully.
Another shot. Just behind him, and away from the road.
For just a moment, Ty hesitated. Was it smart to get involved in some local conflict on his vacation? He had no backup, no knowledge of the terrain, and no idea what he was getting into.
But he wasn’t about to let someone get shot and just drive on by.
He slipped out of the car, closing the door silently behind him, and made his way quickly and carefully through the forest by the side of the road.
Another gunshot. Close this time, and loud. Ty made a tactical decision: he shifted.
His jaguar form was much better able to move invisibly through a forested environment, and also had the advantage of coming with built-in weapons, which was one thing Ty hadn’t thought to pack for his relaxing vacation.
It wasn’t long before his enhanced shifted vision caught sight of the fight.
An older man lay on the ground, motionless, wearing a law enforcement uniform. Not dead—Ty could hear him breathing—but in a bad way. Standing just in front of him, feet planted, was a woman with a sheriff’s badge, pointing a gun at a big gray wolf who was bleeding freely from a wound in its flank, but who didn’t look like it was ready to surrender.
Sure enough, as Ty approached, the woman shouted, “Eli, surrender and come quietly! I don’t want to shoot you again.”
The wolf snarled, gathering itself to leap.
The woman took a deep breath, centering herself to shoot. She clearly wasn’t going to run, even though there was absolutely no guarantee she was going to be able to stop the wolf before it hit her, not with a handgun like that. And if he went for her throat—
No, Ty’s jaguar snarled.
No, Ty agreed, and sprang out from the underbrush to flank the woman.
She spun immediately, pointing her gun at him, and he took the opportunity to come forward so he was between the woman and the wolf.
The wolf, who was suddenly much less sure he wanted to attack.