The truck’s front windshield was the first thing to go. One second the windshield was clear as day, the next it had a crack across it that resembled a lightning bolt. One more second passed and the entire window shattered with a small explosion, frosting over as the glass burst into a thousand tiny shards.

That’s when the light came on inside the office trailer.

“What the hell’s goin’ on out there?” somebody shouted from inside.

Lights in the other trailers came on and doors popped open.

Noble let out an urgent yelp and the three werewolves immediately bolted for the cover of the forest. Noble did his best to change his form as he ran, hoping he could complete the transformation to wolf before any of the loggers could shine a light on them. He was halfway through the change when he saw a beam of light flashing across the trees to his left. With a final leap, he was into the woods, landing on all four of his wolfen legs.

The light continued to sweep the forest, catching trees and bushes behind them and casting scraggly shadows across their bodies. Had they made it into the woods in time? They wouldn’t know that till tomorrow, but Noble had an idea that even if the loggers had caught a glimpse of them changing form, it could still work to their advantage.

They circled around the camp and found Harlan watching over the still-unconscious guard.

Noble changed his form so he could speak. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”

Harlan shifted his shape just enough to answer the question. “Funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I just growled at him and he ran into a tree.”

“We better go,” Noble said, turning to leave. “They’ll be looking for him.”

But before Noble could take a step, Argus put a hand on Noble’s shoulder. “Why the cars?” he asked hoarsely, still in his werewolf form.

Noble turned to face his brother. “Remember what Willie said?”

Argus shook his head.

“He said if the company didn’t move out, the spirits would become angry and their world would be turned upside down.” He paused and cracked a sly smile.

Argus laughed out loud.

The loggers must have heard Argus’ laughter because one of them shouted in their direction, “Over there!”

“We better get out of here!” Noble said, bounding into the woods.

The other three followed.

Behind them, a distant voice said, “Buddy, are you okay?”

Chapter 10

The run home was loose and playful, with each member of the pack taking turns leading the way and the rest picking their spots to nudge one another into trees or nip the hind legs of those in front.