Their little adventure had been a complete success. They’d been able to overturn two company vehicles, something that Willie—and hopefully the media—would be able to turn into a really big deal. More importantly, no one had gotten hurt; not a member of the pack, and none of the loggers. If someone were injured, even slightly, the whole nature of the standoff would change from a polite protest to armed conflict. There was a chance someone had seen them as they were making their escape, but even that could work in their favor thanks to Willie’s ramblings about awakened spirits in the woods. The protest wasn’t over yet, not by a longshot, but the pack had helped the protesters’ cause immensely. They hoped it would be enough.

As the pack ran through the woods, Argus fell behind. They were heading home and that meant he’d soon be out of the forest and back in the human world. It was a difficult transition for him to make these days, especially after such an exciting night. Argus’s body was still charged with adrenaline, which coursed through him like electricity. How could he possibly change into his human form, slide into bed and sleep the rest of the night?

He wanted to feel Mother Earth beneath his feet. He needed to run and hunt…to feel blood on his talons and taste its bitter sweetness on his tongue.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Argus saw movement in the forest. It was a familiar shape, yet ghostly and eerie in the light and shadows the moon cast upon the forest. He glanced ahead to see if the others had noticed, but he’d been lagging behind for so long that they were no longer in sight. He was alone now and the vision he’d seen before was nearby, so close he could actually feel its presence.

Argus left the path, leaping through the trees to the right and charging through the forest in the direction of the apparition.

* * *

The pack was nearly home when they realized Argus wasn’t with them. They stopped and waited on the path, thinking their bigger brother would be along at any moment, but after several minutes it was obvious that they’d lost him…or he’d gone off on his own somewhere. Either way, Noble was concerned. It wasn’t like Argus to just go without telling them, especially since the last time one of them had ventured off alone Tora had ended up locked in a cage by a mad scientist determined to steal her from the forest. After that, they had vowed to stick together and it was unlike Argus, of all people, to be the first to break that promise.