Hope pushed to her feet. She could run fast now. She could run to the communications cabin and call the Trailblazer. She remembered the number. She would call because the danger would strike somewhere else before it came to Sweetwater. So she would call, and then she would find her friends and they would run and hide.

She stumbled out of the Wolfgard cabin, almost fell down the steps.

Caw!

One of the Ravengard, watching her.

No time to explain. Not until she had sent the warning.

Hope dashed between the cabins that made up the terra indigene settlement until she reached the dirt road. Then she ran as fast as she could to the communications cabin, chased by the image of a drawing full of death.

•••

Joe Wolfgard scratched on Tolya’s motel room door, then turned away and listened to the howl of Wolves in the distance.

The Song of Battle.

<What’s wrong?> he demanded.

<Humans!> came the answer. <They’re shooting our bison again! They’re killing our meat!>

<Wait! They can shoot you too!>

But the pack’s hunters and guards, enraged by more wanton slaughter, didn’t listen.

Tolya opened the door. “Joe?”

<Humans are killing bison again.>

“In daylight? When we can recognize them?” Suspicion in Tolya’s voice.

The humans had been careful so far. They had stayed inside vehicles so the Wolves couldn’t pick up their scents. But Tolya was right—humans wouldn’t reveal themselves unless they were doing something else that was sneaky.

<I have to stop the pack.>

“Go. I’ll keep an eye on the humans here.”

Joe raced in the direction of the pack and wondered if he had missed some new sign that humans were turning rabid.

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 31

Firesday, Juin 22

Hearing Nathan’s growl and Jake’s scolding caws, Meg rushed to the front counter to find out what was wrong. Then her mouth fell open as she stared at Robert, Sarah, and Lizzy playing with a large ball in the delivery area—a place where a large delivery truck, pulling in fast, could hit them. A place that was not a playground. They knew that.

“Robert!” Lizzy shouted. “Grr Bear says we’re not supposed to play out here! We’re supposed to play out back!”

Meg gasped and grabbed the counter as a painful buzz filled her abdomen and lower back. When she heard the creak of someone moving around upstairs, the buzz faded as quickly as it began, leaving an echo of pain.

“Grr Bear is a poophead!” Robert threw the ball at Lizzy, who swung Grr Bear like a bat and managed to connect with the ball, sending it in a high arc.

“Robert!” Pete Denby shouted from an upstairs window.

Robert froze for a moment at the sound of his father’s voice. Then, seeing the ball arcing over his head, he turned to run after it.