“We have to hide.” She fell into the driver’s seat, started the BOW, and shot away from the Wolfgard Complex. Sam whined and Skippy arrooed, which started the rest of the pups howling.

“Quiet! We have to be quiet!” Where to go? Where could they hide from an enemy who could do...

Meg swallowed hard and drove blindly and recklessly along the dirt trails that were barely wide enough for even a vehicle as small as the BOW. She glanced in the side mirror once and saw Wolves chasing the BOW. But not the Wolf she needed to see.

“Simon,” she whispered.

Then the trail ended at a dip in the land. She drove the BOW into the dip, bouncing on the way down. Flinging the driver’s side door open, she tumbled out of the BOW and ran to the back to open that door. As the rest of the pups and Skippy leaped out of the back, she grabbed Sam, who was more than a double armful now, and staggered a few steps away from the BOW.

Shaking, she sank to the ground and held on to him. Had to hide because she’d seen...

Her stomach rose, and she threw up over both of them.

•••

Simon sniffed around the Wolfgard Complex. Where was Meg? Where were the other Wolves?

<The pack went this way,> Nathan said. <And Meg. Simon... she’s still bleeding. There are drops of blood on the road.>

<Uncle Simon! Uncle Simon!>

<Sam!>

<Help! Meg is sick!>

Simon lifted his muzzle, intending to howl. If the other Wolves had followed Meg, their reply would help him pinpoint where she was in the Courtyard. But he stopped before the sound rose. Why were the other Wolves silent? Why wasn’t Sam howling?

He and Nathan followed the road, running toward the Hawkgard part of the Courtyard. They had to find Meg. There weren’t that many roads in the Courtyard that could accommodate a vehicle, even one as small as a BOW.

<Over here!> Jenni Crowgard flew toward him. <Our Meg is over here!>

<There’s no road over there, just a wide trail the ponies and deer use,> Nathan said.

Jenni flew over their heads, back the way she’d come.

When he reached the spot, he raced down the incline. How had Meg gotten the BOW down there? And how were they going to get it out?

<Meg!> He slowed down to avoid stepping on the pups who were sufficiently scared now that they wouldn’t move far enough away from Meg to receive protection from Jane or the nanny. The rest of the adult Wolves remained on the incline in a protective circle, with Blair and Nathan at the top keeping watch.

Sam gave him a pathetic look. <Meg puked on me!>

<She’s sick, pup. She’s really sick.>