“That’s right, a wolf man,” he said. “Sure it’s a werewolf, like you four are, but it’s also a totally wild animal. It hasn’t been part man for more than a few days and it doesn’t know right from wrong. That thing out there is a wolf that’s suddenly become a man. Just last week, it was hunting down a little girl to feed itself and its pack. This week, it’s still that same animal, only now it’s bigger, stronger, and smarter. It’s capable of doing just about anything, and there’s nothing in its head or its heart that will stop it from killing—either for food or to defend itself. Worst of all, we’re the only people trying to stop it…” (The ranger gestured to everyone in the kitchen, then pointed in the direction of Redstone.) “…while there are hundreds of people in town that just want to shoot it dead.”

“But they won’t be able to kill it without silver bullets,” offered Noble. They all knew a werewolf could be hurt by a regular gunshot, but not killed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if some people are brushing a bit of silver paint on their bullets, or making shotgun shells packed with bits of silver, just to be safe,” the ranger added.

No one said a word. Even Phyllis paused in the middle of her phone conversation.

“What if…” Tora said, breaking the silence. “What if what happened at Mr. Ilson’s was an isolated incident? What if the…the wolf man has led his pack away from the area, now that they’ve had a meal?”

Argus shook his head. “That’s not going to happen. The pack was starving, might still be starving. If they’ve found an easy source of food, they’re not going anywhere until the spring, and even then they might not leave.”

“So what are we going to do?” Harlan asked.

The ranger shrugged. “There’s not a lot we can do right now. I’m hoping we might be able to communicate with the wolf man somehow, or maybe you four can talk to it.” The tone in his voice said that even he felt these were longshots.

“We’re not so good at howling,” said Noble.

“We can do it,” Argus said. “But we really don’t know what we’re saying.”

“If anything,” Harlan added.

“It was just a thought.” The ranger shrugged. “In the meantime, I’ll be setting a few traps. Maybe there’s a chance we can catch it and take it farther north.”

“Hey, take it from me,” Tora said, with a smile. “Werewolves can be trapped.”

“That’s right,” said Noble. “Maybe even the wolf man can be trapped.”

At that moment Phyllis hung up the phone. The look on her face said that she had some news to share.