The ranger left the safety of the house and took two steps out into the yard.

The werewolf did not move.

The ranger took two more steps and suddenly they were less than ten feet apart.

The werewolf nudged the head of the wolf in its arms with its snout. The wolf responded with a slight jerk of its head.

“It’s still alive!” Tora shouted.

The ranger moved forward slowly, motioning with his hands for the werewolf to put the wolf down.

Somehow the animal understood. It knelt down, first on one knee, then the other. Gently it placed the fallen wolf onto the grass.

Ranger Brock slowly approached, placing a hand on the wolf’s neck to check for a pulse. Then he took several of the cloth strips from around his neck and tied off the wolf’s leg to stop the bleeding.

Turning back to face the house, he said, “Call Doctor Katz.”

Noble turned around and saw that Phyllis was already on the phone. “He says he’s having dinner at the moment,” she said.

“You tell him, I don’t care if he’s at the table with the queen, he’s got to get here NOW!” said the ranger.

Phyllis repeated the ranger’s instructions, then hung up. “He’s on his way,” she said.

“Good,” Ranger Brock said. He put a hand on the wolf’s head and petted the animal comfortingly. With any luck, the doctor would be there in ten or fifteen minutes.

Noble went to the door. “What will we do when he gets here?” he asked.

The ranger looked from the wolf lying on the ground to the werewolf kneeling on the grass before him. “All right,” he said. “Argus, Noble, and Harlan, give me a hand moving the wolf into the garage. Phyllis and Tora, spread a few blankets over the hood of the car…And when the doctor gets here, make sure he comes straight into the garage.”

Noble and his brothers went out into the yard.

Seeing them, the silver-gray werewolf crawled backward to the edge of the yard, until it was crouched next to a big cedar and half-hidden by a stand of saplings.

“On three,” said the ranger.

The pack moved into position around the wolf.

“One.”

Noble firmed his grip around the wolf’s neck.

“Two.”

The wolf was a limp thing in his hands, as if all of the life had been drained from its being.

“Three.”

All four of them lifted together, and Noble was surprised at how much of a deadweight the wolf was.

They walked in unison into the garage and placed the animal down on top of the car. A few seconds passed before they all took a breath.

“Do you think it will live?” Argus asked.