Page 5 of Twisted Howlidays

“Thank you. We sure love it. Our territory covers the entire valley and the mountain ranges on both sides. My only rule that you stay within Twisted Tail territory. As my guest, your safety is my obligation and my honor. As long as you are on our lands, we have the wolves and resources to help you out if you find yourself in a tight spot.”

“Thank you, I don’t think it will be a problem. I just hope the tip was good, about the grizzly bears. I’m working against a deadline.”

“Oh, there are bears for sure. Especially on the slopes,” Calder replied.

“Is there a place that I can find a room for rent?”

“For rent?” Daisy clucked her tongue. “Don’t even worry about it. We have plenty of room here. In fact, there is the small guest cottage right behind the house that you can use while you’re here. That way you can come and go as you like.”

“Absolutely. If you need anything, you just have to ask.” Calder added.

“Wow, that’s really nice of you both. Thank you. I expect most days I’ll be scouting the slopes and hopefully tracking bears.”

“Let’s get you settled in,” Daisy said, walking her out to the little guest cottage cabin

* * *

Ryan gunned his engine, not thinking twice about looking both ways at the remote crossroads in the middle of the damn forest. Why bother? He was more likely to get hit by lightning than see another vehicle out there at the same time as him.

The second he crossed into the normally quiet intersection, his wolf yelped when a flash of sunlight glimmered in the chrome grill of the Jeep bearing down on him. “Holy fuck!”

Instinctively, he hit the brake. Fortunately, the oncoming Jeep did as well. He could barely make out the driver— a woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and topped with a ballcap. The Jeep was still too far away to see if it was anyone he recognized. But he did see the second she looked up with her phone in her hand.

“Really! She was on her phone! That’s the reason she almost killed us! Some people can’t put the damn things down, even when driving.”

“You trying to kill us both? Put that damn phone down!” he shouted as he floored the accelerator.

His wolf whimpered. “Bullshit. But…I wish I could have gotten a better whiff of her scent. There might be something there, I think.”

“Calm down, horn dog. We were too far away and both inside our vehicles. It’s impossible to pick up any scent from that. Besides, she’s probably just some lost tree-hugging tourist. Didn’t you see all that gear stuffed into that Jeep?”

Ryan continued down the road, quickly arriving at Calder’s house.

“Ryan, thanks for stopping by on short notice. Like I said on the phone, I just need you to open up the old hunting cabin up on the south slope. Make sure it’s stocked with food and firewood and ready for the winter just in case anyone in trouble needs a place to hole up if needed.”

“Not a problem, Calder. I’ll take care of it. Hey, speaking of lost souls, I nearly got creamed by some tree hugger back at the crossroads. You might want to keep your eyes open before she runs you over too,” Ryan said.

Before he pulled away, he spotted Daisy carrying fresh bedding to the guest cottage located behind the main house.

“Shit! I bet that tree hugger is Calder and Daisy’s guest.”

“And you had to make a smart-ass comment. Way to go. Open mouth, insert paw.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“Wake up! Come on. We need to run.”

“We will! But not until we get to the forest. I want to set up this blind and a couple of trail cameras, then we’ll run. I promise.”

Kendra had already pulled up some maps on her phone and identified prime grizzly bear territory. With her backpack loaded up, she drove to the head of a trail and made her first trek into the forest.

A mountain stream cascaded over ice-covered boulders, cutting a bubbling ribbon through the white snow. “Oh my God. It’s so beautiful here.” She set up a motion-activated trail camera, hoping to pick up some bear activity in the coming days. She could easily access those cameras from her phone, and it helped her to zero in on the best places to set up her blind. To make sure she wouldn’t scare off any visiting bears, she sprayed her cameras with scent block.

After identifying two additional suitable locations for cameras, she was as eager as her wolf to run free and explore the vast wilderness she found herself in.

“Ready?”

“Born ready.” Her wolf leaped forward, easily transforming her human form into a beautiful blue-eyed, wolf. Glancing at her reflection in the creek, she admired her gray coat with white and tan highlights. Jumping over the creek, she darted through the tall pines and deep snow.

---