Page 38 of The Wolf I Sworn To Hate

I just don’t know what condition we’ll find him in.The thought made Sean walk even faster, following Edward’s scent when his prints became obscured.

They had walked at least four miles when Sean stopped dead in his tracks. Edward was in the middle of a pond. He had fallen through the center and his head was barely above the ice.

Xyla started to run toward him, but Sean stopped her. “You’ll just fall through, too. I’ll get him.”

She looked at him, her eyes wide with terror, and slowly nodded.

Sean started to undress. “You have to trust me,” he said, and then shifted into his wolf form.

Padding carefully and slowly toward the center of the lake, Sean winced internally every time he heard the ice crack. As cold as the temperatures had been, the lake should have been frozen solid. Apparently, just the top of the lake had frozen.

Finally, he got to Edward. “You’re going to be okay,” he said telepathically.

Edward looked at him without speaking. His eyes were glazed over and his lips were blue.

Sean laid down flat on the ice and shifted. He sucked in a huge breath as his body was instantly frozen by the ice. Sean grabbed Edward’s arms and slowly pulled him out of the hole.

“Don’t move,” Sean said.

Edward didn’t respond. He just laid on the ice. Sean shifted back into his wolf form and grabbed ahold of Edward’s coat, slowly, carefully, walking back toward the shore.

Xyla reached out for her brother, pulling him onto the bank. Sean shook the moisture off, shifted, and quickly dressed.

“Xyla. Sean.” Edward’s voice trembled and was very weak. He shook uncontrollably and his teeth chattered.

The sun had set and the temperature had dropped drastically. “We’ll never make it back to the resort tonight.” Edward wouldn’t survive the trip tonight. He surveyed the area and found a small cave on the side of the mountain.

He picked Edward up and started walking. When they reached the small opening, Sean carefully put Edward down and said, “Wait here.”

Sean went into the cave, scanning it, making sure it wasn’t already occupied by four-legged creatures that might object totheir presence or consider the three humans as dinner delivery. Satisfied that it was empty, he went back and carried Edward in.

Rummaging through the pack he brought, he found an emergency blanket. “Put that on him. I’ll be back.”

Sean found enough wood to start a fire and keep it going for a while and then returned to the cave. Xyla was sitting against the wall, holding her brother close to her. Both of them were shivering.

He put some smaller twigs on the ground and made a sort of teepee with the larger branches. “I do know how to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, but I much prefer this method.” Sean pulled a sandwich baggie out of his bag full of cotton balls that had been soaked in alcohol and put them on top of the twigs. Then, he fished a box of waterproof matches out of his bag, lit one, and dropped it onto the twigs. The fire started immediately.

Xyla scooted closer to the fire, holding her brother.

Sean pulled off Edward’s shoes and socks. “Help me undress him. His clothes are wet and freezing.”

As soon as the boy was undressed, Sean took off his coat and wrapped it around Edward and then wrapped the emergency blanket around him. Sean found some parachute cord in his bag and tied it to a couple stalactites that grew down from the cave ceiling. He hung Edward’s clothes on them.

“Thank you,” Edward whispered and touched his sister’s face. “I knew you would find me.”

“It was Sean who found you and pulled your tail from the pond. We will have a long conversation about this later, young man.”

Edward nodded and then closed his eyes.

“Edward, wake up. Please, wake up.”

His eyes fluttered open.

“You have to stay awake for us, okay, Buddy? I’m going to shift because my fur and body heat will help warm you, so don’t be scared.”

“I-I’m n-n-ot s-scared. You s-s-saved m-me.”

Sean nodded. “After I shift, wrap the both of us up in the blanket. It would help if you and I sandwiched him between us, so we can share our body heat. Keep him talking. He needs to stay awake until he’s warmed.”

---