Page 3 of Cree & Dawn and the Wolf

A clap. Was that a clap?

“DAWN!” he called out again and listened.

She would answer him if she could. That meant she may have been injured in the fall and lay unconscious somewhere, making her easy prey for the wolves. If he kept calling out to her thewolves would hear and follow the sound. But what choice did he have? And why hadn’t Dylan or any of his men heard him? Were they that far of a distance from them that none of them heard him call out?

He eased off his horse, keeping the animal calm with a soft voice, and holding tight to his reins. “We go slow to find her, my friend.”

Cree shuffled along the ground, keeping the horse behind him to follow in his tracks to avoid trampling his wife and praying he would bump into her.

“Dawn!” he called out, though not as loud as before and stopped when he thought he heard a sound, a movement. He listened, praying he would hear something, but again he was met with silence. He tried again. “Dawn!”

A sound! He was sure he heard a sound this time—a rustle of leaves.

If she had been hurt, she could be just regaining consciousness and was probably disoriented. His heart pounded against his chest with hope, yet fearful she could be hurt and unable to alert him to her whereabouts.

“Dawn!” he cried out more strongly, hoping his voice would break through her hazy mind if she had been left disoriented. Another rustle? It was faint, so he called out again. “Dawn! Clap if you hear me.”

His worry grew when a soft clap sounded. She had to be seriously hurt, if she could not produce a strong clap.

“Keep clapping so I can find you, Dawn,” he called out, angry at himself for not stopping sooner and waiting out the heavy mist. But there would be time later to chastise himself for a foolish decision. Right now, he needed to find his wife.

He heard another clap and concentrated on where the sound came from, the mist making it difficult to determine thelocation. He shuffled along the ground slowly and when another clap did not follow, he called out to her again.

“Keep clapping, Dawn, I can find you if you keep clapping,” he encouraged.

The clap sounded again, no stronger than before, though not weaker either and he listened. He thought to turn, but something warned him against it and when the clap came again, he pressed ahead, sounding like it was somewhere in front of him.

Another clap sounded but this one was followed by a growl that sounded far too close to the clap and fear tightened his muscles. He would tear a wolf apart with his bare hands if one should dare touch his wife.

A weak clap sounded, and he feared Dawn might be losing consciousness again, and when a growl followed again, Cree hurried his steps forward.

“DAWN!” he shouted.

He barely heard the clap, and he felt a stab to his heart knowing his wife was fighting to reach out to him. Never again. Never again would he go anywhere without Beast. The large dog would have found her by now, but then if he had secured the rope around her and him, he would never have lost her to the fog. It was his fault, and he cursed himself for his foolishness.

A strong growl echoed through the mist and Cree followed it, knowing the wolf was probably prowling near his wife. He pulled his dagger from the sheath at his belt, ready to take the beast down.

Suddenly, snarls and barks filled the air as if the wolves were fighting amongst themselves. Had one of the wolves laid claim to Dawn and the others objected? He had to reach her. He had to chase the wolves and keep them from not only Dawn but himself and his horse or neither of them would survive.

A nasty growl tore through the mist followed by several whimpering whines. Whoever the pack leader was, he was powerful and had made the others aware of it. But Cree was an alpha as well and like the wolf, he protected what belonged to him and Dawn belonged to him.

A soft clap sounded, and it was not far off. A few more steps at most and that was when he spotted the green eyes glowing through the mist. There had to be at least four pairs. That meant four wolves. It would be difficult to defend against four wolves but not impossible if he got to the pack leader first.

His stallion snorted and tugged at the reins, anxiously.

Cree calmed the horse with soothing yet firm commands while keeping hold of the reins and the animal reluctantly obeyed.

A steady growl drew Cree’s eyes, and he knew he gazed upon the pack leader. The wolf stepped forward, emerging enough from the mist for Cree to see him. His mouth was drawn back, his fangs bared, and saliva dripped from them. He was all black and large, like no wolf Cree had ever seen before, a majestic creature displaying his power and his fearlessness. He would not be an easy foe to fight, and with his pack with him, victory did not look promising, but defeat had never stopped Cree from entering a fray and victory was always his to claim.

The wolf kept a low growl and cast a quick glance down and that’s when Cree saw that the animal stood right over Dawn’s head.

“She’s mine. She belongs to me. I love her and will fight to the death for her,” Cree said, the wolf’s intense green eyes so human, he thought the creature might understand him.

The wolf tossed his head up and howled and the other wolves began to back away. Then he looked once again at Cree, his fangs bared, and growled, then he slowly stepped back, disappearing into the thick mist.

Cree hurried to his wife’s side while keeping a tight hold of his horse’s reins and dropped down beside her, trying to determine what injuries she suffered, the fog making it difficult.

“I am here, Dawn. Wake up. You must wake up,” he urged, anxious to get her on the horse and away from here, away from the wolves, in case the pack leader changed his mind.

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