Page 32 of Operation Wolf: Hunter
CHAPTER 16
Hunter
I GRABBED A SHOTGUNfrom the rack by the door and rushed outside, heading for the stables at a dead run. The horse was still screaming, and the others were stomping and neighing in fright. I was confusing the sounds, but beneath all of the equestrian racket, my sensitive ears picked up on the noise of growls and teeth ripping into flesh.
Something’s out there for sure.
I pumped the shotgun and then fired a warning blast in the air. The horse screamed again, and then it was silent before I heard a scampering of paws against dirt. I caught a glimpse of a large creature with shaggy fur dart from the stables before disappearing and running off into the night. The predator in me wanted to chase after the intruder, but the more rational part of me knew I needed to check on the horses.
Grabbing the lantern hanging outside the stable doors, I paused to light it and then held it aloft while cautiously entering the stables. Most of the horses were still in their stalls, stomping nervously, banging against the doors, their terrified whines and snorts putting my beast on edge. I wanted to stop and soothe them, but the stall door at the end was open, and I slowly crept toward it to investigate.
What I found inside made me wince in sympathy. Inside was a roan mare named Twilight, lying on her side and covered in bleeding bite marks and gashes. The ones on her forelegs were deep enough that I could see a hint of bone, and one of those legs was at an odd angle, bone poking through the skin.
“Oh, Twi,” I murmured softly, crouching down to stroke the horse’s mane.
The mare let out what could only be categorized as a whimper, but she seemed to settle down as I caressed her.
“You were so close to finishing your training too. I’m sorry.”
I aimed the shotgun at the horse’s head and then paused as I heard a rush of footsteps outside. My nose told me it was Kia, and a second later, she dashed to my side, bundled up in a robe over her jeans, her face concerned and hair flying every which way.
“Oh my God,” she gasped as she caught sight of Twilight. “What happened to that poor horse? And . . . what are you doing?” Her eyes narrowed on the shotgun in my hand.
I sighed, lowering the weapon so as not to cause her further alarm. “I have to put her out of her misery,” I explained, reaching out and stroking Twilight’s matted hair.
The horse quivered beneath my palm, and my heart ached for her.
“What?” Kia looked horrified. “You . . . can’t just kill that poor animal! How do you know she won’t recover from her injuries? I’m going to call the vet, see if I can get someone down here.”
She started to turn away, but I reached out and lightly squeezed her by the ankle.
“Kia,” I said, my voice low, “first off, calm down and stop yelling. You’re agitating the horses.” I waited until she stilled. “Second of all, come here. I want to show you something.”
Reluctantly, Kia lowered herself into the hay and dirt so that she was kneeling next to the horse and me. I took her hand and placed it on the horse’s left foreleg.
“Do you see anything odd about this?”
Kia was silent for a long moment. “It’s broken,” she finally said in a small voice.
“Yes.” I took a breath. “Even if Twilight manages to survive her other injuries, which is doubtful at this point,” I said, gesturing to the large quantities of blood matting the hay beneath the mare, “this leg will never heal properly. It isn’t just a matter of her being lame. She’ll literally never be able to put any weight on it, and with the amount of mass she has, it just isn’t feasible for her to try to hobble around on three legs. She’d live out the rest of her life in constant pain and misery.”
Tears filled Kia’s eyes. “But . . .”
I laid my hand over Kia’s. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It has to be done.”
Nodding, Kia rose to her feet and fled the stables. I sighed. Then, resigning myself to the task, I pumped the shotgun, aiming at the horse’s head, then fired.
* * *
“I have to say, this is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” Dr. Kensington said as he knelt down in the bloody hay and examined the dead animal in the stall. “A horse being attacked in its own stall. Never heard of such a thing in my entire career, and I’ve been doing this for thirty years.”
I stood just outside the stall, watching the vet bend his salt-and-pepper head over Twilight’s body as he scrutinized her injuries.
“What do you think did this?” I asked.
We were completely alone in the stall. I’d let the horses out before I turned in last night so they wouldn’t have to be around the stench of death, and Kia was still in bed.
“Well, the bites and claw marks are certainly canine in nature,” Dr. Kensington said, “but the jaw length is far too large for a dog or coyote. My best guess would be that it was a wolf . . . but even then, it would have had to be a huge one.” The vet shook his head, finished his examination, and stood up. “I hate to say it, but you did the right thing by ending Twilight’s life. She never would have recovered from that broken leg.”
