Sabrina swelled with pride. Her sister was right. She was good at tracking. "Thanks," Sabrina said as she pointed toward a row of trees. "He went that way."
The girls held hands and continued through the woods. It dawned on Sabrina that this was what Puck must have done when he was stalking them during escape training. He used their environment against the girls, finding the little clues their feet and bodies left behind. With a keen eye, the woods could become like a road map leading them to their destination.
It wasn't long before they found another set of Mr. Canis's footprints that led to a churning brook. There his trail ended. Sabrina studied the banks of the stream and searched the trees but saw nothing.
"What now?"
"Close your eyes," Sabrina told her sister. "He told us to use all our senses."
She stood quietly, trying to sort through the noises around her: the bubbling water, the creaky branches swaying in the breeze, a bird chirping high in the trees. And then she heard it: A twig snapped in the brush nearby.
"He's in there," Sabrina said, pulling her sister along. They pushed through the bushes, even getting on their hands and knees to crawl through. It wasn't easy and the girls were filthy, but that was the least of their worries. Without warning the gray sky had filled with dark clouds and a storm swirled above. A crack of thunder shook the trees and bolts of lightning burst out of a black hole in the sky. It looked just like the storm that had occurred when the odd men had attacked Baba Yaga, and the one on the night Sabrina had imagined Uncle Jake's death.
"Maybe we should call it a day," Sabrina said as she examined the troubling storm. She turned to crawl back the way they came. Once through the bushes, she struggled to her feet and helped her sister do the same.
"Mr. Canis!" Daphne shouted. "We're going home!"
"A storm is coming!" Sabrina shouted. "Can you hear us, Mr. Canis?"
"I don't know if Canis can hear you," a growling voice said from within the bushes, "but I certainly can."
Sabrina studied the brush, trying to find the source of the strange, yet familiar voice. She heard rough laughter that seemed to come at them from all sides. Finally she spotted a pair of eyes peering back at her, and then a monstrous figure pushed forward, uprooting an unfortunate tree that was in its way. When the creature was out in the open, Sabrina nearly screamed. Standing before her was a wolf as big as a grizzly bear, though it stood on its two back legs like a man. It snarled and snapped at Sabrina as it looked over the girls curiously.
"The Wolf," Daphne gasped.
The girls stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Sabrina's mind was reeling. What had happened to cause Mr. Canis to lose control of himself? Why had he let the Big Bad Wolf loose?
The Wolf stomped forward, shoving its snout into Daphne's face and blasting her with a foul spray.
"Don't try to run, girlie!" the Wolf said as he snatched Daphne by her coat and lifted her off the ground. "You'll just build up my appetite."
Sabrina was terrified, but she couldn't let her sister be hurt. She leaped to her feet and rushed at the Wolf with her fists clenched. She was met with a painful backhand that sent her slamming into the ground. Her shoulder fell hard on a stone. She cried out and forced herself to stand. Her arm didn't feel broken, but the pain was excruciating. She knew fighting was pointless.
The Wolf is too big and strong, but I have to do something.
She spotted a sharp black rock on the ground, snatched it up, aimed, and flung it as hard as she could. It hit the Wolf and bounced off his chest like she had tossed a peanut at him.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" He laughed.
"No!" a voice said from behind Sabrina. "But I bet this will!"
A flaming rocket blasted past Sabrina and hit the Wolf squarely in the chest. He howled and fell backward, releasing Daphne, who tumbled to the ground. Sabrina rushed to her sister's side and dragged her away, then turned to find out who had saved them. Two women were standing behind her. One was tall and fierce with long blond hair and a deadly looking sword in her hands, as well as an array of weapons strapped around her waist and legs, including daggers, grenades, and a whip. The other woman had dark brown hair and wore a long trench coat that had hundreds of extra pockets sewn into it. It looked just like Uncle Jake's coat. The brown-haired woman was also adorned with necklaces and jeweled rings, one of which was glowing. Her expression was stern and serious, like hardened steel. She was beautiful, but her face was marred by a horrible scar.
"You're not going to touch them, mutt," the blond woman said, waving her sword in the air.
"Or someone is going to get fixed," the woman in the coat added.
The Wolf clambered to his feet and eyed the women. "Back off. These are my kills!"