At the base of those mountains, they stopped and unpacked a thick-shelled tent from the sled behind the snow machine, then built it near a grove of trees that kept the harsh west wind off them. Link gathered wood for a fire and cooked ham and beans that Vera had sent with them. And when they’d warmed and filled their bellies, they cleared everything out of the sled, checked their rifles, and headed off. If they were lucky enough, the caribou would still be in the valleys, digging in the snow and eating any of the dry grasses they could find. The mountains looked snowy and the clouds above them gray, so if they were going to have a successful hunt here, the animals had to be in the right place at the right time.
Link turned his head this way and that, his nostrils flaring slightly as he scented the shifting wind. Nicole was nervous and shaky, but that was nothing compared to the feeling that washed over her when Link pulled the snow machine to a stop and put his finger over his lips.
He cut the engine and leaned near to her ear. “They’re close. I want you to wait here and be ready with your rifle, and mine as a back up.”
“Wait, where will you be?”
Link pulled off his sunglasses to expose his white, blazing eyes. “I’ll be bringing them to you.”
“Whoa, I’m taking the shot? Link, I’ve never taken big game. What if I miss?” Pressure slammed down on her shoulders, and her hands began to shake worse. She would definitely miss now.
“Then you miss, and we hope they stick around long enough to try again in the morning. Remember what we talked about. Three breaths, hold still, take a shot like we practiced on the target, and only if the animal is still and you have a clean angle on it. Go for the biggest with no yearlings on them. Pick a solo animal.”
“But if you bring them here, won’t they be running?”
Link gave her a sly grin. “I’ll bring them in slow. Be ready. Oh, and Nicole?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t shoot me.”
Chapter Fourteen
She’d done it.
Nicole rubbed her hands together in front of the fire and stared at the sled lined with cooling bags of meat. Link said they could take a roast to Clotilda on their way back to thank her for maintaining the trap line and could spare some for all three of the Silver families as well, but that wasn’t why her stomach was fluttering with pride right now. She’d made a respectful shot, dropped her animal as Wolf chased down his own, and then she’d said a prayer over its body to thank it for the life that would aid in her survival. She’d never felt like doing that over the hamburger she bought from the store.
It felt important that she’d been a part of this instead of relying on her money to buy protein.
The fire crackled and smoked in front of her, the warmth battling the stark chill in the air. They were short on firewood so Link had left half an hour ago to look for more. He would be back any minute now, and a trill of excitement filled her stomach at seeing him again. The nerves of the hunt were through, and now they would spend the entire night here in the tent together before they drove back tomorrow morning. They would have an entire night of Link feeling good and of Wolf feeling sated before he took another shot of the McCall Reset tomorrow.
Movement on the other side of the sled captured her attention, and she grinned as Wolf trotted up and sat in the snow.
“Hi, Wolf,” she greeted him, so happy that he was back.
He canted his head and stared, but his eyes were off. They were greenish gray and a different shape, and they were much harder than Link’s. The gray tint in his fur was just a slight shade lighter, and he looked smaller. Acute fear froze her into place.
That wasn’t Wolf.
“Oh, my gosh,” she whispered. “You can have the meat.” That’s what it was after. The scent must’ve drawn it in.
The wolf’s eyes narrowed, and his lips curled slowly over his teeth as he laid his ears back. Long, white dagger-like teeth contrasted against the dark coloring of his wet lips, and as he let off a soft growl, frozen breath blew from his muzzle.
Her breath trembled, and her entire body began to shake as adrenaline dumped into her system. She shot a glance to the rifle leaning against the snow machine, halfway between her and the wolf. Too far, and she would have to get closer to the snarling predator to reach it. Shit.
Moving slowly, she gripped the last log sitting by the fire. The wolf leapt over the snow machine and charged. With a grunt, Nicole swung the log as hard as she could upward and caught the animal under the jaw the instant before its teeth touched her jacket. With a yelp, the animal went sideways and skidded across the snow as she bolted for the rifle. Please be loaded!
She could hear the wolf inching closer, scrabbling for traction in the snow behind her, a desperate growl in its throat to reach her. Skidding on her knees in the snow, she snatched the rifle, twisted, and landed with her back against the snow machine. Clicking the safety off, she screamed as the wolf jumped at her. Boom!