White Fang – 4
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They moved on into the darkness without speaking. Daylight came late, and by mid-afternoon, the light had already faded. The Arctic night settled over the silent land, and the cries began again, closer this time.
The dogs felt it before the men. Their pace wavered, and more than once they strayed toward the very danger they feared before being pulled back.
Bill glanced back. “I could take one, if it came close enough.”
“Three cartridges. That’s all we have,” Henry said. “If you miss, we’re worse off.”
They moved on and soon made camp among the spruce again. The dogs gathered much closer to the fire than before. Even the strongest of them did not dare stray.
Henry bent over the pot while Bill kept his eyes on the trees. When the food was brought out, something moved. Bill swung before he fully saw it. His club struck. A sharp cry followed, and the shape vanished at once.
“What was it?” Henry asked.
“Couldn’t see. Looked like a dog.”
They both looked into the dark, but nothing showed itself again. The eyes returned shortly after — a few at first, then more.
“They’re right here,” Bill said.
They sat without speaking after that. Bill went to sleep while Henry stayed up, watching.
The day broke thin and cold. Bill woke and counted. “Another gone.”
“They took it in the night,” Henry said.
Neither of them looked toward the trees. They ate without speaking, and then set out again.
That evening, the dogs were tied close and kept near the fire. After a time, a shape showed itself at the edge of the firelight. It did not rush in as before, but moved carefully.
“That’s her,” Henry whispered.
The she-wolf stood there, watching. It neither rushed nor withdrew, but held its ground with saint-like patience.
Bill reached for the rifle without taking his eyes off it. Before he could raise it, the animal slipped aside and vanished among the trees.
“She knows,” Henry said.
“They’re like sharks,” Bill said as he settled down. “They won’t leave till they get us.”
“They’ve half got you already… talking like that,” Henry said sharply. “A man’s half beaten when he says he is.”
Bill said nothing. But those words shifted something in him.
Next Part → To Be Continued…