The footprints were fresh and deep in the soggy earth. A cool creek ran not far from the Reid house, and the soil around it was very damp. I didn’t know what to think about Isolda’s words. I left abruptly, and focused on my investigation.

My foot almost fit entirely within one of the prints. There was no doubt there was at least one wolf of Osraighe in the area. The perfectly made tracks led upstream. The cunning wolves laid a trap for anyone stupid enough to follow.

“I knew I saw them!” exclaimed a voice behind me. Weylyn Faolain stood behind me, gawking at the oversized wolf tracks. “See boys, I told you I saw something.”

“It was bound to happen one of these days. You see wolves three times a week.” Two more villagers appeared behind Weylyn. I had never met the two before, but all three carried a longbow and quiver. Arrows without silver tips would do little harm to a werewolf.

“Turn back,” I ordered.

“Please sir knight, take us with you.” The man stood firmly in front of me. “I ran away from these wolves years ago, I don’t want to run anymore.”

“The wolves I’m tracking are not ordinary. The weapons you carry would only annoy a werewolf.” I let the last word linger and hoped fear would sink into the three men before me. Fear crept slowly onto their faces.

“Even so,” Weylyn began. His voice quivered at first, but grew stronger with each word. “Even so, this is our village. The village elder may have no problem letting an outsider risk his life with no help from us, but not me.”

He did have one point. I was alone. An experienced knight could battle a small pack, but I was not so experienced. I had faced one of the creatures during my training, but I was in a group that outnumbered the pack. If I could surprise them, it would be far easier.

“Let us help,” one of the other men said. Fear that had dwarfed their postures moments before was gone.

It would be nice to have them as a distraction, but how could I keep them safe? They had range, but even a normal wolf could close the distance quickly. I looked at the dense forest around me. There was plenty of brush to hide in, but it wouldn’t hide their scent. With all the trees they couldn’t take full advantage of their range. How?

Looking at the trees gave me my answer. A plan began to form. If the Osraighe wolves had set a trap for me, I would use that as a trap for them.

“Will you promise to do as I say?” I asked. All three nodded at once.

We followed the tracks upstream. The level of awareness they maintained was impressive. Their feet floated across the ground without noise. They scanned the forest, always keeping one set of eyes in all directions. When one pair of eyes shifted, the others immediately adjusted to keep all areas covered. The longer I observed their teamwork, the better I thought of our chances.

As we walked I explained my plan. When there was a spot ahead that was a good place for us to be ambushed, the hunters would climb the trees before we got close. Their job was to shoot down at the wolves, and draw some of them away. The men would be safer in the trees where it would be difficult for our attackers to climb.

Should the wolves decide to climb the trees, the hunters would have clear shots at eyes, noses, and other more vulnerable targets. Even without silver arrowheads, the damage would be enough to at least keep some of the pack at bay, and allow me an easier fight.

We set up several times while following the footprints. Anywhere a fallen tree blocked our vision, or where the small valley cut from the creek became narrow, they would climb the trees. Once they were ready, I would go ahead as bait in our trap. My muscles tensed each time, ready to retreat if one of the wolves appeared.

The forest changed from evergreen to autumn regalia with each step deeper into the forest. We must have been getting closer to Glyn’s hut. The healer had placed his hand right over my amulet. If he were one of the wolves I hunted, the silver would have burned him. Could he be in danger?

The mental image of his hand over my chest and his laughter at my expense agitated me. Even though he wasn’t evil, something about him still left me with an uneasy feeling.

Keeper of Wisdom, clear my mind and grant me focus.

Grey clouds dimmed the afternoon sun. Crackles of thunder echoed off the mountains and announced the coming of a storm. Rain would wash the tracks away, erasing my only lead. The creek bent ahead, making it impossible to see if the tracks continued or not.

My signal sent the hunters up another set of trees. They still climbed quickly, despite the wear on their muscles from previous climbs. Branches hid them from a glance, but it would be easy to see them once the arrows started to fall.

Light rain began to drift from its fluffy home. Orange and yellow leaves gathered most of the water, pulling it to the trees. If this wasn’t the place, we would need to turn back. A fight in heavy rain was not a wise idea.

The creek turned, and the trail of prints ended. A small bush across the creek from me began to rustle, causing my hand to reach for the hilt of my blade. Black fur emerged from the bushes. It was just a rabbit.

The small creature hopped out from the bush completely, and made its way toward the creek. Perhaps this wasn’t a trap. The rabbit felt safe enough to come out and drink, there couldn’t be any predators nearby.

But, the rabbit didn’t stop to drink. It hopped over the creek, and continued right toward me. A nearby rock served as its perch, and its beady little eyes looked right at me.

“They are liars,” said the rabbit.