* * *

As I entered the new campsite, I couldn't hold back a grin when I saw a straight stick leaning against a rock.

"You got me a new walking stick!" I exclaimed as I dismounted.

Shane snorted in good humor as he added more wood to the tiny fire, once more in his human form. "It only seemed fair after I broke your last one."

I lifted the saddlebags off Milly's saddle and asked, "What happened after I left?"

"The bear charged, and I whacked it across the nose with the spear. A swipe from its paw broke it, but the bear had no interest in me after that. Sorry I didn't find it before you did."

I shrugged. "It isn't possible to find every possible danger, and you arrived in good time."

He didn't argue against that logic, but he also didn't seem happy with himself for failing to find the bear first.

Changing the topic, I said, "I have just enough flour for two small wraps tomorrow, but after that, we're relying on your hunting and foraging skills. I'd prefer to save the trail bars in case we need them."

"I'll see what I can find, but don't expect anything we can turn into flour. Not much grows this far up the mountain sides, and most nuts or grains would have rotted in all the rain."

"Those thin tubers you find are pretty good in soup. I can try mashing and frying them, but I think they have to be dried and ground into flour before we could turn them into bread."

"That sounds like more work than it's worth. It's probably just easier to stick with soup."

A distant rumble of thunder added its own weight to Shane's argument.

"True, and it'd be nearly impossible to dry anything with all the rain we keep getting."

After replacing Milly's reins with a lead line, I patted her neck and left her to graze. I tucked her saddle and my gear into the lean-to, and after a glance at the building clouds, I gathered more sticks and branches to add to our shelter.

There weren't any fallen leaves to add on top of the branches, so I added numerous layers of coniferous boughs, angled so the needles would direct the rain away from us. By the time Shane said the soup was ready, I had expanded and improved our lean-to.

He regarded the giant pile of branches as he ate, eventually commenting, "I presume you aren't looking forward to the rain?"

"There's nothing like raindrops on your face to wake you up. It was also a good way to pass the time, although it'll be a pain to dismantle and scatter before we leave."

"Once I finish eating, I'll take a quick run up the mountain to check on the next valley. Between the flooding and them thinking we're in this valley, it might be better if we cross back over. We aren't quite close enough to get into the third valley at the end of this one, but spending a night in the other valley might shake them off our trail."

"If it makes us harder to find, I'm all for it. Could we drop false leads? Would it be possible for you to sneak to the other side of the valley and make a smoky campfire there?"

He considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "Someone would probably spot me during the day. As a wolf, my sense of smell and hearing give me an edge, but as you saw, even an archer covered in deer piss can evade detection if they're sitting in a tree. Right now, they don't know where we are, so it's better for us to slip into another valley undetected."

"Yeah, it's not worth the risk of you getting shot just for a decoy. How many camps are in the valley now?"

"It's hard to see the fires through the trees since the flooding forced them onto the slopes, but there's at least five, three of which are on this end of the valley."

"The other valley is sounding better and better all the time..."

He chuckled and stood up. "That's what I've been thinking. I'll go take a look. I might be able to see more from higher up."

"Stay safe."

With a nod, he removed his necklace. This time, the shimmering took longer, letting me get a good look at the light shimmering across his skin. The green was vibrant, like new grass. The orange glowed just as bright, but there was something ominous about the hue. I couldn't see any details past the light, just a sense of movement or change.

The shimmering disappeared, but instead of Shane appearing in his werewolf form, he stood on all fours as an oversized wolf.

I blinked at him, then realization sunk in. "Oh, that's why the shimmering lasted twice as long. You figured out how to double shift?"

He wolf-grinned at me and gave a proud bark. Turning around, he trotted into the bushes, heading uphill. I washed the two bowls and cutlery, although that didn't take long.

Thunder rumbled again, much closer now. As I watched the storm approach, dim rays of sunshine started to filter into the valley, only to be quickly blocked by the dark clouds. With a sigh, I put the pot and dishes in my saddlebags before the rain arrived.

I pulled my rain cloak around myself and organized the lean-to, pushing my bedroll to the side and spreading out Milly's saddle blanket for whenever Shane returned. I sat on my bedroll and leaned against the side wall with my cloak wrapped around me like a warm embrace.

Watching the storm clouds was hypnotic, and I was just about to lay down when a long, drawn-out howl came from higher up the mountain. It instantly had me on my feet. After several days spent with wolf-Shane, I'd gotten fairly good at picking out the tone in the noises he made, and every part of this call conveyed a warning of danger.

After a quick look-about to ensure no one was in sight, I scooped up Milly's tack and ran over to her. I'd never saddled anything so fast in my life, and even Milly tossed her head, detecting the urgency.

Tossing the saddlebags over her back without bothering to secure them first, I quickly led her uphill and away from the camp. I kept looking around, trying to spot a good hiding place as well as any company Shane might be trying to warn me about.

I didn't head in the direction of his call – at least one group of fighters would be checking that area – but I went at an angle. Finding a steep deer trail on the edge of a ridge, I quickly led Milly up it as the ground beside us sloped into a vertical drop that attackers wouldn't be able to climb.

Hearing a horse whicker, I led Milly into a thick stand of bushes and scratched her ears for all I was worth. Milly was quite happy for the attention and completely ignored the voices that came from below.

"Tracks are fresh. Don't let 'em get away 'dis time, or the captains will 'ave your hides."

A far more cultured voice said, "The fire's still going. They aren't far, but they know we're here. Blow the horn to call in the others and spread out. Find their most recent trail."

"The wolf howled from above. Might be the werewolf. Should we send a couple up searching?"

"Send two, but I doubt they'll find anything. Some of the branches in the fire were added fairly recently, so the woman and the mule are probably nearby. No other travelers would be this far from the roads."

A horn call split the air, making me jump. The excitement in the notes had my stomach twisting and turning. I gritted my teeth and peered up the trail, but there weren't enough bushes to risk moving without the cover of darkness. The clouds completely concealed the morning sun and dimmed the forest, but it wasn't enough to hide me on such an exposed ridge.

Lightning flashed across the sky, echoed by booming thunder. Several horses below whinnied, but even though Milly jumped, she didn't call out. She peered in their direction, but frantic scratches swiftly distracted her.

As thunder continued to grumble, the rain arrived and pounded down on the forest, limiting the visibility. I'd never been so grateful for a downpour. Holding Milly's reins in shaking hands, I jogged up the ridge, hoping the soldiers wouldn't find the base of the narrow trail.