by Candy Rae
CHAPTER 4 (Northern Continent)
Unbeknownst to the thirteen Lind and their twelve human friends in the clearing to the west, Jim Cranston and his fellow hunters had found traces of their passing. It was Laura who found the first clue, a twig broken off a bush beside where Kath Andrews had last been seen. Nearby, the hunters found faint tracks, almost undecipherable due to the heavy rain that continued to fall but Laura’s sharp eyes managed to make out two sets of tracks, one made by a human (the imprint of the leather boots all hunters wore was clearly marked in the mud), the other made by a large four-footed animal. She could see that the animal did not have hooves. The shape imprinted on the wet soil was akin to that of a dog, but if a canine, it was a very large one, very large indeed.
She straightened up from where she had been examining them and looked at the other three.
“I’ve found them!”
Jim, Francis and James looked over.
She pointed at two-footed tracks. “These are Kath’s, of that I am sure.” She moved her head down for a closer look. “The other is a large animal. Just look at the distance between the strides. At least the size of a horse I would guess. There is no sign of a struggle. I think Kath went with the creature willingly.”
“That would bear with what we learned back at the settlement,” said Jim.
James nodded his head in agreement.
“We follow?”
“What do you think?” Jim said witheringly. “Of course we follow.”
Francis added his bit, “Are they wolf prints?”
“I don’t know for sure,” answered Laura, running a hand distractedly through the dark brown curls of her hair, “I’ve never tracked a wolf. I have seen dog prints though and these are similar. They will not be easy to follow. For a large beast, it is very light on its feet, as if it is being very careful about where it is treading. The tracks are all on the lighter soil where an imprint is not so obvious. A clear sign of intelligence, wouldn’t you say?”
Francis nodded. He noticed that Laura’s curls were rather appealing and matched her elfin looks perfectly. They were certainly an improvement on the severe bob that had been the norm for female crew on the ship.
The four lifted their packs on to their shoulders and followed Laura out of the clearing and back into the undergrowth.
The hunt had begun.
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