by Kyrii Rayne
That meant that she absolutely had to find Gray and get him out of town, today. Her heart ached as she thought of it. Jake was still on the road and probably would be until past dawn. She wished with everything she had that she could somehow conjure him to her side, right that moment, to calm and protect her, and help her figure out what to do.
In the end, though, her head turned, and her gaze fell on that one tract house with the backyard snow full of dog paw prints. An idea started forming in her mind. It was daring, it was crazy, but it also made sense in ways she could barely explain to herself. Graypaw was drawn to this woman. If she went up into the woods looking for him in Anna's company, maybe they could end this quickly.
Praying that she was making the right choice, she headed down to the street. The rifle shot had caused a few windows to light up in the row of houses, but the woman's house was still lit up generally on the bottom level. Anna walked to her front door and rang the doorbell, unsurprised when barks erupted in ragged chorus on the other side of the door.
The woman who opened it was on the small side, but athletic-looking, with pale blonde hair past her shoulders and inquisitive blue eyes. She looked very young, maybe nineteen, but her expression was calm and serious. She restrained the two Huskies, who wagged frantically.
She was still in her jeans, but she had pulled off her boots and was wandering around in purple socks. She looked at Anna just a touch warily and glanced behind her to make sure she was alone.
“Everything okay out here?”
Her smile was supposed to be polite but felt tiny and awkward on her face.
“Hi, sorry, but um... no. Everything isn't. My name's Anna Moretti. I know this is going to sound weird, but I... I need your help.”
Chapter 10 - Leaps of Faith
Jake and Darrin got into town around breakfast, and it smelled like every cafe and grill in town was calling their names as bear-sized appetites denied too long made their stomachs growl. But Jake couldn't think of that. He had been apart from Anna for too long. She had sounded so stressed out when he had spoken to her over the phone, and when she had said that Mark had become involved, he knew that things were about to go from bad to worse.
He respected Mark, but he also knew that the man was driven by a rage that kept swelling past his control the further things went. It was as if he had gotten even more into a vendetta against the Lodge, the more time he had to think about what he had gone through. Or maybe the whole affair had gelled with whatever wartime traumas had driven him to the streets after his tours. Jake had no idea. He just knew that the soldier was getting closer and closer in mentality to the shifter hunters he had been warned about since childhood.
Now, according to the quick phone call with Anna, he had just fired on Gray in a residential neighborhood. Anything could have happened. Mark had insisted that he was trying to protect the locals from a man-eater, and Jake could understand his point of view given his experiences, but... Mark was wrong.
Most of the danger from Graypaw these days came from when he was attacked or otherwise rendered sufficiently upset. And Mark had just upset him.
“So, what's the play?” Darrin asked as they drove the Jeep he kept stashed in town toward the hotel where Helga was getting ready to join them.
“It's a Hail Mary if ever there was one, man.” Jake sighed as he lounged in the Jeep's passenger seat, glad to not be running. He might have superhuman endurance, and might already be recovering from his run, but he was absolutely sick of it. He didn't even feel like being in bear form for a while. “Anna got stranded up there after Mark shot Gray, and then took off in a huff when she yelled at him. Turns out that housing project is where the woman with the scent Gray was following lives.”
“The ranger?”
“Ranger trainee. Her name's Julia. Fortunately, she has a high tolerance for weird or we'd be screwed.”
Darrin puffed out his cheeks.
“Holy crap. Okay, so what did Anna tell her?
“Gray's developmentally disabled, he lives in the area and he's run away. He's hiding, but he has a crush on Julia and is more likely to come out if she helps us search.”
Jake's tone held some uncertainty. He knew Anna had been stuck finding a solution by the seat of her pants, and he had to admire the gutsiness of what she had come up with. But if it went wrong....
He winced, imagining how Gray would react to a broken heart. Violence toward himself, toward others, or perhaps simply fleeing into the wilderness, hiding in his animal form and refusing to interact with anyone.
We have to just trust that won't happen.
“Okay, so let me get this straight. She's actually willing to go out with us and look for the guy? Is she just super trusting, or—”
“Julia's apparently a cute little badass, according to Anna. There's not much that scares her, especially not Anna. I mean, you know my girl, she pretty much has 'cuddle me' tattooed on her forehead.”
Darrin slowed down to pull into the motel parking lot. It was an aging building of heavy beams, only three stories tall.
“There's Helga over by the door. How badass are we talking?”
“She wants to train for Search and Rescue with the County once she spends some time as a Ranger. Black belt in something or other, shooting experience—”
“In something or other? Any specifics?”
Darrin pulled up at the front entrance, tapping the horn gently. They watched the Bear elder tap across the stones leaning on her staff, and Jake noticed her muffling a cough in her free hand now and again.
Damn, she's really not doing well.
“Some kind of Krav Maga, I think.” Jake jumped out to help Helga into the Jeep, hearing Darrin's low whistle behind him.
“Good morning, gentlemen. I apologize for not being available last night, but I'm afraid trying Mindspeech for so many hours left me with a migraine.” Jake's stomach growled as she clambered into the Jeep, and she chuckled as she settled in. “Perhaps we should do our planning over breakfast?”
“I'd love to, but we have people missing.” Jake replied as he got back into his own seat. “I don't think I can stomach any food until I have both Anna and Gray back.” So strange to admit that. Two months ago, he had fought off an enemy created in one of his father's experiments. Now that enemy was his brother, lost and alone in the forest, and likely hunted by a man who had once been their ally.
“Of course not.” Helga's smile was sadly apologetic. “It seems that Mark has disappointed us after all. But he did not kill Graypaw, and I doubt he will get the opportunity.”
“Graypaw ran instead of getting violent. That's probably a good sign.” Darrin steered them back into traffic again, headed for the housing tract.
Jake sighed through his nose.
“At least this Julia woman is willing to help us look. I don't know how Anna managed to persuade her so fast.”
“If she wants to be Search and Rescue, then it's obvious. She's got a hero complex, and she probably would like the practice.” Darrin squinted off into the mountains, nose twitching. “I just hope this does the trick.”
“So... if I am to understand you, this girl is Graypaw's mate-to-be?” Helga sounded intensely curious.
Jake couldn't help but smile a little.
“That's what his nose is telling him. And apparently he's been sitting on the hill outside her back yard most of the night like a lost dog.”
Helga laughed a little raspily and then coughed again.
“No wonder he ran off like that, the boy's in love! Oh dear. I'm really not certain that he's ready for this, though.”
“I don't think he is either. But if meeting her will make him feel secure enough to come home with us, then I am all for it.” Jake saw the cookie-cutter houses Anna had described up ahead and pointed. “That's gotta be it.” He started peering ahead, looking for his woman — and the woman Gray had come so far to see.
Finally, he saw them ahead, Anna towering over the elfin girl in the parka and
jeans next to her. Darrin pulled up quickly and Jake spilled out of his door in his eagerness to get Anna into his arms. It wasn't that either of them had been in terrible danger this time. But the risk, the tension, they had been enough to make the separation almost unbearable. He hurried to her, feet slipping a little on the slushy street, and she ran forward and buried herself in his arms.
“We should have all come here,” he breathed into her hair. “This was rough on both of us.”
“Yeah.” she whispered into his neck. “But maybe now we can finish this and go home.”
He let her go reluctantly, and stepped back as the others walked up. The blonde girl was looking between the two of them, and Darrin and Helga, her expression a little uncertain.
“Guys, this is Julia, she's with the Parks Department. She's going to help us find Gray.”
“Uh, hey there.” Julia offered an awkward, lopsided smile, then peered at Jake. “So, this kid's your younger brother?”
“Yeah.” Jake scratched the back of his neck and looked around. He noticed Helga squinting a lot, and Darrin's nostrils twitching, but neither looked like they had sensed anything yet. “I know this must seem weird, but we're kind of running out of options. He's out here without a shirt or shoes, and the temperature's dropping.”
He wasn't comfortable with the constant half-truths, but that was what life with humans was like sometimes. He prayed that someday soon he could be completely honest with her, especially if she was destined, somehow, amazingly, to be with his brother.
“Did you call the Sheriffs' Department?”
Her tone was shrewd, and he knew immediately that very little would get past her. That was potentially a very bad sign. He took a deep breath — but it was Darrin that spoke up.
“Made the call, they're dispatched currently on Bear Mountain looking for some lost hikers. Hi. I'm Darrin, I'm one of Gray's tutors.” He gestured to Helga. “Helga is his grandmother, she's raising him. She can brief you on his situation.”
Jake sighed with relief inwardly. Helga smiled warmly and a little sadly, and moved forward to offer her hand.
“Hello, dear,” she said. “This really must seem quite strange to you. But I fear my grandson is a little unusual.” She pointed with her cane up the hillside. “He runs off now and again, and ends up with a chest cold or something else nasty. Usually a friend or one of us can coax him home. But lately all he can talk about is the Dog Lady who works up in the forest.”
Julia laughed a little, blushing slightly.
“Oh, okay. I was wondering who this kid was. I don't actually get out much. How old is he?”
“He's an adolescent.” That was as accurate an explanation as could be given in English, anyway. “He's rather big, but quite gentle. I daresay you'll see him soon if we have any luck.”
Darrin came over to Jake and Anna as they cuddled together, his nostrils twitching. “Guys. I think he's still in the area. Helga probably can't reach him, but Jake, maybe you could. Or at least get a sense of where he is, so we know where to take Julia.”
“Got it.” Jake couldn't let Anna go, so instead he simply closed his eyes and tried to focus.
Graypaw. Graypaw! I'm here, I'm in town with Helga and Darrin. Come back, Gray.
Nothing for a while, and he felt his back teeth start to ache from frustration. But then, slowly, he sensed contact. Up the hill, in the trees just over the ridge.
Gray?
He saw brush move high up the hillside. Then contact came, though faint, fearful and touched with resentment. I'm here. Your friend shot me. Is he gone?
We don't know if he's gone. That's why we want to get out of here with you. Come on. Look — Anna went and talked to the girl you like so much. She's with us now. If you come down, you'll get to meet her.
He could feel his brother's sudden hopeful amazement wash over him with his words.
You... she's with you? She's... she wants to meet me?
She wants to help us get you home safe, Gray. She barely had to be asked. Her name's Julia, Gray. Come back down to us and we'll all go have breakfast together.
Julia.... More hesitation. There is a problem. The angry soldier. Mark. I can still smell him nearby.
Jake stiffened. Anna looked up at him. “What is it?”
“Mark's still around the area. I don't know if he'll be able to catch up to Gray—”
She went pale. “Trail cams. He has the area seeded with trail cams that feed into his laptop, that's how we were able to track Gray here.”
“Uh oh.” He looked to Darrin — but Darrin was smirking.
“Remote trail cams fed to a central system? Please, I'll have it cracked and jack his feeds for my own system in five minutes.” He ran back around to the Jeep and pulled a laptop case from under his seat.
Jake relaxed a little, and Anna sighed relief against his chest.
“I am so glad he's so good at this kind of stuff,” Jake muttered, and she nodded enthusiastically.
Gray, I need you to look around and see if you see any cameras. They'll be small and hidden. If you see any I need you to get away from them. Find a place where there are no cameras.
There was a long pause. Helga was still talking quietly with Julia, telling her about Gray, how he was big for his age and very shy, and how they couldn't keep shoes on him. Julia was nodding and smiling, seeming to relax in Helga's homey presence. Jake hoped she would trust them still when what came out of the woods wasn't a reedy teen but a mountain of muscle half again his size.
Gray's reply came slowly. There are many cameras. I will start breaking them.
That's really going to piss him off. Be careful. He's a very good shot.
I remember. Please come. There is a clearing. Bring Julia. I will come down with you but he is between you and me. He won't hurt you... but he wants to shoot me.
Jake shook his head as the contact broke. “Okay guys. The hillside he usually heads up to, when he runs, is there.” He pointed in the direction he had sensed. “I figure we go straight up to the hilltop where we can see everything. He's kind of hard to miss.”
Darrin was clattering away at a laptop keyboard, his smirk widening. “Just give me two minutes and I'll get us a direction.”
“What's he doing?” Julia peered at the screen over Darrin's shoulder.
“Trail cams. He heads for the same place so often that I seeded the woods up here so we'd know where to look.” The lie came so smoothly from Darrin's lips that it scared Jake a little. A beep, then another. “Okay, and I've got it!” He shot Jake a wink.
Jake hid a smirk in Anna's hair. Somewhere up the hill Mark was probably swearing and fiddling with his laptop. “Okay, let's go then.”
The hike up the hill went slowly, Helga puffing and leaning on her cane. They all clustered near her, even Julia giving her a look of concern now and again. “Sorry, Ma'am, but should you be out in this?” she asked finally.
“I'm a bit tougher than I look, my dear. But more importantly, this is my grandson. I only have one so far—” She gave Jake and Anna a meaningful glance and Anna let out a little embarrassed laugh, “—and he needs my help now. And that's the bottom line. I shall rest up later. Preferably over a very large breakfast.”
“Yeah, I heard that!” Julia kept at her elbow the whole way as they worked their way up the hill.
Jake and Anna walked hand in hand, both of them keeping a wary eye out for Mark. It was alarming how easily such a big man managed to camouflage himself even in thin winter cover. “What do we do if he starts shooting?” Anna asked him worriedly as they walked.
“We cluster around Gray and walk him the hell out of here. If he wants to shoot down a man in front of witnesses, including one who isn't in the Lodge, he'll still fire. But I don't think he'll be willing to risk shooting someone he knows in the head for a chance at Gray.”
“I hope you're right.”
At the top of the hill stood a little clearing, like a bald patch. They made for it gradually, Jake itching
between his shoulder blades as he watched Darrin trail behind with his laptop, while Helga limped along with Julia. Somewhere out there was Gray — and somewhere out there was Mark, determined to kill him. They had to coax his brother out... but in doing so they would make him a target.
Jake and Anna got to the clearing first. We're up at the clearing. Where are you?
He followed you. I'm watching. Gray's mental tone was wary and grave.
Jake looked around worriedly, cursing under his breath. Where could Mark be in this mess of denuded trees and snow? He shouldn't have any cover at all. But then again, if a giant grizzly-man could hide up here....
A gasp and a scream down the hill drew their attention. Jake turned and looked — and saw that Mark had come out of the brush downhill from them and now had his pistol aimed at Helga and Julia. “God damn it, Mark!” he yelled, breaking into a run down the hill. Behind him, Anna cursed in horror and then ran to follow him.
Chapter 11: Julia
Anna ran back down and saw Julia standing between Mark and Helga, a look of determination on her young face.
“Now I don't know what the hell you think you are doing,” she snapped, eyes locked with the soldier's, “But whatever it is, you can't shoot all of us before we jump you.”
“Yeah, what she said.” Darrin had his pistol out and pointed it at Mark's back. “I'm sorry about this one, man, but you're dead wrong on this issue. You need to stand down.”
“Nah, I don't think so. Your angle's screwed up, Little Bear. If you miss me, you'll hit them.” Mark smirked, and Jake saw Darrin's aim waver. He then raised his voice. “You come out of the woods now, you damn monster. I've got the woman you're targeting and your Grandma both. You come out and maybe nobody gets shot.”
Anna drew up next to Jake, who stood with his hands flexing in rage, the muscles in his arms bunching.
“Damn it, Mark—” she started, but he shook his head furiously.
