"Hold it right there!" A figure holding a weapon stepped up behind the men.
"Who the hell are you?" the short man asked.
"I'm Stephanie Shane. It's illegal to hunt wolves in the wild. They're still an endangered species, and under the protection of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service."
"Hell, we know that," the tall man grumbled. "What are you doing here?"
"I work for a privately funded wildlife research and rescue organization," she answered. "We received a report that wolves have migrated to this area. I'm here to verify the rumors, possibly pave the way for a documentary. I just finished setting up my campsite when I heard the shooting."
"Documentary?" The man scratched his head. "We don't know anything about a movie?"
"A documentary is not the same thing as a movie," the woman interrupted. "And if you don't lower your weapons and leave right now, I'll call in the authorities."
Chuckling, the tall man said, "Report away. Hugh here is the sheriff."
The woman's eyes widened. She turned toward the man wearing the shiny object on his shirt. "You're Hugh Fielding? Didn't you get my fax a couple of months ago? I told you I'd be coming to the area for research?"
"I got it," the man interrupted. "And if you'll recall, I didn't send you one back giving you permission to intrude on our area."
She straightened. "I don't need your permission, Sheriff. The fax was merely a courtesy."
The wolf tried to rise. Fresh pain stabbed through his back leg. He knew that the change drew nearer?felt a sense of urgency to escape. The animal feared death, but the man inside of him feared a greater danger: exposure.
"Lower your weapons and leave," the woman instructed. "Otherwise, you leave me no choice but to report your actions."
The shiny man sighed. "The wolves are killing livestock. They've become a menace to the community."
"And as a law enforcement officer, you should know the proper procedure to follow when wolves are killing livestock," the woman countered.
"Hell, by the time Hugh wades through all that red tape, half our sheep herds could be wiped out," the short man complained.
"So you've taken the matter into your own hands?"
"That's about the short and long of it, ma'am."
"Well, the short and long of it right now, Sheriff, is that you're not killing this wolf, or any other wolf while I'm here. Back off or I'll have this place crawling with wildlife defendants in a matter of hours."
The wolf watched the exchange curiously. The female was smaller than the men, weaker, yet he sensed hesitation from the men to confront her.
"All right," the shiny man said. "We won't shoot the wolf. But I can't leave you alone out here with an injured animal. That wolf would just as soon tear your throat out as look at you."
Lifting her weapon, the woman said, "I have this. I know how to use it, and how to conduct myself in the company of wolves. Leave so I can take a look at him. See what kind of damage you and your friends have done."
"She's freakin' nuts," the tall man muttered.
The man with the shiny star swore, but said, "Okay, it's your neck, lady. It'll be daylight soon. If you turn up dead, anyone I should contact? Friends? Family?"
For a moment, the wolf sensed a shift in the woman's tough demeanor. A sadness oozed from her and licked at his own festering wounds.
"No," she whispered. "There's no one." She straightened again. "Even if there were, you'd have no reason to contact them. I'm a big girl, Sheriff. Good night."
After casting the woman a skeptical glance, the shiny man and the others stomped off into the brush. The wolf knew his odds had just improved. He could take the woman down, easily rip her throat out, but the man in him fought the battle. Which would win out, he had no way of knowing. Nor would he remember what unforgivable deeds he had committed beneath the cover of darkness when the sun rose. If morning dawned for him.
Stephanie Shane lowered the gun. She breathed a small sigh of relief when the men disappeared. Turning back to the wolf, she realized she'd never seen one as large, or as beautiful. Wounded and frightened, he would be dangerous. In order to examine him, she'd have to tranquilize the animal. First, she'd try to soothe him with the sound of her voice, convince him she was not a threat.