Huntsman - Morgan Brice Page 0,52

too vast for Liam to think he might stumble upon the Huntsman’s bolt hole.

But the locals might know.

Liam had been on the lookout for other non-shifter foxes since he arrived, figuring that he should introduce himself, although his previous experience with his wild neighbors was somewhat uneven.

In Ithaca, the quasi-domesticated foxes that frequented suburban neighborhoods had reacted to Liam as if he were a savage threat. Those out in the actual forest regarded him with curiosity and a whiff of disdain, as if his dual nature diluted his foxhood, or worse, made him a pet. A few were able to overcome their reservations, and those became good relationships that helped Liam understand missing pieces about the fox side of himself no one had bothered to explain.

From the search party information, Liam knew where the hikers went missing. He bustled around the bungalow, gathering items he thought he might need, trying to predict a variety of possible outcomes. He had hoped that he and Russ could have gone snooping in their fur together, but Russ was going to be sidelined for a while, and the men had already been missing for several days.

Still, it seemed foolhardy to go alone. Liam debated the issue with himself and finally texted Dr. Jeffries, hoping his mentor would understand.

Liam: Want to know if the local foxes have seen anything that might help find those hikers. Going to nose around and see what I can learn. Plan to be back in a few hours. If not, please come looking. I’m leaving my phone with its GPS finder Tile in my car, and I’ll find a way to carry one of the Tiles with me. Here’s how to locate me.

He included the log-in for his app and ended with the coordinates of the trail he intended to explore.

As he pulled out of the driveway, Liam wondered if the police had already tried interviewing the wildlife, since the sheriff was a shifter. Then again, bears tended to intimidate other creatures. Foxes were predators, but the mid-sized and larger animals didn’t perceive them to be the same level of threat as a wolf or a bear. If he got lucky and found a native fox or two, they might be able to answer his questions without the need to try to communicate with any other type of animal.

He parked at the trailhead, surprised to find the lot fairly empty. He reminded himself that since it was mid-afternoon, many hikers might have gotten an early start and already gone home. Liam had plans to eat dinner with Russ at the hospital and fill him in on his news, so he intended to do a little investigating and then head back.

Liam sized up his options for shifting. Although the lot was quiet now, it would be just his luck to leave his clothes beneath his car and come back to find the local teenagers having a kegger. Instead, he slipped behind the primitive restroom at the edge of the lot and stripped quickly, and tucked his rolled-up clothing into a corner where he hoped it would go unnoticed. He took the GPS tracker Tile out of his pocket and placed it on the ground.

He shifted and then sniffed the air, getting his bearings. Liam gently picked up the tracker Tile and hoped that holding it in his mouth wouldn’t completely shut it down. Liam knew the device had a limited range, but it was the best he could do with what he had on hand.

The area wasn’t familiar, but Liam wasn’t afraid of getting lost. The same sensitivity to the earth’s magnetic core that aided his hunting also provided an inborn compass.

One thing that had bothered Liam about the two missing shifter-hikers was that there was no way they just “got lost.” He could well imagine humans losing their way in the vast, rugged Adirondack forest. It wasn’t completely impossible to imagine that the two men might have been injured or killed by a fall, an attack by a wild animal, or even a frightened camper with a gun. But if any of those scenarios had occurred, Liam felt sure the details would have surfaced by now. Everyone spoke well of Sheriff Armel, so he doubted incompetence was the issue.

Finding someone who wanted to be found could be challenging. Finding someone who was actively trying to hide—like the Huntsman—added a whole new level of difficulty.

First, Liam needed to find the foxes. Liam followed his nose, focusing on the musky scent. He