sound again, Tobias realized who the boy was and why the dogs hadn’t brought down their prey yet. They weren’t sure what to do with someone who looked human and smelled a little like Panther.
“I’m coming up behind you,” Tobias said quietly, not wanting to break Joshua Painter’s focus and give the dogs an opening to attack. Then loudly, “Hey! Dogs! Get out of here!”
Two of the dogs hesitated. Joshua didn’t turn at the sound of Tobias’s voice, didn’t lose his focus on the largest of the three dogs since that one was still trying to close in.
Tobias raised the rifle.
“Saul’s here too,” Joshua said moments before Tobias heard the angry growl.
Three against three. Two of the dogs ran off. The last dog hesitated a moment longer before turning to run—and Tobias made his choice. He shot the dog as soon as it was clear of everyone else. Then he ran for the livery stable, the pressure on his ribs telling him the threat to livestock wasn’t over.
A split pack of snarling dogs. Panicked horses trying to break out of one of the corrals. A Simple Life man with a pitchfork trying to drive away the dogs without getting trampled. And the buckskin gelding, alone in the other corral and smart enough to know he had no room to run, stood his ground as several dogs moved in.
Working the lever to chamber a new round, Tobias raised his rifle but didn’t have a clear shot. More men shouting, running. More panic among the horses, who could hurt themselves if they broke through the corral.
Then two huge Wolves leaped over the top rail of the buckskin’s corral and charged the dogs. One Wolf grabbed the leg of a dog that turned to run, and Tobias heard the bone snap in those unforgiving jaws. Another dog yelped as the other Wolf grabbed it behind the head and shook it until the neck snapped.
The rest of the dogs turned and ran. The Wolves didn’t pursue them. Instead, they turned to look at the buckskin, who snorted and pawed the ground. The Wolves cocked their heads, then rose on their hind legs and shifted into humans who still had the Wolf pelt covering their shoulders, torso, and backs.
The rest of the horses were bunched at the far end of the other corral. The humans now gathered to watch the standoff between the buckskin and Wolves, hardly daring to breathe.
The wind shifted, bringing the Wolves’ scent to the gelding—a scent that must have meant something to the buckskin, because he relaxed and took a step toward the Wolves.
“We are allies,” Virgil Wolfgard said, the words a little slurred.
Tobias guessed that the Wolf’s mouth wasn’t completely shaped for human speech.
“We are allies,” Kane Wolfgard said.
Wondering if the Wolves knew the buckskin was just a horse and not something like them in some way, Tobias watched the gelding and felt sure the horse would know these two Wolfgard from now on, regardless of their shape.
Satisfied for the moment, Tobias looked around for any sign of Elders before handing the rifle to Truman when his friend joined him. Not that anyone could see an Elder until it was too late, but betterto chance leaving the rifle with someone he trusted than to leave it unattended. “Hold on to that for a moment.”
He ducked between the rails and approached the buckskin. “Easy now, Mel. Easy. You did good.”
The buckskin turned toward him, nudging him as it looked for a treat.
“Don’t have any on me, but you do deserve a treat for being so brave, and I’ll make sure you get one.” With a firm grip on the halter, Tobias led the gelding to the gate. As one of the other men opened it, he said, “Let’s get the rest of the horses into their stalls.”
“Tobias Walker,” Virgil said. “When you are finished with the horses, come to the sheriff’s office. We need to talk.”
“I’ll be there.” Taking the rifle from Truman, he led Mel into the stable.
Since he’d violated one of the town’s strictest rules by carrying a gun, he was certain he wasn’t going to like the topic of discussion.
* * *
* * *
Virgil shifted back to Wolf form, passed the dog whose neck he’d snapped, and went to look at an injured dog lying under the rails at the far end of the corral while Kane followed the scent of the dog with the broken leg. He looked up and watched the Eagle soaring high above the