Chapter 23

A bird. Terrifying. Could be a ghost of some witch. Oh. They could not see it but thought over and over again that they could hear the terrible beating of its wings. They looked up in fear and, not seeing it, faced forward in anger. Their anger became, in fact, a force of great importance, for it drove them into deep silence without protestations, and now only their heaving hot breathing could be heard as they followed the direction of the wind through the low grass and into the woods.

Jim, Alex’s cousin and Healer of the Pack, halted and motioned to the remaining wolves to do as he did, as they stared at the shadow in flight. For a second or two, they stayed there, palpitating, examining the surroundings. For some time now, they had grown more aware of the land around them. Witches territory. Alex was caught by one of them. Damn it!

They stood there, not knowing what else to do. Should they report the incident home, or should they go after the beast? But what would be t