Hunter's Moon

Two: Nadia

I ran harder than I had for any cross-country meet I'd ever been to, not even bothering to care about the twigs and branches that scraped at my hair and face. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the images of the morning out of my mind—Nancy Dryvers' body broken and twisted into weird angles, Riley falling, the black wolf that dove down after her...

He'd appeared out of nowhere. One second, Riley was steps away from solid ground, and the next, the wolf had emerged from the forest. His growl was loud and deep enough for me to hear across the chasm below us, and when Riley turned to look and feel, he didn't hesitate to lunge after her.

Heat licked along the lines of my body, trailing down to swirl and gather in my gut. Thunder boomed in the sky above, and when I glanced up I saw the storm clouds rolling over the tops of the surrounding mountains. I ran harder, ignoring the tightness in my chest and the heat in my belly.

It had taken us an hour to get to the narrow path, but I made it back to the trailhead in about twenty minutes. As soon as I reached the Beast, I threw myself behind the wheel and reached for the radio on the floor between the seats, switching the channel before raising the mouthpiece to my lips.

"Dad!" I exclaimed. "Dad, this is a 9-1-1! Pick up the radio, dammit!"

The radio crackled, then a second later he responded. "Nadia, this is the last time I'm telling you, stay off police channels!"

"Dad!" I urged. "I have a possible 187, followed up with a 10-53 and maybe a 10-54! Right now I don't care! Riley is probably—" I choked, slapping a hand over my mouth in hopes I didn't throw up. I couldn't even think about...

Luckily, cop talk got right through to him, and he didn't hesitate in responding. "Where are you guys?"

"Up on West Mountain," I whimpered, turning in my seat to stare up at the ominous peak. "Please hurry—there's a monster out there."

~ ~ ~

"She... She should be right here!" I exclaimed, hands flying to my hair to grab strands of it as I felt control slipping away. My gaze traveled up, staring at the nearly flat rock face of the mountain that Riley and I were on earlier. I'd watched as she lost balance and fell, and the last I saw of her was her body hitting the trees. After that, she disappeared into the early-morning fog.

"You're sure you guys were up there?" Dad asked, his Sheriff's badge glinting in a ray of sunlight that stabbed through the clouds. He gazed at the ledge above us, raising an arm to block the sun from his eyes.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "She lost her balance and fell, and she should be around here somewhere!"

I turned away, head whipping back and forth as I searched for my best friend. Before I could take off, Dad grabbed my arm and held me in place as he said, "N, I believe you. We'll find—"

"I got something!" One of the deputies, Anderson, called out. Dad and I took off in his direction, but I slowed to a stop when I saw the blood soaking the earth, with Riley nowhere in sight. Anderson was kneeling next to the bloodstain while his K-9, Yuki, stood beside him in an alert position. Despite her training, the Belgian Malinois' hackles were raised, fur sticking out in every direction along her back and neck. While my dad and Anderson observed the ground, Yuki's head turned slowly, eyes scanning the area while a growl rumbled from her chest, through the earth, and into my feet.

Anderson held up a hand, and my stomach lurched into my throat when I saw the silver chain, complete with two rings glinting in the sunlight. Thunder grumbled as the dark clouds settled back in above us, promising a storm later in the day.

"Okay," Dad murmured, using his professional Sheriff's voice. "Let's call Search and Rescue, and volunteers if we need it. Nadia..." He turned to me, but I couldn't take my eyes off the chain as Anderson slipped it into an evidence bag. "Take me to this possible homicide."