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I transfer my weight to my right foot and slide the left one back. The alpha hunkers down, nose brushing the snow. It takes a slow step forward.
"Again," the man urges. "I need more space for my shot."
I snap my head around. "Your shot?"
My sudden movement triggers the wolf.
The alpha leaps.
A shot rings out.
I scream.
A painful yelp sounds, and then the alpha lands in a heap at my feet with a whimper. Its forepaws scrabble at the air.
A blur of tawny gray springs from my left. Another shot rings out, followed by a pained yelp and another hard landing.
"I told you not to move!”
I cast around, searching for the man, but find nothing. At my feet, the alpha whimpers. Its forepaws scrabble at the snow until it takes a final, shuddering breath.
The three remaining wolves look uncertain; their cohesion destroyed. I think they’ll make a run for it.
Couldn’t be more wrong.
The wolves attack.
I stumble back beneath an onslaught of fur, teeth, and claws. More gunshots split the air. Wolves cry out, whimper, and fall dead at my feet.
"You killed them!" I scream. "Why did you kill them?"
Where the hell is he? And why can’t I see him?
I peer into a landscape of white on white and see nothing recognizable.
“To save your life,” he says. “What the hell are you doing out here anyway?” Dressed in shades of white and gray, I barely pick out the man’s form from the background.
He’s massive.
Tall and broad-shouldered, his winter gear protects him from the cold. The tops of his gloves are pulled back, freeing his fingers which grip the deadly rifle.
I tuck my hands under my armpits seeking warmth. My fingertips tingle with the cold and what I hope isn't the beginning of frostbite. The thin cotton of my socks provides little protection from the plunging temperatures.
A hood casts his face in shadow. White and gray fabric covers most of his face. Beneath the hood, a pair of thick goggles hide his eyes.
Heavy boots encase his feet. Mid-calf, fabric gathers halfway above and below his boots. I’ve seen those before. Called gaiters, they’re designed to wrap around the shins and cover the opening between a person’s pants and their shoes.
They keep snow out of boots.
Wish I had some of those.
"Did you have to kill them?"
He wiped out the entire pack. I loathe guns and hate violence of any sort, especially against animals, but if he hadn’t been here… I’m not going to think about what might have happened.
"Those vermin are a menace, not to mention what would’ve happened to you.”
“Vermin? They’re endangered. You took out the whole pack.”
