“Will he really kill the pups?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Clint said. “That’s what he does. He kills wolves.”
“But pups?”
“They’ll grow up to be wolves,” Clint reminded her.
Abruptly, Jesse’s horse tossed its head and nickered.
“Somebody’s out there,” she said. “Maybe the wolf?”
“No,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Because if there was a wolf out there, my horse would be letting me know.”
And just at that moment Eclipse made a slight noise.
“But somebody is out there,” Clint said. “Probably men.”
“From town,” she said.
“Or the men who have been following us.”
“You had men followin’ you up here?”
“Yeah, we think they have a beef with Jesse.”
“Why haven’t they tried anything?”
“They’re probably waiting for the right time.”
“And when would that be?”
“When everything is in their favor.”
“So they might be watching us right now?” she asked, looking around.
“If they are,” Clint said, “it’s not a good idea to look around and let them know we know they’re there.”
She turned her head and looked at him. “Sorry.”
“Just keep watching the mouth of the cave,” Clint told her.
“Okay.”
As she turned her head they heard several shots. The echo was so loud, they must have come from inside the cave.
“Get ready,” Clint said, “just in case.”
Evie held her rifle tightly. They both watched the cave entrance, waiting for either Jesse or some wolves to come out.
Finally, Jesse Trapp came walking out, threw down the torch so that the snow snuffed it out, and waved.
THIRTY-THREE
“You think he got that wolf?” Willis asked.
“Maybe,” Cole said.
“Well, he fired some shots.”
“He might’ve found their den,” Cole said, “and shot the pups.”
“Jesus,” Willis said, “why would he do that?”
“Because pups grow up to be wolves, stupid.”
“Yeah, but shootin’ pups?”
Cole looked at Willis. “You can shoot a man, but not some wolf pulps?”
“What’d they ever do to anyone?” Willis asked.
“Jesus,” Cole said. “You’re strange.”
They both looked down at the three people again as Trapp approached the other two.
“What’re they gonna do now?”
“Don’t know,” Cole said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“We can’t just . . . take ’em?”
Cole looked down at the group and said, “We’ll wait and see.”
Jesse came down the slope.
“How many?” Clint asked.
“Three.”
“Pups?” Evie asked.
“Yes, pups.”
She looked down.
“There ain’t another way in or out of that cave that I can see,” he said. “They’ll have to come back this way to get in.”
“They?” she asked.
“There are two, probably mates,” he said.
“Both whites?” she asked.
“That I don’t know,” he said. “We know one is a white because it’s been seen. Don’t know about the other one, but it’s likely a gray.”
“What makes you say that?” she asked.
“All the pups were gray.”
He took a moment to eject the spent shells from his old Navy Colt handgun and then reload.
“Why don’t you get a new gun?” Clint asked.
“This is fine,” Jesse said. “Does the job.”
Jesse’s horse whinnied and shook its head. Jesse didn’t look up, but he said, “Somebody’s out there.”
“Yeah, we figured that out,” Clint said. “Don’t know if it’s man or beast, but I think it’s man.”
“Or men,” Evie said.
Jesse holstered his gun inside his skins again, then looked at Clint.
“What’s next?” Evie asked.
“Well we can hunt for the wolves, or we can wait here for them to come back.”
“Will they come back with us here?” Clint asked. “And with whoever’s out there, watching us?”
“Well,” Jesse said, “I believe I have two minds about that.”
“And what are they?”
“Either they won’t come back because we’re all here,” Jesse said, “or they will come back here because we’re all here.”
“What does that mean?” Evie asked.
“It means,” Clint said, “that they might come back to hunt us.”
“That’s right,” Jesse said. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Jesse decided they should move away from the cave and make camp. Then, one at a time, they would watch the mouth of the cave to see if the wolf returned.
“What if it comes after us in camp?” she asked.
“The fire should keep it out,” Jesse said.
“And what about our scent?” Clint asked. “Won’t that keep it away from the area?”
“Normally, I’d say yes,” Jesse said, “but I think he or his mate will come back to check on those pups. To feed them.”
“So the draw of the pups will make them ignore the danger?” Evie asked.
“I don’t think they’ll ignore anythin’,” Jesse said. “But I do believe one or both of them will return.”
They walked the horses and the mule to a small clearing upwind of the cave, in an attempt to keep their scent to themselves. That done, they tied up the animals and built a fire.
“How we gonna see in the dark?” Evie asked.
“They’ll be enough moonlight,” Jesse said. “Once your eyes are accustomed to the night, you should be able to see a wolf walking up to that cave.”
“And what’ll happen when the wolves see that their pups are dead?”
“They’ll probably mourn,” Jesse said, “and then look for revenge.”
“Wolves look for revenge?” she asked.
“Especially the female,” Jesse said, “once her pups are dead. You’ve hunted wolves, Evie. You should know that.”
She stared across the fire at him, then at Clint.
“I got a confession to make,” she said.
The men both waited.
“I ain’t never hunted for no wolf,” she said. “Biggest thing I ever shot was a deer.”
“Well, what a surprise that is,” Jesse said.
“You knowed that?”
“I figured.”
“Then why’d you take me along?”
“We needed somebody who knew the area,” Jesse said, “and I thought you showed promise.”
Clint studied Jesse Trapp. Sometimes he felt the man was smarter than he let on, and that his accent came and went.
“I’m gonna go keep watch on that cave first,” Jesse said.
“I’ll relieve you in a few hours,” Clint said.
“Okay,” Jesse said, “but if you hear my Sharps, you come a-runnin’. Both of you.”
“Yessir,” Clint said.
“What about the men who are after you?” Evie asked.
Jesse looked at Clint, who just shrugged.
“Well, since you know about them,” Jesse said, “they won’t be able to sneak up on me. I’ll hear ’em. If they want me they’re gonna have to come out in the open.”
“What about me and Clint?”
“Same thing for Clint,” he said. “They’ll try him out in the open. But you . . .”
“Yeah?”
“You better keep your eyes and ears open,” he said, “because they’d probably slit your throat from behind, or kill you in your sleep.”
Jesse blended into the brush and was gone.
“Was he kiddin’?” she asked.
Cole and Willis camped and built a fire. Cole even put on a pot of coffee.
“You don’t think they’ll smell it?”
“They’ll smell their own coffee,” Cole said, chewing on a piece of beef jerky.
“What about the wolf?”
“Yeah, it’ll smell us and stay away.”
“How do you know?” Willis asked. “You ain’t a wolf expert.”
“I know they stay away from men.”
“They didn’t stay away from Shoe and Truett, did they?” Willis asked.
“They wasn’t camped, like we are,” Cole said. “A wolf won’t come near a fire.”
“It better not,” Willis said, putting his hand on his rifle. “I’ll blow its head off.”
Cole handed Willis a cup of coffee.
“Drink that before you freeze to death.”
“We shoulda brought some beans,” Willis complained.
“The beans was with the horse we didn’t find,” Cole said. “Just drink the coffee and keep your eyes open. I’m gonna get some sleep.”
Clint handed Evie a plate of beans, then got some for himself.
“You’re cold,” she said.
“You bet.”
“You should get some skins, like me and Jesse.”
“How about after this I just stay out of Montana?” he asked. “Arizona and California are a lot warmer.”
“Should we bring some beans to Jesse?”
“No,” Clint said, “he’ll have some when I relieve him.”
She ate the beans ravenously.
“Aren’t you tired?” he asked.
“No,” she said, “I’m wide awake. You wanna get some sleep, go ahead. I know you’re a lot older than I am.”
“Yeah, that’s a fact,” he said around a mouthful of beans. “I am that.”
“How old are you, anyway?” she asked.
“Like you said,” he answered, “I’m older than you, but younger than Jesse.”
“Jesse,” she said. “How old is he, do ya think?”
“Now that,” Clint said, “is something I’ve been wondering myself. I just can’t tell.”
THIRTY-FIVE
They decided to let Evie relieve Jesse so he could come to the fire, warm up, and have something to eat. Clint could have slept, but decided not to. He sat at the fire with Jesse and had coffee while Jesse finished the beans.
“You didn’t really shoot the pups, did you?” Clint asked.
Jesse hesitated, then said, “No. But don’t tell Evie.”
“You couldn’t do it, huh?”
“I aimed but I fired above them. They jumped, but didn’t scatter. There’s three of them, like I said. I thought leavin’ them alive might bring the mother and father back.”
“You’re probably right,” Clint said, “but you still couldn’t do it.”
“Shut up.”
“The big white hunter.”
“I’m warnin’ you.”
Clint let it drop.
“What about our friends out there?” Clint said. “Are you still willing to let them make the first move?”
“Sure, why not?”
“I could find them, sneak into their camp—”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because while you’re sneakin’ around in the woods, one of the wolves could get you,” Jesse said. “I’m more concerned with the animals than with the men.”
“Okay,” Clint said. “It’s your hunt.”
“Then get some sleep,” Jesse said. “I’ll be awake a while.”
“Okay,” Clint said, “when you get sleepy let me know. I’ll keep watch.”
“Sure thing.”
Watching the mouth of the cave, Evie saw that Jesse was right. There was plenty of light by the moon for her to see. It was cold, but she was comfortable in her skins. Only her hands, holding her rifle, were cold.
She was glad she had confessed to Clint and Jesse that she’d never killed a wolf. It was better to be with them without the lie hanging over her head.
She thought she heard something, jerked her head around, and listened. If something was moving around out there, it was doing it quietly. She didn’t hear another sound.
But then she thought she saw a shadow.
Cole sat and watched while Willis went to sleep. He wasn’t keeping watch for men as much as he was for a wolf. He wasn’t as confident as he had let Willis believe about the wolves not coming into camp, not after the way Shoemaker and Truett had been killed. He drank his coffee with one hand, held his pistol in his other, and kept his rifle across his knee.
He felt he was ready for anything.
Evie stood up, holding her rifle at the ready. She listened, squinted her eyes, looked toward the mouth of the cave—and saw them.
Both of them.
The white wolf was the largest, therefore she assumed it was the male. He remained outside the cave as the female went in. Apparently he was keeping watch while she checked on the pups.
Evie could have taken a shot, but she was enthralled by the magnificence of the white beast. Also, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the mother, who had gone inside and would soon discover the dead bodies of her pups.
She wondered if she would react the way a human mother would—with screams.
THIRTY-SIX
“He didn’t do it!”
Clint looked at Evie. He had just come to relieve her and send her back to camp.
“What are you talking about?”
“They came back,” she said.
“The wolves?”
She nodded.
“Both of them?”
“Yes,” Evie said. “They went inside. And they didn’t come running out. There was no sound. Surely if the pups were dead we’d know it. The mother would have come runnin’ out, wouldn’t she?”
“Yeah, okay,” Clint said. “He didn’t kill them. He figured if he left them alive the mother and father would come back.”
“And they did,” she said. “They’re inside. Now. I . . . I could’ve taken a shot at the big white. I could see him clearly. But he was too . . . beautiful.”
“I’ll get Jesse,” Clint said.
“But why?”
“Because this is his hunt,” Clint said. “He has to decide what to do next.”
She grabbed his arm as he started away. “Couldn’t we let them go?” she asked. “The whole family of wolves?”
“But would they go?” Clint asked. “They’ve already killed a lot of stock, and two men. What about that, Evie?”
“I know.”
“This is Jesse’s job,” Clint said. “He has to make the decision.”
“All right. You go and get him,” she said. “I’ll stay and watch.”
Clint started away, then stopped and looked back at her.
“No.”
“No . . . what?” she asked.
“I’ll stay,” he said. “You go and fetch Jesse.”
“Why? What do you think I’d do while you were gone?” she asked.
“Something stupid,” he said. “Go.”
Just then they heard it.
Howling.
Cole sat up straight as the howling came to him.
Willis also sat straight up, instantly awake.
“What the hell?” he said.
“A wolf.”
Both men stood up, guns ready.
“Where is it?” Willis asked, looking around.
“Sounds pretty far off,” Cole said.
“Says you,” Willis retorted. “I’m not goin’ back to sleep.”
“Yeah, I’m not goin’ to sleep, either.”
Willis grabbed Cole’s arm. “Come on, Cole,” he said. “Let’s either kill Trapp or get out of here.”
Cole looked at Willis. Maybe he was right. Maybe he should have taken care of this long ago, even in Little Town, instead of waiting. Now there were wolves to deal with.
“Okay,” he
said. “Okay, Dave. We’ll do it tomorrow.”
Jesse heard the howling and came running. He joined Clint and Evie.
“You heard it,” Clint said.
“I think people heard that a long way off.”
“Why is it howling?” Evie asked. “You didn’t kill the pups.”
Jesse looked at Clint.
“I didn’t tell her,” he said. “She figured it out. The two wolves are in the cave.”
“Now?”
Evie nodded.
“They came back. I . . . I couldn’t take a shot.”
“That’s not your job,” Jesse said, hefting his Sharps. “It’s mine.”
“So if the pups aren’t dead, why did it howl?” Evie asked.
“Whether it’s the male or the female,” Jesse said, “it can tell that a human was in the den. They can smell me.”
“So what will they do?”
“They’ll take the pups, abandon the den, and find another one.” Jesse got down on one knee, held his Sharps ready. “And when they come out, I’ll be here.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
Clint and Evie waited with Jesse.
The sun came up.
The wolves did not appear.
“You said there was no other way in or out,” Clint said.
“That I saw,” Jesse said.
“So you’re sayin’ there might be another way out?” Evie said.
“They could have found a way, a tunnel they could fit through.”
“We’ll have to find out for sure,” Clint said. “I’ll go in. If they’re in there, I’ll flush them out. If not, we’ll have to keep hunting.”
“What if they just leave?” Evie asked. “Will you pursue them if they leave the area?”
“I’ve been hired to hunt and kill the white wolf,” Jesse said. “I won’t stop until I’ve done that—and, if he has a pack with him, them, too.”
“But that’s not fair! What did the pups do? And the mother?”
“The mother may have done some killin’, as well as her mate,” Jesse said.
“No!” Evie said. “It’s not fair.”
She turned and ran for the mouth of the cave.
“Evie!” Clint shouted.
Cole and Willis mounted up and rode toward Trapp’s camp. Cole fully intended to kill the man, but when they reached the camp no one was there.
Hunt for the White Wolf Page 9