“What happens to your clothes when you turn into an animal?” asked Jim. “Do you still have them when you morph back?”
“I’m not sure what happens to them while we’re in animal form,” I answered. “But when we become human again, we’re wearing the same clothes we had on before we morphed.”
“What about Austin?” Jim leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “You said he turned into a grizzly bear. Does he have any bear traits now?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t seen any.”
Then I remembered something. When Mom wanted a chair moved in the living room, it usually took two of us. Last week Austin had picked up a heavy chair and carried it across the room like it was a box of crackers. That didn’t mean he still had grizzly bear traits, did it? He was probably just growing. Probably.
Chapter Four—Missing Trackers
I watched as Levi and Terry walked down the path toward the Trading Post. Both of them looked worried. Levi had his cell phone next to his ear.
“How long has she been missing?” He listened for a few seconds. “That’s the section of woods where one of my kids saw the cougar. Cougar. Mountain lion. They’re the same animal. Yes, I do believe him. This kid knows animals, and he’s good with tracks.”
The two counselors stopped next to us, and Levi spoke into his phone again. “We’re coming now. I’ll bring Luke with me. Luke Brockway. He can show us exactly where he saw the cat.”
Levi hung up and turned to me. “You’ll need to come with us, Luke. One of the younger campers got separated from her group and is lost. They think she’s somewhere in the woods, maybe in the area where you saw the cougar. Do you think you could find that place again?”
I jumped up from the bench. “Sure. I know right where it is. Can Jim come too?”
We piled into one of the camp Jeeps and drove past the baseball field to the edge of the woods where I’d seen the cougar. Terry parked the Jeep on the side of the road, and we started down the path where the Trackers had been hiking. I led the way, with Jim right behind me and the counselors following.
Levi’s phone rang again. He listened for a few seconds and then asked, “Why do we need the sheriff?” He glanced at Terry, shaking his head, then replaced the phone in a pouch on his belt.
“What was that all about?” asked Terry.
“Now two kids are missing from the Trackers section,” said Levi. “And there’s more bad news. Someone spotted a bear. A grizzly bear. The camp director has called in the county sheriff.”
Terry laughed. “There are no grizzly bears in Michigan. There are black bears up north, but not down here.”
“Yesterday we didn’t think there were cougars in our woods either,” said Levi. “Now we’ve seen the tracks. Who knows what other kind of animal will be around tomorrow?”
Jim and I glanced at each other. I shook my head, feeling sick. I was pretty sure I knew the bear. It had to be Austin, but why would he morph? He’d hated being a bear during our time at the zoo. Neither of us had changed form since the day Dunn Nikowski died in the zoo parking lot. Now the county sheriff had been called in, and he’d be bringing a gun. If my brother was still in the form of a bear, he could get shot. I had to find that bear before anyone else did. To do that, I had to get up high again. From the top of a tree I could scan the woods pretty well.
I raised my hand to signal everyone to stop. Placing one hand on the limb of the tree nearest me, I swung myself up.
“Brockway, get down here before you fall.” Terry glared up at me, hands on his hips.
“Let him be,” Levi muttered. “He knows what he’s doing.”
I climbed higher in the tree, being careful to choose branches that were thick enough to hold me. Finally I was high enough to see the branches of trees about a quarter of a mile away. I narrowed my eyes until my vision changed from human to eagle. It was almost like looking through binoculars. Soon I spotted little bugs crawling along a nearby branch. Three tiny birds peeked out from a nest. They were thin and kind of ugly. I changed focus so I could see a wider area.
I focused on the trees about two hundred yards away, where the Trackers had been hiking today. That was where I’d seen the cougar. Moving my gaze from tree to tree, I watched for the big cat.
Then I saw it. The tawny blond body of the cougar stretched along a limb, its color easily visible among the green and black hues of the trees. It was about six feet long from head to tail and must have weighed about two hundred pounds. The big cat moved slowly, its head down as though it was stalking something tasty on the ground. Then it froze. It stood still as a statue on the limb, about ten feet above the ground. The blond tail flicked, and the huge head bent as if ready to dive.
It happened again, just as it had with the wolves at the zoo. I sensed the animal’s thoughts. Or maybe I sensed its feelings. However it happened, I became aware that the cat was hungry. There was another, more urgent reason she had to hunt. An image of two cougar cubs bloomed into my mind. They were tiny, with black spots on their tan fur. The cougar was female, and she had babies to feed.
I squinted, my eyes following the direction of the cougar’s gaze. My heart skipped a beat! For a few seconds I was so terrified I couldn’t breathe. On the ground beneath the tree was a red-haired girl. Megan! She sat with her back against the tree trunk, staring up at the cougar. She didn’t move or speak. Her mouth was frozen open as though she had tried to scream and couldn’t get it out. The cougar stood on the thick limb above her, staring downward. Its twitching tail went still.
“Megan!” My mouth and throat had gone dry, and the word came out in a squeak. I slid down the tree, my muscles quivering, my skin feeling the prick of scales. The deadly realization had already dawned on me. As an eagle, the cougar would take me. I couldn’t turn Komodo fast enough to help her. Even if I transformed in a nanosecond and ran as fast as a Komodo could, the cougar would reach Megan before I did. I was still almost two hundred yards away. It would take me about half a minute to reach her, but the cougar could reach her in a two-second pounce.
A gigantic brown shape loomed into view on the far side of the baseball field. Its head drew level with the tree limb where the cougar crouched. A grizzly bear! The bear’s paws were raised in a karate strike position. It had to be Austin. There weren’t any grizzlies in Michigan, and definitely no grizzly bears that knew karate.
The strange quivering I’d felt all over my body died away. I took a deep breath to calm myself. The eagle couldn’t help Megan, but the Komodo could. I wouldn’t morph unless I had to, but before I could do anything I had to get closer. Using the Komodo’s speed, I darted from tree to tree, trying to find a good position to help Megan. When I reached a thick maple tree that was close to her, Levi spotted me.
He shouted for me to get back. From where he stood, he could see the bear and probably the cougar, but he couldn’t see Megan on the ground beneath the tree. He didn’t know she was in danger. The cougar could reach her with quick leap from the tree. The grizzly bear was in front of her, only a step away. If it stepped backwards, the seven-hundred-fifty-pound bear would flatten Megan. I had to get her out of there. As soon as the animals moved away, I’d pull her out of the fight area.
The cougar screeched and swiped a paw at the bear. The bear smacked back, hitting the big cat’s shoulder. The cougar flew off the limb and landed several feet from the tree. It rolled over on the ground, then quickly bounced back up on its legs and snarled at the bear. Hunching, the grizzly opened its mouth and growled. Then it moved directly in front of Megan, shielding her from the cougar. I moved closer. I was now only a couple of yards from the tree. As soon as the bear stepped away, I’d grab Megan and pull her to safety.
The cat backed up, but not far enough. The bear smacked it again. The cougar rolled about ten yards before getting back up. The bear followed it, ready for another hit.
I put my arms under Megan and pulled her backwards and away from the tree.
“Ow! With a cry of pain
, Megan clenched one arm against her chest and tried to stand. I pulled her against me, dragging her away from the two fighting animals. When we were far enough away, I gently lowered her to a sitting position. She was breathing hard, and her face was pale and sweaty. She still held one arm close to her body, as if protecting it. I could see a large purple bruise blooming close to her elbow.
The cougar circled, snarling. Blood dripped from scratches on its head. The bear roared again. The cougar turned and ran into the woods. The bear followed, crashing through the brush behind it.
Terry and Levi pushed through the tangled branches to where Megan and I waited. Both counselors were pale and out of breath.
“Brockway! What’s the matter with you?” Levi’s voice was hoarse. “You could have been killed by either one of those animals.”
“I had to get her out of there, Levi. She could have been killed.”
Levi glanced at Megan as if seeing her for the first time. “You must be one of the missing Trackers.”
Terry squatted down next to Megan. “What happened? Did you hurt your arm?”
Megan winced as Terry touched her arm. “I tripped and fell. I hit my arm on a rock.”
“Let’s put it in a sling,” said Levi. “Then we’ll take you to the nurse.”
We walked back to the Jeep, with Terry and Levi supporting Megan between them. Terry sorted through the first aid kit and found a white triangle of material. Levi slipped it under Megan’s arm and tied the ends around her neck. Then he and Terry helped her into the Jeep. I slid in next to her.
“Will Austin be all right?” whispered Megan. She knew the bear was Austin. “The sheriff will have a gun.”
“I know.” I was worried too.
Terry and Levi got into the Jeep. “We have to get out of here, fast. That was a grizzly bear,” said Levi. “They kill people.”
“What about the other Tracker?” I asked. “We can’t leave him out here. You said the sheriff is coming. He’ll be armed.”
“You kids are going back to camp,” said Levi. “I know you meant well, Luke, but you didn’t use good judgment getting that close. Either of those animals could have gone after you.”
“I wasn’t going to stand there and do nothing,” I answered. “Megan could have been hurt.”
I didn’t want to go back to camp. Once Austin morphed back into a boy, he’d have an angry cougar to deal with. But if he stayed in his grizzly bear form, the sheriff might shoot him. Either way, he’d be in bad trouble. I had to find my brother before the cougar or the sheriff did.
It was too late. The sheriff’s car pulled up behind us. Two men in tan uniforms got out of the cruiser and strode toward the Jeep. One of them carried a rifle. The counselors got out of the Jeep and went to meet them.
“I understand you kids saw some animals out here,” said the sheriff
“We saw a grizzly bear,” said Terry. “At least seven or eight hundred pounds.”
The sheriff smirked. “Are you sure it was a grizzly? No grizzlies in this area. Black bears up north. No grizzlies.”
“It was a grizzly.” Levi’s tone was sharp. “It fought with the cougar. Both of them were close to us—not even thirty yards from here. They ran off in that direction.” He pointed into the woods.
“Mountain lions don’t usually come this far south,” said the sheriff. “A grizzly bear and a cougar.” He shook his head.
“Maybe the circus is in town,” said the deputy. The corner of his mouth went up in a sneer. I could tell he thought we were all crazy.
“Let me show you the tracks,” I said, stepping out of the Jeep.
The sheriff reached out and touched the bandage on my forehead. “What happened to you?”
“I fell in the bathhouse. Sheriff, you have to listen to me. There’s another camper missing in the woods. If you go out there and start shooting, you could hit him by accident.”
“We’ll be very careful.” He glanced into the woods. “Now, I want you to show me the exact place where you saw the bear.”
“Back here.” I waved for him to follow and headed for the tree where the bear and cougar fought. “There are tracks here,” I said, pointing at a clear set of four large cougar tracks.
“Something has certainly churned up this dirt.” The sheriff stepped on several of the tracks, smearing them.
I found the place where the cougar rolled into the brush. “Here’s where they fought,” I said, pointing to the ground. “See the cougar tracks?”
The sheriff bent over to look. The cougar tracks were clear if you could get your head down close enough to see them. He was kind of thick around the middle, so he couldn’t bend very far.
I pushed some leaves away. “More tracks here. And here’s where she rolled.”
“She?” He glanced back toward Megan. “Did that animal hurt that little girl?”
“No, the cougar is female.”
“Is that so?” He stared at me, frowning. “Male or female, it’s a dangerous animal and we can’t have it around here where there are people.”
“Do you have to shoot it? Couldn’t you catch it and take it up north or somewhere?” That cougar had babies to take care of, but I didn’t want to explain that to the sheriff.
“Hey!” A familiar voice called out from the direction of the woods.
“It’s my brother!” I trotted down the path to meet Austin, who had a couple of scratches on the side of his face.
“Glad you’re back safe, young man,” said the sheriff. He patted Austin on the back. “How did you get separated from your group?”
Austin lowered his voice, but I still heard him. “I had a bladder emergency, sir.”
The sheriff nodded. Then he turned to Levi and Terry. “As soon as a couple of other deputies get here, we’ll start tracking those animals. Keep all the kids out of the woods for now. We’ll let you know when it’s safe.”
Levi took a map from the Jeep’s glove compartment and spread it out over the hood of the Jeep. The two counselors, the sheriff, and his deputy gathered around it.
“This camp covers about three hundred acres,” said Levi, running his finger around the map. “This area is all woods. Where the camp’s acreage ends, there’s a nature preserve and a couple of dairy farms.”
“Dairy farms? That cougar will head right for the cattle,” said the sheriff. “The bear—or whatever it was—might too.”
“It was a bear, Sheriff. A grizzly,” said Levi in a tight voice.
The sheriff clasped Levi’s shoulder. “Get these youngsters to safety. I’ll call for backup. We’ll keep in touch.” He folded the map and put it in his pocket.
“These kids need to see the nurse,” said Terry. “Let’s get going.”
We sped away, leaving the sheriff and his deputy behind to carry out their hunt. They wouldn’t find the bear, although there would be a lot of confusing tracks. I hoped they wouldn’t find the cougar either. Maybe she’d go back where she came from. From what I’d read, cougars weren’t native to this area of Michigan. Most predators followed their prey, and there were a lot of deer in these woods. This cougar was probably just passing through our camp on her way to somewhere else. Still, she was a big cat and she had to eat so she could feed her babies. It was better not to get in her way in case she had a taste for a human-burger.
We went over a bump, and Megan moaned. She hugged her injured arm closer to her body.
“What happened to you, Megan?” I whispered.
“She fell backwards over a fallen tree,” said Austin. “Unfortunately the tree had an occupant.”
Megan sighed. “I’m not usually that clumsy.” She patted Austin’s hand. “Thank heavens you were there. That cougar would have had me for lunch.”
Levi glanced at us over his shoulder. “Do you think you broke your arm?”
“I don’t think so. I didn’t feel anything snap.” Megan closed her eyes.
“It hurts a lot, doesn’t it,” I whispered, patting her good arm.
“Of course it hurts,” snapped Austin.
I blinked. Austin sounded angry. Maybe he was upset because he’d morphed into a bear again. As soon as we were alone I’d have to ask him how that happened.
Then I remembered the feeling I had when I spotted that cougar on the tree limb. Megan was on the ground beneath the tree. I was seconds away from transforming into a Komodo, even with the counselors standing nearby. Austin didn’t care who saw him. He’d turned grizzly bear to protect Megan.
We pulled up in front of the building where the First Aid Office was located. Megan, Austin, and I went inside. Miss Powell, the nurse, looked up from a crossword puzzle she was working on. She glanced at my head, then at Megan’s arm, then at the scratches on Austin’s face.
“Who’s the patient?” she asked.
“She is,” Austin and I said together. We were both pointing at Megan.
“Then I think you gentleman can go out and I’ll take it from here. Luke, come back here after lunch. I need to check that cut on your head. Austin, make sure you clean those scratches. Maybe you’d better come back with Luke.”
I told Austin I wasn’t hungry and headed for the Warrior section of the camp. As soon as I stepped into the cabin, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. The air was heavy with danger. From the side of my eye, I saw Jake raise his arms. The others were just behind him. I tore out of the cabin, slamming the screen door against it and nearly hitting Jake in the face. I ran as fast as I could to get away, heading toward the woods. The sound of their tramping feet echoed in my ears. All four of them were after me! What were they going to do to me?
The glands in the back of my mouth began to water, and claws stabbed at the insides of my fingers. I wanted to turn into that strong, dangerous animal and send them all shrieking away. But I fought the urge to morph. No matter what happened, I couldn’t go Komodo. Not here. Not in front of the guys.
They were breathing hard, gaining on me, ready to pound me into stew. My toe caught in a branch and my face smashed into the ground. I got a mouthful of dirt. I pushed myself up again.
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