The Glasgow Gray: Spot and Smudge - Book 2

by Robert Udulutch

  The pictures eventually showed wildlife and snowy landscapes, with and without the husband and wife. They finally came to a series of photos with Willie and the rest of the group, including a few at The Grub, and one of Willie on Valerie’s lap. There were shots of a swooping eagle, and then three dozen shots of Glasgow. The majestic gray wolf was standing at the top of the same ridge they were facing now, but she was lit by a shaft of sunlight.

  The last picture was just a black box with an arrow in the middle of the screen. Ben pressed the play button and the video was blank, but they heard the woman’s last message to her daughter coming from the camera’s tiny built-in speaker.

  Spot asked them to play it again. It was heart wrenching but the pups and T’nuc listened closely. As the mother told her daughter she would always love her, Smudge turned her pained face up to Ben and signed.

  He said, “They hear something growling in the background.”

  Hamish saw the concern on Ben’s face in the glow from Spot’s penlight, and he saw Smudge’s brow was similarly bunched. He searched for any words that would help them, but none came. He just put a big hand on Ben’s small shoulder and rubbed Smudge’s white snout. Ben nodded up at him, and then turned away to pack the camera into the sled as Smudge headed back out into the snow.

  She and T’nuc found a total of eight bodies, and Smudge was able to identify all of them. It was certainly all of Willie’s party, minus one.

  Willie.

  Smudge said T’nuc agreed with her reading of his scent. It ended at the river, just like the rangers.

  Hamish didn’t know what to make of it. The pattern of the bodies and their conditions just didn’t make sense. Ben’s theory about the poison formula sounded insane but what else could do this kind of damage to people? Hamish wasn’t ready to accept Glasgow or her pack had been involved with these new wolves, even though the evidence certainly pointed in that direction. The carnage would have taken some time given the destruction and distance between the bodies. Why wouldn’t Willie have just shot the wolves? And why was one of the victims shot through the head? He should have been the only one with a gun, and the attack was done and over with long before the rangers were anywhere close to here.

  As Hamish worked the problem he watched Smudge and T’nuc padding together through the deep snow as they inspected a wider circle around the sled. He didn’t need Ben or the pups to tell him T’nuc was affected by the killings. He knew domesticated dogs don’t like to be around human death. Cadaver dogs usually had the shortest working careers of any service dogs. Often they had to retire after one large incident like a plane crash or building collapse, and suffered from many of the same symptoms their human counterparts did afterwards. They just don’t handle the stress well, and they certainly couldn’t be blamed for it. Their keen senses had to be a curse when immersed in a tragedy, and Hamish knew dogs could remember a single smell for their entire lives.

  As he watched his team leader successfully ignore her instincts and stay on task he realized T’nuc was one of the finest dogs he had ever worked with, and she wasn’t trained to deal with cadavers. She was a sensitive, smart animal and this was taking a toll on her. Running almost constantly for close to twenty hours probably wasn’t helping either.

  It was looking more and more like Hamish owed her, and all of these Elkies, an apology. They were a solid team of dogs, and he had been wrong about them.

  He also noticed that Smudge was very tuned into the dogs’ feelings. Spot may be smarter but Smudge was more intuitive when it came to reading them. She kept touching T’nuc, and nudging and caressing her. He realized Smudge had been doing the same thing with Sholto. Ben’s tough little dog was a sensitive wee thing, and she also looked to be struggling around this much death. He also realized he was seeing it on her face as much as in her posture and actions. Once his awareness of the pups’ intelligence had settled in, their expressions just seemed to jump off their little faces, especially Smudge’s.

  Smudge and T’nuc were also checking in with each of the Elkies. She stood for a long moment pressed to E’sra before moving on to the rest of the team. The dogs had to be wondering what kind of monsters could do this and if they could still be close by, and Hamish found himself wondering the same thing.

  The pups made one last quick sweep of the water’s edge. Smudge signed to Ben who said quietly, “I guess it goes without saying, but wolf smells are all around here too, and even some of their blood. The foul smelling males were certainly here…and one normal smelling female, but no others.”

  Ben saw his uncle’s face and said, “Sorry, Unc.” He pulled out Glasgow’s radio receiver and said, “The collar’s here, somewhere. Close I think, but maybe we’re still getting echoes off the storm.”

  They were able to get a few seconds of sat phone signal before it dropped again but the phone at the ranch didn’t ring. They tried Blu but couldn’t get the connection to stick before losing the signal again.

  The clouds lit for a second and the valley shook with another round of thunder that bounced back at them again and again from the mountains.

  Hamish motioned for Smudge to come back to the sled. As she was hooking T’nuc up to the gangline he said quietly, “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  Ben and the pups nodded, and T’nuc agreed with a snort.

  Hamish pulled the sled away in silent mode, gaining speed as it slid up the meadow towards home.

  Hamish thought, Sorry my poor wee Willie, and sorry to ye Rangers, I’ll be back soon with help.

  Chapter 67

  Glasgow watched the sled pull away from the water’s edge and gain speed as it left the site of the earlier human killings. She was in the trees at the far side of the bowl and the rogues were above her, deeper in the woods and heading for the ridgeline. The rogues had set the same trap as before but when the sled moved away from their preferred ambush spot they had sped ahead to setup at the top of the slope where the forest converged on the trail again.

  Please just turn around, Glasgow thought as she watched the sled heading up the bowl, No, don’t come this way.

  The sled dogs were familiar, as was the big male human. He was the one who watches. She assumed the young male in the sled was the one her mate had seen. There were also two human dominated dogs in the sled she didn’t recognize.

  She had watched them carefully from the shadows downwind, and the white dogs with the human coverings acted very strangely to Glasgow. She observed them communicating with the humans and sled dogs in an odd way. She wasn’t exactly sure now which was their alpha, or the hierarchy of this odd human and dog mixed pack.

  The rogues were confused as well. They had actually stopped moving long enough to pay close attention when the sled dog pack split up and then converged on the site of the noisy sled attack. It was a smart way to approach the second human killing spot. These weren’t the same kind of stupid humans from earlier. They were a well-disciplined team, and yet they didn’t appear to be hunting.

  Although the rogues were deranged they were also licking wounds from the last two human attacks. Glasgow was a little surprised they didn’t just pounce as had been their pattern all along. She noticed the rogue’s behavior was becoming more crazed and aggressive but they were definitely learning from each encounter and improving their ambushing skills. Still, the senseless violence had also increased with each attack. It was sickening to watch prey taunted and played with, and when these twisted animals did finally strike the wolves tore madly at the victims long after they were dead.

  At least she had eaten well and gained her strength back. Earlier in the day the rogues had taken down a family of white tail deer and Glasgow had an entire juvenile to feed on all by herself. She had never eaten alone before. She gorged, and the energy from the soft hot fresh meat and innards were now coursing through her body. It pushed out the cold and refueled her strong muscles.

  Glasgow’s body was repaired but she didn’t feel well. She had made a grave mistake and
the two strong humans on the noisy sleds had paid a tragic price.

  Those humans came down from the north, riding down the ridge on their noisy sleds. Even in the darkness and the heavy snow she could tell they were hunters. She could see their weapons and she had watched humans like this kill wolves and other large animals before. The group of humans the rogues ambushed earlier by the river were ill-prepared and stupid but these two looked much more formidable. They were a team. The male was as tall as the one who watches, and the female was equally as well built, and they both carried themselves with a confident posture she could identify with.

  Glasgow had goaded the hesitating rogues into attacking them. When they hesitated she whipped the rogues into a frothing frenzy with taunts, and when they darted off into the woods to set the ambush Glasgow sped off with them. She could tell their plan was to spring the trap when the woods constricted at the bottom of the draw, like they had done with the stupid humans.

  Glasgow intentionally sprung their trap early, running past the hiding rogues and crossing into the light from their sleds while the human hunters were still coming down the peak of the ridge. The trees were loosely placed, there was little cover, and the noisy sled hunters had the high ground.

  The rogues were furious and pounded through the snow after her, cursing and snapping as they all raced towards the humans. She had successfully given the hunters enough time to stop and grab their small weapons.

  As the rogues kicked into high gear they split up. Even Glasgow was surprised at the speeds they attained running uphill in the deep snow. She tried to slow one of them down but he bit down hard on Glasgow’s rump and tossed her out of the way. She heard the pops coming in rapid succession as she tumbled down the steep slope of the ridge. When she regained her footing she shot off low through the woods to get around and above the fight. Through the trees she could see the flashes and hear the pops from the weapons as the rogues attacked.

  The pops slowed, and then stopped.

  Glasgow had come out of the trees higher on the trail behind the noisy sleds and watched in horror as the female human hunter had one arm around the male and was dragging him slowly backwards towards the river. Their confidence had disappeared. Looking at the disturbed snow she could tell one of them had been knocked off their sled and had tumbled down the slope to the water’s edge. The other had run from their sled through the deep snow after the fallen one, with the rogues darting all around them.

  The large human was clutching his shoulder and Glasgow could see the blood. The rogues were still dodging back and forth and yapping and growling. They ran up and down the slope and around the sleds, leaping high and diving low in the deep snow. They were in constant motion and seemed to be successfully avoiding being hit.

  The female hunter swung her hand-held weapon slowly, trying to zero in on one wolf at a time. Another shot flashed but in the dark it was impossible to tell if she had hit anything. The wolves didn’t seem to react. As soon as she fired a rogue shot down the slope straight at her, faked a leap, and then darted away in the opposite direction at the last instant. The female fell on the rocks as she fired again. Glasgow assumed she missed as the wolf just continued to circle and jump in crazy zig-zags.

  The female looked at her weapon and then dropped it as the male pulled out his small sharp weapon. They backed up a few steps into the water as the rogues closed in, growling and snapping, and drooling bile.

  Glasgow tried to shake away those terrible images as she watched the dog sled and the one who watches continue to fly up the hill in front of her. She felt helpless and alone. She was torturing herself over the loss of the two humans, and she was still seeing the faces of her slaughtered pack in the blowing snow. She didn’t want the same fate for these gentle humans and this odd team of dogs.

  Chapter 68

  E’sra saw the wolf first and he broke their silent mode with a quick yap.

  The rest of the team and the pups saw the approaching wolf an instant later, and T’nuc shot a look over her shoulder at Hamish.

  Hamish watched as Glasgow blasted out of the trees and sped through the snow towards them from far across the bowl.

  Ben noticed the team didn’t break cadence. They hadn’t received orders to change direction or speed, and they continued to pound together up the hill as the grade increased. T’nuc looked back in a rhythm, every few strides, to watch for hand signs from Hamish who was watching the big female wolf running towards them while he worked on a plan.

  He knew they couldn’t outrun her, and the rest of the pack’s hunters were certainly nearby and waiting to pounce. Stopping the sled team while facing up the steep slope would make it hard for them to start up again. At least the open glade gave them some shooting room.

  Glasgow didn’t look to have any of the symptoms the pups had described, but she was plenty agitated. He’d never seen a single wolf approach a running sled team before, and it seemed to be a really dumb way to spring a trap. Hamish had observed Glasgow for days on end. He’d seen her hunt and he’d seen her with her pack. The mother wolf wasn’t stupid. All of this odd animal behavior irritated Hamish. Unpredictable animals were dangerous animals, and he hoped only the two rogues were crazed human killers. But then why was this normal wolf running towards them?

  Spot watched Glasgow carefully and was convinced the wolf was looking directly at him as she raced towards the sled.

  The big wolf came to an abrupt stop in the deep snow. She then turned away from Spot to look up the hill.

  Spot looked up the dark slope but didn’t see anything other than black outlines of trees against the black of the night, and blowing snow. He turned back to Glasgow who was looking at him again. The big wolf pawed the snow, and turned again to look at the top of the ridge.

  Spot grabbed Ben and signed quickly. Ben turned and pulled himself up on the sled’s rear handlebar. He leaned close to Hamish and said, “It’s a trap Unc, the killer males are at the top of the hill waiting for us.”

  The utter confidence on the boy’s face removed any question Hamish had about how Ben could possibly know that. He leaned hard and flashed the turn-and-run sign to T’nuc.

  Spot and Smudge kept Ben from falling out of the sled as the Elkies dug in hard and pulled the sled in a tight arc on the steep slope. The sled tipped up on one runner before the acceleration of the team yanked it flat again.

  As they finished the turn Spot climbed over Ben and moved to the opposite side of the sled. Glasgow watched him from across the bowl, and looked up the hill again as she stomped both front feet nervously in the deep snow. Spot pulled himself up on the sled’s handlebar, facing Hamish and looking over his shoulder as they raced down the slope.

  He stared wide-eyed as the two massive dark wolves charged over the lip of the steep bowl. Spot beat on Hamish’s coat sleeve and he turned to see the wolves. He turned back and shared a surprised, scared look with Spot.

  “Hike nesten!” Hamish yelled, and T’nuc yapped once at her team. Ben and the pups fell into the sled as the Elkies opened up the throttle and leapt against their harnesses in unison. They left silent mode behind and E’sra barked the team into a pounding frenzy. As they ran together their paws stretched out, coming fully out of the snow before coiling again, digging deep into the powder and launching the sled forward.

  Hamish wanted to be on flatter ground as quickly as possible before trying to make a stand. His head swiveled constantly, searching the tree line around the glade for the rest of the pack’s hunters. He thought the wolves chasing them were darker than the rest of Glasgow’s family, but the flying snow obscured them in the dark and everything was moving too fast to be sure. These two could just be the prey drivers pushing the sled to the waiting ambushers below. Hamish wondered where the alpha was as he would typically be leading the drive. He also wondered why in the hell Glasgow was just standing there in the deep snow staring at them.

  Hamish kept the team in the center of the glade as they raced down the slope. He didn’t wan
t to be near the woods when they reached the bottom. Willie’s slain skiers had grouped near the trees at the river bank and Hamish had been right, it was a perfect ambush spot.

  Hamish had been hunted before but had always found a way to get the upper hand. He’d always been confident he could anticipate his attacker’s, and even in the darkest situations he was sure he’d somehow prevail. Never had he felt this terror, or the helplessness creeping up his spine. He cursed himself for allowing it but still the thought came, This must be what prey feels like. As he yanked off a glove with his mouth another thought pushed its way in, Healthy wolves don’t hunt humans, and as he reached into his pocket for the pistol another thought came, I’ve had a long happy life and have done and seen wondrous things. He told himself to piss off, and then he heard Jean’s voice again, You’re not deed yet you daft ass!

  Spot clung to the side rail of the sled and watched as Glasgow seemed to be struggling with herself. She shifted nervously and looked back and forth between him and the wolf pursuers.

  Glasgow huffed, and broke her hesitation. She sprinted towards the sled.

  In an instant she was flying. Spot couldn’t believe her speed and the distance she achieved with each stride. He saw her toes had spread out wide to keep her long legs from sinking into the snow. In rear flight, when she pushed off with her hind feet, he calculated she covered more than three meters with each leap in the deep snow.

  Spot looked over Hamish’s shoulder, and as fast as Glasgow was he could see the rogues were faster. They looked like a pair of zippers being pulled down the slope at incredible speed, leaving a wake of split snow behind them as they quickly narrowed the gap to the sled.

  Hamish saw Glasgow coming, and looked back to judge how long they had before the rogues would pounce, and how long it would take to get set and fire their guns.

  As the grade eased before it met the wide river bank Hamish yelled, “Ben, you take the wolf on Glasgow’s side, and don’t forget about her after you shoot it!” and then to the team he bellowed, “Stoppe!” as he stomped down on the foot brake.