“The basic plan is the same,” Paul explained.“We’ll chase him into the
trap. First the mounted group will locate him andsteer him towards the trap. As
he gets closer the wolves will join the chase.When he gets to the hill don’t
get too close. When he goes over the top he’llhopefully tumble down to the
bottom. At that point everyone closes in to finishhim off.” “One of the
humans will have a high-poweredhunting rifle in case things go wrong,” Paul
added. “And he will also administerthe killing shot. No need for the animal to
suffer.” The group all nodded in agreement. “Philip and Sasha are doing
fine,” Kristensaid. “They’re airlifting Philip to the hospital in Bangor. The
cats will bestaying here in the infirmary. Cindy threw up on the flight in but
at leastmanaged to aim it out the door. Much to the relief of the flight crew.”
*************** Kristen came over to Jonathan. “We’re goingto get you more
involved,” she explained. “We’ll have you with the rest of thepack. Please try
and not get killed.” “It would be great for the ratings!”Nicholas commented.
“Oh anything for the ratings,” Jonathancommented sarcastically. “But
hopefully dying isn’t in the script.” “No. Dying isn’t in the script.”
“But has the mammoth read the script?”Jonathan asked. “Next time I meet him;
I’ll ask.” ***************** Everyone retired for the evening to thewarmth
and safety of the village. Room was found inside for all, including thehorses
and elk who got a larger hut/stable for themselves. They all needed agood
night’s sleep for the work tomorrow. Jonathan decided against sleeping in a
groupwith the rest of the wolves and went to share a hut with his television
crew. Thebed was good sized but consisted of a low wooden frame piled high with
blanketsand pillows. It was large enough for all four of them. He spent
several minutes re arraigning thepillows, blankets and sheets into a
comfortable little nest. He resisted the temptationto walk around in a circle
several times and just settled down to sleep. ******************* Morning
came early. Too early. Jonathanslowly stood up slowly as pain shot through him.
Everything seemed to hurt orwas stiff and sore or all at once. Thankfully
Justine was a trainedveterinarian and the Smilodon had given him some pain
killers. The pill helpedtake the hard edge off the pain. Breakfast included
hot coffee which tasteddifferently when Jonathan lapped it from the bowl.
Breakfast was mostly meat(of course) but well cooked. It took a while to
find a suitable location.Ironically it was only a short way from the site of
the first ambush. The hillrose up gently on one side and dropped off fairly
steeply on the other. Helle went to a large rock nearby andscratched complex
symbols on it with her claws. She then started chanting andsinging in a voice
that was surprisingly soft and smooth for a leopard. After several minutes
of chant somethingstepped out of the rock. It was vaguely humanoid and seemed
to be made of solidstone it had come from. She spoke to it for a moment in a
languageno one but them seemed to understand. She made some digging motions and
pointedto the hillside. The stone creature nodded slowly and set towork.
It’s massive hands scooped huge gouges out of the hillside. Tossing the
half-frozenearth off to one side. At the base of the hill it dug a deep pit. In
a fewminutes it did work that would have taken them weeks. Helle bowed her
head in respect and saidsomething in that strange language. The stone creature
bowed in response. Itstepped into the rock it had come from and vanished.
While that was going on a group cut downsome branches and sharped both ends.
Buckets of water were hauled from a localstream and splashed onto the slope.
It was hardly a death slide but it did makethe slope all the more hazardous. At
the bottom a dozen stakes sprouted. Theirsharpened ends pointed uphill. “I
think we’re ready,” Kristen commented. ************* “Stick together,”
Galina said. “Remember thepack is strong together.” All four of the wolves were
waiting several milesfrom the hill. The horse and elk and their riders were off
chasing the mammoth.Hopefully in the direction of where the wolves waited.
“We are pack!” “We are STRONG!” She howled loudly. A loud,wailing howl.
Jonathan and the other wolves tilted theirheads back and joined in. The sound
echoing endlessly in the woods. Warning allthat the wolves were here and were
hungry. Telling all that this was theirterritory and their prey. ***********
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