Chapter Fifteen: Clint

Chapter Fifteen – Clint

The sun had already set, and darkness was settling in, but Clint could still make out the distant silhouette of Grant’s ranch against the horizon. He knew it wasn’t far from here, only a couple of miles up the road. If he ran fast and true, he could be by his mate’s side in minutes.

He knew she was there, he’d sensed her as Ryan drove over to Grant’s ranch.

She passed only a couple of hundred feet away and this close encounter had left his bear restless. He pawed the ground, wanting nothing more than to race up there and nuzzle his mate until he was certain she was safe.

But as much as Clint wanted to go to her, he had a job to do first. Find the shifter drifter who had been camping out at the shack and figure out why he was here.

And if he was a danger to anyone.

With a sigh, Clint’s bear turned away toward the path leading into the woods and began walking the section of the mountain that he’d been assigned.

His bear chuckled. You make it sound as if this is a military operation.

Clint pushed his senses out toward their mate and wished it were a military operation. Or a police one. If it was, he would be with his mate right now, warm in bed with her snuggled up against him.

Instead of out here on the cold mountain.

He loped away from Grant’s ranch, and his mate, keeping alert to any sight or sound, but relying mainly on his senses.

His friends were doing the same. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for someone to sneak past the net they had cast over this area.

Suddenly, Clint’s bear froze, standing so still he might have been carved from the mountain itself. A breeze ruffled his fur, but it brought no scent, no sound of danger.

But something was wrong. Clint could feel it. His senses were telling him that there was someone else out here, another shifter, and they were getting closer to the shack where the drifter had been camping out.

This could be it,his bear murmured, his attention fixed on the shack.

Clint nodded and strained his senses forward. He could feel the other shifter, but he couldn’t tell if it was a friend or foe. He needed to get closer to find out.

There was a chance it might be a shifter from one of the other nearby towns or villages. A wolf from Wolf Creek, or cougar from Cougar Ridge, these mountains didn’t belong to bear shifters alone.

There was only one way to find out.

Clint slowly and cautiously headed toward the shack, not wanting to alert the other shifter to his presence. Not until he got a good sense of who it was.

If it was a wolf or a cougar, he could discount their presence. When he’d visited the shack with Martha, he had definitely identified the scent of a bear on the leaves and on the backpack.

Clint’s bear crept through the undergrowth, his footsteps muffled by a fresh layer of snow.

He could smell the other shifter now, a musky scent that was unfamiliar, and he felt a chill run down his spine as he realized it wasn’t one of his friends.

It’s a bear.Clint had no doubt now.

The others have sensed it, too,his bear replied.

Clint’s bear was right, the others were closing in; the net was tightening around whoever had been camping out at the shack.

He could feel the other shifter, as if there was an invisible line connecting them, tugging him closer and closer.

As he passed through a clearing, he saw it...the shack, still some distance in front of him, aglow in the moonlight. His eyes narrowed. Was that a figure inside?

Yes, movement. He saw the flicker of movement in the meadow where he had stood with Martha only this afternoon.

Clint’s bear stopped and crouched low to the ground, his muscles tense and ready for anything. He had to be careful; he didn’t want to alert the other shifter.

I’m surprised they haven’t sensed us by now,his bear said.

We are close. Too close for a shifter not to have sensed us,Clint replied in confusion, suddenly concerned that they were the ones walking into a trap.

What if this was a setup?

Clint’s pulse pounded a frenzied rhythm as he took in the scene. The night was so quiet, the air eerily still, with only the breeze rustling through the trees.

No other people were close by, just his friends. He had to make a move, but was it the right move?

He had to take a chance.

But before he took that chance, the shifter at the shack made a break for it.

Having lost the element of surprise, Clint’s bear roared in as he launched himself after the shifter, muscles coiling and straining beneath his fur. He moved swiftly, sure that his trajectory would eventually lead him right to the stranger that had dared invade their territory. Adrenaline surged through him as he raced toward his target, his claws digging into the earth with every powerful stride.

From his right, he sensed Grant drawing nearer as they both chased down their quarry.

We don’t know he is our quarry, Clint warned his bear, afraid that a red mist of rage might cloud his bear’s judgment.

Then why is he running?his bear ground out.

Because he’s afraid,Clint replied.

His bear let go of a small part of his primal need to protect those he loved, but he didn’t slow down or change course. They had come here to find out who and why someone was sleeping rough in the shack, and they wouldn’t be satisfied until they did.

The two shifters raced after the other shifter, the wind raking through their fur as they leaped over fallen trees and dodged around shrubs.

Some way behind Clint and Grant came Ryan and Jesse. They had been on the farther side of the shack and had some ground to make up.

Clint turned his head and stole a glance at Grant’s bear as he ran with unwavering determination. This was too close to his home, to his mate, and to his livestock.

Whoever was up ahead had stolen food from the area. Food most folks in Bear Creek would gladly have given to him if only he’d asked.

Clint pressed on as Grant inched ahead of him. His claws tore up the earth beneath them and his muscles strained with effort.

But despite their determination, the other shifter outpaced them. He was fast and sure-footed, navigating the mountain terrain with a grace that made it seem as if he were flying. Yet, despite the challenge of the mountainous terrain, Clint and his friends kept up the chase.

A chase that seemed to never end. Clint’s bear’s heart pounded, and his body ached from the long run.

Clint and his friends had been running for what felt like a lifetime, trying to keep their quarry in sight. But then, he was gone.

Clint’s bear skidded to a halt and looked around at his friends in disbelief. Had they really just lost their quarry? He couldn’t believe it.

It’s as if he’s vanished completely. Clint had never known this to happen before.

I guess now we know how Martha felt when we shifted in front of her and disappeared for an instant, his bear replied.

But this isn’t an instant. Clint didn’t like it one bit. The shifter could be anywhere.

Had fate stepped in and allowed their prey to slip away from them? Right under their very noses.

Clint’s bear spun around in a circle, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Had they really just been outwitted?

“He’s gone.” Grant was the first to shift into his human form. He stood with his hands on his hips staring into the darkness.

“But where?” Clint asked the moment he’d shifted.

I can sense him!Clint’s bear roared.

“He’s under our feet.” Grant spread his legs apart and stared down at the ground.

“What the hell!” Ryan shifted into his human form and kneeled on the ground and scraped away the snow before putting his ear to the rock.

“It’s impossible,” Jesse said.

Clint and the other shifters looked around in disbelief. How could their quarry be beneath their feet?

The answer dawned on them at the same time—the shifter had found a cave to hide in, deep under the mountain! He’d managed to escape right underneath their noses, as if he had been invisible.

The four friends stood in stunned silence for a moment before Clint spoke up. “He’s crafty,” he said with admiration.

Grant nodded in agreement. “We’re going to have to report this to Brad. We gave it our best shot but it’s time we handed this over to the sheriff’s department. Brad can decide what to do.”

“You’re right,” Clint agreed, somewhat unhappily. “The chances of him coming back to the shack are slim now. He could go anywhere.”

“Okay, let’s get back to the trucks,” Ryan said, already shifting back into his bear form.

The other three followed suit, turning around and heading back down the mountain once more, this time with a new appreciation for their quarry’s cunningness.

He got away, Clint’s bear ground out.

He knows this part of the mountain better than us, Clint replied. He must have had this escape route planned in case anyone came after him.

Which makes me believe he is up to no good, Clint’s bear replied with distaste.

We shouldn’t make that kind of judgment, Clint reminded him. There are plenty of reasons for someone not to get caught.

His bear huffed. You’re right.

You’d think more clearly if you weren’t so emotionally entangled,Clint told his bear.

Emotionally entangled,his bear spat out.

Yes. If this shifter was anywhere except at the shack our mate wants to buy and rebuild, you would be more open-minded and ready to listen to his story.

You’re right,his bear conceded. I also don’t like to be beaten. We should have caught him.

“So, that’s it. The chase is over for tonight?” Ryan asked when they reached the trucks, which were parked a couple of miles away from the ranch.

“Whoever it is, I’d guess they will lie low for now. The way they ran...” Clint sighed heavily.

“He was scared,” Ryan added.

“That’s my thinking,” Jesse agreed. “He ran as if the hounds of hell were snapping at his heels.”

“Maybe we should have called out and let him know we come in peace,” Grant suggested.

“There’s no point dwelling on what we should have done,” Clint replied. “What’s done is done. Let’s go up to the ranch.”

“And crash the party?” Grant rolled his eyes. “That guy won’t be the only one running like the hounds of hell are chasing him.”

“Jody did say that they were all looking forward to getting to know Martha,” Ryan said. “My guess is she meant without us around.”

“We could go join Marvin and the others. When I dropped our mates off, they were out on the ridge drinking beer.” Ryan unlocked his truck and got in.

Jesse yanked open the passenger door with a loud creak and clambered in. He slammed the door shut and buckled his seatbelt. “Now, that sounds like a plan.”

“It sure does,” Grant agreed. “I’m with you, Clint.”

“Keep your eyes peeled,” Clint advised as he drove off toward the ranch, craning his neck and casting out his senses in a desperate attempt to find a hint of the shifter. But all that greeted him was an empty night sky and a blanket of snow.

“Nothing.” Grant sighed in resignation.

But he’s out there somewhere,Clint’s bear said.

If he’s supposed to be found, we’ll find him.Clint hoped whoever it was would find the help he needed.

If he needs help, his bear answered.