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of dust as they stomped over their old footprints. |
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They had gone almost three-quarters of the way back to the parking lot when Cyrus caught a glimpse of mottled-gray fur as it passed between two boulders on the other side of the creek bed. He paused, hoping to see another deer or maybe a gray fox. Instead, the head of a large gray wolf appeared around the rock. |
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When the wolf saw Cyrus staring at it, it bared a set of yellowed fangs and crept out from behind the rockmoving slowly and deliberately toward Cyrus and Kyna with its head slung low between bony shoulders. |
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''Holy shit!" Cyrus mumbled. |
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Kyna had not seen the wolf, but she stopped and turned around when she noticed that Cyrus had stopped. |
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"Is that a wolf?" Her smile was as excited as a schoolgirl's. |
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"Yes," Cyrus whispered. "Now shut up and don't move." |
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The smile vanished. "What's the matter?" |
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Maybe it was the tricky light or maybe just his imagination, but the animal was limping and looked like it had white flecks of foam around its muzzle. Cyrus did a slow, crablike shuffle over to Kyna and whispered, "Don't freak out, but that wolf may be rabid." |
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"No!" he hissed. "Don't say anythingdon't do anything! Just listen! We are going to walk very slowly toward the parking lot. You are not going to run unless I tell you to run. And if I tell you to run, then run like your ass is on fire. Got it?" |
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Kyna gulped, but her head went up and down. |
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"Okay. Now, I'm going to keep an eye on our friend and you're going to pick your feet up and try not to disturb anything. Go real slow and keep listening to me. Ready?" |
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Kyna moved like she was trudging across the surface of the moon, picking up one foot at a time and bringing it down in slow motion. |
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Cyrus allowed himself a grim smile. "We may have to go |
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