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he had a surprisingly gentle touch. |
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"A big bad wolf." Cyrus giggled. "With shaggy gray fur and gigantic teeth." |
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Kyna looked at Cyrus oddly. |
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"Lot of blood," the ranger observed. "But not much of a wound. Really just a few scratches, and they look about three weeks old." |
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Kyna pushed the man out of the way and ran her fingers over Cyrus's neck. "This is weird. Just a minute ago he was bleeding like crazy. Look at his shirt! All that blood didn't come from those tiny scratches." |
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The ranger shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe it came from the wolf. Where is it?" |
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The trio followed the trail of footprints back around the bend, but when they cleared the turn, Kyna stopped. "Where did it go?" |
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"I don't see anything." The ranger gave Cyrus a sideways glance. "This isn't some kind of prank, is it? It's been a long day and I'm in no mood for any tomfoolery." |
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"I swear," Kyna said. "The body was right here . . . somewhere." |
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The ranger removed his hat and ran a handkerchief over his forehead and up through his thinning salt-and-pepper hair. "I've gotta tell you, we haven't seen a gray wolf in these parts for a number of years. Coyote. A fox or three, sure. But wolves? Unlikely." |
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"Here!" Kyna called. "Over here." |
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She pointed to a drying pool of brownish blood with the remains of Cyrus's walking stick lying next to it. |
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"What do you call that?" she asked triumphantly. "Tomato soup?" |
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The ranger mopped his head again. "Well, I'll put out a call. A wounded animal's dangerous. You two better run over to the hospital in Vernal and have those scratches looked at. Mister, if we can't find the carcass, you may have to take the rabies shots." |
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Cyrus touched his neck. He could barely find a scab. He |
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