The BlackWolf Effect (Book IV)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - Tug Of War

By the time she arrived at the range, it was crowded. Timber could see freshly dug snow filled with what she assumed were small explosives. She stood on her tiptoes in search of Henry but there were other men in the crowd who were taller and she stood at just five feet and five inches. It was too loud for a shout to be heard from the back of the large crowd so she Turned and barked. Her powerful voice carried on the wind.

"Over here, Timber!" yelled Henry's voice.

Timber made her way through the jungle of bodies in the direction Henry's voice came from. She remained in her wolf form as she joined him. It was easier for her to move through bodies. He rested his hand on the back of her neck and she rested her head against his waist. She waited quietly for Lord Frost to show up but she could see no sign of him.

Without warning, a small, loud, bang filled the air and the ground five feet away exploded and sent earth into the air in all directions. Everyone yelled and backed out of the way for a moment. Timber, on the other hand, was trying to escape from Henry.

"Timber! Timber! Calm down! You're alright! You're safe. This is just training."

Henry wrapped her head in his arms and guided her down to the ground though Timber could feel him shaking. He had been just as frightened as she had been but he was strong enough to handle it. His jaw did not tremble. His body did not go into fight or flight. He did not lose himself. His mind stayed in the present. Timber felt ashamed and allowed Henry to force her to the ground.

Once she was on the ground, Henry let go and let her be for a moment. Both of them were aware they were being watched by the crowd and Timber resolved immediately to try and be as strong as Henry and the rest of the people around her.

"Is Lady Timber alright?" asked a female voice a few feet to the left.

"She will be," said Henry. "She just needs a minute to remember where she is."

Timber took a deep breath and got to her feet again. She shook the dirt that had fallen on her out of her fur and stood ready. Nothing happened for several minutes, then BOOM!

Timber sprang backward but this time she remained calm. She realized that she could feel the vibration of the earth under her paws. The others could not. She put her nose to the ground and cautiously walked into the field. Henry called for her to return but she turned her head and smiled at him. She felt a vibration to the hole on her left, sprang to the side and ducked. The crowd gasped but no one followed. She sniffed the hole and smelled a familiar smell. Gunpowder. It reminded her of Grace when she came home from an afternoon at the range. Timber eventually made her way safely across the range while the earth beneath her was exploding. She barked at Henry who looked highly impressed but he did not follow his wife.

"Well, I see you found your way across," smiled Lord Avanti. "Why did no one follow?"

"We didn't know when or where the ground would explode," said one man in the front row.

"So why not just follow Lady Timber?" asked Lord Avanti. "She was clearly able to cross safely."

The crowd was quiet. Even Henry looked ashamed. Timber walked over and Turned at Lord Avanti's side. She looked at Henry.

"How did you do it?" asked a woman behind Henry.

"I could feel the ground vibrate under my feet one second before it went off," said Timber. "It's also just a small amount of gunpowder so it wouldn't be enough to give you anything more than maybe just a scratch."

"But we couldn't feel anything."

"I'm a wolf. The pads on the bottom of my feet are sensitive. If I had been in my human form, I wouldn't have felt anything either."