Holiday Howlz: Canine Call Page 3

Attus stood beside the chopper’s open door watching Jynx walk toward him. Dressed in brown camouflage fatigues, she carried a pack slung over one shoulder.

The vision of her naked body bathed in moonlight was burned into his visual memory bank. Capable of retrieving a snapshot of anything he’d observed, Attus had taken a quick peek while he’d waited. Her platinum blonde hair and pale skin had gleamed in the moonlight, the curves and hollows of her body an erotic play of light and shadow.

She tossed her pack into the chopper and climbed inside. Attus noticed she’d braided her long hair. He jumped in behind her and closed the door.

They took seats opposite one another, securing restraints and adjusting headsets. In the capable hands of a robot pilot, the chopper lifted off.

“Only the two of us?” she asked.

Despite the noise of the jet rotors, Attus didn’t need the headset to hear, but it was necessary for communication with the pilot and with Jynx. “A five-year-old boy is missing in the national forest. His name is Charlie Meyer.”

The only light in the chopper’s interior was a red, low-level light. Attus adjusted his vision to see Jynx clearly in the dim light. She licked her lips, the action causing tiny pulse
s deep in his groin.

“The family was on an annual Christmas vacation, renting a cabin at Snow Ridge. It appears the boy wandered away from the cabin. Search teams have been looking for hours, but so far nothing.”

“How’s the weather?” Jynx asked.

“The temperature is dropping and a storm is coming in from the north. I’ve downloaded a topographical map into my vision computer. The terrain is rugged, the elevation around six thousand feet. Charlie might have taken off in any direction. We have an advantage over the search team, my night vision and your tracking skills.

“I received a call from the local sheriff, Mika Stone. He’s ex-special ops and he and I were stationed together a couple of years ago before I joined the Paranormal Unit. Mika’s as good as they get, but he needs help. We’ve got to find Charlie tonight.”

“Is this mission off the books?”

“The General has approved the mission, but the press can’t get wind of our presence.”

The Paranormal Units operated under the cloak of secrecy, reporting directly to the Joint Chiefs and the President.

“Sheriff Stone will escort us into the area. Once we find the boy, we’ll turn him over to the sheriff. The locals will take credit for the rescue.”

Upon landing, they were picked up by Sheriff Stone and driven to an unoccupied cabin a short distance from the one rented by the Meyer family. The cabin would serve as their base of operations during the duration of their stay in Snow Ridge.

As soon as the sheriff left to rejoin the official search, Attus changed into a hooded thermal-regulated skinsuit, heat-generating gel vest and waterproof hiking boots.

Jynx quickly slipped out of her clothes and shifted into a white wolf. Although Attus had witnessed transformations, watching Jynx changed form stole his breath. The air seemed to ripple as her skin turned to white fur and the shape of her head and face morphed into that of a wolf.

She sat back on her haunches and stared at him.

Attus grabbed the pair of pajamas the boy had worn just hours earlier and let Jynx sniff the material. She pawed the floor twice. In wolven form she wasn’t capable of verbal communication, but she understood everything he said and followed his hands signals. This wasn’t the first time he and Jynx had worked together, but it was the first time the two of them had worked alone.

Just in case Jynx needed to refresh the scent Attus stuffed the pajamas in an insulated backpack large enough to carry the five-year-old.

“Ready?”

Jynx pawed the floor twice.

* * *

Nose to the ground and seeking Charlie’s scent out of the dozens that had trampled the area, Jynx worked in a circular pattern around the Meyer’s rental cabin. Glancing through a window, Jynx saw a sobbing woman wearing a red sweater standing beside a Christmas tree with twinkling multi-colored lights. The heart-rending scene tore at Jynx.

She and UL had to find Charlie and bring him home for Christmas.

Moving in bigger circles, Jynx rounded the cabin twice more before picking up Charlie’s scent. She headed into the woods and away from the flashlight wielding searchers calling Charlie’s name.

The searchers’ voices faded as Jynx trotted deeper into the forest. UL’s exceptional vision would allow him to keep up.

A cold wind began to blow, dropping the temperature and rustling the leaves of the tall trees. Due to a warm spell there was no snow on the ground, but that would quickly change once the storm swept in from the north. The full moon provided light and the boy’s scent remained strong, guiding Jynx around large rocks, through the trees and deeper into the forest.

UL on her heels, Jynx followed Charlie’s meandering trail. Coming upon a creek, Jynx lost the scent. She backtracked a few feet and trotted back to the creek’s edge.

“Did he cross the creek?”

Jynx pawed the ground twice. The Sheriff had described Charlie’s attire, jeans, long-sleeved shirt, blue jacket, hat and brand-new hiking boots. Jynx prayed the boy still wore the hat and hadn’t soaked his boots.

Leading the way, Jynx splashed through the icy creek. On the opposite side she ran back and forth, seeking Charlie’s scent. Clouds were moving in, obscuring the moonlight.

Finally, Jynx picked up the boy’s scent. Nose to the ground she trotted for close to an hour.

“Stop.”

Jynx paused. UL moved ahead and picked up a shiny wrapper. Jynx sniffed the wrapper of a strawberry breakfast bar.

“Charlie’s?”

Jynx pawed the ground twice. She followed the boy’s scent and a short time later UL called out to her.

“Do you hear that?”

Jynx turned her head, pricking her ears forward. Was that a faint cry? With the wind blowing, she wasn’t certain.

“I heard him,” UL said. “He’s crying. We’re close. Let’s go.”

Jynx per her nose back to the ground and picked up her pace.

“I see him,” UL said, pointing toward a group of rocks. The boy was huddled between two rocks.

UL ran to the boy. “Charlie? Are you okay?”

“I want my Mommy.”

“My name is Attus,” UL said, kneeling before the boy. “And this is Jynx.”

Jynx moved closer, letting Charlie touch her nose. “Big white doggie. Is Santa coming?”

“Yes, Santa sent us to find you,” UL said. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s cold and I’m hungry. Mommy said she’d bake cookies for Santa.”

Attus checked his wrist unit. It was midnight. “It’s Christmas Eve. We have to get you home so you can help your mother bake cookies.”

“Santa likes chocolate chip,” Charlie said.

“I like them too.” Attus reached in his pack, removed an energy bar and tore open the wrapper. “Try this cookie.”

Charlie munched eagerly on the high-protein bar.

“Would you like a piggyback ride back to the cabin?” Attus asked. “Your Mom and Dad are waiting for you.”

“I like piggyback rides.”

UL removed the pack from his back. “Climb in, Charlie, and I’ll carry you back to the cabin. You’ll be warm in here.”

UL held the pack and Charlie climbed in. He adjusted the warm collar around Charlie’s neck and tugged the boy’s knit hat down over his ears.

“Ready for a ride?”

Charlie nodded and UL hoisted the pack onto his back, secured the shoulder straps and buckled the belt.

They headed back to the cabins. Using the UL’s topographical map, the trip back to the cabin was more direct. A short distance from the cabins UL placed a call to Sheriff Stone. Ten minutes later, a sleeping Charlie was quickly transferred onto Stone’s back.