By The Light Of The Moon

Chapter 8

In the distance, a long howl rose and fell, roughly the same distance as the first time Shane had howled tonight. If that was where our camp really was, then Milly had definitely gone farther than I had thought possible. There was no way I would have been able to trace her tracks that far, so I was now very glad I hadn't tried.

I continued leading the mule down the narrow deer path, trying not to trip over roots or rocks. As I ducked under a low branch, I felt the necklace in the pocket shift, and I quickly caught it as it fell out. I examined the pendant once again. That was the third time it had fallen out of my pocket.

With a frown, I opened my belt pouch and tucked it inside. I did not want to find out how irritated Shane would be if I lost it. Although if he was able to find it as easily as he had said, it wouldn't exactly be lost. I just wouldn't know where it was. And he would be forced to track me the hard way once again. Yeah, it was probably best if I could avoid that, at least for today.

Less than ten minutes later, when I ducked beneath another branch, the faint sound of metal against leather informed me that gravity had once more reclaimed the necklace. The silver seemed to shimmer in the faint moonlight as it lay on the moss.

How had it fallen out of my belt pouch? I checked the latches, but all of them were secure. With a sigh, I opened the pouch, dug to the bottom, then opened the small purse that held some of my coins. I picked up the necklace, which was slightly warmer than my skin, and I put it with my money.

I carefully sealed the coin purse and ensured it was at the bottom of my belt pouch before securing the latches again. For good measure, I wrapped a spare handkerchief around the entire thing and knotted it at the top.

Shane had said it was enchanted to let him locate it, but I was beginning to think the spell let it magically slip out of any pocket or pouch I put it in.

Milly didn't seem to notice anything amiss and happily sampled the grass while waiting. With a sigh, I continued guiding her onward. Only the sound of insects and an occasionally sleepy bird disturbed the silence. Instead of being eerie, it was peaceful, at least until I tripped over something and muttered under my breath, which was a frequent event.

I lost track of time before a quiet bark came from the side, followed by the sound of rustling leaves and Shane's voice. "It's just me."

I held tightly onto the remains of Milly's lead rope as the werewolf appeared on the trail just ahead of us. Milly snuffled the air suspiciously, but eventually shook her head and stomped her front hoof, agitated but not terrified.

Shane dipped his head, letting the saddle – which was looped around his neck – and all my attached gear slump to the ground. Shaking his fur in a manner that portrayed his distaste for the task he'd just done, he stood up.

"I got it all in one trip, but just so you know, we won't be trying any of the roads tonight. There are small groups all over the place."

I sighed in disappointment and tied Milly to a tree branch before walking over. "At least they aren't searching the deer trails yet."

"Actually, I saw two groups on animal paths near the roads." He huffed and shook his fur out again. "I haven't seen people this determined to search a forest since the crown prince of Baldaria was killed by bandits."

"That wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. How far are we from the roads?"

"Far enough they shouldn't be able to hear Milly bray, but still closer than I like."

"Mules don't quite bray like donkeys. So far, Milly has been pretty quiet," I replied as I bent over to pick up the saddle.

A rustle and a metallic clink had me standing back up and staring at the necklace laying on the leather. I checked my pouch, but the handkerchief was still tied around it with the knots on top, although one fold had opened wider. Still, the fold was on top of the pouch flap.

"Okay, there is no way that thing should have been able to get out of my coin purse," I informed Shane as I picked up the necklace and let it dangle from my fingers.

He tilted his head as his tail swished behind him. "That's strange. I can take it back if you want, but if a bear or another dire wolf shows up and Milly takes off, it makes it much easier to find you. You can try wearing it and see if that helps."

I watched the moonlight gleam along the oddly warm silver. "It—it isn't going to do stuff like your necklace does, right?"

"No," he huffed gruffly, irritation present in his tone. "Mine's different. The one in your hands is just a tracker."

After gazing at it for a long moment, I took a deep breath and draped it over my head.

Nothing happened.

If Shane hadn't been watching me, I would have exhaled heavily; instead, I leaned over for the saddle. This time, the necklace barely even shifted. The metal was still warm against my skin, reminding me of its not-exactly-welcome presence.

"I'll give it a try," I told Shane, "but if it keeps falling off, I'll give it back. I don't want to lose it."

He snorted quietly. "That's the least of my worries. I can track it with ease, but I can't track that deer of yours when it runs across rocks and only leaves a handful of footprints."

"She's a mule," I replied with a slight grin.

"I dispute that fact. I've never seen a mule run that far without collapsing."

We both looked at Milly, although she was, once more, happily nibbling the grass like the old mule she was.

"Maybe the mules you saw just needed more incentive?" I suggested.

"Perhaps..."

I shrugged. "Well, as soon as I get her saddled and toss my gear on, we'll see how much energy she has left."

As I carried the saddle over to Milly, Shane slipped back into the forest.