Marianne froze and stared at the faint, tiny speck of light that trembled between the branches of the trees.
Mignis always feels fire. Even if you can’t see it. And here she, of course, was right.
– Bonfire?
– It’s a big flame. Bonfire, Mignis said. Marianne was thrilled by this discovery. All is not yet lost. He will find Junia Claire.
– It’s probably a kilometer and a half before him?
– No, further. – Mignis climbed on Marianne’s head.
– Well. Marianne’s voice was full of determination. The nose could smell burnt wood and scorched meat. He seemed to make out the haze of a fire in the air.
He climbed down from the tree. The descent turned out to be even easier than it seemed. The young man again began to run on the tracks from the snowmobiles towards the fire. The moon has energized Marianne. The muscles, tired after a long run, stopped whining and started working with renewed zeal.
When the fire flashed between the trees, Marianne slowed down, began to step more cautiously and listened to the reigning nocturnal sounds. Besides, I had to calm my own breathing. As he ran, he puffed like a steam locomotive.
In the shadows that appeared around the fire, Marian could see people. At some distance from them there was a large shed, under which there were snowmobiles and some other things. Marianne decided to approach from the side of the canopy, to leave with line of sight. The canopy was an excellent cover. The awning was stretched between four large trees. Here the snow was trampled down, which means that Marianne will not leave traces. In case of danger, you can take refuge in the trees.
Three hunters in white camouflage were sitting by the fire. Marianne learned their names from the overheard conversation. The largest and most sedentary was called Ersus. He spoke very little. Nero was short and thin. Pontius is the tallest.
– Do you feel it? Pontius exclaimed suddenly. At these words, Marianne’s soul sank into her heels.
– Yes! The voice answered enthusiastically.
“I’m hungry,” said a third voice, very quiet.
Marianne cautiously crawled back, afraid to betray his presence not only by the smell, but also by the crunch of snow.
– Ersus, buddy, look at the sky! Nero said enthusiastically. – The moon! And you mean food! How can you even think about anything else now?
Marianne huddled against a nearby tree. The voices fell silent. The sounds of fussing, puffing and grunting were heard. Marianne peered out cautiously.
Something strange began to happen around the fire. Something unnatural, frightening and even devilish. Shadows in the snow twisted and trembled in unnatural curves. Even the flames of the fire turned red and roared. The three hunters trembled, leaned towards the snow, rose and then fell again. It was over in a minute. The figures were half-sitting-half-lying in the snow and did not move. Marianne stood up.
– Oh! A rough voice bellowed, and one of the bodies stirred. Marianne dropped to the trunk of a tree, but continued to follow the people around the fire. Now it was impossible to call them just people. Although, one might say, they were not even before that.
– How long I have been waiting for this moment!
The hunter who said this stretched out and squared his shoulders. Marianne saw his face in horror. It looked like a wolf’s face. An elongated nose, protruding teeth and large eyes. And everywhere on the face there is wool!
The largest of the three coughed. And it sounded like a muffled bark. Then he crawled to the fire.
– The meat is not ready yet! – Nero shouted at him.
The answer was a drawn-out growl.
– Not ready? Asked Pontius. – Now just something to chew. Teeth itch. No urine to wait!
– You will scratch soon! Nero grinned. – I would have killed this girl myself, if not for the agreement.
Marianne stared at the painting by the fire in mute daze. Hunters in white camouflage appeared before him in a new guise. Werewolves. The loose clothing did not give a complete picture of their bodies, but Marian could see the claws on their hands. Judging by the changed voices, the metamorphosis affected the throat, and therefore the entire body. At the same time, the mind of the werewolves was not affected, as well as the memory. Instincts Marianne could only guess, but it seems they have become wolf. Otherwise, why are these words about teeth?
“Look,” Pontius said with a cheerful tone. – Our kitty seems to be scared.
“Yeah,” Nero agreed. He walked away from the fire and disappeared from sight.
Footsteps were heard, then a metallic clang. Nero returned to Marianne’s line of sight, but was still alone.
– Everything is good. Kisa will not run free. And now, maybe, the desire will diminish.
Various terrible thoughts swarmed in Marianne’s head. Others made my heart groan in pain. He tried to see where Junia was.
He began to make his way to the place where Nero had gone. The problem is that there were fresh traces. It was necessary to seize the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Nero. But the risk of being noticed is too great. Marianne made up his mind. He will retire twenty steps from the fire and only then will he come to the place where Junia is.
The young man began to slowly walk around the werewolves, all the while remaining in the shade of the trees and trying to make out the girl. She must be very close, or Nero would not have returned so soon. Marianne looked closely. Snow, trees, snow again…
There was something else between the trees.
Meanwhile, a lively conversation was resumed, word by word, by the fire. Nero enthusiastically recounted:
– I chose an observation post by the lake. Everything is visible at a glance. All I did was glance into the thermal imager. I look, there is something warm on the ice. I drove to the goal. And there is. Here are the footprints in the snow. And here is Miss Claire herself!
Marianne held his breath.
“He’s talking about Juniya!”
– In short, you sat and did nothing! And we chased with Pontius all over the area!
– Why nothing? I caught the girl! You have to move your brains, Ersus. I noticed a good spot and waited in ambush, “I shouted rudely at my friend Nero and stirred the meat on the fire.
– Wait? Lying in the snow and taking time off from searches. And he sent us to “these screams”.
Pontius looked towards Marianne.
– Okay, things got off the ground, and that’s good.
– I want to eat! How much longer? – howled almost plaintively Ersus.
– Wait. Just a little bit left. – Nero examined the pieces of food on the spit and waved away the smoke.
– You, of course, caught her with a net? Pontius asked Nero. – The girl.
– Yes, with a net. She darted on the ice in different directions. A cat is a cat. One accurate shot from the gun and the kitty is caught.
– Great! – exclaimed Pontius.
“Anyone can do that on a snowmobile, Nero. Just try to keep up on foot, “said Pontius. – The main thing is the snowmobile. And you, frankly, were lucky that you even looked into the thermal imager.
– No. The main thing here is to wait for the moment. – Nero missed the reproach in his address. He liked to talk about his hunting merits. Now