Chapter 1

'Alright, time to get up.' Adam announced, looking over to the eastern sky as the sun rose then back at his sleeping brother, Hoss tending to the coffee over the fire. 'Time's wasting.'

'Five more minutes.' Joe mumbled, turning over as his brother came to shake him to wake up.

'Come on Joe, don't make me and Hoss take you to the creek.' He winked at Hoss and he grinned back. 'Alright, looks like Little Joe here wants us to take him for an early morning swim.'

'Alright, alright. I'm up.' He complained as he sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. 'Is that coffee I smell?'

'Breakfast is just about ready too I reckon.' Hoss added. 'But you better get yourself packed up and ready to go before Adam does make good on his threat.'

'Yeah yeah.'

'Hey Adam, do you think we'll find that wolf today?' He asked as he handed him a cup of coffee. 'Heard it howling most the night.'

'I sure hope we do-' He replied, taking a sip of the coffee. The wolf they'd been trailing had kept eluding them and he'd had to resort to the use of traps to try and catch it. The use of traps was something they tried to avoid because of the possibility of other animals getting hurt but they were getting desperate to get the wolf. 'that things been teasing us.'

'Sounded pretty close too last night.' Joe added, finishing rolling up his bed and joined his brothers at the fire. 'Thought I heard someone screaming early this morning but guess it was just my imagination.'

'You must have been dreaming of when you can save a damsel in distress again.'

He punched his brother good naturedly on the arm. 'Well, I'm sure I'd have better luck then you.'

Adam chuckled. 'You keep thinking that little brother.' He finished the rest of his coffee and stood up, tipping the rest of the water on the fire to extinguish it. 'Alright, let's get a move on.'

'I haven't even finished my breakfast yet-'

'Next time you might wake up earlier.' He teased. 'You can finish it, we just need to hurry up. I'd like to get up to the bluff where he was howling last night to see if we can find him before he goes into hiding again.'

Adam looked around the landscape cautiously, patting his sweaty mount as they rested for a moment. The trail he'd found had gone cold up on the bluff, the wolf's tracks disappearing into thin air it seemed over the hard ground. He hadn't seen or heard it either, it was uncomfortably still and quiet considering this was where they heard the wolf howl from during the night. He was here, he was around here somewhere. The fresh calf lying on the ground half a mile back with its throat and stomach ripped out was testimony enough to the wolf's presence. With the recent kill that would make almost thirty head of cattle they'd lost in two weeks and all with the classic evidence of being done by this rogue wolf.

His horse rested again, he urged him into a canter back up to the top of the bluff to take another look around. His horse fidgeted when he slowed it again to get a view of the landscape but again there was no wolf in sight. It had seemingly disappeared.

Adam started back down the bluff heading towards the forest in the valley below. Maybe the wolf had decided to go there to hide and rest. He wondered too if perhaps it might have been caught in the traps they'd put out but so far the wolf had been too smart to get caught. They'd been hunting the wolf since last week when they'd found the first kills but since then the wolf had grown bolder in its attacks, killing the livestock for the fun of it.

As he approached the first trap they'd set he could see it had been set off but there was nothing inside, not even a dash of blood or fur that would have accounted for an animal getting caught and escaping. He dismounted, carefully resetting the trap and covering it with leaves again to disguise it. The bait was gone, the wolf obviously being able to set the trap off without getting caught then stole the bait. He grabbed a rabbit he'd shot earlier that morning, hanging it on a branch above the trap then mounted his horse and headed in the direction of the next trap.

A few birds were singing as Sport trotted through the trees, Adam slowing him to a walk when they came closer to the location of the next trap. Sport snorted, tossing his head as his nostrils flared and he placed his hand on his shoulder reassuringly. As they came through the trees he could see the source of the horse's excitement. Something lay on the ground ahead, his horse again snorting and he halted him, dismounted and tied him up a safe distance from the trap then grabbed out his rifle.

Cautiously he approached, trying to make out exactly what it was lying on the ground. It didn't move and as he got closer he could see there were two forms one of a wolf, the other looking to be human.

He jogged closer, glancing at the wolf to confirm it was dead and it was, a knife sticking out of its side as its glazed eyes stared at the trees. He turned to the other form, his blood running cold. A young girl covered in dried blood lay not far from the wolf, her clothes ripped and torn as she lay unmoving upon the ground. He knelt down beside her, placing the rifle aside on the ground near him and gently rolled her onto her back. Her body was cold to touch, a wound on her neck starting to bleed again from the movement and he reached for her wrist.

He held onto her wrist, checking for a pulse though he didn't expect to find one. He waited a moment almost unable to believe that he might have felt something when he felt it again. She had a pulse, weak as it was she was still alive.

He placed her wrist back down, looking at the rest of the girl's body. Questions were running through his mind but he cast them aside and instead focused upon the task at hand. Her leg lay mangled in the trap he'd set for the wolf, the jaws of the trap holding her leg captive tightly.

Adam knew he didn't have enough supplies in his saddlebags to tend to her injuries as he turned back to her face, touching her forehead. She was freezing, her skin ice cold and he quickly took his jacket off to cover her chest and neck to try and help her warm up. She'd lost a lot of blood he knew, her lips grey as he tucked the coat around her.

He picked up his rifle and stood, moving a little way from her then fired three shots into the air. Three shots coming from two separate directions with time in between reassured him Hoss and Little Joe had heard and were on their way. He glanced back at the girl then went to his horse to grab his saddlebags.

He brought the saddlebags over, placing them down beside her as he knelt over her again. Carefully he moved the jacket aside so he could press a bandage against the wound bleeding from her neck. He looked over her body as he kept applying pressure, the girl's injuries way out of his scope of expertise. He'd tended his fair share of accidents on the ranch, knew how to take care of them but he knew she needed a doctor, if she survived long enough to get her to the ranch and send for the doctor.

Sometime passed, Adam working gently to help the girl as best he could while he waited for help. Faintly in the distance he could hear the sound of hoofbeats approaching, looking up as Hoss and Little Joe halted a little distance away next to his horse and dismounted. 'Bring your saddlebags, we've got a badly injured girl here.' He instructed, holding a cloth to another wound on her neck that had started bleeding.

Hoss and Joe took the saddlebags from their horses and went over to him, Hoss shaking his head in disbelief as Adam knelt beside a young girl. 'Dangburnit Adam, what happened?'

'Found her here, she's been like this for some time.' He replied, taking the saddlebag Joe handed him and quickly emptied it of the bandages they carried in case they needed them. 'Got caught in the trap and the wolf came for a feed.'

'What can we do Adam?'

'First we've got to get her leg out of the trap so we can move her then get her back home and get the doctor.' He replied grimly. It was clear just looking at her she was in a very bad way. 'Hoss, you and I will take care of the trap. Joe, I need you to keep holding this to her neck, the bleeding needs to be stopped.' His brother nodded and knelt down beside him and took over. Adam moved down to the trap as Hoss joined him. 'I'll get her leg out, you open the trap.'

Hoss nodded, taking hold of the trap and pressed down hard on the springs and forced the trap to open. The girl's leg started bleeding again as soon as the pressure was released, Adam carefully pulling her leg out and Hoss let the trap close again with a loud snap.

'My lands.' Hoss exclaimed, looking at the damage the trap had done to the girls leg. He'd seen his share of grizzly accidents but this one had to take the cake. 'It's a dad burn miracle she's still alive.'

Adam could see the wounds from the trap weren't going to stop with just pressure, taking off his belt. 'Hand me that stick Hoss, this leg needs a tourniquet.'

His brother found a stick that would suit the job and handed it to him as he placed the belt above the girls knee. He tightened it firmly, the blood flow lessening and he tied it in place. It'd have to make do till they got back to the ranch. 'We're not going to have enough bandages, go grab one of the blankets from the bedrolls. We'll need to tear it up and use it instead.' He nodded, standing up again and hurried back to the horses.

Joe turned to his older brother after Hoss had left, still holding pressure on the bleeding wound. 'Adam, I don't think she's going to make it.'

'She's still alive at the moment, ain't she?' He asked, Joe nodding. 'Well then we keep trying.' He grabbed a pocketknife from his belt, cutting off the girls bloodied skirts since they were just in the way. There wasn't much he could salvage from the material anyway to use as bandages, it was torn up and covered in dirt. Hoss came back, handing him the strips of blanket and he quickly set to work bandaging her leg. 'Joe, Hoss and I can handle it from here. I need you to ride back home, tell Pa what's happened and send for the doctor.'

'Right Adam.' Joe got up, jogging over to his horse and mounted, taking a look back at Adam and Hoss with the girl as Cochise tossed his head. 'Good luck.'

Adam didn't reply as he rode away, finishing off the girls leg then went back to the girls side, Hoss standing beside him waiting for him to tell him what he needed next. He placed his jacket he'd covered the girl with aside, tearing the girls blouse where a deep gash from the wolf's fangs had been torn in her side. 'Hand me some more bandages Hoss.' He was handed them, folding one up and pressed it against the wound then began bandaging it. The girl was torn up, torn up bad but he had to choose which wounds looked the worst to tend to first and with what supplies he had. Working quickly he finished fixing her up best he could, wrapping her back up in his coat. He'd been feeling her pulse too while he'd worked, it was still weak and her breathing was fast and shallow but she was still alive. It was fortunate for her too she was unconscious and he hoped she stayed that way for the trip back. She'd be in a world of pain when she woke.

'Bring my horse over Hoss, I'll take her with me.' He exclaimed as he finished fixing her the best he could with what supplies he had. Hoss nodded without a word, hurrying back to where the horses had been tied and led Sport over as he carefully lifted the girl off the ground. 'Hold her while I mount.'

The girl was passed gently to him, Hoss looking down at the girl as Adam mounted. Her face was covered in dirt and dried blood, her eyes closed and what skin that wasn't covered in blood was grey. 'Poor dear.'

'Pass her up.' Adam knew it wasn't the best way of moving her, the motion would set her wounds off bleeding again but there was no way they could wait for a wagon or even get a wagon where they were. Hoss passed her up and he laid her across the saddle in front of him, one arm around her with her head resting against his shoulder. He picked up the reins while Hoss went for his horse, urging Sport into a canter. Now it was a race against time to get her back to the ranch and to the doctor.