Free Hunter's Moon by John Townsend Page A

last week. When he comes down here, that’s a sure sign of rain.’
    By two o’clock the storm had already begun. Neil was amazed. Even though he knew a lot about nature, he still had plenty to learn from Jeff.

    Neil was upset when Jeff had to stay off work with a bad back after a fall. Jeff hadbeen making a footbridge over the stream when one of the supports had given way. He fell badly and took hours to crawl up the bank and reach help.
    While Jeff was away, Neil took on all the jobs. He worked all hours, often after dark. That’s when he first felt uneasy. Autumn was always a busy time, with plenty of cutting back to do.
    ‘Clearing and burning, my lad. Just keep clearing and burning,’ were Jeff’s orders. But Neil could do with Jeff being there. Not just to work on a new pheasant pen. For the first time in his life, Neil felt scared in the woods.
    What were those weird scratch marks at the base of an oak tree? Deep grooves, like claw marks. And why were there splashes of blood in one of the bird feeders? But there was something else – something in the air.There was a strong smell. It was near the broken footbridge. The bridge where Jeff had fallen. Neil sensed fear here. Fear of eyes somewhere in the shadows.

THREE
    The girl came like a ghost through the morning mist. She drifted along the footpath at the edge of the wood. The watery sunlight trickled through the trees and splashed her face. Neil looked up from raking leaves and was startled by her. She looked stunning in a swirl of dappled light and October mist.
    ‘Hi!’ she called. For a moment he was speechless.
    ‘Lost your tongue?’ She smiled. Her dark eyes sparkled under a sweep of shining black hair. Neil stared for some seconds, first at her face, then slowly down to her muddy jeans and trainers. She read his mind.
    ‘I slipped. It’s very wet.’
    ‘Are you lost?’ he asked. It seemed a daft thing to say. He wished he hadn’t. She certainly didn’t seem lost.
    ‘No. Not at all. I remember you.’ She smiled again. What a lovely smile, he thought. But who was she? He’d never have forgotten a face like hers. Nor a figure like hers.
    ‘Really?’ he said, resting his elbow on the handle of the rake.
    ‘Yeah. You were in the year below me atschool. My friend fancied you.’ Neil felt himself blush. He still had no idea who she was.
    ‘Tanya,’ she smiled, reading his mind. ‘Are there badgers round here?’
    ‘Why do you ask?’ He didn’t mean to snap at her, but he was on his guard now. People who asked about badgers were not to be trusted. Not since a few setts were dug up last month, with all the animals taken off for brutal sport.
    ‘My project.’ She waved a pencil. It was only then he saw the sketch-pad under her arm. ‘I’m an art student. Wildlife is my thing at the moment. I’d love to see a baby badger.’
    ‘It’s not all you might see.’ Neil spoke without thinking. The fears of the last few nights were getting to him. But her mind had gone elsewhere.
    ‘And what did you have in mind?’ She beamed a cheeky grin as she winked and wagged the pencil at him.
    ‘Oh, nothing,’ he said, trying to laugh it off. He felt himself blush again.
    She had moved closer and her dark eyes stared into his.
    ‘Do you mean the beast? They’re all talking about it at college. They say there’s a panther on the loose somewhere round here. Dark and deadly – like me!’ She gave a playful snarl and clawed the air.
    Neil had heard the rumours. They’d been going round for years. But for the first time he felt something strange was prowling these woods. He was sure that strong smell by the bridge was from a big cat, marking out its hunting ground. It was like the strong ammonia he’d smelt at the zoo. He was sure the noises in the wood the othernight were from a large animal. Then there were the claw marks … He knew a big cat on the prowl could kill someone.
    ‘You look dead serious all of a sudden,’ she said. ‘You look