Free Wolf Stalker by Gloria Skurzynski Page B

moving the fire closer to him,” Jack offered. “Every time I add wood, I’ll string it out so it’s nearer to him. OK?”
    â€œNo, I’ll do it,” Troy said. “You can sleep. I’ll stay up all night.”
    â€œWe’ll take turns,” Jack told him.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    B y three in the morning the protective cloud cover had moved away, leaving no barrier against the frigid temperatures that pressed down on the mountain. But it was not the cold that woke Jack.
    In his sleep he’d moved nearer to the warmth of the fire, until his face got too close to the ashes and he coughed. Sitting up, he coughed again, and shook his head to clear away the buzzing.
    The buzzing continued in his head, like a huge insect, until he suddenly realized that the loud humming was coming from overhead. Jack looked up and scrambled to his feet.
    Red and white wing lights of a small airplane flashed alternately, a beacon in the night sky. The plane was circling slowly overhead.
    It was all he could do not to cry out or wave his arms. That would be a useless waste of energy; he knew he needed to work fast and work smart. The fire was the only thing that an airplane could see, and right now it had burned low. With shaking hands, Jack quickly threw every piece of brush and tinder he could reach onto the embers. He even dumped on the empty Ritz cracker box, and watched it flare up and then blacken as the letters crumpled inward.
    â€œWhat…” Troy mumbled, opening his eyes.
    â€œNothing. Just fixing the fire,” Jack said. “Go back to sleep.”
    The flames rose satisfyingly high while the plane still circled. They’ll see it, Jack thought. They can’t miss it. As he watched the light aircraft fly, he moved closer to the fire to warm his cold hands. Troy, who’d been shivering and hugging himself tightly, relaxed a little as more heat reached him. Let them sleep, Jack thought. Why wake Troy and Ashley and get them all excited? If that pilot is searching for us, he’s seen the fire. Otherwise…Plan B. We hike out in the morning.
    In a few minutes the plane flew away—in a straight line. That was a good sign. It meant the pilot had decided he didn’t need to search any longer. He was probably already radioing the location to park headquarters, where the rescue team would be packing up to start their trek. More than likely, though, they’d wait for the first bit of daylight.
    Jack needed to replenish the supply of firewood since he’d used all of it to make the signal. Trying to step as quietly as he could, he moved farther away than before to where the broken branches and fallen trees hadn’t yet been gathered, using his wimpy little flashlight to pick his way. He was no longer afraid of shadows in the trees. If he heard movement, he’d know what it was—the female wolf. Silver’s mate. Standing guard.
    He was no longer afraid of being shot, either, because if anyone out there wanted to shoot him, they’d have done it a lot sooner than this, rather than waiting around in the cold. And he was no longer worried about being lost. The search plane proved that help would soon be coming.
    In fact, Jack was feeling pretty good. Firewood lay plentifully on the ground, most of it dry enough to burn. This area had escaped the terrible lightning fires of 1988, when half the park, it seemed, went up in flames. Jack carried armload after armload of wood back to the improvised fireplace. Each time he added fuel, he moved the fire a little closer to the wolf, even though he wasn’t sure whether the animal was still breathing. Then, in the golden haze of the fire, Jack saw Silver shudder.
    â€œHey, boy,” he whispered softly. Squatting low, he reached out his hand toward Silver’s muzzle. “You OK?”
    For the briefest second, Silver’s eyes opened. A small sigh of relief escaped Jack’s lips.
    Even though he knew he