Chapter 5

Chapter 5 The kids left the deck, passed Wallis's van and the flagpole, and walked into the trees. They turned and waved to Abbi, who waved back. "This looks like a trail," Dink said, looking down. The kids kept their eyes on the ground as they moved deeper into the trees. Soon Abbi and the cabin were out of sight. The land was level for the first few minutes, then it angled sharply upward. The kids hiked in single file, with Josh leading and Dink last in line.

Fallen trees, roots poking out of the ground, and jagged rocks made walking difficult. "I don't see any trail at all!" Josh wailed when they stopped to look around. High above their heads, tall trees blocked out the sky. "I think we should just keep going up," Ruth Rose said. "If we get out of these trees, we might be able to see that dead one Abbi showed us." They kept climbing. Dink could hear Josh and Ruth Rose taking deep breaths. He was sweating and swatting at mosquitoes. After about twenty minutes, Josh stopped. "It better not be much farther," he panted. "It's not. Look!" Ruth Rose said. She pointed uphill behind Josh. "It's the dead tree!" Dink said. "We're almost there!"

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It took them ten more minutes of climbing before they were standing at the base of the tree. Josh turned and waved his arms high in the air in case Abbi was watching. Near the dead tree stood a pile of giant boulders. Behind the tree, the land sloped downward toward a cliff. "It's beautiful up here," Dink said. "You can see for miles!" Ruth Rose said. "Look how blue the water is." "And look how dark those clouds are," Josh said nervously. "I sure don't want to be up here in a thunderstorm."

The kids split up and walked among the rocks and boulders. It took only a few seconds for Dink to find animal tracks in the sand. "Guys, over here!" he called. Josh and Ruth Rose found him on his knees. "Look, are these wolf tracks?" Josh and Ruth Rose knelt next to Dink. "They do look like pawprints," Ruth Rose said, studying the sandy ground. Josh put his own hand next to a pawprint. "Look how big these tracks are!" he said. Ruth Rose pointed to some shoe-prints. "Do you think these are the kidnappers' prints?" she asked.

"Maybe," Dink said. "But other people must come up here, too." The kids prowled among the rocks. They found animal tracks, but no more from humans. Josh stopped in front of two rock slabs leaning against each other. Beneath the rocks, a burrow had been dug, leaving a mound of loose dirt. "Guys, I think I found the den!" Josh whispered. The kids knelt and peered down into the dark lair. "What if the mother wolf is down there right now?" Josh asked. Suddenly they heard a wolf howl. All three kids jumped back. "Run!" yelled Josh. "She's not down there," Ruth Rose said. "Look!" The mother wolf was standing on top of a pile of boulders about one hundred yards away. She was watching the kids with her ears standing straight up. While the kids looked at her, she let out another howl, then leaped off the rocks and disappeared.