06 Wolves

CHAPTER 6 WOLVES Tag stared up at two very large, hungry-looking wolves. Blaze peeped as Skyla pulled out her slingshot. Tag quickly hid the sack behind his back as the three friends huddled together.

The wolves had long, black claws and sharp teeth. One was white and one was gray. Their eyes glowed orange. The gray wolf growled. GRRRRRRRRRRRR! Tag stumbled, dropping his sack on the ground.

He turned to grab it. But the sack was gone! Where did my sack go? Tag wondered. He looked at Blaze. The firehawk was staring at a pile of dirt behind him, her eyes wide. The wolves growled again, and the friends all turned to face them. "Well, well," the white wolf said. "Look who we found." Skyla's paws shook as she held out her slingshot. "Stay back!" she cried. The gray wolf laughed. "Or what?" "I'll—" Before Skyla could say any more, the white wolf had grabbed her slingshot in his jaws. He threw it into the closest bush.

"Give us the Ember Stone!" the white wolf ordered, sniffing at their armor, searching for the stone. "We don't have it," Tag said. "He's telling the truth," the gray wolf said. "They are no use to us without the stone," the white wolf growled. "Let's take them to the cages."

"Blaze," Tag whispered. "Use your cry!" Blaze opened her beak, ready to scare the wolves away. But the two wolves were fast! In a blur, they were right behind Tag and Skyla. So close that Tag could feel their breath on his feathers. They snapped their jaws and growled louder than before. "Keep your beak shut," the white wolf snarled at Blaze, "or we'll hurt your friends."

Blaze closed her beak. "Thorn won't be happy when we tell him we don't have the Ember Stone," the gray wolf whispered to the white one. The white wolf looked at Blaze. "At least we have the firehawk," he said. "She's worth something to Thorn." "What about the other two?" the gray wolf asked. The white wolf snarled. "We will make sure they are out of Thorn's way for good."