I used the same low tone he did when I spoke. "Where is he, little man?"
Sy's hair flopped over his head as he shook it. "Not know."
Damn.
I peeked up over the tall grass to see if I could spot anything out of place. I wasn't thrilled when I didn't. Sy wouldn't lie about something happening to his brother, but there should have been some sign of something.
"I want you to crawl to those trees as fast and as quietly as you can." I pointed off to the trees I had just come from. "Can you do that for me?"
Sy didn't even answer me. He just started moving toward the trees on his hands and knees. I shifted back into my wolf form so I could protect him better and then started crawling after him.
We were lucky the grass here was so tall and the shadows were thick. They hid us from view, but I also realized it could hide someone else as well, which was why I wanted to get to the woods. It was easier to hide a dire wolf and a child behind a tree than a blade of grass.
Once we were safely hidden in the thick trees, I shifted back. "Tell me exactly what happened."
"Ajag said we had to go. I didn't want to, but he said."
Damn it, Ajag!
I was going to strangle him when I found him.
"We started to leave, but bad men came. Ajag said to run and hide, but they hit him." Sy dragged his arm under his nose, which was really kind of gross. "I ran like he said. I did what he told me to do."
I gently patted Sy's arm. "You did good, Sy. You did exactly what Ajag told you to do."
Tears flooded Sy's eyes when he looked up. "I want Ajag."
"I know, little man."
I hugged him to me as I tried to figure out what my next step needed to be. I couldn't take Sy back to the house without knowing it was safe. Ajag would never forgive me. But I couldn't leave him here unattended either.
"Sy, the men that hurt your brother, were they human or shifter?" I wasn't sure if he was old enough to know, but I could hope. "Did they smell like me and the others?"
Sy shook his head. "They smelled...not furry."
That was good enough for me.
"Cover your ears." As soon as Sy did what I told him, I shifted back into my wolf form, raised my face into the night air, and letout a howl that was sure to bring the others running if they were within hearing distance.
I just hoped it didn't bring the humans running.
I gave my best wolfie grin when I heard a series of answering howls.
They had heard me.
I shifted back to my human form and scooted over to lean against the tree, Sy still cuddled in my arms.
As much as I wanted to run to Ajag's rescue, I couldn't leave Sy, and Ajag wouldn't want me to. I just had to wait for help to arrive and hope we weren't discovered before then.
I drew in several deep breaths and released them slowly. I had to stay calm so Sy didn't feel my growing agitation. He might not have gone through his first shift yet, but he was still a wolf. He would know.
I rubbed little circles on Sy's back to help him remain calm as well. After a few minutes, his body went limp and his breathing evened out. I glanced down to find his eyes closed.
I continued to rub his back as I leaned my head back against the hard bark of the tree. The minutes ticked by at a snail's pace. By the time I heard another howl, I was ready to snarl. I covered Sy's ears for him this time and let out a yip. I didn't want to howl and wake him.
A moment later, a large black wolf broke through the tree line. Ze'ev shifted as soon as he reached us. As soon as he was human again, he glanced from me to Sy. "What happened?"
"Sy said some men showed up and tried to take them. Agaj told him to run and hide." I swallowed tightly. "I don't know what happened to him. I thought it would be better to stay here and protect Sy."
