Chapter 2: In dire straits

Odin was lucky that his team had chosen to work near the Lamar Valley that morning. The place had good road access and several paved parking spaces nearby, where tourists and researchers could leave their cars when inside the valley. So, that was why he had chosen to head back to the vehicles, even when knowing that a group of ferocious wolves was fast approaching.

"Don't slow down. We are almost there."

Odin yelled back at Nicole — who was lagging behind and running out of breath. His worry had grown exponentially since the howls were getting louder with every passing second. The wolves were most likely already upon Tony's group.

"My legs are hurting! I can't go on. Just leave me behind.” Nicole cried out in-between gasps of breath. Several beads of sweat were streaming down her pale, pretty face. Her cleavage was damp and thoroughly stained as though she had just run a thirty-mile marathon.

"For fuck's sake, can you shut up for a second?" Odin bellowed, halting in his tracks for a moment. He was apprehensive and tense with fear of the fast-approaching wolves. He was hardly able to rein in his temper even in the presence of the fairer sex.

Nicole immediately quieted on hearing Odin's bellow. She had the look of a frightened rabbit at that moment.

"I'm sorry," Odin said in a softer voice after noticing her frightened demeanor. "The wolves will be upon us if we don't run faster. Do you understand?"

Nicole nodded silently in response. Her blue eyes were still a bit misty — but, at least, she was no longer crying.

"Give me your hand," he said while flashing her an encouraging smile.

Nicole took his hand, and the two of them immediately started sprinting forward once again. They managed to traverse the remaining hundred yards of the open landscape before making it to the parking spaces.

Odin couldn't help but let out a breath when they made it to where they had left their vehicles. By reflex, his body started relaxing, especially with the knowledge that he was about to escape the danger.

“Thank God we made it out of that place without any injuries!”

That was the thought running through his mind as he walked into the parking space. It sure felt good to come out unscathed after facing such a precarious situation.

But after taking a few more steps, his face contorted into a fearful frown. It was as if he had just swallowed down a fly with a fat green head. He stood still in terror.

"Odin, Odin..." Nicole stammered, looking around nervously. "Someone... someone seems to have punctured all our tires and messed up our cars."

Odin's team had come to the national park in three vehicles. One was a Mitsubishi star wagon, while the other two were both Ford Ranger double cabin trucks. They were all four-wheel-drive vehicles with durable tires that could traverse almost any terrain in Yellowstone without a hitch. But at that moment, they were in a sorry state. They were simply like useless decorations parked beside the road and no longer functional.

"I can see that," Odin said, trying his best to fight down the rising dread and panic. "However, you are wrong about one thing."

"What are you trying to say, Odin?" Nicole murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

"You should already know the answer," Odin said after taking another deep breath. "It isn't someone, but something that punctured all our tires and deformed the rims of our vehicles."

"Oh, my God!" Nicole squawked. "You mean to say... Do you mean to say that it could be the wolves? How can that be?"

"Please, lower your voice," Odin muttered, looking around in apprehension. "They might still be around."

"Could it really be the wolves? Could a wolf be that intelligent?"

Ominous thoughts flashed through Odin's mind as he fought down the terror he was feeling on the inside. His logic told him that no wild animal could be intelligent enough to mess up cars for the sole reason of trapping its prey. However, after recalling the ferocious rat's story he'd just heard from Nicole, a deep chill slowly started building up in his gut. He was terrified in every true sense.

"This is madness!" He thought, inwardly cursing.

Odin stood in place for a stunned instant, his mind overwhelmed by the sheer prospect of the notion. Finally, a single thought made its way past the discordant din within his mind. It was an intuition borne from his very soul, the natural instinct to search for a chance of survival in the face of danger. He decided to act right away.

"Run for the vehicles," he grunted while taking Nicole’s hand. He then shot forth like a whirlwind towards one of the Ford Ranger trucks.

The threat of death was a notion that brought out a person's full potential. By some magical means, he squeezed out a last burst of energy. He crossed a distance of about ten yards in less than five seconds while dragging the fatigued Nicole along.

It was then that a somehow muffled bestial growl sounded from somewhere behind him. It wasn't that loud. However, it was filled with a savageness that could even freeze the soul of a veteran soldier. Every cell of Odin’s body was screaming the word — "Danger!"

Odin's body tightened up as his eyes shrank back into their sockets. His heart rate sped up as a chill spread from his tailbone before rushing upward—along his spine. He felt as helpless as a fluffy bunny running from a top predator deep in the jungle.

He, however, didn't waste any time trying to figure out the kind of creature that was on his tail. He didn't want to know, as the only thing that mattered was to comprehend that whatever was after him was a terrifying predator.

There was just no way he could fight against such a fearsome beast with his meager strength.

He quickly unlocked the Ford Ranger before sweeping Nicole into his arms and diving into the backseat. They had made it. But before they could catch their breath, a loud bang shook the entire vehicle, causing them to lose stability and fall over.

"BANG! BANG! BANG..."

The clangorous noise was coming from the side of the Ford Ranger from which they had entered. The beast outside was probably attempting to pierce a hole through the car’s body to access the interior. As a result, the car started jerking from side to side, threatening to topple over.

Nicole started trembling and sobbing quietly in Odin's arms. She seemed to be at her wit's end as panic overwhelmed her. Odin was not any better, but he tried hard not to show how afraid he was until he clearly saw what was right outside the truck.

A blue-eyed enormous wolf-like beast, the size of an elephant, with rows of saw-like teeth lining up its open maw, was standing right outside. All the hairs on its hide were silver-like needles reflecting coldness under the early morning sun. However, there were also some deep blue hairs scattered around its neck.

The beast emanated a brute aura of power and savageness that caused Odin to freeze in terror. From what he could see, the beast wasn't using all its strength to break through the vehicle. It was simply swiping a claw at the door of the Ford Ranger in a relaxed manner. It was probably just toying with them before having them for breakfast.

"Am I going to die?" He wondered within himself.

A feeling of despair swelled within Odin's entire being. Everything hung on a thread at this critical moment when life and death would be decided.