He stared down at the paw prints.

Bloody paw prints.

Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, he let out a ragged breath. Eyes shut tight, he tried to take even breaths.

Okay. There was an injured animal. Clearly.

Maybe it was a coyote or a fox, and a car hit them? But what if it wasn't? What if it was a stray dog? Heck, it's not like they taught you how to read paw prints and know which animal they belonged to in high school! And sure, he and Uncle Nicky had volunteered with a variety of shifters over the years, but still, he didn't study what their paws... Wait....

His eyes snapped open.

What if it was an injured shifter?

Uncle Nicky!

Uncle Nicky would know what to do, and he knew tons of people. Taking out his phone, and unlocking it, his thumb hovered over the call icon. He bit the inside of his lip. He couldn't call Uncle Nicky just like that. At the least, he had to check and make sure whoever, whatever, was injured was still there before he made a panicky call asking his Uncle to help.

Phone shoved back in his pocket, he gritted his teeth, and put one foot in front of the other. His running shoes crunched into the snowbank. He sank a couple of inches with his first step, and even more with his second. Snow was getting in his shoes, his socks and feet were going to get all wet. He shook his head and took another step. Those didn't matter. He had a change of shoes back at the cabin and Uncle Nicky could give him a pair of dry socks.

Whoever, whatever, was out here was injured and needed help.

He sank even further into the snowbank with his next step, but now he was on top of the snowbank, near the paw print. Gaze following the bloody trail, he frowned when it stopped... and nothing. No one was there. His frown deepened, and his eyes narrowed.

No one could disappear just like that.

He leaned to the side and stopped short when he saw it. Trembling, fuzzy brown fur, barely visible behind some of the fallen snow, but that was where the trail of blood ended. Eyeing the snowbank, he carefully stepped down onto the other side.

Thankfully, the trees in this area were tame compared to those surrounding Uncle Nicky's property. He backed away from the snowbank; he frowned when he heard something. Then the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, hearing the last sound he could have wanted to hear. A growl. A faint one, but that's what that was. He stood still. From the corner of his eye he could see the brown fur, so instead of taking another step, he slowly turned his head.

There, huddled into the snowbank, ears pinned back, tail tucked and growling at him, was a wolf pup. Yellow eyes darted in his direction. The wolf pup's legs trembled when it moved to stand, and it whined when it padded away, leaving bloody prints behind.

Taking out his phone and getting ready to call Uncle Nicky, he jumped, phone slipping out of his hands at the ruckus of cawing and flapping wings. He scowled, bending to pick up his phone as the pair of crows landed next to him, one of them shifting into a grinning young man just a couple of years older than him.

One of Uncle Nicky's neighbours.

"We were wondering if anyone was going to come to the poor boy's rescue! How's it going, Tory? You really hurt my feelings back there, you know. How about you make up for it and invite me to your Uncle's place? Sounds good to you?"

"It sounds like you want an invitation to raid my Uncle's home for shiny things, Corbin." He wiped the snow off his phone, and took a step back when the shifter's majestic - Jax's word, not his - mohawk nearly poked him in the eye.

"Me? Raid dear Nicky's home for shiny things? Tory, how could you accuse me of such a thing?"

He raised an eyebrow.

Corbin's grin widened as he batted his eyes at him.

Yeah, better luck next time, buddy.

"So the wolf pup is a shifter?" Already he didn't like where this was going. His stomach was flip-flopping. And no, it had nothing to do with the fact that he hadn't taken up Uncle Nicky's offer for breakfast.

"Sure is!"

"So why didn't you do anything to help?" He side-eyed Corbin, who clutched at his chest as if he were about to snatch the crow's non-existent pearls.

"We tried to help. We've been keeping an eye on the runt all morning, even after we got ignored and snapped at!"

At a bark, he stepped around Corbin. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the other crow hopping after the injured pup, picking at the pup's tail, and not at all dissuaded by the pup snapping his teeth in warning.

He looked back at Corbin. "You call that helping?"

Corbin flashed him another grin. "We're annoyed and bored. A deadly combo."

"He's a kid! You're an adult. If anyone should be annoyed here, it's him." His hands flailed, waving from the wolf pup to Corbin and back. This time, Corbin backed away from him. "Why didn't you call Uncle Nicky or Mr. Fletcher for help? He shouldn't be out here all alone."

"Exactly! Watching him all morning, and waiting for whoever's following him to show up, only to be let down because you're going to take him with you and we will not find out who the runt is running from."

"He's running from someone?" Great. Now he really didn't like where this was going. Wolves rarely were alone, preferring the company of fellow wolves or close friends. A lone wolf was an odd sight. A lone wolf who was a kid and on the run? Concerning.

Corbin tilted his head back, glancing up at the sky. "When was the last time you ran and looked over your shoulder multiple times? I don't run, like at all, but I've only ever seen you groundlings look over your shoulders like that when you're being followed. You know, like in horror films."

He crossed his arms over himself, staring at Corbin. Was this crow seriously comparing the wolf pup's situation to a horror film? Might as well have been talking to Jax right now.

Behind Corbin, a snarl made the crow jump, and looking past them, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the other crow attempting to perch on the wolf pup's back.

"Hey, you leave him alone!" Charging towards the pair, he scooped up snow in his hand and clenched his fist to form a small snowball.

"Abort, abort!" Corbin cried out behind him. "Shortstack is armed and angry! Abort!"

Shortstack?!

With a huff, he turned around to face Corbin, only to find a crow flapping away and into the safety of the trees above him. Hand, and snowball raised, he turned back to face the crow tormenting the wolf pup, to see the pup try to snap at the retreating crow.

He snorted, dropping the snowball. Cowards, the pair of them.

"Crows, am I right?" He smiled, catching the wolf pup's gaze on him.

The pup looked away, ears momentarily pinned back, before he turned and limped away.

"Hey, wait up!" He tried to hurry after the young shifter and nearly slipped. Holding his hands out wide to steady himself, he raised his head and saw the wolf pup was looking back at him. Well, he had the pup's attention. Licking his lips, he took a step to the left, back onto the snowbank, an ice-free zone, and tried to gather his thoughts. Best start with the most important thing then.

"Were the crows right? Are you running from someone? Someone that did...did that to you?" He raised his hand and pointed to his own neck. Because what was painfully obvious now that he had a Corbin free moment to look at the wolf pup, he could see the matted, crusted fur around the wolf pup's neck. "Someone was using silver on you, weren't they?"

The pup let out a faint whine as his ears pinned back and his tail partially tucked between his legs.

The pieces were falling into place, and he didn't like the image they were forming. At all. Wolves were one of the shifters with incredible regenerative healing, but wounds didn't heal properly if silver was used or if an injury wasn't given enough time to heal. In this pup's case? His paws were bleeding because he was on the move and hadn't stopped.

"What about your pack? Your family? Are they being kept too?" He asked gently, easing down into a crouch so he and the young shifter were at eye level. He was feeling the chill, what with his shoes and socks being wet. Picking up snow with his bare hand hadn't been a smart move either, but the pup wasn't running away from him and he wasn't about to rush the kid.

Another whine and this time the pup looked ready to curl in on himself and allow the snow to bury him.

He frowned. Was that a yes? Had this pup escaped? If he had, from where? Shaking his head, he shoved the rest of the bubbling questions aside. Important as they were, answering them wasn't a priority right now.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you've gone through. You're incredibly brave, you know that?" He offered the pup another smile when those yellow eyes glanced in his direction again. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting chilly and need to get out of these wet shoes and socks. I think you're feeling cold too, and you must be pretty tired if you've been on the move for so long. My family and I can help. We can look after you and keep you safe from whoever you're running from. You don't have to do this alone."

The pup looked in the direction he had been heading with before looking back at him.

The kid didn't trust him, but he understood.

It was probably humans that hurt him. Yeah, it was illegal for such metals to be used against shifting kind, but when has anything illegal stopped someone from using something that gave them an edge over their opponents? It made his neck and shoulders tense. It made his heart ache. It made anger bubble up and threaten to eat him alive. Like anything that came in contact with acid. Which was like how Uncle Nicky had described silver burning a wolf's skin.

How can anyone be so cruel?

Shaking his head, he tried to put those feelings aside. At least for now.

"I need to head back. If I stay out here for much longer, I'm gonna have ice blocks for feet." He winced as he straightened up, and tucking the water bottle under his arm, he rubbed his hands together. Hands a fraction warmer, he waved a hand in the direction of Uncle Nicky's home. "We're just down the road. Not too far away. You can get warmed up and have something to eat. If you're still uncomfortable with us, we know a wolf pack that would be more than happy to help you."

The wolf pup stared at him.

That was all he got, and that was all he was going to get.

Head ducked, he turned away. He stepped into the footprints he had made earlier to climb over the snowbank and he started walking back to Uncle Nicky's. Did he want to leave the young shifter behind? Heck no. But he wasn't about to pick up a kid and forcefully carry him away. Especially not after whatever the kid must have gone through. Even if all he wanted to do was bundle up the pup in as many blankets as Uncle Nicky had and make him the biggest bowl of soup.

He'd just have to let Uncle Nicky know what was going on once he got to the cabin. His fingertips were going numb, and he didn't trust himself to tap at the screen or hold the phone without it slipping from his fingers.

He hadn't walked very far when snow crunched behind him, and he turned around. The wolf pup was scrambling and sliding down the snowbank. Following him. At the sight of him, the young shifter stopped. Brow furrowed, he turned away and continued going. He glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough, the pup was limping after him, leaving a fresh bloody trail behind him.

He bit the inside of his cheek. They were still a long way away from Uncle Nicky's, and even then, there was the driveway before reaching the cabin. Jaw clenched, he turned around, mind made up. Shoving the water bottle into the pocket of his sweatpants, he took a breath before unzipping his hoodie, and crouching down, he waved the wolf pup over.

"Come on. I'll carry you the rest of the way. We're both cold, and you're hurt. The faster we get there, the faster we'll get warmed up."

At first, the pup whined and backed away.

But he waited.

When the young shifter realized he would not back down, wouldn't leave him, the wolf pup padded towards him, tail tucked.

"I'm going to pick you up, okay?" At the pup's nod, he reached out and lifted the pup off the ground. Straightening, he shuddered when he held the pup against his chest, carefully zipping up the hoodie, he left it open enough for the pup's head to stick out.

"Alright, here we go." He gritted his teeth to stop them from chattering. He kept his arms cradled around the young shifter so the pup wouldn't slip out from under his hoodie.

As he made his way to Uncle Nicky's, he felt the pup's trembling ease up. They had made it to Uncle Nicky's driveway when he realized he hadn't even introduced himself. "I'm Tory, by the way, and right now we're going to go see my Uncle Nicky. I've got two younger siblings, but they're both in school right now. Maybe you'll meet them later." Bit his lip. He was getting ahead of himself. The pup would be more comfortable with the Laguardia wolves than with them.

And Jax was a bit much for anyone.

When the cars and cabin itself were visible, he called out, "Uncle Nicky! I need your help!" He was shuffling past his car when Uncle Nicky opened the door, still dressed in his business attire, though he had taken the vest and tie off. Concern etched in the lines on his Uncle's face, and his pale eyes immediately locked on the wolf pup.

"What happened?" Uncle Nicky stepped aside for them. "Get inside and I'll get a fire going."

And he would have gladly, whole-heartedly, done just that.

But as soon as he approached the cabin, the wolf pup reacted - whining, squirming, paws pressing against his chest. Nope. Going into the cabin was not an option.

Shaking his head, he backed away from the cabin and made his way to his car instead. His numbed fingers fumbled to get the keys out of his pocket, and he groaned when they slipped out of his hand. He backed up, about to curse, only stopping short when he eyed the wolf pup's large ears when they pinned back at Uncle Nicky's approach.

"What do you need? Blankets?" Frowning at them, Uncle Nicky unlocked the car and turned it on.

Nodding jerkily, he closed his eyes, trying to think. "Can you open the trunk, please? And push down the backseats?"

"Sure, what else?" Uncle Nicky hurried to do as he asked.

Given his fingers weren't really cooperating right now, it was best to let Uncle Nicky handle it.

"Um...just push those aside," he jerked his chin towards the box filled with grocery bags. "Get the emergency blanket and open it up. We can sit on that."

Once Uncle Nicky did as he asked, his Uncle helped him sit in the car before hurrying back to the cabin. Unzipping his hoodie, the young shifter stepped off his lap and hid behind him when Uncle Nicky re-appeared with everything he asked for. His Uncle helped him replace his wet shoes and socks with warm layers. His hoodie and t-shirt were also replaced with one of Uncle Nicky's thick sweaters and a blanket. All the while he told Uncle Nicky what had happened on his run - the blood trail, nosy-bored neighbouring crows, and what he could gather of the wolf pup's situation.

"So, what are we going to do? How are we going to help him?" He watched Uncle Nicky silently take it all in. Uncle Nicky had asked his questions, but other than that, he remained silent.

Now in the front seat, Uncle Nicky met his gaze through the rearview mirror. "If we're right about all this and someone was following him, I think our safest option is to leave. We will go to Fran's house and wait for her to come home, and we'll figure out what to do then."

"You need Councilwoman Zammitti to advise you?" He shook his head, smiling, only it curled into a frown when he saw Uncle Nicky was utterly serious. "We need Ma to come home? You know the pack like Ma, if not better, and if that's a dead end, you have plenty of other contacts we could reach out to."

"We wait," Uncle Nicky firmly stated, turning around to look back at them. "For all we know, Fran may know something we don't. Waiting until this evening won't make much of a difference, Tory. We've found him and he's safe with us. I'll be ready to head out shortly. Come inside if you need anything before we go."

Frowning, he watched Uncle Nicky get out of the car and head back to the cabin. He glanced down at the wolf pup nestled in a blanket nest, shrugging and shaking his head when the pup tilted his head at him.

If the young shifter was confused, he was, too. What could Ma do that Uncle Nicky couldn't?