Skin Walkers: Monroe by Susan Bliler

as she reached down to finger the trap.  It was a double spring foothold, meaning both release blades would need to be compressed simultaneously to separate the serrated jaws.  Fuck!
    Eden knew the type of trap well, she’d discovered a few in her time and had even released a few animals from their confines; however, unlike the trap she was currently caught in, those animals had been afforded the charity of padded jaws lining the serrated edges of the devices that had trapped them.
    She used both hands to compress the release blades, but the jaws didn’t move, and compounding matters was the fact that the pads of her cold wet fingers instantly adhered to the frozen metal trap burning as they stuck to the frigid device. 
    She eased the release blades back to their resting position before slowly peeling her fingers from the metal.  She was trapped, and if the loss of her fingerprints stung, she didn’t feel it.  Waves of nausea were crashing over her as she slowly reclined back in the snow.  She couldn’t control the bone jarring convulsions that rattled her slight frame.  She shouldn’t be shaking this much, not from the cold.  Shit !  She knew she was going into shock. 
    “Well, well, John look what we got here.”
    E den’s eyes slid up to find a camo clad man sneering down at her.
    “Ronnie,” the other man began tentatively, “ don’t.”
    The man, Ronnie , stepped to within feet of Eden and squatted down smiling at her derisively.  “You looking for us?”
    Eden’s eyes darted to her ri fle that was buried in the snow just out of her reach.  Eden forced her eyes back to Ronnie’s.  She’d have to play his game.  “Can you guys help me out?  I was trailing a wolf, but…”  She didn’t finish.
    “Get a loada her.”  Ronnie stood and frowned at his partner.  “You sure it was a wolf you were chasing?  Not a couple of respectable hunters, who were just trying to do their part to keep the wolf population under control?”
    Eden balled her freezing fingers into fists.  She’d been trying to give the poachers an out.  Fucking morons were too dumb to take it.   Her teeth chattered uncontrollably as she spoke, “W-w-what are you t-talking about?”  If she played dumb she might just survive.   
    “Hey man, let’s go.”  The quieter man, John, grabbed his friend’s arm.
    Ronnie jerked free of his friend’s grasp.  “We can’t just leave her here.  She’s seen our faces.”
    John’s expression turned imploring.  “Come on man, look at her.  She can’t do anything.  Let’s just go.  We’ll make an anonymous call from the highway; let them know where to find her.”
    Ronnie’s expression darkened as he squatted at Eden’s feet, using a gloved finger to flick the chain that was looped around the nearest tree.  His cold stare met Eden’s.  “I’ve got a better idea…”
    ***
    Monroe had left Eden for only a moment.  He’d been flying overhead, watching her stalk too far into the woods, when he spotted the injured wolf.  He’d left her for only a moment when he heard her scream.  Diving to the ground he shifted mid-drop opting for the form of a grizzly, that way he’d be able to defend Eden and still take out the wolf if it came to attack.
    His wet nose flared as he scented the air and raced toward the area where Eden’s fear was the strongest.  When he was closer he scented blood… her blood.  Enraged he let loose a ferocious roar hoping to stop whatever attack was happening.
    ***
    Whatever the ‘better’ idea was, Eden didn’t find out.  There was a deafening roar as a large grizzly crashed through the brush and charged the men. 
    Ignoring the screams of the men and the snarling bear, Eden forced herself into a sitting position and made a grab for her rifle.  She heard a loud pop and ducked, knowing that one of the men was firing on the bear.  A second loud pop rang out as she scrambled to the end of the chain and stretched out, her rifle