The Blue Seal of Trinity Cove by Linda Maree Malcolm

all. There was a distant noise from outside and they all pricked up their pointy ears and stood stock-still. All at once they made for the door, pushing each other out of the way to fit through the narrow exit. One of them, the smallest, winced in pain as he was pushed aside. But finally they were all out of the door and standing beside one another on the porch and looking in the direction that the noise had come from. They stood very still, with their necks craned and the biggest of them started to growl ever so slightly under his breath. The others looked at him, trotted about on the spot and then started to pace up and down on the porch, looking in the direction that he was.
    â€œYou give her back,” was what was being shouted. “She don’t belong to you anyways; we found her first.” Now the biggest dog growled out loud and the other dogs looked at him and started their own version of a growl, all equally as frightening as the other, Wanda thought. They bared their teeth and snorted and the hair on their backs stood up in the air. The man stood behind them and had his rifle pointing in the direction of the approaching men. The first of the men arrived, gasping for breath and next, all of the others in the same fashion. It didn’t take long before they had caught their breath and looked up at the porch and realised what they were up against.
    â€œLooks like we’ve got ourselves a problem, then, doesn’t it?” the man on the porch was the first to break the silence.
    â€œLook, Mister,” said one of the other men, “we don’t want no trouble; it’s just that our boss sent us to get this ’ere girl cause she’s on her way to somewhere with him, somewhere real important, like.”
    â€œWell, certainly doesn’t look like that to me,” he answered, frowning and completely motionless but still with the rifle pointed right at them. “What it looks like to me is that you are all chasing an innocent girl who is scared out of her wits …”
    â€œWell, that’s where you’re wrong, Mister. You don’t know what you’re dealing with here. She’s a law-breaker, you see,” the man on the ground said. “You’re gonna get into a whole lot of trouble once the law sees you stopped us from taking her back, like.”
    â€œSo now you’re telling me you work for the law. You sure don’t look like law-abiding citizens to me.”
    â€œWe might not, but our boss works for the law and he’s gonna be here any minute and he’s got the law on ’is side so you better watch out,” said the man threateningly, but then he jumped back a little when the leader of the dogs started toward him down the steps.
    â€œThe way I see it, we’ve got a bit of a problem then,” he said looking through the barrel at them again. “The way I see it is you’re all on my land and my dogs don’t like that and unless I see some kind of paperwork that says this girl’s a criminal, I’m not giving her to you. So be off with you then.”
    â€œIf you think we’re gonna just turn and walk away now, you’ve got another think comin’, Mister,” said one of the men.
    â€œHave I then?” he said and he shot at the ground several times next to where their feet were, which made them all jump. Wanda put her hands to her ears; she had never heard a gun being fired and she didn’t like the way it sounded but she was also glad that this man would protect her when he had no idea who she even was.
    â€œThe way I see it, you’ve got about five seconds to get off my land or my dogs are having you for lunch, and they’re very hungry right now. All I have to do is say the word …” They all looked at the dogs fearfully, wondering whether or not he was bluffing. But the dogs didn’t need to be told. Instead, they started to advance down the steps, eagerly, stealthily,