The owl's golden eyes blinked rapidly as its head bobbed side to side. The object of its curiosity was a noise within the undergrowth. It was getting closer. Something being chased. The owl recognized the pursuer's sounds. It had witnessed this hunt before. Its feathers ruffled in alarm when the woman burst into view--then it vanished down the game trail.

Shelly cried out when her blonde hair snagged on a branch. She looked around fearfully as she untangled it. The owl hooted a warning. A crackle to her right sent her running again. She had lost her shoes long ago; her feet were cut and bleeding. A root caught her foot and threw her to the ground. With the wind knocked out of her, all she could do was whimper. When she heard voices nearing her position, she covered her mouth in an effort to make no sound.

"Shelly ... I know you're here--I can hear your heart pound--your blood rush. I can smell your fear. Don't make this easy. Run. Your only chance is to run."

With a strangled cry, she leapt to her feet and ran blindly. The branches fought her every step. They ripped at her arms and legs as if trying to hold her. Behind her, laughter spurred her terror.

Finally, just as she broke free, a shadow leapt out ahead of her and caught her when she tried to change directions. "You're no fun, Shelly. I thought you would give us a good hunt."

Shelly struggled to breathe. "Please ... please let me go, Carl. I won't tell anyone. You have my word." She struggled to free her arm, then forced herself to calm enough to look up at him.

Fangs glistened in the moonlight.

She closed her eyes and opened them quickly. It has to be an illusion. The image didn't change. The good-looking man that had swept her off her feet earlier in the evening had vanished. A nightmare. That's what's happening ... any minute I'll wake up.

Please God--let me wake up!

The fangs came closer.

Only the silent owl heard her screams.

Christine fumbled blindly for the phone. When she found it, she pulled it under the blanket where she was hiding from the morning sun. "Uh huh?"

"Chrissy?"

The nickname woke her almost instantly. Only one person called her that. "Mother?"

Silence.

"Hello?" Christine pulled the blanket down and sat up. "Mother, what is it?"

"I'm sorry, Chrissy. I didn't know what else to do."

Christine pushed her dark hair off her face and tried to shake off the sleepiness. They hadn't talked in five years; something had to be drastically wrong. Not even when Christine got married or when Richard, her husband, had died. Then again ... I never told her. "It's okay. What happened?"

"It's Shelly ... she's missing."

The golden one screwed up? Christine shook her head at the malicious thought. "Maybe she finally moved out? She is twenty-five, after all." The silence was deafening. "I'm sorry. I know you and Shelly get along well. How long has she been gone?"

"A week."

"Has she ever done anything like this before?"

"No ... she isn't like you."

It was Christine's turn to remain silent. Why is it so hard to talk to her? Christine tried to remember a time when they hadn't fought. Now that she was older, she realized it wasn't all her mother's fault. Christine had always rebelled against her mother's overly protective nature.

"This was a mistake. I shouldn't have called." The phone went dead.

Christine got up and walked to the window. She, having had the past brought foremost in her thoughts, didn't admire the mountain view as she normally did. Twelve years might as well be fifty. It seemed so long ago since she had left her mother's tight control to find her own way in the world.

Christine rubbed her fingers through her tangled dark hair. She smiled when she saw the group of people near the barn. Thomas, the guide, was prepping the new group of executives for their week-long 'get in touch with your inner strength' hike. Thomas was a weatherworn bear of a man who struck fear in the hearts of naïve city folks. He was the perfect taskmaster. He'd push them to their limits, but never endanger their lives. By the time the hike was over, most found he wasn't as nearly as scary as they first thought, but they respected him.

Christine grinned when one of the clients attempted to mount his horse and fell. Thomas bodily hoisted the man into the saddle. When all were mounted, Thomas led the nervous group out of the corral towards the mountains.

In the year since Richard had died, it had been almost impossible to keep the ranch. Collectors had stripped his estate to the bone. Three months after they had gotten married Richard had become the sole beneficiary of his uncle's will. The instant wealth had changed the free-spirited, artistic man she had known and thought she loved into a globetrotting playboy. The only extravagance Christine had enjoyed was this ranch. Thomas had been the previous owner and had fallen on hard times. He agreed to stay on and take care of it. When Richard died, the two of them sat down and came up with a plan to keep the ranch productive. The wilderness hikes had saved them.

After her shower, she dressed and went down to the warm kitchen. It was filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread. "Suzy, you at it again?"

Suzy poked her head out of the pantry. "Oh, you're up early, Mrs. Foster. I'm sorry I didn't get the phone call in time. I was outside."

Suzy refused to call her anything but Mrs. Foster, no matter how hard Christine had tried to get her to drop it. Suzy was Thomas's daughter, although one would never know it by looking at them. Where Thomas was tall and lean, Suzy was short and round. She loved to cook and it showed.

"It's okay." Christine sat with a coffee, still distracted by the call.

Suzy put a fresh cinnamon bun down in front of Christine. "Are you okay? Still tired from your hike?"

"No, I'm fine. Did the clients leave happy?"

Suzy laughed. "They said you enjoyed torturing them way too much, but yes, they were very happy. I sent them home with the usual basket of goodies."

"I make them lose the fat and you help them gain it back."

Suzy shrugged her round shoulders with a happy smile. "Tis my mission in life to make everyone look like me. See ... I'm happy. Now you on the other hand ... need to eat that bun."

Christine shook her head and changed the subject. "I don't have another group for a couple weeks ... I'm going to take a trip."

"Oh that's a good idea. You've been working much too hard. A holiday will fix you right up."

Christine gave her a wan smile and went to her room to pack.

Suzy appeared at the door a moment later, concern in her eyes. "Where are you going?"

Christine closed the suitcase and looked at her. "I'm going home."