“Where would he go?” I asked myself.
“Maddox,” Isaac whispered, completely terrified. I pulled him against me and searched out my phone. We couldn’t risk waiting any longer. With the wind blowing like it was, the wind chill could turn deadly in no time. I suspected Newt had his parka, snow pants, and gloves on, but those would only protect him for so long. I was about to dial 911 when something caught my attention.
A sound on the wind.
But not the sound of a child.
“Listen,” I said as I grabbed Isaac’s arm.
Neither of us moved and that was when I heard it again.
It was a howling sound.
But definitely not the wind this time.
“Loki,” I breathed as I began striding forward. It was hard to tell where the sound was coming from, but as we got closer to the woods, I instinctively knew.
“He’s trying to get to me,” I said to Isaac.
“What?”
“Newt knows I walk home this way sometimes. I told him about it. He’s trying to get to my house!”
I’d only told Newt that I lived far away when I’d pointed at the line of trees on the northwest side of the field, but to a four-year-old, that wouldn’t have really meant anything. And to a terrified four-year-old…?
I began running through the snow and felt a mix of relief and fear as the howling continued. We were getting closer, but Loki wasn’t coming to us. He just kept howling. What if Newt had had another seizure?
I pulled out my phone and said, “Isaac, we need to call the paramedics just in case.”
Isaac looked stricken but nodded. I dialed 911 and told the operator we needed an ambulance and gave them the sanctuary’s address. By the time we reached the tree line, I’d hung up the phone. Loki’s howls were louder now that the wind was broken up by the trees. It took just minutes to find the pair.
“Newt,” Isaac yelled when he saw Newt’s blue parka. The little boy was lying on the ground, but not flat like when he’d been having the seizure. He was curled in a ball against a fallen tree and Loki was lying half on top of him. Newt’s head was on Loki’s front paws and the wolf hybrid was resting his own head on top of Newt’s. The animal’s fluffy tail was draped over Newt’s legs.
“Newt,” I called when I reached the pair. Loki immediately moved when I got to them and frantically began licking Newt’s face. The move woke Newt up.
“Isaac?”
“I’m here, buddy,” Isaac cried as he fell to his knees next to Newt. I helped Newt sit up. His moves were stiff, but he seemed alert.
“I’m cold,” he said, his teeth chattering.
“I know you are,” Isaac said as he began rubbing Newt’s face with his ungloved hands. “Let’s get you back home.”
Isaac’s words sent Newt into a panic. “No! He’s there!” Newt threw himself at me. “Mad, you gotta stop him. You spit on it! Don’t let him take me and Isaac away!”
I wrapped my arms around him and climbed to my feet, taking him with me. “I won’t, Newt. It’s okay. You’re safe. You and Isaac are both safe, I swear it.” The little boy began to cry. He was shaking. To Isaac I said, “My coat. Can you unzip it?”
Isaac unzipped my parka and helped me get Newt beneath it. Fortunately, the child was slight enough that I could wrap the lapels of the coat around him. I couldn’t zip it closed, but I was able to hold it shut with my fingers. My hope was that my body heat would help warm him more quickly.
Isaac walked next to me, reassuring Newt with every step that everything was going to be okay and that Gary was gone and wasn’t coming back. Ford met us near the barn where we’d originally separated.
“Is he okay?” Ford asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” I said. I could hear sirens, so I knew the paramedics were close. I didn’t think Newt was in any immediate danger, but I still wanted to hear the paramedics assure me of that. He’d only been missing for about twenty to thirty minutes and between his winter gear and Loki keeping him warm, I was hopeful he hadn’t experienced any kind of hypothermia or frostbite.
The ambulance was rolling to a stop as soon as we reached the parking lot. The EMTs took Newt from me and sat him in the back of the ambulance. Isaac climbed in with them and held onto Newt as they began checking him over.
“I’m not seeing any cause for concern,” the female paramedic said. “But we should take him in to be checked over, just in case. They’ll probably want to give him some fluids and maybe keep him overnight.”
Isaac sighed in relief and hugged Newt tight. “Okay,” he said softly, his voice cracking.