That idea flew immediately out of my head as something black crashed into my side.
I hit the ground hard, air expelling from my chest while I tumbled. The shade didn’t give me any time to recuperate, immediately locking its jaws around my backpack. Pumpkin juice oozed across my shoulders as instinct took over; I somehow managed to bend my arms out of the straps and scramble away just as the creature flung it around like a chew toy. The moonlight struck against its form, illuminating yet another of those insane, werewolf-like creatures. Its fur held a more bluish tint than the kid’s, almost curling at the tips with far more hair piled up around the head and neck. Its body was slender, built more for speed than power—a she-wolf, I realized.
The back of my head hit the base of a tree trun
