Moth stared hard at the two children seated on the ground before him. He wasn't suppose to tell them he was a spy, but did it really matter? They weren't going anywhere so they couldn't tell a soul.

"A spy! For the Government!" Tucker blurted out. Freda smacked her hand over his mouth. She shot him a sharp biting look that made him look away after he pried her fingers off his mouth. She stood up suddenly.

"Moth?" she asked softly. He nodded, waiting for her to continue. "You won't turn us into the Government, will you? We are just kids. It's not our fault we were born as third children..." her voice trailed off. Tears started to collect in her eyes. This wasn't fair. Death surely awaited them, even though they had done nothing wrong. He sighed,

"Afraid so. I have to. Times are tough. A job is a job." He whistled shrilly. Leaves on the trees rustled nervously as two black muscular horses galloped into the small clearing. "I've come to take you both away. Get on the horses!" the spy barked.

...

Willis searched high and low for his friends. He searched in the trees, in bushes, in caves. They had disappeared without a trace. What would he do without them? A pair of bright green eyes peered out of a bush flanking the left side of the lost boy. He had never been in this part of the mountains before. As he advanced forward, the eyes would vanish then reappear a few moments later in a closer bush. Willis had no idea he was being followed. The creature was swift and quiet.

After walking for some time, he collected many thick sticks and settled down next to a cool stream. The water trickled and sploshed as he worked on sharpening the sticks with rocks. After he had sharped all five of them, he got to work on attempting to spear small fish that swam past. After an aggravating half hour, he successfully caught two fish.

The fire a few feet from the stream sputtered and crackled, casting shadows in the dark night. Willis had made it unnaturally fast, glad to have had much practice in doing so. Mountain lions prowled the Black Hills constantly. He cooked the fish over the fire and drank some juice from berries he had salvaged from a dying bush. He knew these berries were not poisonous, he had seen squirrels shove them down their gullets. Squirrels could not eat poisonous berries and live like birds could.

He stretched and yawned. He would continue his search for Tucker and Freda at dawn. Dusk had veiled over the mountains. Willis knew better than to travel in the dark. Besides, fatigue had took over. He could barley stay away. As he closed his eyes, the last thing he saw was the fire going out and the reflection in the water of a young woman towering over him.