When his eyes saw the figure of Judy, the momentary brightness gave rise to a look of shock. She smiled at him when she saw him, but soon her eyes closed and fell to the ground. Nick didn't wait twice and ran to her help.
"Judy!"
He called, kneeling and taking the immobile body of the rabbit, found that she was seriously injured, but still breathing.
"Hold on, Carrot. I'll take care of you."
Picked her up, Nick got up and went back to the clearing where he'd been before.
"Do you need all that apparatus?"
Furious, Dominguez scratched the back of his head. The task was simple. Mount the surveillance equipment over the highest mountains in Peru, thus giving sight to most of the Amazon forest, the Inca temple, and the Kuwaq Yaku city. What was not in the plans, was the explosion near the Inca temple.
"One of the fuses blew for no apparent reason," said one of his pals after receiving the message through the walkie-talkie.
"Warn those imbeciles to be careful. The Inca temple is precious. We need it in one piece, not in pieces."
"Relax."
Andre's voice sounded fun behind him. The fox stretched out his arm in front of the wolf's snout. In his paw, a glass with an orange liquid.
"Thank you!" the wolf thanked him and took the glass, taking it to his lips and savoring the liquor. "When do those assholes do things right?"
"When you calm down." Andre sat on the chair beside him, crossing his legs and leaning against its back. "Any news from our friends?"
"Nothing. Nobody's seen them."
"She's cunning." Andre crossed his arms and stared at the clear sky. "Well, we'd better concentrate on finding the lost city before they do. We need the box as soon as possible."
"We're not sure that the box is there yet," Dominguez answered dryly.
"The doubt is not in my dictionary, my friend."
"As you wish." Dominguez drank the rest of the liquor.
Suddenly, another expulsion. It was the drop of water. The wolf threw the glass at the floor with force and went down the hill to his assistants while cursing the imbeciles who didn't know how to do their job properly.
Nick had finished cleaning Judy's wounds. Without a first-aid kit, he had to
guide with the herbs and plants he had around him. The fox was not her partner for nothing. Although he also studied archeology, Nick graduated in herbal and plant medicine. It would always be useful in their expeditions. The first aid kit was always present at all times, but without it at the moment, the herbs and plants were needed to help heal the wounds and stop the blood. Therefore, what would take a few hours, took the rest of the day and night. Being that, in the middle of the night already advanced, Nick had finished placing the improvised cloth bandages, which he had gone to wash in the lake, and then tucked the rabbit in the most comfortable way he could. Building a bed of trunks and leaves. When he noticed that Judy's breathing was normal and she was sleeping peacefully, it was when he could finally rest too.
Judy opened her eyes. The small light made her eyes blink. Then, she looked around, turning her head checking where she was. And she breathed with relief when she saw a familiar back on her right side. She smiled. After all, it hadn't been her imagination. Then, she tried to move. The pain hit her, but not from such a painful level. She removed the large leaves from the top and noticed that her wounds had been cleaned and were now connected with tissues. She smiled once more. Nick had helped her. She felt grateful that she had found him. Otherwise, she would have succumbed to her wounds. She stood up. Her legs shook, but they held out. She approached the fox and saw that he was sound asleep.
Thank you, Nick!
Then, she walked away and checked the clearing. The debris from the helicopter was scattered around where they were. Some backpacks and boxes came with the back. It was then that Judy noticed her bow and arrows on the ground, next to the fire that had once been lit. Without delay, she approached and took them. She put the bow on her right shoulder and the bag with the arrows on the left.
We need food.
Judy had noticed small birds and some rodents sneaking around the forest. For her, fruit and leaves were enough, but Nick needed meat. So, she decided to go hunting nearby.
Despite the beautiful sunny day, the wolf's mood was much worse than yesterday. There were two reasons for this. The first was four unnecessary expulsions, one of which destroyed the main entrance to the Inca temple, causing the team to start removing the huge stones so they could pass.
Second, not even the best in the area had found the rabbit and the fox. At that moment, Andre opened the wooden door.
"Good morning, Sunshine." he greeted his friend with irony. He entered and closed the door behind him.
"Only if it's for you."
Dominguez didn't even face him. His eyes were fixed on the various papers scattered around the stone table in front of him.
"Early in the morning in a good mood." Andre moved the chair away from the table and sat down. "You need a coffee."
"What I need is concrete information." A strong fist went towards the table. "We've been at this for months. We have the dagger, we have the right indications, but nothing from the hidden city" he took a deep breath. "Do you know how much money I've been investing in this shit?"
"Take it easy, mon ami. The pressures are not good."
"If it was your money I would want to see." Frustrated, the wolf got up and stood in front of the window, putting his paws on his waist. He took a deep breath. "That map is our best shot. And no one can decipher it. What imbecile specialists."
"Well, I agree with you on that one." Andre smiled and crossed his legs, leaning forward to the table. "But relieve that bad mood of yours. We have good news."
The wolf turned and faced him.
"I am all ears."
Nick woke up. He had slept like a rock. He might not have slept in a soft bed with scented sheets, but that makeshift bed had been a success for his good rest. Well, the tiredness of his body also helped. He sat down and stretched out. Taking care of Judy wasn't easy. But seeing that the rabbit had gotten better and the fever due to her injuries had gone down, gave him rest of peace of mind.
"Good morning, Sunshine."
The familiar voice sounded like a melody to his ears. Besides, a delicious smell awakened his sleeping stomach. Nick turned to his right side and saw Judy kneeling on a pot over the small fire. From there, the smoke was vibrating as she moved the spoon.
"I prepared our breakfast," she smiled at him.
Then Nick noticed two dead birds and a few more fruits and herbs next to her. Just like the bow and arrow.
"You don't tell me you went hunting." He was shocked.
"Yes," she answered as if it was nothing.
"Are you crazy?"
"I didn't make so much effort, don't worry."
"You were dying, and I had trouble getting your fever down and you took the bow and went hunting?" The tone of voice was calm, despite the anger that went up to his spine.
"Nick, I'm fine. I didn't make an effort or open any wounds. Besides, we need to eat," she answered, continuing to stir the broth in the pot.
Nick was going to protest but just took a deep breath. He sighed and stood up, approaching the pot, where he sat with his legs crossed. Judy just smiled.
To be continued…