He shifted against the rock. The storms had stopped, leaving behind the
smell of damp earth. He turned up his nose. He despised these
surroundings. Nothing could be reaped from them. What a waste to protect
and enhance the wilderness.
Again he considered his position. Tracy could have been miles away by now. The man was deep within the wilderness.
He was wasting his energy.
Slithering from his hiding spot, he stood and stretched his body, surveying the valley. He stopped and looked. The temperature had risen over the night as the storms moved out. Wisps rose from the river and the ground. The fog was thickening, blanketing the entire area in a high wispy bank.
He couldn't believe his luck. The cover of the fog gave him an advantage. Cover. The hovercraft was small and agile, equipped with devices to navigate the craft in little or no visibility.
Tracy was within his grasp again. He knew where his opponent was headed. The men manning his craft could easily help him find his quarry.
He removed the device from his hip and depressed the button.
************************************************************************
The feeling that something was wrong made Jeff open his eyes. He was sitting with his back to the wall, arms across his chest, facing the pile of leaves that represented shelter. Just outside, he could see moonlight streaming down bouncing of the rock that protected the entrance.
It hit him that he was alone. Kai had been sitting right next to him, keeping watch with Gus. They were both gone. He had told her to wake him up after a few hours, but, as usual, the girl had done what she wanted and let him sleep much longer than she should have. At least there was a positive outcome; his head felt much better.
He carefully moved from the confines of the shelter and stood up. A light fog blanketed the area. The cold glow filtered through and was reflected off of the trees, giving the entire forest a surreal air. Lightning flashed from the clouds as the last of the storms moved off.
An owl called nearby, causing Jeff to scan the area around him. Kai's jacket hung from a nearby branch, but the girl was nowhere in sight.
"Ms. Taylor?" he croaked in a hoarse whisper. "Kai!" Only the crickets responded to him.
Jeff growled a little in annoyance. The girl had no sense in her head at all. She should have known better then to go off by herself. Anything could have happened to her. Where had she gotten to?
Jeff moved back toward the rocks, hoping that there was some sign of her. Finding none, he crawled back into the shelter and pulled the survival pack out. Muttering to himself, Jeff pawed through the bag, finally coming up with a flashlight. He hated risking the light, but if Kai was lying in a ditch somewhere, he had to find her.
He was just about to straighten up, when a low growl came from behind him. It didn't sound like Gus.
Jeff turned slowly and found himself looking in to a pair of glowing eyes. The animal they were attached to lumbered around growling and snarling, not 50 feet from him. The light bounced off of the dark coat, reflecting the outline of a large bear.
The animal rose on its hind legs, revealing his tremendous height. Its breath was visible in the coldness of the early spring morning, giving Jeff an image of a fire breathing beast.
Coming down on its forelegs, he approached. Jeff took a step back, colliding with the rocks. He looked around, finding no route of escape.
"Mr. Tracy, don't move." Kai's voice came from above him.
"Where have you been?"
"Do you really want to have this conversation right now? Just stand still and be quiet."
The bear ambled up to him, sniffing curiously.
"Kai?"
"Shhh." She hissed. "Maybe he'll just go away."
Jeff obeyed. The animal was so close that he could feel the hot breath on his face. Teeth glinted as the bear moved away from him, and began pawing at the pack beside him.
The shrill whistle from over his head scared the hell out of him. "Get out, nothing for you." Kai called, throwing something from her perch.
She had been hoping the loud noise would frighten the bear back. Instead, the animal looked up at her and growled. Jeff took the chance to slide from his path, nabbing the pack as he went. Quickly, he reached inside, his hand finding the smooth stock of the flare gun. He withdrew it, fishing out the cartridges as well.
The bear was on his hind legs again, pawing at Kai's feet as she stood on the ledge above him. Slapping a cartridge in to the gun, he held it up and aimed it the best he could. The entire gully was bathed in the orange glow as the cartridge flamed through the air. It hit the bear in the muzzle, sending sparks into its eyes.
Coming down to earth again, the bear began to flee, deciding that the intruders into his territory were simply too much trouble. He galloped towards the stream, splashing through the water.
"You put the fear of people back in that one!" Kai began to climb down.
"Where is that damn dog when you need him?" Jeff asked.
"Right over there," Kai looked towards the bushes. "Okay, Gus." The dog trotted from the shadows. "He was waiting for a command from me. I'd have called him if I needed him."
"You don't think standing on a cliff above a bear is enough reason to call the dog?"
"I'm not going to sick a bear on him needlessly."
Jeff was infuriated. "Where in the hell were you anyway?"
Kai picked up the item she had hurled at the bear, the canteen. "The stream."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" he roared. "What if you had found that bear? Or fallen?"
Kai looked at him, amused. "You were that worried about me?"
Jeff stopped. "Well. . . I, um. . ."
"You were!" Kai laughed. "You were actually that concerned."
"Don't you think it's about time we got moving?"
"Sure." She was letting him off the hook, but the smile still played on her lips.
"Stop that." He growled as he pulled the blanket from the shelter and knocked it down.
"Stop what?"
"Stop laughing."
"I'm not!" she exclaimed through a fit of giggles. He turned to glare at her, but the effect was not what he intended. Kai was in full hysterics by the time they were ready to start out.
"What are you laughing at?" Jeff finally asked.
"Nothing," she chuckled. "If I didn't laugh right now, I think I would probably break down and cry."
Jeff stopped ahead of her and turned. "We're almost out of this, kid."
"I know."
Again he considered his position. Tracy could have been miles away by now. The man was deep within the wilderness.
He was wasting his energy.
Slithering from his hiding spot, he stood and stretched his body, surveying the valley. He stopped and looked. The temperature had risen over the night as the storms moved out. Wisps rose from the river and the ground. The fog was thickening, blanketing the entire area in a high wispy bank.
He couldn't believe his luck. The cover of the fog gave him an advantage. Cover. The hovercraft was small and agile, equipped with devices to navigate the craft in little or no visibility.
Tracy was within his grasp again. He knew where his opponent was headed. The men manning his craft could easily help him find his quarry.
He removed the device from his hip and depressed the button.
************************************************************************
The feeling that something was wrong made Jeff open his eyes. He was sitting with his back to the wall, arms across his chest, facing the pile of leaves that represented shelter. Just outside, he could see moonlight streaming down bouncing of the rock that protected the entrance.
It hit him that he was alone. Kai had been sitting right next to him, keeping watch with Gus. They were both gone. He had told her to wake him up after a few hours, but, as usual, the girl had done what she wanted and let him sleep much longer than she should have. At least there was a positive outcome; his head felt much better.
He carefully moved from the confines of the shelter and stood up. A light fog blanketed the area. The cold glow filtered through and was reflected off of the trees, giving the entire forest a surreal air. Lightning flashed from the clouds as the last of the storms moved off.
An owl called nearby, causing Jeff to scan the area around him. Kai's jacket hung from a nearby branch, but the girl was nowhere in sight.
"Ms. Taylor?" he croaked in a hoarse whisper. "Kai!" Only the crickets responded to him.
Jeff growled a little in annoyance. The girl had no sense in her head at all. She should have known better then to go off by herself. Anything could have happened to her. Where had she gotten to?
Jeff moved back toward the rocks, hoping that there was some sign of her. Finding none, he crawled back into the shelter and pulled the survival pack out. Muttering to himself, Jeff pawed through the bag, finally coming up with a flashlight. He hated risking the light, but if Kai was lying in a ditch somewhere, he had to find her.
He was just about to straighten up, when a low growl came from behind him. It didn't sound like Gus.
Jeff turned slowly and found himself looking in to a pair of glowing eyes. The animal they were attached to lumbered around growling and snarling, not 50 feet from him. The light bounced off of the dark coat, reflecting the outline of a large bear.
The animal rose on its hind legs, revealing his tremendous height. Its breath was visible in the coldness of the early spring morning, giving Jeff an image of a fire breathing beast.
Coming down on its forelegs, he approached. Jeff took a step back, colliding with the rocks. He looked around, finding no route of escape.
"Mr. Tracy, don't move." Kai's voice came from above him.
"Where have you been?"
"Do you really want to have this conversation right now? Just stand still and be quiet."
The bear ambled up to him, sniffing curiously.
"Kai?"
"Shhh." She hissed. "Maybe he'll just go away."
Jeff obeyed. The animal was so close that he could feel the hot breath on his face. Teeth glinted as the bear moved away from him, and began pawing at the pack beside him.
The shrill whistle from over his head scared the hell out of him. "Get out, nothing for you." Kai called, throwing something from her perch.
She had been hoping the loud noise would frighten the bear back. Instead, the animal looked up at her and growled. Jeff took the chance to slide from his path, nabbing the pack as he went. Quickly, he reached inside, his hand finding the smooth stock of the flare gun. He withdrew it, fishing out the cartridges as well.
The bear was on his hind legs again, pawing at Kai's feet as she stood on the ledge above him. Slapping a cartridge in to the gun, he held it up and aimed it the best he could. The entire gully was bathed in the orange glow as the cartridge flamed through the air. It hit the bear in the muzzle, sending sparks into its eyes.
Coming down to earth again, the bear began to flee, deciding that the intruders into his territory were simply too much trouble. He galloped towards the stream, splashing through the water.
"You put the fear of people back in that one!" Kai began to climb down.
"Where is that damn dog when you need him?" Jeff asked.
"Right over there," Kai looked towards the bushes. "Okay, Gus." The dog trotted from the shadows. "He was waiting for a command from me. I'd have called him if I needed him."
"You don't think standing on a cliff above a bear is enough reason to call the dog?"
"I'm not going to sick a bear on him needlessly."
Jeff was infuriated. "Where in the hell were you anyway?"
Kai picked up the item she had hurled at the bear, the canteen. "The stream."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" he roared. "What if you had found that bear? Or fallen?"
Kai looked at him, amused. "You were that worried about me?"
Jeff stopped. "Well. . . I, um. . ."
"You were!" Kai laughed. "You were actually that concerned."
"Don't you think it's about time we got moving?"
"Sure." She was letting him off the hook, but the smile still played on her lips.
"Stop that." He growled as he pulled the blanket from the shelter and knocked it down.
"Stop what?"
"Stop laughing."
"I'm not!" she exclaimed through a fit of giggles. He turned to glare at her, but the effect was not what he intended. Kai was in full hysterics by the time they were ready to start out.
"What are you laughing at?" Jeff finally asked.
"Nothing," she chuckled. "If I didn't laugh right now, I think I would probably break down and cry."
Jeff stopped ahead of her and turned. "We're almost out of this, kid."
"I know."