Disclaimer: I have no part in Highlander the series or the movies. This is strictly fiction of my own making.
Chapter: 11
The cupboards were stocked with gourmet canned goods and dry pastas. Dried fruit of many varieties also filled two drawers in the cabin's spacious kitchen. It had been a week of complete solitude from the outside world since Duncan arrived. He barely ate and slept restlessly. There was limited comfort in the companionship of his Rottweiler, Connor.
They spent hours upon end just sitting or walking in the woods. Duncan's meditations and martial art workouts were often interrupted with familiar memories and feelings of an Immortal close by. Duncan never found evidence of anyone trespassing and no Immortal friend or foe came forward.
Duncan realized that the time for public appearance was upon him when there was very little food in the Connor's kibble container or in his own refrigerator.
He chose to drive to a little food market in the opposite direction and a town away, to avoid questions about Kate's absence. Duncan and Kate had spent enough time in town for the locals to become accustomed to them and accept them into the small community. They attended town hall meetings and made many contributions to the place they called, "Home Away from Home." It hadn't been hard for Duncan to open his heart and share so much of himself with the locals when Kate was with him. The two had become like teenagers, falling in love all over again and everyone around them saw it.
The afternoon sun had been overtaken by misty gray shadows. The atmosphere hung heavy with humidity and a high chance of precipitation. Duncan parked his silver S.U.V. in front of the town's small pet store. He reached for Connor's and the dog emitted an excited bark. The store allowed pets that were leashed and properly trained to browse the merchandise with its owner. A trip to the pet store was one of Connor's favorite activities. He not only received tasty sample morsels, he was able to socialize with other dogs and owners.
The time spent inside was long enough for Connor to nose through all the dry dog food bags and examine all the loose toys that were at his eye level. Once Connor picked up the toy he wished to chew on, Duncan grabbed a 30-pound bag of dry food and three different varieties of dog treats.
As Duncan and Connor crossed the small parking lot, Duncan felt an odd, yet familiar, tingle at the base of his neck. It was the feeling of being watched and probed. He saw nor felt another Immortal and he was certain that the watchers didn't know where to find him. For a brief moment he believed he could smell a scent from old, one of Sandalwood and Mer. Then almost as quickly as it came over him, the smell of Teak was gone.
Connor's impatient bark brought Duncan from a foggy reverie. He smiled down at his companion while he opened the truck's tailgate and deposited the bundle of food inside.
Once Connor was safely in the back seat, Duncan rolled down each window and gave a command, "Stay." The weather was cooling rapidly, so Duncan had no worry about the animal getting heat stroke inside the vehicle.
Duncan quickly crossed the street to pick up several perishable and non-perishable items for his bare kitchen.
Connor stayed in the backseat and hung his head out the window, his new toy discarded beside him. His nostrils expanded and contracted several times a second, inhaling all the different scents in the aim and tried to identify them. His eyes sharply focused on the movements of pedestrians, passing cars, and a small playground where children were taking turns on the equipment. Connor whined softly as he watched a ball rolling along the ground. His instinct to chase and retrieve was like an itch that could not be satisfied. He thrived on the joy and laughter of a child, to him, it always meant having fun. He barked sharply at the sight of Duncan exiting the market with two large paper sacks.
Duncan placed the bags up front with him and climbed in behind the steering wheel. He reached into one of the pet store bags, gave Connor a dog treat for behaving and then he turned the ignition key. He smiled at the dog's enthusiasm and scratched behind Connor's ear.
Soft rain began to lightly tap the windshield and run in streaks. Mothers jumped up from the playground benches, gathered their children and ran for various forms of cover.
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A figure stood back, out of the rain, and watched with great interest at the affectionate display between man and beast. The long black hooded cloak hid the tall form and allowed no visible indication of its wearer.
Surprise and pleasure filled the darkly cloaked person at the chance discovery of this target know as Duncan MacLeod. The license plate number on the silver truck was easy to memorize for tracking purposes and the vehicle headed east, out of town.
The rain, that had steadily increased, quickly silenced a chuckle. Anticipation of a new quickening pulsed through the spectator. There was no question; Duncan MacLeod was a strong and powerful Immortal.
"Adding his experience to my own would allow me to be unbeatable," marveled the menacing Immortal.