Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh
Chapter 2 A Trek Off The Beaten Path
Yugi was actually, much to his surprise awake before his alarm went off. He'd set his alarm for 7 am but for some reason felt more than fully rested at 645, although the two hour time difference was certainly going to make things a little bit easier on him. Back home it would have been 845.
Yugi climbed out of bed before he headed over to the small bathroom to take a quick shower. Once showered Yugi got dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans, a black t-shirt and pulled on his hiking boots. He also loaded up his backpack with, of course his camera, a first aide kit, some granola bars, two bottles of water, his cellphone and a pocket knife. Once Yugi was satisfied he pulled on the bag and headed out of his room and down to the dining area to grab a quick breakfast. Given the day that was ahead of Yugi, he figured that a hardy breakfast was what he needed so Yugi opted for the breakfast buffet and loaded his plate up with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and a couple of pieces of toast.
Yugi cleaned his plate, even going back for seconds to grab some fruit and another helping of scrambled eggs before he decided that he'd had enough and decided to head into the lobby knowing that Ranger Iiniiwa should be there soon.
Turns out Yugi was wrong, Ranger Iiniiwa was actually early and was leaning casually against the wall by the main doors. He was dressed casually wearing a simple pair of hiking boots, although unlike Yugi's the boots were clearly well worn and not brand new, a pair of beige cargo pants and a black tank top. Yugi headed right over to Ranger Iiniiwa.
"Sorry that I kept you waiting." Yugi said.
Atemu shrugged, "I was actually here early. So, if I had to wait it was technically my own fault. So, did you manage to decide what animal you wanted to focus on for your documentary?" Atemu asked.
Yugi nodded, "I did actually. When I read about the history of the Grey Wolves here in Yellowstone I felt like that was a story that needed to be told. So, do you think you could help me track down some Grey Wolves?" Yugi asked.
Atemu nodded, "I can. They aren't the easiest to find but I can show you where you could see them. I hope you got plenty of rest because your going to be in for quite the hike." Atemu said.
Yugi grinned, "Lead the way Ranger Iiniiwa." Yugi said.
Atemu chuckled, "I'm off today, so why don't you call me Atemu instead." Atemu said.
Yugi nodded, although he couldn't help but feel his cheeks coloring, "Yeah. I can do that...Atemu." He couldn't help it, Atemu was clearly a very attractive man and he also happened to be almost the exact picture of what Yugi's dream man would look like. Get a grip Yugi, you're hear to shoot an awesome documentary, not to get into Atemu's pants. Yugi mentally chided although his blush deepened at the tiny voice in the back of his head that whispered, 'we could do both'.
Atemu pushed off the wall before he headed out the door, with Yugi following on behind. "This way kid."
Atemu headed out into the parking lot before walking over to a jeep and pulling open the door. "Climb in kid, the best place to see wolves is near Yellowstone canyon and that's too far away for you to get to on foot from here. So, we'll drive down by the canyon then we can hike from there." Atemu said.
Yugi frowned, "How far away is it exactly?"
Atemu shrugged, "Probably about 40 miles."
Yugi immediately opened the passenger side door and climbed in. There went his suggestion that they could make it on foot. Atemu pulled out of the parking space and pulled out onto the road. Yugi glanced out the window at the beautiful landscape that was Yellowstone. Come on Yugi, say something. Something witty, something charming. Yugi mentally chided himself.
"So, uh Atemu how long will it take to get to the canyon area?" Yugi asked. Smooth Yugi, yeah that was real smooth way to imply you can't wait to get out of this vehicle. Talk about leaving the exact opposite impression you wanted to.
"About an hour, give or take. Depends on the traffic and if the bison decide to be on the road." Atemu said.
"Oh, okay." Yugi said. Come on say something else. Why don't you ask him about himself. "So, uh Atemu your last name, I've never heard it before. Is it foreign?" Yugi asked, internally wincing. That was an awkwardly asked question if he'd ever heard one.
Atemu chuckled, "Actually, no its not. My family is actually affiliated with the Blackfoot tribe. So, in that sense my name is probably less foreign than yours is." Atemu replied.
"That's fascinating." Yugi replied.
Atemu chuckled, "Thanks, I think." Atemu replied before he frowned, quickly pulling his jeep off to the side of the road. "Sorry, I gotta make a quick pit stop and see what's going on here. There are several vehicles pulled off the road and this isn't near a trail head or one of the landmarks which means its an animal sighting. Make sure no one is getting too close to an animal." Atemu said.
Yugi opened his door, "Can I come with you?" Yugi asked.
Atemu shook his head, "No, because I have no idea what I'd be leading you into. If its safe I'll let you know." Atemu said before he headed into the trees up ahead. Yugi couldn't help but sulk as he leaned back against the seat. It almost seemed like Atemu thought he was just a young kid, which he's not. He was 21 going on 22 years old, thank you very much. That made him a man, not a child that needed to be coddled. Its got to be because I'm short. People are always thinking I'm way younger than I actually am. Damn my family and their short genes.
It didn't take Atemu too long to come back, and he was still frowning. "Is it safe to go and take a look?" Yugi asked. Just because he had come here only to shoot his documentary didn't mean he wasn't interested in seeing some wildlife.
Atemu shook his head as he reached into his jeep and grabbed a radio. "Iiniiwa to ranger base. Do you copy?"
"Ranger base." A voice replied after a brief moment.
"We have a Black bear sighting about a mile and a half from Old Faithful. Its a young bear and only about 50 feet from the edge of the road, heading due east right towards the road. Its not far from the side of the road and tourists are getting too close." Atemu reported.
"Copy that Iiniiwa. Ranger Wheeler is in the area, he should be there shortly."
"Copy. I'll stay here and monitor the situation until Ranger Wheeler arrives. Over and out." Atemu replied before he returned his radio back to its place in the jeep.
"Woah, a black bear? I wanna see." Yugi said as he once again opened the jeep door to climb out.
Atemu rolled his eyes, "Yes, I understand that you want to see Yugi. The problem I'm having right now is that the tourists are too close to the bear and that could lead to dangerous situations both for the bear and for the tourists themselves. We ask all of our guests that they stay at least 300 feet away from bears or wolves both for the safety of the tourists and our animals. People tend to forget that these are wild animals and that this is their home. So please, stay in the vehicle while I try once again, to get these tourists to do the same." Atemu said.
Yugi pouted slightly before he once more closed the jeep door. "Fine, I'll stay here." Yugi conceded.
Atemu nodded once, "Thank you. Now if only the rest of the tourists would be half as compliant my job would be a hell of a lot easier." Atemu replied before he headed back into the treeline.
A few minutes later another jeep pulled up alongside Atemu and a man with messy blonde hair wearing a park ranger's uniform climbed out of the jeep. "Sorry I took so long 'temu. Got held up by a bison crossin." The ranger said as he approached the jeep, pausing briefly to frown. "Wait a second, ya aint 'Temu. Wut are ya doin in his jeep?" A person that Yugi presumed was Ranger Wheeler asked.
"My name is Yugi and At...Ranger Iiniiwa was going to take me on a hike today to show me the Gray Wolves that I am going to be filming for a documentary. Ranger Iiniiwa headed into the trees." Yugi said.
"Ah. I see. Tanks." Ranger Wheeler said, shooting Yugi a goofy smile as he headed around Atemu's jeep and back into the treeline.
A few minutes after Ranger Wheeler arrived Atemu reemerged from the treeline heading back to the jeep, Yugi could also see that at least the majority of the tourists were making their way back to their cars as well.
"Thankfully the tourists finally decided to listen to reason. Regardless, just to be on the safe side Joey is going to stay here and monitor the situation to make sure there aren't any issues with the bear being that close to the road." Atemu said as he restarted his jeep and pulled back out onto the road.
"That's good." Yugi replied as they headed down the road. Much to Yugi's frustration silence once more filled the vehicle. The silence may not have been necessarily uncomfortable, but Yugi certainly didn't like it which meant that he was once again left trying to start a conversation. Awkwardly at that. "So, Atemu you said you've worked here for almost ten years. If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?" Yugi asked.
Atemu chuckled, "I did say that, didn't I? Well, to get technical I have worked for the national park service in Yellowstone nine years this past May. As for how old I am, I'm actually 27. And before you ask I didn't become a park ranger until I was 22. I earned my bachelors degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Wyoming. Part of my time in college was spent at the National Park Service research station right here in Yellowstone. I also worked here during the summers and on my breaks all through college. I was acting as a tour guide actually. The pay was decent at least. And the summer before my senior year in high school I volunteered here. As I'm sure you could guess my family is from right around here so a lot of my life has been spent in and around this park." Atemu said.
"Woah, that's actually pretty cool." Yugi said.
Atemu nodded, "Yes, I've been very fortunate. And I hope that my children will also be able to grow up here." Atemu said.
Okay, so I've learned that Atemu is 27 and he's a local with Native American heritage and that he wants to have children. Well, I guess we could always adopt some since I certainly can't give them to him. Yugi thought to himself. Although, he was pretty sure, sadly, that he was getting quite a bit ahead of himself with that last conclusion. He hardly knew the man he shouldn't be mentally having them adopting children together.
"Why did you decide you wanted to become a park ranger?" Yugi asked. That seemed like the next logical question to drag this conversation out since it didn't seem like Atemu was particularly talkative. I would guess that he's shy but he doesn't seem the type. He seems to exude confidence. Yugi mentally observed.
Atemu shrugged, "I was a kid. And a bunch of my classmates said they wanted to become astronauts, race car drivers or movie stars. And me, well I wanted to make a difference. That and I loved animals. So, I decide that I wanted to do something that would combine the two which led to me being torn between becoming a Veterinarian or a Park Ranger. Park Ranger won out in the end." Atemu said.
"That's really cool. And then there's me. I have dreamed about working for National Geographic making documentaries since I was a kid. My grandfather says its a stupid dream but I don't care. Its my dream and I'm going to chase it until I achieve it or slam headfirst into a brick wall." Yugi declared.
Atemu just chuckled, "Well, then I wish you the best of luck." Atemu said before silence once again descended over the jeep. Yugi really wanted to break the silence however before he could his attention was completely taken up by the bison walking along the side of the road. It was massive! And it was just walking along the side of the road without a care in the world.
Atemu had slowly way down as they were driving past the Bison before resuming his normal speed. "So, what do you like doing for fun, when you aren't working that is." Yugi asked.
Atemu chuckled once more, "Talkative little thing aren't you? Either that or just overly curious." Atemu replied.
Yugi grinned, "What can I say? Its not every day I meet a really hot park ranger whose going to give me a private tour of the park? And given that we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other it only makes sense that I get to know you better." Yugi said. Did I seriously just say out loud that I thought Atemu was hot. What the hell was I thinking? Yugi mentally panicked.
Atemu shrugged, "I don't know about a private tour or us seeing a lot of each other. I just want to make sure you get to where you're going safely, at least for the first trek out there. The only reason I actually have the time to take you is because its my day off. Tomorrow I have other things I need to do so you'll be on your own that day." Atemu said.
"Oh. But, what about the next day?" Yugi asked doing his best to keep the sound of disappointment out of his voice. On the bright side Atemu had either not heard or was choosing not to comment on the 'hot' remark Yugi had made.
Atemu shrugged, "The next day has me back at work. Look, if it becomes that much of an issue I can hook you up with someone else whose pretty familiar with the area. But really, if you weren't confident in your ability to find and film these animals on your own then you should have hired someone to escort you." Atemu said.
Yugi turned his attention out the window, resisting the urge to sulk since he had caught what sounded like genuine annoyance in Atemu's tone. "If it was such an inconvenience for you then you shouldn't have volunteered to help." Yugi muttered.
Atemu sighed, "I have no problem helping you out today. I just don't have the time to help you out every single day. That's all I'm saying." Atemu said.
Yugi sighed as he mentally replayed the last part of his conversation with Atemu. Great, now I sound like a spoiled brat that didn't get the new toy they wanted. Yugi thought to himself. Not exactly the impression he wanted to make with a guy he had the tiniest hope would maybe consider going out with him. "I'm sorry Atemu. You're absolutely right and it was wrong of me to make the assumption that you would be willing, not to mention able, to help me every day for the next three weeks." Yugi said as he hesitantly glanced back in Atemu's direction.
Atemu nodded, "Apology accepted. And I may not be able to help you as often as you might like, but I will try and help you out when I am able to do so." Atemu said.
Yugi grinned, "That is more than good enough for me. And don't think I didn't notice you never answered my question about what you like to do when you aren't working." Yugi said.
Atemu chuckled, "Well, I guess relaxing curled up with a good book is something I enjoy. Fishing and hiking are a couple of other things I enjoy. Spending time with my family. Normal stuff." Atemu replied with a shrug.
Yugi grinned, "That stuff sounds great to me. Way cooler than my 'I love to play video games' response." Yugi replied.
Atemu chuckled, "Yes, well I never got caught up in the whole video game craze. They never really seemed to capture my interest and I always preferred spending my time outdoors instead. If I were to play a game I prefer either board games or sports." Atemu replied.
"Board games are awesome too! My grandfather actually owns a game shop back home where he sells a bunch of old board games and also trading card games." Yugi replied.
"That's nice." Atemu said as he pulled off to the side of the road and shut off the jeep. "And we have officially arrived at the starting point for our hike." Atemu said.
Yugi scrambled out of the jeep, pausing briefly to reach inside and grab his backpack. "Alright, lead the way." Yugi replied.
Atemu nodded, "Actually I want to make a quick call before we go into the woods. Why don't you head about 50 feet further up the road, you'll be able to get a great view of the canyon from there." Atemu said.
"I can wait for you if you want. Its really no problem." Yugi said.
Atemu sighed but nodded, "Fine, you can wait if that's what you want." Atemu replied before he pulled his cellphone and seemed to click on one of his contacts before bringing the phone to his ear. "Hey, just wanted to let you know that I'm getting ready to head into the woods to take a tourist up on a hike through the canyon area. He wants to shoot his documentary on Gray Wolves." Atemu said, he paused briefly before replying to whatever the other caller said, "Don't worry. I'm always careful. You know that." Atemu paused once more, clearly listening to the what the other caller was saying. Yugi really wished he'd been able to hear the entire conversation instead of just part of it. "Yes, you too." Atemu replied before he hung up the phone and shoved it back into his own bag which he slung up over his shoulder. "Sorry about that. Now, lets get going." Atemu said.
Atemu headed into the tree line with Yugi following only a short way behind him. Yugi was mentally debating with himself about asking who Atemu had called. On the one hand he had clearly been eavesdropping on a private conversation but at the same time the curiosity was eating him up. The two walked in silence for about fifty feet before Atemu came to a stop, "You can come stand over here, just watch your step." Atemu said.
Yugi walked to stand over next to Atemu and for a moment just gaped as he took in the absolutely breathtaking view of Yellowstone Canyon. "Woah, this is...this is absolutely breathtaking. And massive." Yugi said. Sadly those were the only words Yugi could think of the describe the massive canyon. Man, I wish Ryou could see this. Yugi thought to himself before fumbling with his bag to dig out his phone once he remembered Ryou technically could see it if Yugi took a picture.
Atemu nodded, "The canyon stretches 20 miles long and can be as many as 4,000 feet wide. And there are parts of the canyon that are 1200 feet deep. The canyon was formed at the end of the last glacial period when melting ice caused Lake Yellowstone of overflow, eroding the land and thus creating what we see before us." Atemu said.
"That is so cool." Yugi said as he snapped several more pictures for Ryou. None of the pictures Yugi was able to take seemed to truly do the beautiful canyon justice but they would have to be good enough.
Atemu nodded once more before he turned away from the canyon and began to pick his way through the trees, "We should probably get going if you want to find the wolves and have any amount of time left to film. Just, please be careful and make sure that you watch your footing. A fall in the wrong place could prove fatal here." Atemu said.
"Right. I'll be careful." Yugi said as he followed closely behind Atemu. The hike, thus far, was thankfully not too physically demanding which meant that Yugi was easily able to keep pace with Atemu although he was mentally doing his best to remember exactly where the drop off to the canyon was and to keep a little bit of distance between himself and that.
The two hiked for about 45 minutes before Yugi decided they might as well talk. That and his curiosity from earlier had returned with a vengence. He wanted to know who Atemu had called. "So, Atemu who did you call before we went hiking today?" Yugi asked.
"Has no one ever told you that curiosity killed the cat?" Atemu asked.
Yugi grinned, "Yup, but satisfaction brought it back." Yugi shot back.
Atemu chuckled, "So it did. And why do I have a feeling that if I don't tell you you will keep asking me until I do." Atemu replied.
"Because you already know me that well." Yugi cheekily replied.
Atemu rolled his eyes, "Can we just say it was a personal call and leave it at that?" Atemu muttered.
Yugi sighed, "I really don't get why you're being so secretive." Yugi muttered.
Atemu rolled his eyes once more, "Fine. It was a member of my family. Are you satisfied now?" Atemu growled.
Yugi grinned, "See, now was that so hard to admit that you spoke to your mom or you dad? There's no reason to be so shy about it Atemu. I still live with my grandfather, its okay you live with your parents." Yugi said.
Atemu rolled his eyes once more but said nothing as he continued to hike little bit more briskly through the woods, making it a lot more difficult for Yugi to keep pace with his guide. "Hey, slow down Atemu. You're going too fast." Yugi called out.
Atemu chuckled, "I'm going at a very reasonable pace. Besides, if you have enough energy to be able to ask me annoying personal questions than you can more than handle a faster hiking speed. I can go even faster if you would like." Atemu replied.
Yugi pouted as he continued to struggle to keep up with Atemu's increased speed. No reason to get into such a pissy mood. I was just trying to get to know you, that's all. Yugi thought to himself.
They hiked another almost hour in complete silence before Atemu came to a stop. Yugi drew level with him, gasping for breath. "A-are we taking a break?" Yugi gasped out.
Atemu shook his head, "No, we're here. The wolves you wanted to see are up ahead. You can see them through the trees to your left." Atemu said, pointing in the direction that he had seen the wolves.
Yugi squinted through the trees in the direction Atemu was pointing, and sure enough if you looked really hard about two hundred feet from where they were standing were five gray wolves. "Woah." Yugi muttered as he pulled off his backpack and began to fumble for is camera. He absolutely needed to record this. Yugi turned on his camera and began to film the wolves. Two of them it looked like were younger wolves, playfully wrestling while the three older wolves appeared to be relaxing. Yugi zoomed in his camera a little bit more to get a clearer picture.
"Can we go any closer Atemu?" Yugi asked.
Atemu shook his head, "No, we won't get any closer than this. Quite frankly we are too close to the wolves as it is. Lets not forget these are wild animals and this is their home, we need to show them the proper respect and give them their space." Atemu said.
"But..." Yugi began.
Atemu rolled his eyes, "With your fancy camera you can zoom way in and film the wolves just fine from here." Atemu said before he sat down on a large rock and pulled out his own water bottle to take a drink.
Yugi pouted once more but did not argue further, instead doing as Atemu suggested and filming the wolves from where he was. He was able to film the wolves for about forty-five minutes before they moved away. Once the wolves had disappeared from sight Atemu rose back to his feet, "Let's head back to the jeep." Atemu replied.
Yugi frowned, "Why can't we follow the wolves?" Yugi asked.
"Because I for one don't have a death wish. What you filmed already is going to have to be more than enough for today. Now, I am heading back to the jeep. Are you coming or not?" Atemu declared.
Yugi sighed before he nodded, turning off his camera and stowing it back into his bag. "Yes, I'm coming." Yugi muttered dejectedly.
"Good." Atemu replied before he turned and began to head back the way they had come. To be perfectly honest Yugi was absolutely amazed Atemu was able to know where they were even going. To Yugi everything around him looked almost the same, he wouldn't have been able to figure out exactly which way they needed to head back to the jeep.
The two hiked for about two hours before they had once again found Atemu's jeep. Yugi quickly scrambled into the passenger seat, absolutely exhausted. That was quite the hike, and just to think he was going to have to be making that same hike almost every single day for the next three weeks. Hey, on the bright side I'll start to get into some better shape. Yugi thought to himself.
Atemu started back up the jeep and pulled back onto the road, heading back the way they had come. Yugi starred out the window as Atemu drove back past Yellowstone Lake, and he was able to see some kind of bird of prey swooping down from the sky no doubt attempting to capture its next meal. An Osprey perhaps? Looks a bit small to be a Bald Eagle. Yugi mused.
Yugi watched the scenary for a little while before he leaned back against the seat of the jeep. "Look, Atemu I didn't mean to upset you or to offend you with my questions earlier. Honest, all I wanted to do was to get to know you better." Yugi said.
Atemu nodded, "And that's fine. I didn't so much mind your questions before the hike. What bothered me was you eavesdropping on a personal phone call of mine and then deciding to demand that I tell you who I was speaking to, something which was truly none of your business." Atemu said.
Yugi winced, "Yeah, I can see how that might be a bit annoying. I'll try not to do that again, although I make no promises." Yugi said.
Atemu chuckled, "To be perfectly honest Yugi, I wouldn't have believed you if you had promised to stay out of my personal business." Atemu replied.
Yugi stuck his tongue out at Atemu, "Hey! I'm not that bad." Yugi replied.
Atemu chuckled once more, "On the contrary kid, you are actually worse than I think you realize." Atemu replied.
Yugi couldn't help but laugh at the teasing remark. He was really relieved that it felt like the tension between him and Atemu had officially dissipated. They drove a short distance further before, just like before Atemu pulled off the side of the road where he could see a bunch of tourists had stopped. This time Yugi was able to resist asking Atemu if he could go with him to see what was going on. Atemu wasn't gone to long this time before he came back.
"You can come and take a look if you like. There is a moose that from here you would have a great view of without having to get too close." Atemu said.
"Really, a moose! That's so cool." Yugi replied as he scrambled out of the car to follow Atemu back to where several tourists had gathered taking photos of a massive moose. Yugi pulled out his cellphone and snapped a few pictures of his own. Ryou is not going to believe all the stuff that happened today. Yugi thought to himself. Yugi also turned slightly and snapped a picture of Atemu leaning casually back against one of the trees, his arms lazily crossed as he just observed what was going on around him. He looked completely at ease and there was something very attractive about how at home he appeared here in the wilderness.
The two stayed and watched the moose for awhile before the moose began to move on and the tourists took that as their cue to begin heading back to their cars.
Atemu and Yugi climbed back into Atemu's jeep and once again started driving back towards the Old Faithful Lodge. "So, Atemu you said that you knew someone who would be able to take me to see the wolves when you can't. Do you think they could come tomorrow?" Yugi asked.
Atemu shook his head, "Not tomorrow I'm afraid. But they will be able to help you the following day. How about for tomorrow you just do some tourist type things. Enjoy seeing the park and the next day when my friend is available to lead you you can continue filming the gray wolves. Personally, I suggest you check out the rainbow pool and the painted mud pots." Atemu said.
Yugi sighed but nodded, "Fin, that sounds like a plan. And thank you again so much for all your help today Atemu. It really means a lot to me." Yugi said.
Atemu nodded as he turned back into the parking area for the Old Faithful Lodge, "Not a problem. Now, have a good rest of your day and night. I'll have my friend meet you in the lobby the day after tomorrow around the same time if you want." Atemu said.
Yugi grinned, "That sounds great Atemu. Thank you." Yugi said.
Atemu just nodded as Yugi climbed out of the jeep. Atemu did not get out and once Yugi closed the door Atemu drove away, waving good-bye to Yugi as he drove off. Yugi headed back to his room and flopped down on his bed.
Today had been absolutely amazing. Yugi mused, but he wasn't so sure about waiting a whole day for Atemu's friend to be available to lead him back to the wolves. Perhaps, tomorrow Yugi should attempt to find them on his own. I mean, Atemu made it seem pretty straight forward. Drive to the canyon and hike through the woods until you spot them. Sounds easy enough. I can do that. Yugi thought.
Yugi pulled out his cellphone to call Ryou. Ryou picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" Ryou said.
Yugi could not help but grin, "Ryou, you will never believe the day I had today." Yugi said.
A/N: And that will do it for chapter 2. Hope you are enjoying this story and as always please review. I look forward to your comments and criticisms.