by D C Little
He didn’t know when he had finally fallen back asleep, but he awoke as soon as the light changed. The brisk morning air bit at his lungs as he crawled from the tent and stretched. David’s tent shook with movement, and Kevin let out a groan.
Blake stirred up the coals in the fire, set a few sticks on it, and set his pot filled with water on the top. He looked forward to the mountain misery tea, even though it wasn’t coffee, it was warm and did the trick.
“Are we really getting up this early?” Brent moaned from still inside his tent.
“Are you kidding me?” Kevin grumbled as he unzipped his tent, immediately starting to take it down. “You wouldn’t have lasted in the military.”
“Never had the desire,” Brent spat back.
“Well, if you want to eat a nice juicy steak, then I suggest you pull on your man-pants and get out here,” David said as he took the offered mug from Blake.
“Enough.” As much as Blake enjoyed the banter, he knew it would make Brent surly. The man had no sense of humor. Blake needed them all on the same page to accomplish the task he had planned for the day. “Brent, we do need to follow those tracks as quickly as possible to find the herd. If you aren’t ready to get up, you can stay here or catch up when you’re ready.”
The other guys watched him cautiously, but he winked at them as he took a sip of the scalding tea.
The next minute, Brent unzipped his tent and drug himself out of it. “I never said I wasn’t coming.”
“Good. Now, let’s pack up. We’ll eat breakfast on the trail.” Blake set down his mug after another scalding sip and set about packing up his tent and backpack.
He could almost smell the scent of beef cooking over a fire. His mouth watered and urged him to move faster.
By the time they were ready, the sky lent enough light to see the tracks fairly well. Blake took the lead, following the purposeful prints of the mountain lion. He wondered how often that cat had fed on this herd, and how upset it would be to find them gone when his next meal time came.
The stamping of hooves made Blake pause in his tracks. He held up his hand, and the men slowly came up to him. Across the distance, he saw the herd of a dozen or so large cattle.
He wondered if this was all that had survived, or if they had spread out as they had the tendency to do. From what he could see, there wasn’t a bull. His heart sank slightly. They would need a bull in order to raise a consistent stock.
The cows shifted and he saw two calves nuzzling up to their mothers. If one of them were a bull, they had a chance.
From the corner of his eye, he caught Brent pulling out his bow and taking aim at the calves.
Blake to two long strides and ripped the arrow out of the bow, glowering at the man. “What are you doing?’
“Getting that steak.” Brent’s glare did nothing to Blake but make him angrier.
“Do you realize you could have killed our chance at having a sustainable source of meat?” Blake growled low, his patience waning.
“How was I supposed to know? What do you mean sustainable?” Brent whined.
“I mean keeping cattle, breeding, and growing the herd so we have a continuous supply of beef.”
“And milk!” Kevin piped up and then covered his mouth. “Sorry. I really miss milk.”
“I think most of us do,” Blake said, handing the arrow to Brent and walking back to watch the herd.
The cows were eyeing them and blowing out their noses, leaving tendrils of white steam hovering around them. They looked a little thin, but not unhealthy, and they watched the men with more curiosity than wariness.
How many of them remembered humans as the ones that gave them food?
David sidled up next to him. “How are we going to get them back?”
“We can’t yet,” Blake said. “They would never make it there. Even if they could, how would we feed them when everything is blanketed in snow?”
“What’s your plan then?” Kevin asked, coming alongside them. “Bag one now and hope they are still here when the snow melts?”
Blake shook his head. He needed at least two of them to stay, but how could he ask them to stay when he didn’t want to himself? The thought of being away from his family any longer, even for the chance at having cattle, weighed heavily on him.
“I’ll stay,” Brent said in a grunt. “My wife will hardly talk to me anyway. Might as well be useful.”
“I don’t know...” Blake started.
“Ah, come on. I promise I won’t kill the calves.” Brent crossed his arms.
“I’ll stay with him,” Kevin said, his brow furrowing.
“You have a new young one. I have no idea how soon we can get replacements to offer you leave. It’s not going to happen.” Blake scratched at his beard, wondering how upset Kris would be...
“I’ll do it,” David sighed. “Just get replacements as soon as possible. A week on before the replacements arrive?”
“What? Do you guys not trust me by myself?” Brent huffed.
“Would you want to stay alone out here for a week?” Blake turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
Brent’s eyes went wide as they looked around the area.
“Thought so, and no one should. It’s too dangerous.” Blake put his attention back on his friend. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah, Marie might be mad, but she can manage the kids fine without me. Besides, it’s for an awesome cause. She’ll forgive me as soon as she bites into a nice juicy steak.”
Blake nodded. Guilt swirled in his gut, but he had an overwhelming urge to be back at camp. The feeling was all too familiar and made him itch with the need to run.
“We should scout around and see how many more we can find.” Blake adjusted his pack and scanned the area around them for the most likely place cattle would hunker down.
“Don’t you think we should sample the ware? I mean, you got me all excited about a steak.” Kevin smiled.
Blake pondered the thought. As much as he craved beef, the idea of a sustainable stock was more appealing. Killing one right now would spook the cattle and they might ever get them to cooperate after that.
“Not yet. The thought of steak makes my mouth water, too, but we need to think long term here.”
The men grumbled, but they followed him as they scouted around for the herd. Maybe they would get lucky and find a buck as well, or even a bull. The urge to return grew stronger and the hairs sprung up on the back of his neck, but he had to finish his purpose here before he could run back. Hopefully, Kevin still knew how to run trails.
***
Kris pulled Tucker against her even as he fought to ready his bow. She kicked herself for not remembering her shotgun. Tucker yanked out of her grip, took a step forward to aim at the sound crashing through the brush toward them.
Butler had pushed Lexi behind him and had aimed the rifle as well.
Kris turned to protect Mercy, wrapped against her chest, and to be in a position to fling herself over Tucker.
It all happened in a blink of an eye before the cause of the commotion came careening toward them.
“Don’t shoot,” came a hoarse cry, as a boy of ten or eleven skied into their group, arms waving until he plopped into the snow. “Please! Don’t shoot! I need help!”
Tucker and Butler immediately put down their weapons and ran toward the boy.
“Where on Earth did you come from, kid?” Butler asked, scanning the direction he had come from.
“Please. My dad needs help. He’s hurt,” he whimpered, his lower lip trembling.
Kris reached him. Seeing the tears and fear in the child’s eyes made her squat next to him. The boy’s dark hair had fallen over his face, half-covering little cuts and scrapes, probably from branches if his last push through the brush showed them anything.
She pulled out her canteen and handed it to him.
He drank greedily before pushing back up to a stand. “Please. Do you have a doctor here?”
“I’m a m
edic. What happened to your dad? Where is he?” Lexi came up to him, her eyes scanning him from head to foot.
Kris wondered why she looked like she saw a ghost, but the boy’s pleas pulled her attention away from her friend.
“He’s still at our cabin. He broke his leg, but it’s not healing right. I tried to pull it as hard as I could like he told me, but...” He sucked his lips in and turned away.
“It’s okay. You did great,” Lexi soothed him. “Let’s get you to our camp and you can tell us more.”
“There isn’t time. I’ve already been gone over a day.”
Lexi ripped off her glove, touched his face, pulled off his glove, and took his fingers in her hand. “You spent the night out here? We have to get you warmed up and fed. What’s your name?”
“Ryan,” he said. “I really need to get back to my dad.”
“And we will, but first we have to take care of you so you’re healthy enough to show us how to get to him.”
The boy let Lexi lead him back toward camp.
“Mom, did you hear that? He skied all the way here for his dad!” Tucker said, tugging on her jacket.
“I did. He is a very brave boy.”
“I would do it, too.” Tucker tucked his bow back around him and sheathed his arrow.
“I know you would, Sweetie. I bet you two would have a lot in common.”
“Maybe he’ll stay in camp after his dad gets better and we can become friends.” Tucker ran after them with a new bounce in his step.
Kris felt relief at seeing her son happy, but as she glanced back up to where Ryan had come from, she wondered. If he could find them, who else could?
The thoughts sent a chill down her spine, and she wished Blake were here.
As the camp woke and saw a newcomer with them as they came back from the woods, people began gathering, whispering, and pointing.
“I’m guessing you don’t get many visitors?” Ryan said, taking a side-step closer to Lexi.
“No, you’re the first since we’ve been here.” She touched his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re safe.”
“I haven’t seen others besides my dad for close to a year. It’s a little overwhelming,” Ryan said, his sliding steps slowing.
Kris knew the feeling. She glanced at Butler who nodded at her.
“Come on, people, give the kid some space. Go on about your business. You’ll be updated later.” Butler urged the people on, but they didn’t budge. “Go on.” He shooed them with his hands.
Some started to back away, grumbling, but they moved and let the group through without hassle.
Arland met them at the entrance to his dwelling. His eyes took in the situation and the boy before he allowed a grin to come to his face.
“Welcome to New Forest Glen. I’m Arland.”
“This is our leader. Arland, this is Ryan.” Lexi introduced the child. “He needs to warm up.”
Ryan bent down and untied his boots from the skis he wore. Kris marveled at the handiwork on them. Blake would be fascinated. They had left their skis back home. Were they still there?
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” Ryan stood and held out his hand. “I need help. My dad is hurt back at the cabin. He needs a doctor.”
“Come on in so you can warm up while we talk about this.” Arland led him inside.
Kris followed, hoping she wouldn’t be seen as rude for doing so. Lexi and Butler did as well, and Tuck was already showing the other boy where to sit and how to warm up his hands.
“I’ll get you some warm tea,” Laurie said as they entered.
Ryan blinked his eyes and looked around the dwelling. “You guys are living like the Indians used to.”
“In a way,” Arland said. “It worked for them.”
“It seems to be working for you, too.” Ryan leveled his eyes on Arland. “Could you send your doctor to help my dad? I really need to get back.”
Lexi came next to the boy. “Let’s take off your boots and gloves to get your fingers and toes warmed up.” She glanced at Arland. “He spent the night out.”
“You are brave to come all this way for your dad.”
“I didn’t know what else to do. We have seen your smoke from time to time. Dad talked about checking you out, but...”
“Where have you been that you could see our smoke?” Arland asked, glancing at Kris.
“My dad told me to keep the place a secret, but I can’t get him help if you don’t know where he is.”
“That’s right, Ryan. We need to know how to find him.”
“We’re staying in this little cabin. I don’t know how far away it is. I think I took a few wrong turns. I should have been here earlier...I’m not sure if he is still warm or...” His lip trembled.
Lexi rested her hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to get to him, Ryan. Your dad would be super proud of you.”
“Do you know which direction the cabin is?” Kris asked, racking her brain and looking at her internal map, trying to determine which cabin he could be talking about.
“My dad tried to teach me the east and west stuff, but I always get turned around. If I was at the cabin, I could tell you which direction was which.” He looked down at his hands, fingers turning pink from the heat of the fire he held them by. His head shot up, and he looked at her. “Dad said that your camp was west of us, so that would make the cabin east of here, right?”
“Yes, it would.” Kris smiled at the boy. “Could you tell me of any landmarks by the cabin or that you can see from there?”
Ryan looked into the fire after scooching closer to it. His little eyebrows scrunched together.
Tucker sat closer to the boy. “My dad would always have me look at the mountains in the distance and the trees and rocks up close. I would make a map in my mind as we hiked, so I knew how to get back.”
“That’s a great idea,” Ryan said, looking at Tuck. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Tucker.”
“Your dad sounds like a good dad, too. My dad can be...grumpy at times, but he knows so much about survival.”
“Mine too!” Tucker sat forward. “Everyone here calls him The Survivalist.”
“Really? I bet our dads would like each other.”
“I bet so.” Tucker wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulder. “You guys should come live at camp.”
“First, I have to get back to my dad.” Ryan turned toward Kris. “There is a lake, but it’s across the highway and I’m not allowed to go near the highway. From the big rocky mountain, I can see the tips of the peaks. Dad said the biggest one is named Bear Ridge.”
“Is there a little creek near the cabin?” Kris asked, getting an idea of where the cabin could be.
“Yes, it’s up the hill and between us and the highway. I’m not supposed to cross the creek. I crossed so many coming here, though.”
“You did great, Ryan. I think I know where your cabin could be.”
“Couldn’t we follow his tracks?” Lexi asked.
“Well, yes, we could, but he said he got all turned around which is why it took him so long to get here. If the cabin is the one I believe it is, it’s a straight shot and shouldn’t take more than a half-day hard hike to get there.”
“I can’t believe there has been someone that close to us this entire time...” Lexi said, her thoughts trailing off.
Outside the dwelling, people began shouting and arguing. Arland stood up. “I better see what’s going on.”
“I’ll go with you,” Butler said, standing to follow him.
“Kris,” Arland called her over.
“I wish Blake was here,” she told him once they stood near the door.
“I know, but you have a good idea of places around here, too. We need that right now. Try to get as much information from the boy you can.”
“I will. Good luck out there. I am sure they are concerned about the boy, how he found us, and what that means.”
“They are bored and have too much time to worry and gossip,�
� Arland said with a smile.
“Probably true,” she said. “Once the snow melts, we won’t be so bored anymore.”
“Yes, then the real work begins.” Arland squeezed her shoulder before ducking out of the dwelling with Butler behind him.
Kris turned back toward Ryan and Tucker talking in front of the fire. Once she rejoined them, Ryan faced her.
“Please, I need to get back to my dad.”
“We are working toward that. We need to put together a team, supplies, and—”
“Get you trail-ready again,” Lexi finished.
“I’m fine. I can handle this. My dad needs help. He isn’t doing well.”
“Why don’t you tell us what happened to your dad?” Kris started.
While the boy shared his story, she planned in her mind. She had no idea how to tell someone how to get to the cabin, but she knew how to get there. Blake would be livid, but she had to save the boy’s dad, right?
~6~
Frustration built up in Blake like a vice grip on his neck. As much as he wanted to scout around for more cattle in order to get them all together and have the highest number to report to Arland, a growing unease grew within him. He knew this feeling, and he knew he shouldn’t ignore it.
Instantly, he flashed back to the night he rushed home to find Arland and all his men on his property with Kris and Tucker in the middle of it all. That situation ended up fine in the end, but... He shook his head.
“You guys comfortable here? You have everything you need?” Blake and Kevin had given them almost all of their rations, enough that the men could survive for almost a week without going hungry.
“We would if you let us kill one of these steaks,” Brent said while licking his lips.
“All in time.” Blake slung on his backpack, took one last glance around the temporary camp marking landmarks, and turned back toward the trail they had made to get there. “Be safe. Watch each other’s backs, and keep an ear out for that mountain lion. We don’t want her getting the last two calves.”
“You got it, boss.” David slapped his back. “Tell the wife not to be mad at me. I’m bringing her steak!”