White Water

by Linda I. Shands

  Kara dropped the hide and grabbed Ryan’s shoulders. “Into the water, quick!” She pushed him ahead of her and waded into the chilly water. It didn’t look too deep. If they could make it to the middle of the river, maybe the bear would give up.

  Right, Wako. Like bears don’t swim. They were nearly halfway across when Ryan put on the brakes.

  “I can’t! It’s slippery. I’m gonna fall!” Tears were coursing down his pale cheeks, and Kara knew he must be really scared. He’d already survived one near drowning. She risked a glance over her shoulder. The bear was on the beach, slapping at the water with his long, black claws. If it charged them in the middle of the river, she had no doubt who would win.

  The bear took a step forward into the river, panting and blowing as if it had just run a race. But Kara knew it wasn’t exhaustion that made the animal breathe that way—it was excitement. The bear’s hunting instinct was in full gear, and they were its prey.

  She yanked her pack off her back, swung it around her head three times, and tossed it as hard as she could toward the beach. As she had hoped, it landed behind the animal, distracting it for a minute. Thank God there was still jerky in there. The buzz of an airplane in the distance gave her hope. If they could just make it to the other side of the river . . .

  While the bear dug at her pack, she bent her knees and reached behind her for Ryan’s arms. “Hurry, Ry, get on my back.” The little boy didn’t hesitate. With one leap he was on her, arms and legs wrapped tightly around her neck and waist. His weight nearly pitched her into the water. She took a deep breath, stood up straight, and waded deeper into the river. The water came only to her hips, but the current was strong. She slipped twice, nearly losing her footing on the moss-coated rocks.

  Then Ryan screamed. Kara spun around, lost her balance, and went to her knees. The swirling water came up to her chin and dragged at her jacket, nearly sweeping her into the current. Ryan kept a death grip on her neck, causing her to choke. She grabbed his hands and pulled them off her throat enough so that she could breathe. Not that she could get much air. The bear had waded into the river. It stood on all four feet, belly deep, watching them from about four feet away. Beads of water clung to its cinnamon-colored coat, and sunshine glinted off the radio collar around its neck. If the animal had not been stalking them it would have made a neat picture.

  This is definitely not a Kodak moment! The silly thought spurred Kara to action. She stood and backed slowly toward the opposite bank. The bear kept pace with her, as if they were playing a game of Mother-May-I, but Kara knew this wasn’t a game. Please, God, she prayed, don’t let me fall! If she so much as stumbled, they were dead meat!

  “Freeze!” The shout stopped her in her tracks. “Wakara, stand still!”

  Kara did as she was told. The boom of a rifle shattered the air as a bullet whizzed over the bear’s rump, just grazing the fur. The animal spun around, and with amazing speed disappeared into the brush. The next thing Kara knew, Colin was at her elbow, prying Ryan’s arms from the chokehold around her neck. He hefted the boy over one shoulder and grabbed Kara’s arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Colin’s grip on her arm kept her upright as they struggled through the swift-flowing current into calmer water, then finally onto the rock-strewn shore. When Colin released her, she went to her knees, shaking from cold and fatigue. Ryan was shivering, his teeth chattering, his skin pale. She pulled him into her arms and began rubbing him down with her hands. There was nothing else to work with. Her pack was gone, and every scrap of her clothing was soaking wet.

  “I w-wish I had my b-b-bear blanket!” He looked longingly across the river at the patch of brown fur lying on the sand.

  “I wish you did too, Ry.” Kara rubbed harder, chafing his arms and legs as if she were trying to start a fire.

  “Ow, Kara, not so hard!” He squirmed out of her grasp, and she was relieved to see his face had regained some color.

  Colin was speaking into a walkie-talkie, radioing in their position. Kara took a deep breath and scrambled to her feet. “Dad will be here soon.” She said it to reassure herself as much as Ryan. The boy nodded and took a step toward Colin.

  It was then Kara saw the bear. It must have crossed the river—circled around them. Her mouth went dry, and she called out a warning, but it was too late.

  The animal charged straight at Colin, knocking him down. The walkie-talkie flew out of his hands and landed with a splash in the river, while the rifle spun along the ground, coming to rest just out of reach of Colin’s grasping hands.

  Kara screamed, “Ryan, run!” She pushed him behind her and made a dive for the gun.

  Colin had rolled onto his belly and folded both hands behind his head, protecting his neck. The bear tore at Colin’s backpack, shredding the nylon and popping the zipper with one swipe of its paw. Kara scrambled to her knees and fired. The shot passed harmlessly over the animal’s back and struck with a solid thud into the trunk of a tree. Scraps of bark flew in all directions, but the bear didn’t even look up.

  Colin screamed as the bear’s claws made contact with his shoulder, slicing through his denim jacket like a knife through butter. Kara’s hands were shaking. She jumped to her feet, drew in a deep breath, and took careful aim. She couldn’t miss. Not this time. If she did, Colin was dead, and most likely so was she.

  A shot rang out. With a howl of pain and rage, the bear rose to its hind feet, blood pouring from a wound in its shoulder. Kara’s heart thudded in fear as the animal took two steps toward her. Then she heard shouts and the sound of heavy boots crashing through the brush, accompanied by the clatter of helicopter blades directly overhead. The bear kept coming, but ran right past her into the bushes on the far side of the clearing.

  Ryan raced into her line of vision. He stopped a few feet from Colin and began jumping up and down. “They’re here, they’re here. It’s okay, Colin, you can get up now. That ole bear is history!”

  Before she could react, two rangers ran into the clearing. One went directly to Colin, then began talking into his radio. The other took her arm and led her to a fallen log. “Here, young lady, sit down. Put your head between your knees.”

  She wanted to laugh and tell him she wasn’t going to faint, but tiny bursts of light were popping in front of her eyes, and she knew she was about to lose it. She lowered her head and took a deep breath as the wave of dizziness passed. A hand massaged her neck, while another took her pulse.

  “Good girl. Take it easy, now. Are you hurt?”

  She managed to shake her head. “No, I’m fine. It’s Colin.”

  The hand on her neck shifted to her back. “It’s okay, we’re on it. He’s going to be fine.”

  She raised her head just as two more rangers strode onto the rocky beach carrying a stretcher. She recognized Brad as the one bending over Colin, and then Dad was there. He scooped up Ryan and hurried over to her, bending down, lifting her chin, and stroking her hair. “Wakara, are you all right?”

  “She’s okay, Dad.” Ryan’s voice squeaked with excitement. “Did you see that? Kara shot that ole bear. She got him good.”

  Kara stared at the rifle, still lying where she’d dropped it on the sand. Then it hit her. “Dad?”

  “What is it, Sugar Bear?”

  “It wasn’t me. I never fired a second shot.”

  THE CHOPPER LIFTED COLIN and two paramedics to safety, while the rangers went after the bear. Dad stripped off Ryan’s wet clothes, then took off his own jacket and zipped it around the boy. The warm coat reached nearly to Ryan’s ankles, and Kara was relieved to see he had stopped shivering. One of the men had given her a blanket. Dad held it for her while she turned her back, stripped off her soggy sweatshirt, then wrapped the scratchy wool tightly around her shoulders. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do.

  “Mark probably turned back to land at the mill sight,” Dad said. “He’ll fly us back to Eagle Lodge from there, while Greg takes the horses.”

  Kara’s
head snapped up. “You brought Lily?”

  Dad nodded. “Colin, Greg, and I rode in, just in case there was nowhere to land a helicopter.”

  Kara nodded, and in spite of her exhaustion, quickened her pace. Five minutes later, she heard Lily’s shrill whinny. “Coming, girl!” Kara laughed and raced to where Greg had the horses tied to trees in a small clearing. She tried to talk Dad into letting her ride all the way to Eagle Lodge, but when they got to the mill sight, he insisted she and Ryan get into the plane with him. “No argument, young lady. You and your brother are wet and cold. I want you back at the lodge as fast as possible.”

  Kara knew he was right. Almost before they left the ground, Ryan dropped off to sleep with his head on Dad’s shoulder. She knew Dad was anxious to hear what had happened, and she was anxious to explain, but she was in the front with Mark, and the drone of the single-engine plane made it hard to talk. In minutes, she caught sight of Eagle Lodge and felt a flood of relief. She had some apologizing to do, but it was sure good to be home.

  Her blue sweats, a roaring fire, and a belly full of Anne’s hot chicken soup were almost enough to make Kara forget the ordeal of the past two days. But Ryan was awake and chattering a mile a minute. Dad finally hushed him. “Slow down, Tiger, you’re not making any sense.” He sat down next to the hearth, facing both of them. Anne had settled in one of the comfortable chairs, while Greg pulled a straight-backed chair closer to the fire.

  “Okay,” Dad began, “Colin told us what happened with the raft.” He looked at Kara. “He takes the blame for that, by the way. And for leaving you behind.” Kara winced. Dad’s look told her that he didn’t for a minute believe that last part. He knew her too well.

  Dad’s gaze shifted to Ryan. “What I want to know now is what happened afterward.”

  “My turn?” Ryan sounded so eager, and Kara almost laughed at the excitement gleaming in those huge, brown eyes. Dad nodded. “What happened when you fell into the river, Son? How did you get to shore?”

  Ryan frowned. “I don’t remember. I think Big Foot got me out. I was coughing, then he turned me upside down, then I throwed up and he took me to his log cabin. It’s so cool! Lots of animals all over the walls, and bear furs, like the blanket he gaved me.” He glared at Kara. “Kara don’t believe me, but it’s true.”

  He turned back to Dad. “He made me put on dry clothes and cooked me some stew, then he gave me the bear blanket and told me to go to sleep. When I woke up it was dark, and he wrapped me in the blanket and carried me into the woods. I was scared until I heard Kara singing, but Big Foot said we should play a game. He tol’ me to crawl into the hollow log with my pack and blanket and count to one hundred, then I could go surprise Kara. But when I started counting, he went away to hide. I must have fell asleep, because then it was a little light outside and that snotty ole bear was sniffing my legs.” He stopped to catch his breath.

  “I thought that stupid bear was gonna’ eat me, so I kicked it in the nose and threw my pack at him and climbed the tree. Then I started screamin’, and Kara came and chased the bear away.” He grinned. “She got him good, but he wouldn’t leave us alone, then Colin came and the bear jumped on him.”

  Kara’s thoughts echoed the puzzled look on Dad’s face. Ryan wouldn’t make up a cabin with animal trophies and hides. And he wasn’t wearing his own clothes when she found him, Kara suddenly remembered.

  Before she could say anything, the screen door banged, and Brad walked in carrying what was left of her backpack and the bear hide they had abandoned on the beach. He joined them in the dining room and accepted a cup of coffee from Anne while he listened to Dad’s version of Ryan’s adventure. Instead of sharing their confusion, Brad just nodded and said, “That’s about what we suspected.” He grinned at Ryan. “Your Big Foot’s name is Charlie Fox. He’s lived in the woods up that way for a couple of years now. We’ve seen his cabin, and we know he’s poaching animal hides and meat, but we haven’t ever caught him in the act.”

  Brad turned to Kara. “It was Charlie’s shot that wounded the bear, by the way. We picked him up at his cabin about an hour later. He was gathering up hides, getting ready to take off. I doubt we have enough evidence to convict him, though. This time he shot an animal to save someone’s life.” Brad smiled at Kara. “Can’t call that poaching, can we?”

  Kara shook her head. “No, I guess not.” She glanced over at Greg, then turned back to Brad. “Uh, about the bear. It had a radio collar. Was it the same bear that attacked Lyman?”

  Brad sighed. “I’m afraid so.” He turned to Dad. “I told you relocation doesn’t always work.”

  Dad’s mouth was quivering as he stared hard at Ryan. “Looks like Charlie Fox saved more than one life in the last couple of days.” He turned to Brad. “Please tell him I’m grateful.”

  Brad nodded, “I will if I see him.” He handed Ryan the bear rug. “Here you go. Charlie said he wanted you to keep this.”

  After Brad left, Anne went into the kitchen to fix a real meal, and Greg got on the radio to see if he could get reports on Colin and Tia. When Ryan yawned and snuggled into his “bear blanket,” Dad motioned to Kara and led her into the rec room, where a smaller fire was burning in the other fireplace. The hall door was propped open so heat could flow to the other rooms. “This is fine,” he said. He pointed her to a sling-back canvas chair beside the hearth, while he leaned with his back against the pool table.

  Here we go, she thought, it’s lecture time. “Dad,” she began, wanting to explain why she had stayed behind and hidden from the search helicopter, but instead of letting her continue, he held up his hand.

  “Wait, Wakara, please. I want to hear your story, but I need to say a couple of things first.” He cleared his throat, and she could see tears welling up in his eyes. “I have to tell you, I was angry when Colin confessed his responsibility for the accident—angry at him, and at you for being so stubborn about coming home. But now I realize that if you hadn’t stayed, that bear could very well have gotten to Ryan, and we might have lost him anyway. I . . . I’m glad you were there, Sugar Bear. I just hope none of you give us quite this big of a scare again.” He shook his head, then his mouth twitched in a smile. “Unless you’re trying to drive your old man into a rest home before he turns fifty, do you think we can do without any more great adventures for a while?”

  Kara sat there stunned. Dad wasn’t mad at her. He wasn’t even blaming her for any of this. She sighed in relief. “I’ll try, Dad. It’s not like I wanted any of it to happen.” She scowled and rubbed out a spark from the fire that had landed on the hearth by her feet. “I can’t believe Colin made such a selfish, stupid decision. And he called me an idiot for not getting back in the raft.” Tears of frustration made her eyes burn. “He wrote Ryan off, Dad, right away. Like there was no chance he might be alive. When I saw the life jacket on shore, I knew Ryan had made it, but Colin wouldn’t listen. All he could talk about was bringing in divers.”

  The more she talked, the tighter her chest got. She had to stop and force air into her lungs, then let it out on a heavy sigh. “I mean, I’m sorry Colin got hurt, and I hope he’s okay, but he was wrong, Dad. Wrong about everything. And I was wrong about him. How could I have ever thought we might have a future together?”

  When she realized what she had said, she clamped a hand over her mouth, but Dad was still leaning on the pool table, listening with a patient expression on his face. If he was shocked by her feelings for Colin, or rather her past feelings for Colin, he didn’t show it. And he didn’t look angry anymore either—just sad.

  When she didn’t say anything else, Dad stepped toward her and pulled her up into a hug. When he released her, he held onto her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Do me one favor, Sugar Bear?” She nodded, and he smiled softly. “Do some research in your Bible on forgiveness, then get Colin’s side of the story before you write him off the same way you think he did your little brother.”

  “WAKARA! I THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER get home!
” Tia sat up cross-legged on her bed. “It’s so boring around here, and Doc Glenn says I can’t ride for six weeks!” She groaned and leaned back on her pillows. “There goes rodeo season for this entire year!”

  Kara pulled the desk chair closer to the bed. “I’m sorry.” She squeezed her friend’s hand. “I wish this hadn’t happened, but like my dad keeps reminding me, we can’t go back, we have to go forward.” She cleared her throat and fought back another surge of anger. It seemed like all she’d done the past three days was cry or steam. She was still so mad at Colin she could spit!

  To distract herself, Kara leaned over to the bedside table and smelled a lavender rosebud, one of six in a clear glass vase. “Where’d you get the flowers? They’re gorgeous!”

  Tia grinned. “Colin. He’s been over twice since he got out of the hospital. I guess he feels like it’s his fault or something.”

  “No kidding.” Kara quickly set the vase back on the table. She wanted to change the subject, but Tia was watching her like a cat at a mouse hole.

  “Come on, Wakara, can’t you cut him some slack? He feels really bad, you know. Like we all died or something. But we didn’t.” She shrugged. “Hey, stuff happens. Anyway, you should see his shoulder! The stitches look like railroad tracks. The doc said he’s lucky the bear didn’t rip up any muscles or anything.”

  Kara’s stomach felt queasy. “Can’t we talk about something else?”

  Tia shrugged. “Sure.” She picked at the blue fuzz on her blanket. “But I wouldn’t be your friend if I didn’t tell you Colin is really beating himself up inside. Like, he doesn’t understand why you won’t talk to him.” She lowered her voice. “He’s talking about going away, Wakara. And I think, if you let him do that, you’ll be really sorry.”

  “You and Dad.” Kara swallowed the lump in her throat. “Colin’s not home right now.” She knew it was no excuse—she’d had plenty of time to see Colin after the accident, but she just couldn’t face him yet, her feelings were too mixed up. “He went back to Eagle Lodge to help Greg,” she went on. “They’re bringing Lyman home today, and the vet told them to stop every ten minutes to let him rest.”