by D C Little
****
Kris let her eyes scan the area. She didn’t turn her head this way and that. Everyone watched her, and she didn’t want her scanning to be seen as a sign of weakness or loss of direction.
Tucker, especially, watched her closely. “You doing okay, Mom?”
“Yep, at the top of this next rise we should be able to see smoke from the cabin if there is a fire burning, but we’ll at least see the valley it’s in.” I think. She bit her cheeks, hoping she was right.
“You hear that, Little Sister? We’re almost there!” Tucker said, touching his sister’s nose as they walked over the rough game trail.
“That ledge does look familiar,” Ryan said before pushing his skis faster and climbing the hill with unnatural grace.
“How does he do that?” Lexi asked.
“Blake and I did some backcountry skiing before Tucker arrived. Ryan makes it look easy, but it isn’t. Far from it. He must have spent quite a bit of time on those.” Kris watched the boy, imaging Tucker able to do things like that.
If Blake hadn’t have taken that last assignment, Tucker probably could have been close to that good by now. He missed out on so much because she hadn’t felt confident enough to take him alone.
A mother’s guilt played havoc on her, as it always did. She shifted her perspective the best she could. She had done her best, and Tucker had exceeded all of her expectations. She couldn’t ask for more.
“We’re almost there!” Ryan called down, his figure silhouetted against the darkening sky.
By the time the rest of them had snowshoed to the lowest point needed to get to the other side, Ryan looked frantically between them and the direction the cabin sat. The little valley glowed pink with the colors of the sunset. They would arrive as dusk settled.
“There’s no smoke.” He met her eyes, but then his gaze rested on Lexi’s. “I’ve got to go.”
“You’re faster on those skis. Go on ahead. We’ll be right behind you,” Lexi encouraged him with a small smile.
Kris wondered if the heaviness in Lexi’s eyes showed the same forbidding Kris had. What if his father hadn’t made it? Would it be better or worse for him to arrive first? She didn't know, so she upped her pace, following the parallel tracks that Ryan left.
“What are the chances that he...” Kris asked Lexi as she caught up with her.
Lexi glanced at Tucker as he raced ahead to catch up with Butler whose strides made hers look like mouse steps. “It sounds like he has a compound fracture. The fact that fever has already set in is not good. I don’t know how long he has had the fever, but I’m worried. We’ll know more as soon as we get there.”
“Poor Ryan. What will he do?”
“We’ll adopt him into the camp, of course.” Lexi set her mouth in a hard line and picked up her pace.
It left Kris pushing and straining against the pack and the weight of Mercy who slept. She had been so good during the whole hike. Kris only had to stop for a quick minute to situate her into a nursing position before catching up with everyone else.
Butler had taken her pack for a good portion of the hike. Now, she kicked herself for demanding it back after the last break.
Kris’s lungs heaved, unused to this extent of exercise anymore. She had gotten soft with all the sedentary life of camp, and her lungs burned and muscles trembled in proof. The alpine glow’s beauty distracted her enough that she was able to push on until she was a little more than a couple hundred yards away.
Before she arrived, Butler had come back and taken the pack.
“I’ve only got two hundred yards left,” she panted when he took the pack off her back without even asking.
“Then it’s two hundred yards that will be easier on you.”
“How’s the dad?”
“Alive...barely.”
“Oh no,” she said, quickening her pace. That poor boy. He already had no mom and now he might lose his dad. If he hadn’t had found them, what would he have done?
A shudder ran through her, interrupting Mercy’s sleep.
“Mama,” she mumbled sleepily and then cuddled back in, safe and warm against her chest.
Kris squeezed tight to her daughter. She didn’t want her kids to have to know loss like this. She didn’t want Ryan to either.
Relief filled Kris when she made it to the cabin. She had done it. In less than five hours, they had found the cabin. Now the question was, would it be in time?
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimness inside the log studio. In fact, she felt Tucker’s hand in hers before she could make out his features. She squeezed his hand in reassurance.
No one uttered a sound besides the ragged breathing from the man lying on a cot in front of the old wood stove. Butler fiddled with the stove, starting a fire from the ashes long cold.
“Dad? Dad, I brought help. They had a medic. She’s here, Dad.” Ryan brushed back his dad’s hair, revealing an ashen face contorted in pain.
“You...did...good.” Ryan’s dad breathed out the words with effort. “I...worried...about...you.”
Ryan grabbed the quilt that had fallen off and tucked it carefully around his dad. “You don’t need to worry about me, Dad. You taught me. I know how to survive.”
Lexi dropped a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. Kris thought the look he gave Lexi seemed filled with panic.
“Dad, this is Lexi. She’s going to help you.” He turned back to Lexi. “You can help him, right?”
“I’m going to do my best, Ryan. Of that, I promise you.”
Ryan nodded and stepped back.
Kris held her breath as Lexi explained that she needed to look at his leg. Lexi undid her pack and pulled out her medic bag. Then she uncovered the leg.
Kris sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively covered Tucker’s eyes.
The leg looked three times its normal size, splotchy, and almost black in places.
Lexi’s controlled response impressed Kris. The only way she could tell her friend’s state of mind was by the slight shaking in her hands as she gently covered the leg.
“I’m going to listen to your heart. What’s your name?”
“H-Henry,” he said haltingly.
The room was silent besides Butler’s movements in getting the fire started. The sharp crackle of the flames catching on the tinder seemed as loud as fireworks.
“He’s going to be okay, right?” Ryan asked, lips trembling.
Lexi looked up at the boy, but her mouth froze, and she glanced at Kris.
“Hey, Ryan? Could you show me where I could put Mercy down? And then maybe you and Tucker could get some more wood for the fire?”
“I’ll go with you,” Butler said, doing his best not to look at the man with the labored breathing.
Once the boys were outside and Mercy settled back to sleep on a pile of blankets, she squatted next to Lexi. When she met her eyes, Lexi slowly shook her head.
“Please...please...take my...boy in. He’s...a good...kid.” Henry pushed the words out in ragged gasps.
“He is a great kid, Henry.” Lexi took his hand in her own. “I had a son much like him. I lost him.”
Kris watched her friend spill out a secret she had never openly shared before.
“Take him...as...your own...please.” A single tear squeezed out of the man’s eyes. “He lost...his mother...years ago. He needs...you.”
Lexi didn’t swipe at the tears streaming down her face. She nodded her head over and over, sucking in her trembling lip. “I’m sorry I can’t save you. The infection has made it into your heart, and you’ve gone septic.”
“I know...I sent...him...to find...you...for him...not...me.”
“What?” Ryan squealed as he ran in through the door, dropping the wood he had been carrying in his hands. “No, Dad. She can make you better.”
Ryan flung himself over his dad, his head resting on his dad’s chest.
“I’m...sorry...my son.” Henry gasped with the effort of placing an arm around Rya
n. “I’ve failed you.”
“No,” Ryan sobbed. “You're the best dad. I have learned so much, but I need you, please, Dad, please. You’ve got to fight.” He raised his tear-stricken face and stared hard at Lexi. “Please, help him. I can’t lose him, too.”
Lexi bit her lip and wiped at the tears. “I’m sorry,” she stammered. “All I can do is give him something for the pain.”
“I took too long?”
“No, Ryan,” she said, taking his face in her hands. “He...he wouldn’t have made it. He was too far gone even before you left.” Lexi dropped her hands and hung her head.
Kris’s chest heaved with emotion watching this scene. There was nothing she could do for anyone, and it made her want to scream.
“You have to try. You have to!” Ryan stood up, his fists clenched by his sides.
Henry reached out for his son’s hand. “Ryan...I knew...”
With a gentle tug, he pulled Ryan back down to his side.
“What do you mean, you knew?”
“I was...dying,” he said.
“Then why did you send me away. I could have spent that time with you.”
Kris’s heart hurt watching the pain in the boy and the dad alike. It was too much.
Mercy whimpered then, saving her from the scene, but she could still hear the conversation as she held her daughter close to her, grateful that Butler had kept Tucker outside.
“This woman...she will...care...for you.” Henry coughed and groaned with pain. “Please...be good...to her. Remember...what I’ve...taught you.”
“I’ll never forget what you’ve taught me. Never.”
“I’m...so proud...of you...”
Kris’s sobs wracked her body. She clung to Mercy and escaped into the twilight night. The snow reflected the small fire that Butler had made a hundred feet from the house. As she made her way to her son and her husband’s friend, she took in deep, calming breaths, clearing the sobs before Tucker worried about her.
“Hey, Mom,” Tucker said, scooching over on a log he sat on to give her room.
“Hi, Sweetie. You okay?”
Tucker looked up at her, his eyes seeming deep and dark in the firelight. “Ryan’s dad isn’t going to make it, is he?”
She sat down next to him, setting Mercy on one leg and wrapping the other arm around her son. “I’m afraid not.”
“Where will Ryan go? Can he live with us?”
“He will come back to camp. We’ll figure out specifics when the time comes.”
“I’m so sad for him. It would be scary to lose your dad...especially when he doesn’t have a mom.” He leaned into her shoulder, nuzzling into her.
“He’s a brave kid,” Butler said as he tossed in the twig he had been fiddling with. “It won’t be easy, but he’ll make it.” He reached over and nudged Tucker. “Especially, if he has good friends to rely on.”
“I can do that. I can be a good friend to him.”
“That will be exactly what he needs, Sweetie.” Kris pulled her into him. The thought of Tucker or Mercy being on their own without her or Blake sent chills running down her spine.
Where was Blake now? She wished he could have been with them.
~8~
Night had settled over the land in a moonlit glow that illuminated the snow in a magical way. After some hours, that magic faded, and Blake only wanted to crawl into a warm bed and curl around his wife. His back and legs ached. His hands, even as rough as they were, sported new blisters, and his feet were soggy and cold.
Kevin hadn’t complained, but wearily trudged along behind him. At least their travel eased when they made it back to the trail they had made when leaving.
A chill up Blake’s spine lessened the relief the tracked trail gave him. If someone happened across it, there would be no doubt they could follow it directly to their camp. Images filtered through his subconscious even as he tried to push them out.
They had left a trail straight into camp and left it defenseless. They had stopped posting guards after that first big snowstorm. Sure they did a perimeter check every once in a while, but they didn’t post guards. Someone, or a group of someones, could enter the camp unseen and uninhibited.
The chilling thought spurred him on even when his body yearned for a break. They couldn’t stop now anyway. They were too wet, whether from sweat or the snow seeping through their boots. If they tried to stay out overnight now, they would freeze.
Even with the moonlight, he couldn’t really see his landmarks very well, but he felt they were almost there. Warm fire. Warm bed. Kris and the kids murmuring in their sleep...it called him like the Sirens.
He saw himself now walking through the silent camp, stashing the beef in the meat hut, and then sneaking into his dwelling, wrapping around Kris. She would jump at his cold body, but once she realized it was him, she would welcome him.
The picture kept his feet moving until he saw the reflection of the main fire and the shadows of the dwellings within camp.
“We made it,” Kevin breathed out, showing his exhaustion for the first time.
They made it. A smile tugged on Blake’s lips, and his shoulders relaxed. The camp looked serene and undisturbed. As they came to Kevin’s dwelling, Blake stopped briefly.
“Thanks for pushing through, man. Maybe that feeling was a fluke, but I wouldn’t have been able to sleep all night.”
“No sweat. I’m glad to be home myself. See you in the morning.” Kevin slapped his back, then headed into his dwelling.
Blake heard Kris’s wife’s murmured greeting and little Owen cooing. It made his boots move faster as he drug the travois to the meat hut, where it would stay frozen until it was prepared. Something nagged at him, but he passed it off as the eerie understanding that he had walked into camp without anyone knowing. He would have to do something about that. Tomorrow.
He felt light as he traveled toward his dwelling unhindered and knowing he would be wrapped in warmth in the matter of minutes. His steps halted as he neared. It could be the lack of light, but he couldn't see smoke wafting from the smoke hole. In fact, the place felt odd, empty.
He broke into a run, pulled back the hide door and blinked into the dark interior where only a swatch of moonlight came through the hole in the roof. The dwelling was empty.
Blake’s skin broke out in goosebumps and a chill ran down his spine. Where was his family?
He ran through scenarios. Maybe they had stayed in Butler’s dwelling, or Butler had to leave so they were staying at Arland’s? His mind swirled with possibilities as he loped through the snow toward Arland’s shelter.
By the time he made it to his friend’s dwelling, his panic had grown to a level that he didn’t even think of formalities as he shoved through the door.
“What on earth?!” Arland sat straight up in bed in a protective stance for a bundle of covers behind him.
“Where’s my family?” Blake asked.
“What’s going on, Dad?” Hannah asked from the other side.
“It’s okay, Hannah. It’s just Blake. Go back to sleep.”
Blake watched as Arland turned back behind him and exchanged whispers, before he rose, dressed in worn sweats.
“Where’s my family?” Blake asked again, agitation making his voice sound gravelly.
“They're okay. I’ll tell you everything, just hold on so we don’t wake everyone.” Arland grabbed his coat and motioned outside.
Blake seethed. He had no patience left. Only the respect he held for his friend let him trap the harsh words and push his stiff body to move back out under the stars.
“Arland, it’s taking everything I have not to lose it right now...”
“I know. I’m sorry. I had no idea to expect you in the middle of the night.” He wiped his hand down his head and face. “A boy came skiing into camp yesterday.”
“A stranger?” The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
“Yes, he had seen our smoke from a cabin toward the east. Kris told me to tell
you it was the Ski Cabin.”
“They could see our smoke that far?” He stopped, realizing that he still had no idea where his wife and kids were. “What does this have to do with my family?”
“The boy’s dad had been hurt, and he pleaded for a medic to come help him. Kris knew the location of the cabin. She didn’t want to go, but she felt it was the only choice.”
“The only choice was to take my children out of protection to a location where she had no clue what to expect?” Blake growled and paced, anger seething in his body. “Why didn’t the boy lead them back?”
“He had gotten turned around on the way, and we feared it would take too long to return. He had spent the night out already.”
Blake arched his eyebrows.
“The kid’s only ten or so.”
Blake could see Kris’s soft spot for kids kicking in. He could even see her reasoning, but still, leaving camp without him, without—“Did Butler go with them?”
“Yes, he told me he couldn't’ stop her, but he would never let them leave his sight.”
“At least there’s that,” Blake huffed.
“I’m proud of you, Blake.” Arland slapped his back and squeezed his shoulder.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, you’ve grown. Had this happened a year ago, I would be fearing for my life as you demolished everything around you before running off to get your family.”
“Who said I’m not,” Blake asked.
Arland nodded. “I figured, but you’re handling it without near as much ferocity.”
Blake grunted as he stared off in the direction of the cabin. From here it would probably take him four hours, at a good pace, to make it there. The moon was almost set, meaning less light to see by, but with four...or five of them, their tracks should be fairly easy to follow. Two trails leading to the camp.
“Did Lexi go? I’m assuming that was Laurie in your bed.”
“It’s not what you think,” Arland stammered.
“I have no right to think anything. This is your life.”
“I just mean, we’re only keeping each other warm. We haven’t broken an oath.”
