by Redding, Mae
“Ready when you are.”
“Let’s go…”
We started on the trail in the opposite direction of the way we came and neither of us knew exactly where it led. The trail was flat at first. We were at the top so the only place to go was across the vast open ridgeline of the mountain. There weren’t very many trees and I could see for miles despite the overcast skies, filled with grey billows that threatened snow.
My breath huffed with exertion in a white cloud in the cool mountain air. A foot of new snow on top of the already slippery hard packed underneath made our decent slow. My toes and my nose felt numb, but the rest of me felt overheated. I wanted to peel off my jacket but decided against it. My chest burned as I attempted unsuccessful restraint of my coughing, which brought a watchful eye from Gage.
The snow and sheer cliffs seemed to go on forever and I wasn’t sure if we made it two miles by mid-afternoon. I stopped for a lungful of air as Gage came up behind me and slipped his arms through mine around my waist. I leaned back against him as I took in the vastness of the winter wonderland around me. The clouds thinned across the spacious skies and endless mountains ranges stretched for miles.
“It looks like we could just walk home and everything would be fine.”
“Yeah, but it won’t be.”
“I know, but from up here, it’s hard to believe that everything that has happened was even real. Don’t you think?”
“It’s still pretty real for me,” he said, as he turned me to face him. His cold fingers touched my bruised cheek as he inspected it.
“I guess what I am saying… Gage,” I paused, over-emphasizing his name to make my point, “is that being up here with you, has made this less painful and easier to deal with what Damian did.”
“Good.”
“Is it hard for you to look at me?”
“No… I could look at you all day.” He pulled me close, leaned down and kissed me softly. “It’s hard for me to see you bruised and not want to go find him and tear him apart right now… But his day will come.”
I could see that Damian had been on Gage’s mind a lot more than he was on mine and I shuddered, as I wondered how far his brutish stalking would go and dreaded what might happen next. Our future was uncertain and our lives would most likely get worse before it got better. However, to look out into the wide wilderness gave me something to hold on to, something to hope for and look forward to seeing again.
“Jade.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go home,” he said, as he held out his hand and I took a hold of it.
“Okay.”
I smiled inside. I liked the sound of that.
“I would give anything for a pair of studded snowshoes.”
I laughed. “Yeah.”
Golden shimmering rays of sun burned through the clouds that lingered, pouring warmth down on us and by noon, the skies turned a bright azure blue. The snow, inches deep compared to the earlier foot, glistened with brilliance. I shaded my eyes with my hand from the reflection, while the sun baked into my skin. I stayed warm the rest of the afternoon and at times wiped sweat from my neck to prevent the trickle down my back.
By the time we found a downward trail, the sun lingered just above the horizon. It would be dark soon and we were still a long way from home. With a very difficult hike ahead of us, I knew we wouldn’t make it home before dark. The tall trees choked out the heat from the sun as shadows hovered overhead and I felt chilled from my damp skin. I had to be cautious not to slip, as the snow grew thin with patches of mud and forest floor that surfaced through as we walked down through the trees.
We found a grove of pines at the base of the steep mountainside. There were big rocks that were about as tall as my home that worked well to shelter us from the breeze.
“I think we are going to have to spend another night out here... We should stop and make a fire before it gets too dark to see.”
“Okay,” I said reluctantly. I didn’t like that we had to spend another night out in the cold again.
I gathered as much wood as I could find, while Gage went off to find us something to eat. Starved and thirsty, I went out in search of water as my body screamed with stiff muscles and the neglect it suffered. I found a stream not far from where we would sleep and filled up the pot. The water was cold but looked clear and fresh as it bubbled down over the rocks. Soon enough, as the snow melted, it would rage down the mountainside, but for now, the creek ran at its own slow pace.
A shrill cry startled me and sent chills down my spine as I stood to leave. My heart bounded suddenly in my chest. I turned slowly as I heard it again and I saw her. The penetrating growl of a mountain lion pierced through my ears. With wild eyes, less than thirty feet away, she crouched down and crawled closer. I bent my knees slowly down to the ground and she hissed at me as I moved. With pinned ears, she barred her razor sharp teeth. Even crouched, she was huge and probably weighed more than three of me.
I set the pot down and slowly reached for my gun. My heart pounded as I brought it up gradually. Terror flowed through me like hot lava and I couldn’t breathe. My arms shook as I tried to steady the rifle. With the barrel pointed at her, I turned off the safety.
She inched her way towards me, ensnaring me in her black eyes. I backed up slowly. She pounced towards me suddenly then stopped. The twenty feet between us seemed more like two as she stood tall on her ledge. I kept my gun on her. She walked slowly down the rocks, with each antagonizing step of her thick paws, sharp spikes of her shoulder blades protruded from her neck under her thick hide. She stopped at the edge of the stream.
I continued to back up slowly. She waited and crouched low, prepared to pounce. As I brought the barrel into view, something moved in the corner of my eye. I glanced quickly. Two baby cubs tumbled from behind the rocky ledge. Their innocent little cries called out.
I squeezed the trigger and the deafening gunshot echoed through the trees as I shot at the ground in front of her. The crack of the gun reverberated through the trees and bounced off the mountain walls. She jumped in place. Startled and angry as she crouched down and whipped her tail. A low deep growl emerged from the pit of her gut.
Suddenly confused, she turned quickly to the trees with the sound of footsteps as Gage ran through the crisp snow.
“Gage, stop!” He stopped in his tracks at the edge of the tree line.
“Just come this way slowly.”
With every step I took, she took two towards me. I froze! She crossed the stream over protruding rocks.
“Gage…”
“Shoot her!”
“She has cubs!”
He moved towards me. Her eyes never left me, hissing as she paced the ground. Pushing me behind him, he moved in front of me and took the rifle from my trembling hands. He instantly shot at her feet, as he stood tall and pressed forward towards her. Dead leaves and dirt littered the air as the booming echo in the trees faded. Startled, with her ears flat against her head, her tail thumped at the ground. He shot again, engaged the rifle and shot a third time. This time she backed up as her cubs circled her feet, confused by the danger.
He backed us away slowly and eventually, we inched away from the angry feline. Once out of threat range she turned and moved her cubs back into the shelter of the rocks.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah…” My voice trembled. With firm arms, he pulled me into his chest and squeezed me tight until the pounding in my heart slowed.
“Let’s go,” he said, as he glanced around then we headed back to our camp. “If we had more daylight… I would say we should leave and find somewhere else to sleep… But I don’t think we will have time before it gets dark,” he said, as he prepared to make a fire.
The grey sky would be black soon and the cold settled in already. I knew we wouldn’t have time to move. We would be lucky to get the fire started before it got dark.
“Let’s hope this works.”
“It will.”
My numb
body shivered, more from the shock of what happened than the cold, as I offered him my words of encouragement.
My eyes fixed on Gage as he pulled the charred piece of shirt out of the small tin and placed it on a piece of wood under the light tinder. Vigorously, he rubbed the two sticks together. After a few minutes, we had a spark and the tinder caught a small flame. He cupped his hands around it to keep the breeze away. It didn’t take long before we had a nice fire.
“That was a lot faster than at the cave,” I replied, as I skinned the rabbit Gage killed.
He smiled, proud of himself and I laughed at him as he charred another piece of material from my old shirt. We hung the rabbit from a makeshift tripod he built so it would cook over the fire.
“Where’s the pan?”
“Oh… It’s by the stream still.”
“I guess it will have to stay there, we can’t get it now,” he said, as he unhooked the canteen from his belt. “I filled this up... We should have enough water until morning.”
He handed me the canteen and I realized I was thirsty still. The cool water tasted good as it wet my tongue and soothed my sore throat.
“Do you think Damian heard the gun shots?”
“I guess we'll find out. I doubt he's around here. He's probably still searching the area of the cabin,” he said, as he checked the rifle to make sure it was ready.
“I hope so.”
The meat browned and the juices sizzled under the heat. I stared with a blank expression into the orange glow as we waited for our meager meal to cook. We ate most of it and saved the rest for morning. I could have eaten the whole thing myself, but it served the purpose and took the edge of hunger away.
He piled young pine branches as a bed to get us off the wet ground then moved behind me. With his arms wrapped around mine, I curled into his chest and stared into the fire as we huddled under the blanket, worn and dirty with two weeks of dragging it along. Puffs of our breath billowed in the cool air. Other than my cold nose, the only thing I felt was the warmth of Gage’s body next to mine.
I caressed his warm skin and softly traced my fingers over the swell of his arm. My eyes were heavy and I closed them with my cheek against his chest. I was half-asleep when Gage moved me to the ground and curled around me.
“Do I need to stay awake?” I asked sleepily, as snarling teeth and razorsharp claws came to mind.
“No, go to sleep.”
“Are you going to?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you, Gage… For not letting her eat me.”
“You’re welcome,” he chuckled under his breath. He released a deep throaty snarl then bit playfully at the back of my neck. Chills exploded as goose bumps prickled over my skin. A warm smile grew as I hugged his arm closer to my chest.
I looked out past the brightness of the fire and scanned the black night for the glow of her eyes. I couldn’t see anything but that didn’t mean she wasn’t out there. I tried to fight sleep but I couldn’t any longer and I let my eyes close.
***
I woke to a pale grey sky with an ache in my chest. The low burn of the fire grew as I put more wood on the orange coals and the faint smell of damp ash grew into the smoky scent of campfire and pine. Frost skimmed across the surface of the ground and I shivered as my frosty breath puffed into the morning air. Gage slept and I wondered how late he stayed up. I cuddled up next to him and buried my frozen nose into his warm chest as I let sleep keep him until he woke with the dawn.
“We still have a long way to go,” Gage said, as we got ready to leave and pointed to a mountain in the distance. “I think the lake is on the other side of that ridge.”
“We might not make it back tonight,” I said, my voice hoarse. I tried to clear my voice but it remained tight.
“Yeah, we will if we hurry. Come on, let’s go.”
We moved slowly down the snake-like trail as we descended the mountainside over rocks and fallen trees bent in awkward angles and overgrown with vegetation. By mid-morning, the trail became easier and we made better time. Relief replaced my worry as the snow and mud disappeared with the tall pines, replaced by tender shoots of green grass and open meadows with an patches of cottonwood trees. The air felt warmer and by noon, we stripped off our jackets and shoved them in the pack.
The day crawled endlessly and the lack of food buzzed through me in jittery weakness as I tripped and grabbed onto a branch to steady myself. We stumbled upon a rather large bolder shaded by a thick green canopy of leaves. It took the last of my energy to situate myself on top of it as we stopped for a break and I rested back against the coolness of the rock.
I stole a glance at Gage as he wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. His skin glistened with warm moisture and looked flushed, yet, still ready to move on. He glanced at me as he removed the pack from his back and pulled the canteen from the side pocket. He took a drink, and then handed it to me and I finished it off.
“Your turn to carry the pack,” he said.
“Okay,” I said, as I tried to hide the lack of enthusiasm in my voice. I was beyond tired and only half noticed he helped me don the pack and strapped the bow to it as well. He turned his back to me and leaned against my temporary seat as my legs straddled him. The pack didn't weigh much as the only thing in it was a tin cup, the blanket and our jackets but I felt top heavy as I leaned against him, hoping to steal the last bit of respite before we continued on.
“I'll carry you,” he said, as he looped his hands under my knees. “Hold on.”
“Oh,” I said surprised, “You don't have to, I can walk.”
“Just get on, the trail is flat through here,” he said, as he nodded out into the distance, and then pulled me off the rock onto his back. “I'll carry you to that stream out there, we'll rest longer there.”
I locked my arms around the front of his chest and gave him a kiss on the cheek then closed my eyes as I rested my head against him. The rocking motion almost put me to sleep and I knew I should protest, but I really didn't want to.
It didn't take too long as we came to the stream that led to a small pond in the middle of a meadow. He rested the gun against a tree then set me down and I let the pack fall from my shoulders. Clear water bubbled as Gage filled the canteen. The sunshine soaked into my skin as I let myself fall into the long grass. My weary body felt weighted with lead. I closed my eyes as sleep tempted me.
A shadow crossed over me. I shielded my eyes and opened them as Gage, silhouetted by the sun, stood over me. He knelt down and straddled me as he pinned my hands above my head, and kissed me, then rolled over, exhausted, onto his back.
“We can’t stay long,” he said, as he turned his head to look at me.
“I know… But I am so hungry.” I rolled over onto my stomach close to him and wearily glanced across the meadow. “Dandelions!” I said, with a newfound burst of energy. They were everywhere! I crawled to the nearest young plant then dug into the soft ground around the base and pulled it up, root and all.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting lunch!”
“We’re going to eat dandelions?” Gage asked, as he looked at me doubtful. He didn’t sound too convinced that he wanted to eat them.
“Yep! If you like salad… You will like these.” I gathered a handful and Gage came over to help me. “We just need to rinse them off in the stream and then we can eat them with what’s leftover of the rabbit.”
“Are you sure?”
“The young ones taste the best... Trey and I used to do this all the time by the lake as kids when we were hungry but didn’t want to come home.” I looked at him and smiled as he looked at me with peculiar optimism.
“Okay… Well,” he said, still not convinced, “we’re going to have to pick a lot of them… I could probably eat this whole meadow, I’m so hungry.”
With an arm full of green’s I knelt next to the spring. The cool water pooled in my hands as I rinsed each plant. Traces of dirt washed away until each leaf looke
d clean. I caught sight of Gage as he stepped across a trail of rocks over to the other side of the stream. He winked at me and a smile lit across his face as he plucked a ripe raspberry from a bush littered with specks of red. I smiled back. He found a wild raspberry bush and returned with a handful. The sweetness of the juicy berries was a welcomed treat as he popped one into my mouth.
Between the dandelions, the rabbit and the berries, I actually felt satisfied with new energy that spurred me on and gave me the strength I needed to climb the trail. Finally, as we conquered what seemed like the undefeatable ridgeline, we stood pleased, relieved to look down into the valley. The clear, crystal blue waters of the lake in the distance looked smooth and still through the trees. Green hills rolled behind it and I knew beyond them was home.
CHAPTER 20
The golden sun descended under the leafy umbrella of the trees as we finally reached the lake. Spikes of shimmering rays stole through the web of green covered branches, casting long shadows as if refusing to descend into the horizon. We walked along the trail until we came to my favorite spot in the cove and rested in the cool grass under a shade tree.
“We should wait here until dark in case the house is being watched,” Gage suggested.
“Okay,” I said, slightly discouraged. As much as I loved the lake, I wanted to go home.
“We’ll get there… Better to get there unnoticed.”
The last mile of trail that I’ve walked so many times before, seemed to go on forever before we reached the stream that ran behind my home.
We made it to the edge of the property as darkness swept over. I heard the familiar squeak of the windmill as the blades turned in the evening breeze and I smiled at the sound. I was home. Hidden in the tall grass, we waited and watched the house. It was dark, no grey plume of smoke from the chimney, no dim glow of a candle, nothing. I whistled for Gus and he came. The old dog’s body wriggled with excitement and I let him lick my face.
“I think if anyone was close by, Gus would know.”
“Let’s go,” he said, and we quietly walked up to the house in the darkness.
