following me?” the wolf cocked an eye at her, its yellow gleam som ehow reassuring. “Good boy,” she cooed, and kept stroking the wolf, tugging gently at his pointed ears. “You wouldn’t by any chance know the way to Jon’s camp?” A sudden thought crossed her mind. “I bet whoever shot at me shot you as well Sugar, because you’re my wolf. Come on now.”
The snow flew fast and furious but Sugar seemed to have no problems keeping up with her , his sure-footed loping gait filling her with confidence. At the bottom of the steep embankment, a small stream ran through the narrow valley, gurgling and frothing over the exposed river rock.
Everywhere she gazed trees glistened and shimmered, new puffy snow coating every limb. If she wasn’t in such a predicament Tia would have thoroughly enjoyed the lovely scene. The stream was a small one, no more than two feet across at its widest point, and Tia suspected the practical Jon would have probably camped near it to obtain fresh water. So she followed the creek, the wolf trailing three paces behind her and stopping every so often to glance over his shoulder.
“Do you see something boy?” asked Tia, searc hing the narrow valley. The temperature had dropped by another ten degrees and she started to shiver, the cold permeating her thin parka. Tia walked briskly while rubbing her thinly-gloved hands against the front of her worn blue jeans. The stream seemed to go on and on, meandering through the rocky, forested curves of the valley. A startled ptarmigan, already beginning to turn white, flapped hysterically under her feet before taking low flight over the swiftly flowing stream.
The wolf whimpered behind her and Tia turned. Sugar had paused, straining his head to lick at the wound clearly seeping blood onto the new snow. Tia hurried even faster over the rough landscape, realizing her timeframe for survival was rapidly running out. She’d continued a full twenty paces before realizing the canine had stopped, his nose sampling the air.
“What is it boy?”
Suddenly her nostrils sensed what the wolf already smelled; the odor of burning wood from a campfire or chimney. The simple acrid smell raised her spirits as she waited for the loafer to determine from which direction the smoke drifted. The wolf turned slightly left, gazing across the stream to the other side where the ground evened out into some kind of meadow. The camp had to be that way and Tia took a huge leap over the stream, trying to avoid getting any more water in her boots than necessary. The wolf followed suit, playfully bounding after her as if he wasn’t hurt at all. Tia trudged on for another five minutes, the smell of the smoke permeating the crisp air through the falling snow; and as they rounded a gentle curve, a rough, tented camp suddenly appeared.
Chapter 5
The camp was modest by all standards. Two medium-sized heavy duty tents with large front canopies fronted a fire pit surrounded by large round stones. A simple metal rod, positioned upon cut stakes, dangled a coffee pot which hissed and steamed. A small outhouse, actually made of wood, was discreetly positioned downwind from the camp and a large pile of split logs covered in protective blue plastic indicated Jon had been busy. Under the canopy of the right-hand tent, a small metal table and two chairs filled the small wooden platform designed to protect the tent and furniture from the damp. The falling snow caused the fire to smoke and sizzle, but the pyre remained large enough to stay lit. Tia cautioned the wolf to stay put with a quick pat and edged toward
the warm fire.
Neither Jon nor his partner was anywhere to be seen. The steam spiraling from the coffee pot made her throw caution to the wind and Tia crept closer, throwing a cursory glance about the simple encampment. The site seemed deserted and quiet except for the cheerfully snapping fire. If she could obtain access to a short-wave or a walkie-talkie her troubles would be over.
The snow flew fast and furious but Sugar seemed to have no problems keeping up with her , his sure-footed loping gait filling her with confidence. At the bottom of the steep embankment, a small stream ran through the narrow valley, gurgling and frothing over the exposed river rock.
Everywhere she gazed trees glistened and shimmered, new puffy snow coating every limb. If she wasn’t in such a predicament Tia would have thoroughly enjoyed the lovely scene. The stream was a small one, no more than two feet across at its widest point, and Tia suspected the practical Jon would have probably camped near it to obtain fresh water. So she followed the creek, the wolf trailing three paces behind her and stopping every so often to glance over his shoulder.
“Do you see something boy?” asked Tia, searc hing the narrow valley. The temperature had dropped by another ten degrees and she started to shiver, the cold permeating her thin parka. Tia walked briskly while rubbing her thinly-gloved hands against the front of her worn blue jeans. The stream seemed to go on and on, meandering through the rocky, forested curves of the valley. A startled ptarmigan, already beginning to turn white, flapped hysterically under her feet before taking low flight over the swiftly flowing stream.
The wolf whimpered behind her and Tia turned. Sugar had paused, straining his head to lick at the wound clearly seeping blood onto the new snow. Tia hurried even faster over the rough landscape, realizing her timeframe for survival was rapidly running out. She’d continued a full twenty paces before realizing the canine had stopped, his nose sampling the air.
“What is it boy?”
Suddenly her nostrils sensed what the wolf already smelled; the odor of burning wood from a campfire or chimney. The simple acrid smell raised her spirits as she waited for the loafer to determine from which direction the smoke drifted. The wolf turned slightly left, gazing across the stream to the other side where the ground evened out into some kind of meadow. The camp had to be that way and Tia took a huge leap over the stream, trying to avoid getting any more water in her boots than necessary. The wolf followed suit, playfully bounding after her as if he wasn’t hurt at all. Tia trudged on for another five minutes, the smell of the smoke permeating the crisp air through the falling snow; and as they rounded a gentle curve, a rough, tented camp suddenly appeared.
Chapter 5
The camp was modest by all standards. Two medium-sized heavy duty tents with large front canopies fronted a fire pit surrounded by large round stones. A simple metal rod, positioned upon cut stakes, dangled a coffee pot which hissed and steamed. A small outhouse, actually made of wood, was discreetly positioned downwind from the camp and a large pile of split logs covered in protective blue plastic indicated Jon had been busy. Under the canopy of the right-hand tent, a small metal table and two chairs filled the small wooden platform designed to protect the tent and furniture from the damp. The falling snow caused the fire to smoke and sizzle, but the pyre remained large enough to stay lit. Tia cautioned the wolf to stay put with a quick pat and edged toward
the warm fire.
Neither Jon nor his partner was anywhere to be seen. The steam spiraling from the coffee pot made her throw caution to the wind and Tia crept closer, throwing a cursory glance about the simple encampment. The site seemed deserted and quiet except for the cheerfully snapping fire. If she could obtain access to a short-wave or a walkie-talkie her troubles would be over.
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