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Authors: Christine Conder
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pale flesh to the back of her mind.
Every stick, thorn, and bramble found its way into her coat, weighing her down. She stopped to untangle herself a half dozen times, grew more frustrated each second.
As she worked to remove a stubborn branch which managed to embed itself into the longest of the fur on her torso, Nathaniel stepped into view below her. Alone. She froze, branch in hand, and tried to decipher the look she saw in his eyes.
She smacked her hands on the earth where she sat. What was he looking at her for? Where was Sage? He climbed up, took her by the hand, and pulled her to the base of the cliff. He pointed ahead, to the left.
They weren’t in Montgomery Woods anymore. This was a rougher area, usually free from people. Even the die-hardest hunters didn’t venture past the ‘no trespassing’ signs posted every five feet.
Nathaniel continued to point. Even though it was dusk and the clouds refilled, tracks from a vehicle stood out ten yards away. The utility road.
The road was overgrown and closed to the public. It snaked through the woods and ended at the blacktop, Rimrock Hill Road, where a rusty chain strung between two posts blocked the entrance. Despite the blockade, people would sometimes unhook the chain and drive down the path to see where it took them.
With the comprehension, the desperation to locate Sage ballooned. Maybe they’d somehow missed her. Maybe she was behind them. Liberty turned and paced the rocky bottom, called out to Sage in deep grunts. Grunts quickly evolved into wails, and a moment later, Nathaniel tackled her to the ground. The air went out of her lungs and she slugged him. He didn’t retaliate, but straddled her, one hand holding both of hers, and waited as she tried to buck him off. When she made a solid connection with a knee between his legs, he latched onto her throat. Her aura turned blood red. She bucked harder, and he forced her head to the side.
She faced the road, not the incline, and the new position caused her to stop the struggle. Nathaniel waited a minute, then released his grip. She got it. Got a grip on herself. They’d search the road. Maybe Sage had been too injured to climb back up and went around. Liberty nodded, calmer. Nathaniel lifted himself off and extended a hand to help her up. She refused it, got to her feet on her own, and hurried toward the utility road.
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around. She almost lost her balance as he shoved her toward the brush at the base of the ravine. Had he gone mad? She balled up her fists and turned to take another swing at him.
He held up his hands to ward her off. Pointed to his chest, and then to the road. He pointed at her, and then to the hill. She dropped her fists. Agreed silently. He would search the road and she would stay. Go over the hill again.
She didn’t like it. It felt like a diversion, but his stance said he wouldn’t budge. Standing around to commence with a power struggle wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Tumbling rocks startled her. She whipped around, full of hope, only to find Gabriel standing atop the ridge. He looked at the two of them and dropped down over the edge.
He cleared the treacherous cliff faster than Nathaniel had, the urgency tugged at her heart. The extra set of eyes would help.
Gabriel and Nathaniel went ahead to the utility road and she clawed her way up and down the steep hill, examining each shrub and thicket.
Perhaps Sage couldn’t call out or answer because she was unconscious. That had to be it. Liberty looked back toward the road, saw movement halfway to the blacktop, still just two figures.
Liberty focused on a possible injury. Even that was better than imagining the set of muddy tracks had anything to do with Sage being gone. Head down, Liberty desperately searched for Sage’s aura.
The rain finally stopped, but had come down so heavy and for so long, they could no longer trace their own scents. Though they knew they’d covered the entire
Every stick, thorn, and bramble found its way into her coat, weighing her down. She stopped to untangle herself a half dozen times, grew more frustrated each second.
As she worked to remove a stubborn branch which managed to embed itself into the longest of the fur on her torso, Nathaniel stepped into view below her. Alone. She froze, branch in hand, and tried to decipher the look she saw in his eyes.
She smacked her hands on the earth where she sat. What was he looking at her for? Where was Sage? He climbed up, took her by the hand, and pulled her to the base of the cliff. He pointed ahead, to the left.
They weren’t in Montgomery Woods anymore. This was a rougher area, usually free from people. Even the die-hardest hunters didn’t venture past the ‘no trespassing’ signs posted every five feet.
Nathaniel continued to point. Even though it was dusk and the clouds refilled, tracks from a vehicle stood out ten yards away. The utility road.
The road was overgrown and closed to the public. It snaked through the woods and ended at the blacktop, Rimrock Hill Road, where a rusty chain strung between two posts blocked the entrance. Despite the blockade, people would sometimes unhook the chain and drive down the path to see where it took them.
With the comprehension, the desperation to locate Sage ballooned. Maybe they’d somehow missed her. Maybe she was behind them. Liberty turned and paced the rocky bottom, called out to Sage in deep grunts. Grunts quickly evolved into wails, and a moment later, Nathaniel tackled her to the ground. The air went out of her lungs and she slugged him. He didn’t retaliate, but straddled her, one hand holding both of hers, and waited as she tried to buck him off. When she made a solid connection with a knee between his legs, he latched onto her throat. Her aura turned blood red. She bucked harder, and he forced her head to the side.
She faced the road, not the incline, and the new position caused her to stop the struggle. Nathaniel waited a minute, then released his grip. She got it. Got a grip on herself. They’d search the road. Maybe Sage had been too injured to climb back up and went around. Liberty nodded, calmer. Nathaniel lifted himself off and extended a hand to help her up. She refused it, got to her feet on her own, and hurried toward the utility road.
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around. She almost lost her balance as he shoved her toward the brush at the base of the ravine. Had he gone mad? She balled up her fists and turned to take another swing at him.
He held up his hands to ward her off. Pointed to his chest, and then to the road. He pointed at her, and then to the hill. She dropped her fists. Agreed silently. He would search the road and she would stay. Go over the hill again.
She didn’t like it. It felt like a diversion, but his stance said he wouldn’t budge. Standing around to commence with a power struggle wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Tumbling rocks startled her. She whipped around, full of hope, only to find Gabriel standing atop the ridge. He looked at the two of them and dropped down over the edge.
He cleared the treacherous cliff faster than Nathaniel had, the urgency tugged at her heart. The extra set of eyes would help.
Gabriel and Nathaniel went ahead to the utility road and she clawed her way up and down the steep hill, examining each shrub and thicket.
Perhaps Sage couldn’t call out or answer because she was unconscious. That had to be it. Liberty looked back toward the road, saw movement halfway to the blacktop, still just two figures.
Liberty focused on a possible injury. Even that was better than imagining the set of muddy tracks had anything to do with Sage being gone. Head down, Liberty desperately searched for Sage’s aura.
The rain finally stopped, but had come down so heavy and for so long, they could no longer trace their own scents. Though they knew they’d covered the entire
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