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hunter. These were his most prized possessions—his sons were going to carry on his legacy—carry on their family legacy. Tomorrow it would all begin.

 
    Chapter Six

    M orning came and Cody was up and moving around, packing gear and getting ready for the long hike ahead of them. There was no way they could carry her down; she would have to walk it. She had been feeling so well since the previous night’s rest that she had nearly forgotten her ankle. Actually, she had forgotten her ankle until she tried to stand on it and fell right back down on her butt.
    “Oh shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot!” She winced in pain.
    “Why did you do that?”
    Oh sure, she had done it deliberately, she thought. “I forgot.” She snapped. “It wasn’t hurting so much,” good news she thought, but maybe not.
    “The pain killers and a good night of sleep helped. Your brain wasn’t receiving all the pain signals.”
    “Well it is now,” she said.
    He went for the first aid kit. “It’s okay. I’m guessing we’ll all do better if I’m awake enough for this portion of the hike,” she gave him a fake smile. They had run out of Advil and moved on to Tylenol, both of which made her a bit sleepy. “It’s a curse,” she had said. Her body had the same reaction to most medications; most seemed to make her drowsy even if it were a non-drowsy dose.
    He finished packing up the gear while she sat nearby rummaging through her pack.
    “What are you looking for?”
    She pulled three small bottles from her bag. “This,” she said. “Lavender, Eucalyptus and Sage.” It might not have made for the sweetest of smells, but the lavender worked as a nice insect repellent – as opposed to the chemical stuff. And she had brought along the other two as a just in case she needed an extra boost to get through her “four hour hike.” She was glad she brought it now. She unwrapped her ankle, mixed a portion in her hand and gently spread it on. “I don’t usually use these neat, but when in need,” she said.
    The swelling was about the same, but Cody had said no worse was a good sign. “You’re doing it wrong.” He knelt down beside her. “Under the arch for support,” he took the wrap and began wrapping her ankle.
    “I know,” she smiled at him and he smiled back.
    “When are we leaving,” Stacey paced impatiently.
    “When we’re all ready,” Parker said just a bit more annoyed than he had let on the day before.
    “I don’t see anybody paying this much attention to me,” she snapped.
    “That’s because you’re the one who caused the trouble,” Parker told her.
    “Do you know who I am?” She placed her hands on her hips and frowned.
    Cody turned his head to look at her. “You’re a spoiled malicious brat.”
    “Hey,” she snapped “That’s not fair.”
    “If you don’t like the painting then give me a better brush.” He was angry and Sahara could tell that. She was amazed he was being as reserved as he was because the look on his face told her that he was ready to unleash a healthy supply of truth that would shut Stacey up for good.
    “Ouch!” Sahara flinched. “Careful cowboy.”
    “Ranger,” he chuckled. “I’m sorry; it was too tight I guess.”
    “Just a little,” she mumbled. He was lost in his anger and she would guess that meant he forgot he was wrapping that bandage on her ankle and not around Stacey’s neck.
    Cody helped her sit on the rock and he sat beside her as they watched everybody else start to pack up.
    “I’m curious,” he said as they sat side by side on the rock. “Why Sahara?”
    She knew it was an unusual name, but that was her parents. “Well, my parents said they loved it there when they went on their wilderness trek and since I was technically conceived there it just made sense. So my brother and sister get normal names and I get named after a desert.” She laughed. “It’s okay; it’s not that bad I guess. It’s kind of exotic.”
    He smiled, “yeah, like you.”