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fallen tree. The mountain lion, a male, was mildly curious about the strange two-legged animals. He was leery of these unusual creatures. His belly was sufficiently full of mule deer, so with no intent to pose a threat himself, he did not get close enough to let them threaten him. He stayed below the roofline and soaked up the last heat of the sun as he watched them. They looked and smelled much like the two animals that denned in the glass and stone cave toward the mountains. If game was not so plentiful, and there was better cover close to that cave, the cat would have dined on dog.
    Lecti was tired. The early hour and the busy day wore, but the mental anxiety really drained her. For once, Deo would agree to an early evening, too. The new sleeping bags were barely used and smelled musty, but after a brisk shake in the outside air they proved to be comfortable and warm. Lecti was asleep before Deo for once. He tossed and turned and eventually got up to relieve himself. Sitting in an easy chair next to Lecti, he gradually drifted into sleep.
    The night passed. The cat returned and sniffed the cooling barbecue that was left standing out. He tongued the inside of a dirty pan lightly, and although it was interesting, he preferred bloody meat and crunching bone. By morning he was settling in to a spot he knew would be sunny and warm.

Chapter 9
     
     
     
     
    D eo woke Lecti up. He slept well at first, but as the night progressed he became increasingly restless. Well before dawn he was wide awake.
    Lecti woke, apprehensive. She really wanted to forget all about Toshi. She knew convincing her brother was a useless gesture before she spoke.
    “Deo, we should talk about this again.”
    Rolling up his sleeping bag and stuffing it into the bag in the dim light, Deo ignored her. He had already made up his mind. He was committed.
    “We need to talk, Deo. Is it worth going back into a situation with three grown men to try to convince Toshi to come with us? She doesn’t want you anymore.” Lecti said, more forcefully than she intended. “She’s already made her choice. God, little brother, you know this. She’s treated you like crap before.”
    Shouldering his pack, he replied, “You stay here then. I’ll go alone.”
    “Can’t we....”
    “NO, we can’t, Lecti. I’m going. I’m going now. You don’t want to go, fine.”
    He jerked the door open and stepped out.
    The thought crossed Lecti’s mind that she could stay behind. For the smallest fraction of a second, she weighed the possibilities. She didn’t want to die.
    Struggling into her pack as she ran to catch up, she cursed her brother for a fool even as she admired him for his loyalty. Her father had called it “puppy love” and spoke about it as if it were wonderful. She hated it.
    They didn’t say much as they walked. In the slowly gathering dawn they approached the old freeway and went under the overpass. The spray-painted sign on the bus became visible as the rising sun hit it. They stood behind the bus, dropped their packs and everything else that wasn’t necessary, and checked their weapons. They both loaded the empty chamber in their pistols. Lecti made sure the safety was off on the shotgun, and Deo pulled the safety back on the rifle, cocking the firing pin.
    Lecti moved up the road to the north so that she would be coming in from a less visible angle. Deo would hang back since he had the rifle and was more proficient with it. He had no chance to sight it in as they didn’t want shots to be heard and make anyone nervous. He felt sure that it would be accurate enough for him to adjust quickly and accommodate for its idiosyncrasies. He didn’t like Lecti going in first, but he would not abandon her. He was going in anyway.
    The open space loomed ahead. Lecti took her time, hoping to draw a warning shot or at least a shot that missed from a distance. She knew the dogs would have warned the occupants. That’s what they were for.
    As she neared the ring