| |
Kim sat up in a huff, tears streaming. “She got away. You let her get away!”
“Killing her wouldn’t have solved anything,” Miriam argued.
“It would have made me feel better.”
“It would have made you a murderer. You don’t want that on your head. Trust me.”
“Mir!” The shout echoed, but Miriam knew the voice instantly. Both her and Kim’s head whipped towards the sound.
“Macy!” Miriam shouted back, waving a hand.
The path to each other was long, the lake snaking out and around in such a way that skirting the shoreline would take a while. But the distance across the lake at this point was relatively short. Swimming would be faster, albeit a bit cold. With Abby missing-in-action, though, Miriam didn’t want to lose eyes on Macy if she could help it.
“Swim!” Miriam suggested.
Macy looked down at the water disgustingly, then glanced back up and nodded. Miriam knew she could swim. Macy had been a lifeguard in high school, and even though she’d done it mainly for the boys, it still meant a significant amount of training and practice in the water.
As Macy waded in, Miriam turned her attention to Kawa and his mate. She didn’t think they posed a threat, but given the situation, Miriam wouldn’t bet on it.
There was no movement from the dobhar-chú as Macy made her way across. She stepped out onto the shore in front of Miriam and Kim, shivering, her wet clothes clinging to her body. If the cold bothered her, Macy didn’t show it. She closed the distance between them and wrapped Miriam up in a hug before Miriam could protest. Now they were both wet and cold.
“I thought I’d never find you,” Macy said.
“I would have found you. Eventually.” Miriam regretted having not started the search in earnest earlier.
A splash caused Miriam to pull away from the hug, in time to see Kim dipping into the water. Kim shuddered.
Miriam rushed forward. “What are you doing?”
Kim ignored her. Miriam stood in silence as Kim made her way out to Kawa’s dead body. The mate floated nearby, on her back, still occasionally wailing. The scene was, of course, tragic, but Miriam hadn’t taken the time to fully appreciate the effect it must have had on Kim.
As Kim swam through the water, Macy stood next to Miriam and whispered, “What now?”
Miriam only shrugged. What was there to say? What was there to do? The mission hadn’t exactly gone the way she’d hoped, but neither was it a complete failure. The Devil of Misty Lake was real. Now they even had a carcass, which would yield years of research and information that would surely upend the scientific community. Sad, yes, but not fruitless.
So what next?
Go home.
Kim made it to the pair of dobhar-chú. Instantly, the female swam over and cuddled against her. Of course this one must have a name as well, but Kim hadn’t shared it. Even Miriam couldn’t fight the sadness of the scene. The best thing they could do now was to report, hope they could find another pod of them somewhere, and integrate them together. For the future of the species, it would be important to find this one a new mate.
Macy sniffled beside her. Miriam tried to stay in the moment, but could only think of the next step. The way to fix the problem, or at least mitigate the fall out. She knew no other way. She knew that made her cold, distant, and hard to relate to. Perhaps for the first time, as she sat here knowing that she should feel more strongly, she wondered if something was wrong with her. On a more fundamental level, beyond a rough childhood and an analytical mind.
She wouldn’t leave Kim behind, though. Not knowing how long Kim might want to mourn, Miriam sat herself down on the bank of the lake and pulled her knees up to her chest.
Macy followed suit, then asked, “Won’t that hunter be back?”
Of course. Of course she would. Why else would Abby have killed this thing, if not to take it as a trophy? It made no sense to kill it and walk away.
“Maybe.”
“Doesn’t seem like we should be here when she does.”
“Do you want to tell Kim to cut it out and come back?” Miriam asked.
Macy glanced out over the water. “No. I guess not. Not yet.”
Not yet. But soon. Abby didn’t seem interested in hurting any humans, so Miriam didn’t take her as much of a threat, but it still seemed better to be safe.
But for now, they would mourn, together.
