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The morning sun rousted Paulette, Thomas, and Bo when its rays peeked through the branches of the trees and shined its light onto their faces. Groaning, they sat up. Thomas got up first and wandered over to the firepit. Paulette watched him grab some kindling, lay it on the old fire, and start the fire using his crude fire starter.
With the fire going, Paulette noticed Thomas walking back to the sleeping area, rolling up his bedding, and starting to pack. She then realized it was time to get up and get the day started. Bo was a little slower getting up, and it took him a little longer to get packed. Paulette decided not to pack up, unless they caught something, because she didn’t want to have to put it all back if they had to stay another day.
A few minutes later, all three gathered at the fire, heated water for their drinks, and got food prepared for breakfast. Thomas and Bo had brought a special drink mix that his group had made, sharing some with Paulette. She took a sip and spat it out.
“What did you do that for?” Thomas asked.
“Sorry, but that stuff is nasty. Tastes kind of like oatmeal boiled in boot-leather water.”
Both men doubled over laughing. “That’s the weirdest description I’ve ever heard of our drink,” Thomas said between fits of laughter. “I guess it does take some getting used to.”
“No kidding. Not sure I’ll be getting used to it anytime soon. If you don’t mind, I’ll have some of my own stuff.”
“Apology accepted,” Thomas said.
Paulette stood, taking her cup with her, and retrieved a packet of hot chocolate. She ripped it open without either man noticing, poured the contents in and stirred it. I’m not ready to explain all my odd stuff just yet. Finished, she returned and sat back down by the fire. .
They ate their breakfast, sipping on their drinks, as they discussed the plans for the day.
Thomas looked across the fire at Paulette. “Today we’ll head further up the mountain and west toward old Seattle to see if we can find a deer or elk. We’re hoping for something big so we’ll have enough for a while. Our group isn’t small, but not too large, either. We’ve got about forty people living in our little village, including children.”
Paulette paused for a moment as she sipped her hot chocolate. “So, if you guys find a deer or elk, how do you plan to get it back to your village?”
Bo interjected, “That’s easy. Once we finish dressing it, we look for a nice-sized tree limb and shave off the smaller branches. Then we tie the deer’s legs to the pole and each of us lifts one end, carefully walking it back to camp. Depending on how far away we are, we might have to take a few breaks, maybe even spend the night. Usually though, we get back that day or the next morning.”
“That’s clever. Will we fan out while keeping each other in sight to avoid any accidents?”
Thomas took a bite of his food before answering. “Yes, we usually do that. Like you said, we don’t want any accidents.”
“Good. I take it we’ll get started as soon as we finish eating and get cleaned up here.”
“Yes, that sounds like a plan. If we get a deer, we may have to come back here for the night, or you can come back to your site, pack up, and meet us at a set location.”
“That might work, except I’m not familiar with the area, so you might have to give me some markers to follow.”
“We’ll discuss what to do when and if we find a deer.”
They finished eating and put the fire out. They all grabbed their backpacks, strapped them on, and slung their rifles over their shoulders. They began the hike, splitting up by about a hundred feet and walking in the same general direction. They stayed in sight of each other and were able to communicate through hand signals.
It was easy at first, with the three of them walking through the lightly forested area, but then it became more difficult as they ran into more downed trees and debris. They slowed down so that no one would fall or get too far behind. They constantly kept an eye out for any deer or elk.
This sure is a painful way to hunt. I prefer sitting in a tree and waiting for the deer to come to me, versus, traipsing all over the forest looking for them. Besides, hiking around looking for deer could easily spook them. She knew her companions had honed their skills on being quiet because she could barely hear them as they hiked through the woods. She was trying to be quiet but didn’t seem to be doing as good a job as Bo and Thomas. They’d have to find something before the day ended, or it would be another night at her campsite.
They continued their hike through the woods for hours, spotting nothing. Thomas was just cresting a small hill when he suddenly knelt, which alerted Paulette and Bo to do the same. Apparently, he had spotted something in the near distance and was trying to figure out what it was before taking a shot. He carefully and slowly brought his rifle up to his shoulder, rested his cheek on the stock, and adjusted his eye to the sight. He scanned the area, and just as he seemed to settle on a target, he lowered the rifle again. “Darn it!” Thomas yelled.
You could see the look of frustration on Thomas’s face. He stood up and signaled that they should continue moving forward.
The forest was eerily quiet, except for the occasional bird song or chirp and rustling of some smaller animals. The threesome kept walking and stepping carefully through the woods, continuing to look for any type of game.
I wonder if either of them has ever learned to track an animal. Tracking was a hard job but much easier than traipsing aimlessly around a large forest looking for a needle in a haystack.
Thomas was in the lead when he signaled them to stop and regroup.
As Paulette and Bo gathered around Thomas, Bo asked, “What’s up, Thomas?”
“We aren’t finding anything.”
“What was that back there?” Bo asked.
“I saw something in the trees, and by the time I could make out what it was, it got spooked. It was a nice-sized elk.”
“Man, that really sucks. We sure could’ve used that kind of meat.”
“Indeed, we could have.” Thomas looked over to Paulette. “What do you think we should do?”
Paulette thought for a moment before answering. “Well, I think we should head back to the campsite. We can continue to keep our eyes open in case we find something on the way back. Also, did anyone ever show you two how to track an animal?”
Bo gave a quizzical look and deferred to Thomas. “No, we never learned how to do that. Besides, there aren’t many animals in the area, which might make tracking them difficult.”
“I can show you some basics, at least. That way, you might identify where they recently passed through and head off in the direction you think they’ve gone. It might be better than running around the forest just hoping you run into them. Another method to hunt game is to set up a tree stand in an area where you know the deer often come, like near a river or waterway.”
Thomas looked at her like she was an alien or something before saying anything. “Really? A tree stand? You’re suggesting we sit and wait for the deer to come to us?”
“Yes, but only in areas you know are populated with them.”
“I guess we’d have to figure out where that was first before we did something like that. Okay, for now, let’s do what you suggested and head back to the camp and keep our eyes open at the same time for any possible game.”
All three turned around and headed back to Paulette’s campsite. Since they were still on the lookout for wild game, they took their time. Even so, the trip back would be faster than the trek they had just made. Everyone was exhausted and ready to get back to the campsite. The day’s hunt had been so disappointing, and they just wanted to regroup and see where they should go next.
Paulette was discouraged with the lack of wildlife in the area. She was used to squirrels running past quite often. In this new, foreign world, however, she had rarely seen even squirrels, let alone many large animals. It seemed that most of the wildlife had been wiped out, along with the human population, and was still recovering. Either that, or they were being over-hunted.
She felt that was very sad, not just because humans wouldn’t have a sufficient food source, but because of the beauty of wildlife, especially since there wasn’t much to view and admire anymore. She had been so deep in thought she tripped over a downed tree and fell flat on her face. She bellowed as she went down.
Bo and Thomas came running over. “Hey, you okay?” Thomas asked.
“I think so. Can you help me up?”
“Sure. Hey, Bo, get on her other side.”
“All right, try getting up.”
She grunted while trying to stand up. “Ow! I think I sprained my ankle.”
“That’s not good,” Bo said.
“No, it’s not. Do either of you know how to splint an ankle?” she asked.
“I do,” Thomas replied.
“Okay, then get at least two branches and some of my rope and help me splint this up. Also, can you hand me my first-aid kit so I can get the pain relievers? Then we can get back on our way.”
Thomas unzipped her backpack and looked inside to locate the first-aid kit. “What the heck?”
Paulette spun around and saw the bewildered look on Thomas’s face. Oh crap. I forgot about my foreign-looking stuff. Trying not to look rattled by his reaction, she asked, “What’s the matter?”
“There are things in this bag I’ve never seen before,” he said as he looked in the bag again rifling around to locate the box with a cross and the words “first-aid kit” on it.
“Umm ....well ....it’s stuff from where I come from.”
She heard Thomas grunt and saw his eyebrows raise up and his mouth move to the right, showing disbelief.”
“Whatever.” Finally finding what he was looking for, he grabbed it and handed the mysterious white box to Paulette.
“Thank you,” she said.
Thomas stared at her with an odd expression for some time while she was digging around looking for the pain pills.
“Paulette, I hate to be rude, but can you explain to me what all that stuff is in your backpack, and where you got it. I’ve never seen most of it before.”
She stopped midway through ripping open the pill pack and looked up. “What? You’ve never seen a first-aid kit or food before?”
“Yes, I’ve seen those things before, but our first-aid kits don’t look like yours, and I’ve never seen food packaged in weird bags. Could you please explain where it all came from?”
“Like I said, I’m not from here. Where I come from, we’ve got these types of supplies for when we are out in the woods.”
“Okay, so you’re saying that you brought all this stuff with you from space?”
“Something like that.”
“I didn’t know the Mars Colony still had all the old-world stuff. I feel like you are not telling me the whole story, but your answer will have to do for now.” Thomas shook his head as he continued to help bind her ankle.
A few minutes later, with her ankle splinted, they began their hike again. Thomas and Bo helped her along, so she could keep the weight off her left ankle. The trip back would now take longer than they’d thought. Paulette felt bad for not paying attention to where she was walking and causing such a delay.
It was dark by the time they made it back to the campsite. Bo and Thomas helped Paulette sit down on the stump while they took her bag and rifle and put it in her lean-to.
All three of them were exhausted and hungry from their long day. Bo started the fire while Thomas got out something to cook for their meal.
“Paulette, how about you share our meal since your stuff is already put away?” Thomas suggested.
“Sure. Thank you for sharing.”
Once the fire was roaring, he put water on to boil. Dinner was mash, dried meat, and a dehydrated vegetable. Thomas used the water for the mash and the vegetables and then placed all three items on plates and served them to everyone. Paulette was impressed with the food and was glad for a change from the camp food she had brought with her.
After dinner, they started making plans for what to do the next day.
“Umm, Paulette, I don’t think you can go out with us tomorrow,” Thomas said.
“You’re probably right, but I can try to get things ready for you guys if you bring something back.”
“That sounds good. What’s this about tracking an animal?”
“I won’t be able to show you tomorrow, but I can tell you about a few things to look for.”
“Okay, like what?”
“When you start tomorrow, try looking for deer or elk pellets, hoof prints, or broken branches that would show some type of life had been there. Usually, you can even determine the direction of travel by the way a branch is bent.
Also, wherever you see smoothed-out grass, that’s a sign of where an animal may have slept. If you’re lucky and the spot is still warm, that means the animal hasn’t been gone long and could be close by.”
“Wow, that’s some good advice. Wish we had known about that a long time ago. It would’ve made our lives so much easier, right Bo?”
“Yeah man, that would have saved us hundreds of hours of hunting,” Bo said.
“By the way, where did you learn how to hunt like that?” Thomas inquired.
“My dad taught me all about it when I was younger.”
“You have a resourceful dad. But if you came from space or the colony, how did he teach you?”
“I guess it was more of him handing down the knowledge to me.”
“I see,” Thomas replied.
Trying to avoid any further questions, she steered them back to the conversation about tracking deer or elk.
“Keep in mind you still may be out looking for quite some time, especially since you’re so new at using these techniques and there aren’t many animals around to begin with. Hopefully, though, with what I told you, it will be easier than just wandering through the woods hoping to run into something.”
Thomas nodded his head in agreement. “Well, we should probably get some rest so we can get an early start tomorrow.”
“That’s probably a good idea. If you guys make a kill, will you be going back to your village or coming back here first to get me?”
Thomas thought about it for a moment before replying. “I think we can come back here, rest up, and then head out the following day, depending on when, or if, we get anything. That way you’ll have an extra day to heal before the long trip.”
“Sounds good then. I’ll work on making a walking stick so I can keep weight off my ankle. That should help a little.”
With that, they headed to their respective beds. Paulette crawled into her lean-to and prepared to get in her sleeping bag and head off to sleep. She couldn’t believe how careless she had been earlier. She just hoped that the sprain wasn’t too bad and she’d be able to walk well enough when the time came for her to leave. She got in, zipped the sleeping bag up, rolled over, and promptly fell asleep.
Bo and Thomas were ready for sleep, too, but rolled over to face each other so they could talk for a few minutes.
“What do you think of her, Thomas?” Bo asked.
“I think she’s very strange. How does she know all these things we don’t? And what about all those things she has that we’ve never seen before?”
“Do you believe her story about crashing here from space?”
“No, not really, but what other explanation is there?”
“I don’t know. I just know it’s strange.”
“I agree with you there.”
“I’ve got to admit she’s nice and doesn’t seem to have any ill will toward us, but I’m still suspicious and have been from the time we met her.”
“I’ll keep a close eye on her. I don’t need something going wrong at our village because I brought a stranger into our midst.”
“You’re so protective, Thomas.”
“I’ve got to be. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be as strong as we are. You know the savages out there would cut our throats and rob us in a heartbeat, and I have to be sure I don’t bring one into our village. Today proved she, at least, is not one of them.”
“You’re right, Thomas. We should be careful. Maybe once she feels more comfortable with us and our group, she’ll be more willing to tell us where she’s really from. Heck, maybe she’s from the mythical City of Technology we keep hearing about and is just feigning not knowing what happened here on earth.”
“Maybe. Who knows? For now, we keep our guard up, okay?”
