Chapter 2
Fawn Moirae
“Damn it Chia. Why do you always have to escape when a storm is brewing?” I mutter out loud. Latching and roping the gate closed to keep the other goats and sheep in the pen, I grab my backpack and rifle from the barn.
“Marble! Come on boy, Brownie will watch the stock.” As I slip my weapon into the scabbard on my back, Marble bounds ahead. His mottled brown, blonde and grey hair let him blend in with most terrain. He’s huge even for a Great Pyrenees. And the sweetest boy ever, unless on guard.
Heading up the ridge I have a good idea where my runaway goat has headed. Her favorite patch of blackberry shrubs. Should have named her Houdini for all her escapes.
Marble has the same destination in mind.
The air is cool. I feel the storm coming in.
Glad I went into town two days ago. I’ve got enough supplies to last for two months.
Two months of peace and quiet. It’s been a while.
I could use the time to catch up on work and the respite from my mother’s gentle nagging.
I shouldn’t complain. Our relationship has improved since she moved to town.
Except now she worries about me being alone.
Now that she’s found John, she’s also pushing me to find a companion.
I can’t help but smile. I like John - mechanic extraordinaire.
He takes good care of Mom and my vehicles.
My old truck hasn’t run this well in five years and the ATV he found and fixed up for me is perfect.
He wouldn’t let me pay for anything, saying it was fun to have something different to work on.
Growing up in the cabin on our isolated acreage, I didn’t think of all the things that could go wrong. Until Mom got sick. I almost lost her. That’s when we both started reevaluating our lifestyle.
The shop where Mom sells her pottery and paintings, as well as my wools and wool garments, has an attic.
We converted it to a living space for her.
I still like the seclusion and need to stay at the cabin tending my livestock.
We did add a backup generator and satellite phone as a precaution at the cabin.
This is my mountain, where I grew up. Where I learned from mother nature how to survive. I check out the sky and inhale deeply. Like now, I know a storm is coming and it will hit soon.
Marble stops, cocks his head and sniffs the air. Soon I hear it too, an ATV. Sonofabitch. Those thieving bastards are back.
They’ve been coming and going toward the old, abandoned mining shack that’s on the other side of my property line for a couple months.
The old man who owns that land is in Portland and everyone knows he’s not coming back.
He’s also the last of his line, so unless he sold the land, those two guys on the ATV are trespassing on posted property.
I reported it to the Sheriff. He keeps checking but hasn’t caught them yet. We both got a feeling they’re up to no good.
“Alright, boy, find Chia then we’ll check it out.” Ten minutes later snow is gently falling as I’m slipping a rope on my runaway goat. A shot rings out.
Damn. Hooking the other end of the lead to a nearby tree, I turn to Marble. “Come on, boy.”
We take off in the direction of the shot. Approaching the tree line near a clump of rocks, I hear arguing but can’t make out the words. Giving Marble the hand command for stealth. I move closer.
Two unkempt guys wearing the same plaid coats I’ve seen before are looking over the side of a rocky outcrop. One is holding a handgun.
“You think he’s dead?” the shorter one asks.
“I’m sure I hit him, and it looks like his head bounced off those rocks.”
“Think you should shoot him again to be sure?”
I pull my riffle, then give Marble the command to howl. The sound he makes is loud and deep. I motion again. And again.
“Shit. That’s wolves, right?” The guy holding the gun glances over his shoulder then back into the ravine. “That ledge is narrow. He’ll probably fall off if he comes to. If he doesn’t fall, the snow or the wolves will get him once they smell blood. Let’s get out of here.”
I signal Marble to howl a couple more times.
The taller of the two turns, looking in the direction where I’m hidden. He studies the tree line a little longer before he motions to his buddy. They take-off up the mountain in their ATV like the gutless wannabe’s they are. Once they’re out of sight I move toward the rock cropping and glance down.
A hiker lies on his belly, on a narrow ledge below. Dressed in woodland camo, there’s a rifle strapped to his backpack. Even if I could get him to his feet, the path is too narrow for me to walk side by side to support him back up the incline.
Pulling my rope from my backpack, I secure it to a rock, then rappel down to him.
Checking for a pulse, I’m relieved he’s still alive.
Un-hooking his backpack, I carefully pull it off so I have more room to maneuver him.
Wrapping the rope under his shoulders, I shift him to a sitting position and secure him to the rock behind him.
There’s a narrow, bloody tear on the upper left arm of his jacket and an egg-sized bump on his forehead.
Nothing I can do right now. The clouds are darkening, and the temperature is dropping. I need to get him out of here.
With his backpack over my shoulder, I head up the narrow trail and the summit less than fifty feet from where he sits below. He’s too heavy for me to pull. I need my ATV.
“Marble, guard.”
He gives me a look then ambles back the way I just returned. When I glance over the outcropping, Marble is lying next to the hiker his big paw on the man’s leg.
Running the three miles back to my cabin, I grab a blanket from the house and jump on the ATV. I pray the storm holds off until I can get him off the ledge.
Back at the outcropping, Marble has his head and one paw still on the man’s thigh. The man is stroking Marble’s neck. He’s awake, that’s a good sign. I whistle and Marble shifts, running back up the trail.
“Don’t move, I’m coming down to you,” I yell.
Once I get to him, I’m struck by his intense stormy blue eyes. “We need to get you out of here, storm is gonna hit hard any minute. Anything broken that you know of?”
“Nope. Dizzy. Probably a slight concussion. Had one before.”
“Your arm?”
He gives his head a shake and stills, closing his eyes for a minute. “Nothing to worry about. I’ve had worse.”
“Okay, I’m going to secure this rope around you, then pull you up with my ATV. The path is too narrow for two of us to walk safely.”
“Know what you’re doing?”
“I’ve done some mountain climbing,” I reassure him.
He half-ass grins. “Just checking. My backpack?”
“It and your rifle are already up top.” After getting the rope ready, I help him stand. “Lean here until I call down. I’ve already got it hooked up. We’re almost done.” He doesn’t say a word just leans against the stone and closes his eyes.
“Here we go,” I yell down.”
Once I get him up and over the edge he lays limp on the ground. Oh shit! What have I done? Did I cause more damage? What if he had a back injury. I rush to his side and as gently as possible roll him over. I glance at the name on his army jacket.
“Spade, look at me. Spade, are you okay? Spade!” Marble pads over and licks his face.
“Forgotten how much I like solid ground,” he groans.
Exhaling for the first time in what feels like forever, I slump back on my calves. “We need to get back to the cabin before the snow makes it hard to see. Rest while I get us loaded up.”
Once everything’s secured, I find him sitting up with Marble by his side.
“Ready?” I ask.
He nods and slowly climbs to his feet. He staggers and I slip under his arm, wrapping my arm around his waist. Together we stagger-walk to the vehicle. Once he’s seated, I secure his seatbelt and cover him with the blanket. “We’ll get you inside soon.”
Stopping to pick up Chia from where I tied her earlier, I secure her in the rear seat with Marble. By the time we get to my cabin the snow is coming down hard. I’m not going to be able to get him to town.
After securing Chia in the barn, I go to my visitor. Leaning heavily on me, I finally get him inside.
“Bathroom,” he says.
“Let me get your boots off.” After getting him to the bathroom, he blocks my way. I wait outside the door, mentally making plans for what I’ll do if he passes out before I can get him into my bed.
“Take off as much of your wet clothes as you can. I’ll help with the rest,” I call through the door.
Several minutes pass. I hear the toilet and the water come on. A few minutes later I hear a groan.
“Spade, you okay?” Another groan. “I’m coming in.”
He’s got his shirt off one shoulder and is struggling with the injured side. “Sit on the toilet. I need to clean the wounds on your head and bicep anyway.”
“Just clean around the graze on my bicep, bled enough to clean itself and is already scabbed over. Do you have gauze to wrap it?”
Nodding, I pull his shirt off the rest of the way over his head, then carefully clean the blood from around the wound and wrap it. I can’t help but notice how shredded he is, or the scar running down his right side. He’s obviously seen battle and understands injuries probably better than I do.
I clean the lump and scrape on his forehead and apply antibiotic. Once I’m done, I tell him to stand up and reach for his zipper.
“Sorry, sweetheart, I’m not going to be much good tonight.”
I give him a scowl. “In your dreams, soldier. I just don’t want you making a mess of my sheets.”
He sways as I push his pants down his legs, leaving on his boxer briefs. Once undressed, I help him across the open cabin to the bed. Lying on his back, he looks at me.
“Thanks for saving my life. I owe you one.” He closes his eyes and is asleep almost immediately.
After getting my goats and sheep fed and bedded down for the night, I’m back in the cabin.
My cell is useless. I grab the satellite phone to contact the sheriff but already know it’s a waste of time, too.
After letting both Marble and Brownie out, I bring them both back inside to stand guard. I’m exhausted and need sleep, too.
Dressed in long johns, I crawl into bed beside my guest. No way in hell am I sleeping on that cold floor. He’s just going to have to share.