CHAPTER THREE ON THE TRAIL #2
“That leaves me, Sarah, Cody, and Dad,” Greyeagle said.
“I sure wish we’d have brought Jason and the Marlowes with us,” said Mika.
“They’re protecting Grandfather and the kids,” Greyeagle said. “In case this is a trap.”
“If it is,” Mika said, “then they’re in for a hell of a fight.”
“They aren’t here,” Black Fox said. “I’d sense it.”
Greyeagle frowned and nodded.
“Still, we’ll check for tracks,” Greyeagle said. “Perhaps we’ll get lucky.”
They spread out and began circling the camp, expanding outward in wider and wider circles. They moved slowly, studying every inch of ground, but Kade and his pack had been very thorough. As they were approaching the outer limit of their search, Greyeagle stopped his group with a wave of his hand.
They all froze as Greyeagle crept slowly forward, watching his steps and searching for traps.
When he was convinced there were no surprises, he slowly approached the fallen log.
It was an old oak that had likely fallen during a storm.
There were no signs of cutting or recent breakage. It had been down for a long time.
However, it wasn’t the tree that had caught Greyeagle’s attention.
It was what was placed on it, waiting for him to discover it.
It was a wooden carving about four inches in height.
It was an eagle with its claws extended as if trying to catch prey.
It had been dyed with soot from a fire, turning it an ashy grey.
Greyeagle approached it slowly, studying it for tripwires or pressure traps. He slowly moved around the fallen log, looking for pit traps or spikes. Then he searched the trees around him to look for any suspended log traps that might fall on him. There was nothing there.
Finally, he made up his mind. He reached out and picked up the carving. Nothing happened. The details of the carving were beautiful, right down to the patterns on the feathers. Greyeagle turned it over slowly in his hands and looked at the bottom. There was something stuck to it.
Greyeagle examined it closely and caught the faint scent of Kade on it.
At first he thought it was just a piece of plastic, then he recognized it.
It was a SIM card from a phone. He hesitated a moment before using his fingernail to pull it off the wood.
It was attached with a small piece of cedar resin.
Greyeagle thought about it for a moment, then slipped it into his pocket. For whatever reason, he felt that Kade only wanted him to see it. The carving was clearly a message for him, and the SIM was hidden beneath it. Whatever was on the card, Kade only wanted Greyeagle to know about it.
“I’ll check it out, then tell the others,” Greyeagle thought.
He turned back to the others and handed the carving to Sarah.
“I found this,” he said. “It’s a message.”
“A grey eagle,” Sarah said. “Clearly he knew you were coming.”
“And he wanted me to know that he knew,” Greyeagle said.
“Are there any tracks?” asked Black Fox.
“Nothing,” Greyeagle said. “Kade won’t make this easy for us.”
“No, he won’t,” Black Fox agreed.
“Let’s fall back to the others,” Greyeagle said. “We’re not going to pick up his trail. He’s one step ahead of us.”
“At least one,” Black Fox added.
“Where should we search next?” asked Kodiak.
“Well, there’s over two million acres of Pine Ridge,” Greyeagle said, “and they could be on any of them by now.”
Kodiak growled low in his throat. Not out of anger, but in frustration.
“So, what do we do now?” asked Sarah.
“We go back to our camp,” Greyeagle said. “We’ll discuss this with grandfather. Maybe he has something to add.”
“Will,” Black Fox said, “you know I love Jay, but he does not always tell us everything. He knows more than he is sharing. I am certain of it.”
“Grandfather always has a reason for that,” Sarah said. “I trust him with my life.”
“As do I,” Greyeagle replied.
“I am not saying do not trust him,” Black Fox said. “Just be cautious that he does not always tell us the full truth.”
“Then we will ask more direct questions,” Greyeagle said. “If grandfather knows more than he’s saying, we need to know. However, we’ve already learned more than Kade intended for us to learn.”
“What do you mean?” asked Sarah. “What did we learn?”
“Kade is thinking like a master strategist,” Greyeagle replied.
“And that tells us more than he intended. If he were a werewolf, he wouldn’t be able to control the changes.
If he were a Dogman, there would be no reasoning left in him.
He’s something else. Grandfather was right.
The Makhótaneo’o are back, and Kade is their leader. ”
“Then he has fallen farther than I ever did,” Black Fox said sadly. “There may be nothing left of him to reach.”
“I do not think so,” Greyeagle said, tossing Black Fox the carving. “This is from Kade, not some monster. He might be one of the Makhótaneo’o now, but he remembers who I am. And he doesn’t know something that I do.”
“What’s that?” asked Sarah.
“That our father is alive,” Greyeagle said, smiling softly. “That alone will make him question his choices.”
“Do you think it will be enough?” asked Black Fox.
“I don’t know,” Greyeagle replied, “but if we can win him back, then perhaps there’s hope for all of his pack.”
“Do you think that the Makhótaneo’o can be redeemed?” Sarah asked. “After everything grandfather said.”
“I don’t know,” Greyeagle replied, taking the carving back from Black Fox. “But this… gives me hope.”