He chirped at me.
I pulled out one of the dead fish that my father had slipped me on the way out and tossed it into the air.
Possum caught it, swooping down almost to the ground before rising back up and taking it somewhere that I couldn’t see to eat.
I walked for another hour or so, spotting several mule deer, a bull moose, and a bighorn sheep.
The moose would be a favorite, I knew.
I was close enough that I could capture some good shots, and the snow gathering on his back was so pretty.
Plus, his eyes had been directed right at me.
He hadn’t been amused, and I’d decided to leave before he got any more curious as to why I was there.
I was mostly in the woods when I heard rocks sliding, indicating that someone was coming down the trail.
“She has to be here somewhere.”
I froze, my camera tucked close to my chest.
“Her car’s still here.”
My stomach soured at the man’s words.
“I’ve walked this trail back and forth twice now. I haven’t seen her,” the man said, frustration clear in his tone.
I scanned the trees, making sure that I couldn’t see him, which meant he couldn’t see me.
“No, damn.”
He must be on the phone.
“I’ve looked everywhere,” the man replied. “She’s not here. Maybe she took an off-path course down to the river.”
I bit my lip. “I tagged her car for you like you asked. That was really all you wanted.”
Tagged my car?
“Well, if you want her so bad, you come find her. It’s getting cold, and I’m not waiting around.”
My stomach sank.
Fear slithered down my spine.
“Well, she’ll have to see you eventually, won’t she?”
My fingernails dug into my palms.
A screech sounded from above, and then Possum landed in the tree above me.
“Oh, man. That’s the biggest bird I’ve ever seen!”
I heard the cock of a gun, and then I was screaming.
I don’t know what came over me.
I screamed so loud that the man must’ve startled and dropped his gun.
