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6
They had to make it a bit farther down before they could abandon the river in favor of the forest.
They navigated the next set of rapids, both of them taking turns to watch the sky above while the other paddled. Ellie had pointed out after studying the map that their extraction point was on the opposite shore, so they had no choice but to fight through the rough patch of water before they had another low section of stone where they could dock. Brett didn’t like the idea of leaving Ellie so exposed but didn’t see they had much of a choice.
His heart thumped in his ears with anxiety as she struggled to watch the skies above while navigating the white, frothy water. That was when he saw it. A log submerged in the water before them. The raft was headed straight for it.
“Backpaddle!” he cried, but it was too late. The craft hit the log with such force he was launched from it.
Cold water ran its icy fingers along his skin. The roaring of the river above was silenced as his head dipped below the surface from the force of his impact. His backpack threatened to pull him under, but the lifejacket that hugged his body went to work. After what felt like minutes underwater, Brett surfaced to hear screams. It was Ellie.
He sputtered after taking a breath filled with bubbling water. He splashed his arms around, trying to lean back to keep his toes up out of the water as he had been instructed. “El-Ellie!” he called out after a cough.
“I’m okay!” her strained voice called from behind him. “Swim to shore after we clear the rapids!”
The water pulled Bret along. He flowed past the whitewater that broke over large boulders to his left. It was as if the water knew how to pull him along to safety. At times he fought to keep his toes up, knowing that if they fell beneath the surface of the angry water, he could easily be trapped under rocks, stumps, or debris. And if that happened, he could be done for.
Soon the water quieted. Brett doggy-paddled to shore, fighting the urge to shift. He’d have an easier time swimming but would lose all their supplies. That would make their bad day worse.
The water rippled around him and lapped on the rocks as he pulled himself onto the shore. He turned to the river, frantic to find Ellie’s location. Her pale face shone, wet with water, eyes wide with fear and discomfort. “You’re almost here!” He tried comforting her, urging her to shore.
Her hands clawed at the stone as she tried to pry herself from the icy grip of the river. Brett rushed to help her, pulling her up by the straps of her backpack. She collapsed in a heap on the shore. Brett let her catch her breath as he eyed the sky, wary the hawk would come back while they were at their worst. But nothing flew overhead save for a bunch of lazy fluffy clouds that temporarily doused them in shadow. He shivered at the change in temperature.
He glanced at the angry water, watching the overturned raft bob off into the distance before it disappeared into the frothy, white water of the next set of rapids. Brett let out a sputtering sigh as their means of transportation vanished. He leaned back into the rocky shore as Ellie caught her breath. The wispy clouds floated overhead. Lucky for them, it was the only thing he could see in the sky for miles.
“Are you okay?” Brett asked after rolling over on his side, facing her.
Ellie unbuckled her helmet and did her best to squeeze the water out of her short locks. It dripped its chilly fingers down her back, unleashing a shiver. Her shoulders shook, but she didn’t dare move into the sun and out of the shade of the rocks and trees above for fear of being seen by that giant bird again.
The cat inside of her hissed and howled. It took every fiber of her being to not rip her clothes off. The water sliding down her skin was uncomfortable, almost unbearable. And cold. The longer she sat on the bank, her body heat seemed to seep into the water on her skin. Ellie wanted to shake it off but knew that would do no good. Plus, she had other things to worry about: like that hawk coming back to snatch her up and make bird food out of her.
“Yeah,” she finally answered, making herself sound calm, though she wanted to scream. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep some of the heat in. The day was warm, but the water was not. And neither was the shade when one was soaking wet. “Do you think that hawk will come back?” she asked, scanning the sky.
“I don’t know.” Brett scratched at his neck after removing his helmet. A small stream of water trickled down his temple. He ruffled his hair, which had begun to curl in a most attractive way. “I don’t think we should take any chances. We should keep tight to the trees if we can.”
They glanced back at the gravelly path that seemed to lead up to the top of the rock ledge and forest above. It was probably a water runoff, but with the day being dry so far, it should be a nice and easy way for them to get away from the river where they were now stranded. Their little shore of rock was eaten by the towering rock ten feet in either direction, and they would either have to climb up and make their way through the dense woods above or swim downriver. The latter option was not safe, which left only one way forward.
Ellie looked to the forest above, trying to take her mind off of how Brett’s untamed hair left her stomach bubbling with excitement. Or the way his wet shirt clung to his sculpted muscles. She needed to focus. Not only was their assignment on the line, but their lives were too. Aside from the rogue bird that had tried to scoop her up, who knew what dangers lurked in the forest?
She stood, hating the way her sopping clothes adhered to her body. They pulled on her every time she took a step. Water continuously dripped down her back and arms as it leached from her clothes. It was cringeworthy. Her inner cat was screaming, “Get it off! Get it off!” so loudly she could hardly focus on anything else.
Well, she did have one other clear thought in her head: they’d left their raft behind and let it float away, which would likely result in a failing grade for the assignment.
She gritted her teeth, the tension mounting in her jaw, giving her a stress headache. She must have made a face because Brett said, “Let’s keep going a little farther, then take a break. Might be good to shift and lay our clothes out to dry.”
She nodded. The thought was enticing. She could dry off in cat form and not have to worry about damp clothes and wet feet. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Ellie wanted to shift now, but theyhadto keep moving. At least for a little bit more. She tried to channel those happy human memories of swimming in lakes as a child, but it didn’t help. Wet garments equaled a miserable Ellie.
She smiled at Brett. “I think that’s a great idea. Let’s climb up this first and then work on finding a spot to camp,” she blurted out before she changed her mind and tried to convince Brett to let her shift now. He’d have to carry her backpack if she did. She knew he would. But then her outfit would never dry crumpled up inside of her bag. And the thought of putting wet clothes back on was worse than wearing them currently.
The white stones of the path tumbled out from under her as she tried to make her way up the slope. She cascaded dust, dirt, and rock on poor Brett behind her. “Sorry,” she said over her shoulder each time she heard him sputtering or coughing behind her. A few tiny saplings and thick patches of weeds helped her along, as she used them as a makeshift rope to haul herself up the side of the rocky slope. She could move faster with her arms helping her climb.
As she stepped onto the flatter surface at the top, a warm feeling bubbled up inside of her. She was triumphant. No stupid bird or rock ledge was going to keep her down today. Raft or not, they were going to make it out alive—not to mention ace their assignment. Ellie bit back a cheer that threatened to burst out of her lips, and instead of raising her arms to twirl into a happy dance, she quickly ducked into the green brush and pulled the shadows around her, aware that she still needed to hide from her bird foe.
The sun danced in Brett’s glistening hair as he popped onto the top of the embankment. Dust caked his face, and pale streaks remained where either water or sweat dripped a clean path down his visage. Brett wiped the remaining dirt off by pulling up the bottom of his shirt, revealing his tight abs. Ellie watched a drop of water slide down his body. It ignited a hunger inside of her. She thirsted to lick the water off of his perfect form.
“Ellie?” he asked, looking around for any sign of her in the trees. The anxiety in his strained voice brought Ellie out of her mind.
She jumped out of the brush and unwrapped the light from around her, letting herself be seen once more. “Sorry. I was hiding from any potential avian enemies.”
Brett’s shoulders relaxed with a sigh. “No problem. I’d become invisible, too, under the circumstances.”
Ellie looked to the forest floor, tracing her eyes along a dried-up stream bed that seemed to roam in the general direction they were traveling. “I guess we should march on. Let’s follow this for as long as we can,” she directed, indicating the stony path that weaved around the trunks of the large trees.
Brett nodded in agreement. They trudged through the trees, dripping wet and slightly miserable. Ellie just hoped that whoever sent the bird after her didn’t have a cougar or something in their arsenal to dispatch next.
