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“Why don’t we keep on moving and check out towns and cities along the way for vehicles we think would work for us? We can stop at a grocery store before we head back into the forest and grab a few veggies and things to supplement what we hunt.” I suggest.
“Sounds like a plan to me, I am sick of shelling out money for filthy motels. I’d rather sleep in the forest.” Isaiah admits.
“Heard that,” Ash and I say in sync.
“We are only a few miles away from a point where we can get into the forest and shift so we can cover more ground, are you two up for a walk?” I ask.
“Maybe after we grab a hotdog from the vendor on the corner?”
A round of laughter meets Isaiah’s request but it’s late and I don’t feel like hunting either. So, with hot dogs in tow, we head down the city sidewalks taking in the night life as we prepare to disappear into the darkness of the forest.
The morning greets me with a glorious breeze that seems to trickle through the pine needles, I love the way the forest smells. I haven’t met a forest that hasn’t made me feel at home just yet and I hope I never do.
Isaiah is nowhere to be found but he’s placed a note on Ash’s forehead that says, “Gone fishing -Isaiah.” I roll my eyes and pull the note off Ash crumpling it as I shove it into my pocket.
“Ash, wake up!” I call nudging him with my toe.
He stirs and turns to his side covering his face with his arm, I nudge him again and he groans, “What do you want?”
“Time to get up sleepy head. Isaiah is fishing and I need you to go check for any eggs,” his mouth opens, and I interject before he can speak. “You’re the fastest and the best climber so don’t argue with me.”
Ash looks like he still wants to argue but he doesn’t dare. I may not be the Alpha of the West Coast pack, but I am a born Alpha, and most shifters understand it’s better not to test me.
“What are you going to do?” He says biting back a sour tone.
“I am going to explore the area; I keep catching an odd scent. I want to follow it and see what it is.” I state.
Ash nods his head and pushes himself up to his feet then stretches his arms above his head. Ash is tall and lean. He’s not skinny but he’s not bulky like Isaiah is and even though I am 6’4 Ash is still taller than me.
Heading off into the forest I make my way soundlessly across the forest floor. Whatever I am smelling is close, so I don’t feel the need to shift, my senses are already heightened enough even in my human form.
A bear’s massive frame stands at the water’s edge, Isaiah. He is a silhouette against the backdrop of a rushing river.
Extending his powerful forepaws into the flowing water I watch as that water reflects the shimmering silver of leaping fish beneath the sunlight.
His enormous claws hover above the water’s surface, and suddenly with lightning speed, he strikes. His claws slash through the river’s current. Ripples flow from the point of entry out toward each shoreline alongside the river.
Confidently he snags a gleaming fish between his razor-sharp claws. The fish wriggles hoping to escape but it has no such luck escaping Isaiah’s firm grasp.
I tear my eyes away from Isaiah and the pile of fish he’s keeping in a hand-woven net made of river reeds. My stomach grumbles but I can tell by Isaiah’s focus he doesn’t intend on stopping any time soon.
So, I continue forth. The scent I have been tracking grows more intense with every step I take. Eventually I come across a small shack nestled in a thicket of trees near a small clearing.
The wooden planks of the building are stained in a dark color that helps it blend it with the bark of the surrounding trees aside from the small windows that glint in the rays of the sun. As I approach the building, I can smell that no one has been here for a few years. Inside, there are two sets of bunk beds built into the walls, a small sitting area, and a wooden burning stove.
Remarkably the place is in fantastic condition and in a cabinet against the wall I find a broom… This is a perfect place to hang out for a little while.
Before I go back to tell the others I take the bedding and mattresses outside and beat them with the broom. Clouds of dust float through the air, my throat tickles.
Sweeping out the rest of the house and dusting off the sitting area I feel satisfied with my handy work. I wonder what happened to the people who used to come to this hunting lodge.
It’s not uncommon to find old shacks like these, even where they have no business being, deep in the forest. Usually, they are not in nearly as good of condition.
Seems to me like the universe is smiling down on us and this is a blessing from the Goddess. Shutting the door, I rush back toward the makeshift camp we’d slept in the night prior only a mile or so away.
On the way back I run into Isaiah who is completely nude in his human form as he carries a basket full of fish, “Hey man check out this haul. We are feasting today.” he proudly states.
“You’ll never guess what I’ve found, a little hut with real beds and a wood burning stove. No one’s been there in years. It’ll be the perfect place for us to settle in for a little while.”
