Page 45 of Wild Child
"You know them far better than me, Neils," I said.
He waved that off. "No. You are a true natural here."
Neils had become one of the few friends I'd found once Devin left, and I wanted Neils to like Devin. Devin would, of course, like Neils. At least, the old Devin would have.ThisDevin seemed oddly similar, but still different. This Devin was far more wary around people than before.
The merging of my old life into my new one felt like bumps on a lake.
"Where's the bear?" Kimball asked as he tossed the dregs of his coffee into the weeds. Neils studied him for a beat, then nodded to the west.
"Reported around a canyon out that way, somewhere near the Alpine Crest trail."
I froze.
"Oh?"
Neils eyes jerked to mine. Confusion registered on his expression. "You're going there?"
"We're heading that way." When his confusion deepened, I rushed to explain. "We were originally heading to Nightingale Peak, but they requested a course change for a bit more adventure. Have you heard of a cabi—"
"Is the grizzly dangerous?" Kimball asked. Anxiety lined his usually happy features now. The empty coffee cup that he clutched with white knuckles lay at his side, dripping coffee onto his shoe.
"They all are," Neils said.
Devin made a noise in his throat. "The Alpine Crest trail isn’t far east of where we want to go," he said. "We should be safe if the bear doesn't travel lower, which seems unlikely in this heat. Is it a mama grizz?"
Neils shrugged. "Not sure. We think it may be guarding a carcass. I'm spreading word on the trail for people to avoid it before I do some investigating."
"From over here?" Devin asked.
"Yes. It's where I started when I heard the news."
Devin's confusion wasn't misplaced. If Neils wanted to spread the word, starting this far south did strike me as strange. There was no direct route from here. Like us, he’d have to haul across open country, but he hiked so fast I had no doubt he'd get there in no time at all.
"Any attacks?" Kimball asked.
"No attacks yet, but it charged a hiker three days ago. Another report came in yesterday afternoon of a charge. I headed out shortly after to investigate."
Wildlife was certainly something we always planned for, but I dreaded grappling with now. Kimball and Steve would be wildcards in those situations. Devin and I had hiked the Alpine Crest trail years ago. It ended on a lacy, snow-run-off waterfall that faded near the close of summer. Worth the hike, if you appreciated wild beauty. I had my doubts Kimball would care about it.
"We'll keep an eye out," I said to Neils, but sent a meaningful glance to Kimball. Kimball nodded with only a hint of reluctance. Unlikely he'd fight me on this point. Steve stirred again in the tent, and Neils glanced over as he stumbled out. His tousled hair and stubbled face lent an oddly dark appearance. He ignored all of us and headed toward the creek with a bumbling stride.
Neils turned back to me, a warning in his gaze. "Careful, Ellie. The predators are unusually agitated this spring. I don't want to answer a search and rescue call with your name on it."
I nodded. "Thanks Neils."
He gave a chin lift to Devin, sent one last, searching look to Kimball, who gazed away with a troubled expression on his face. With a wave of farewell, Neils turned and headed back toward the main trail again.
12
Devin
Kimball whistled while he hiked.
The high-pitched, incessant sound droned in my ear like a mosquito. Within an hour, I wanted to push him off the ridge we skirted. Then he began to walk next to Ellie as she broke our path across difficult terrain. Every now and then, he'd reach over and touch her. His grating charm and loud voice irritated my already sensitive nerves. At that point, Ireallywanted to get my hands on him.
When he didn't whistle, he chattered.
"Money is power," he said as he finished a particularly nauseating story about a successful business transaction, or something stupid like that. "The old saying is true. More is better."
