This choice: "We aren't alone - there's a child out here, along with a bear." • Go Back... "We're not alone," said John. "There's a child out here, feral, most likely not even ten years of age." He stood up. "More importantly though, there's a bear nearby, stalking the kid."
"Okay, then let's go back to the farm," said Argyle.
"Not yet," said John. "We need to save the kid from the bear, if possible."
"Save a child, and their herd will give you some supplies if you ask for it, maybe even let you mate with one or more of their females," said John, as he started following the tracks. "If you're real lucky, they'll let you join their herd, without you being a trailer."
"What's a trailer?" Argyle asked, following him.
"Basically, someone that's allowed to follow the herd, but isn't part of it," said John, as he double-checked the tracks. "Some are eventually allowed to join, and others are never allowed." He looked at Argyle. "The Herd Leader says if a trailer can join the herd, simply by allowing them to join the rest for a group meal, offering them some of the food themselves. Be polite to them, as well as the rest of the herd in general. Harm a member of their herd though, without a good reason, expect to end up dead."
"Personal experience?" Argyle asked.
"I was a trailer," said John. "I wasn't born to the Wrangler herd, I was allowed to join them. My parents had been killed by Marcus's goons, and I was alone. It was Bella that invited me to join the rest. There's only two days I'd ever been happier - the day she asked me to be her mate, and the day she told me that she was expecting our child." He looked at the tracks again. "You have no idea how badly I long to see them again. My son would be 17 by now, almost a man."
There was a sound.
"We must hurry."
They started moving as fast as they could, Argyle helping John along.
They soon came to a spot, when John told Argyle to stop. There the bear was, having chased the child up a sturdy tree, trying to shove the tree down.
"Must be pretty hungry," said John. "About to give it the taste of something else. I'll distract the bear, you take the kid back to the farm. Hopefully their parents are just as good at tracking as me and Robert are. Make sure that Robert knows that the kid is a Guest, and not a stray or some such thing. If the kid is able to identify those after them as friends, the child is to be let free, and just maybe, they can talk to their Herd Leader about having you join them."
John then look another look at the child, and realized that.... You have the following choices: 1. The child, a girl, looked a lot like Bella, with some of him thrown in - Sally 2. The child, a girl, looked like they were injured3. The child, a boy, looked like they were injured4. The child, a girl, was on a branch that was about to break.5. The child, a boy, was on a branch that was about to break. indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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