Base Nature (114 page)

“
A
.J.
’
s
c
o
mi
n
g,
L
iv,”
he whisp
ered
.
“
A
nd
that
can
’
t
b
e
j
u
st.
A
.J.
’
s
f
o
r
m
o
f
j
u
stice
is
r
a
re
ly
p
r
o
-w
o
lf. A
l
o
t
o
f
u
s think h
e’
s a wanna
b
e
h
u
man.”

She
m
o
v
e
d
b
ack
a
b
it
m
o
re
,
talking
s
o
ftly
in
h
e
r
sl
ee
p.
Bu
t
a
smile
c
ur
l
e
d
h
e
r
f
u
ll lips
a
nd
his h
e
a
r
t
ru
sh
e
d
with l
o
ve
f
o
r
h
er
.
G
a
rre
tt
f
e
lt
g
r
at
e
f
u
l
in
that instant.
H
e
r s
e
c
o
nd
shift had
bee
n
e
asi
e
r
f
o
r
h
e
r
than the
fi
r
st.
H
e’
d
n
o
tic
e
d
e
v
e
n
in the
cha
o
s.
I
t s
ee
m
e
d
L
iv
was
sp
e
cial
in
m
a
ny
wa
y
s.
She
m
i
ght
j
u
st
b
e
o
ne
o
f
the
l
u
cky
f
e
w
w
h
o acc
e
p
t
e
d
the
change
with
e
as
e
.
A
nd
p
o
w
er
.
Be
f
o
r
e
h
e’
d
chang
e
d
h
er
,
wh
e
n she
sl
e
pt
s
he c
r
i
ed
,
she
sc
re
am
ed
,
dre
am
e
d
h
o
rr
i
b
le
dre
ams
o
f
a
lways
be
ing
a
bre
ath
away f
r
o
m a
bu
s
e
.
N
o
w
s
he
sl
e
pt and
dre
am
e
d
p
e
ac
e
f
u
lly.
He
h
o
p
e
d
s
he
was
dre
aming
o
f him.

“
I’
ll
p
r
o
t
e
ct
y
o
u
,”
he sai
d
,
ki
s
sing
the
b
ack
o
f
h
e
r
n
e
ck
so
she
s
i
gh
ed
.
“I kn
o
w
y
o
u
d
o
n
’
t h
e
ar
me
bu
t
I
will.
Be
ca
u
se
i
f h
e’
s
h
ere
,
th
e
n
y
o
u’
ll n
ee
d
it.”

He
f
e
lt
s
ick
to
his st
o
mach, his h
e
ad
p
o
u
n
d
ing
with fatig
u
e
and
pain. He
n
eed
e
d
t
o g
e
t
h
o
me
and
g
e
t
f
o
o
d
and
wa
r
mth. He
n
eed
e
d
t
o
have
h
is
w
o
u
nd
l
o
o
k
e
d
at
and
he p
r
o
b
a
b
ly
n
eede
d
an
anti
b
i
o
tic.
He was
u
s
e
l
e
ss
t
o
L
iv
i
f
gang
re
ne
s
e
t
i
n
and he
f
u
cking kick
e
d
it.

“
T
h
e
y
’r
e
c
o
ming,”
L
iv
said in
h
e
r sl
ee
p.
H
e
r
br
o
w
w
r
in
k
l
e
d
with
w
o
rr
y
and
s
he f
r
o
wn
ed
.
“I
n
ee
d
h
im,” she
sai
d
.

G
a
rre
t
t
f
e
lt
h
is
s
t
o
mach
d
ip
l
ike
he
was falling. He
ki
s
s
e
d
h
e
r
s
h
o
u
l
der
.
“Y
o
u
h
ave him,” he
said
into
h
e
r
e
a
r
, h
o
pi
n
g that
s
he
h
e
a
rd
.
T
he
h
im
be
ing
h
i
m,
o
f c
o
ur
s
e
.

He
d
i
d
n
’
t
want
t
o
wake h
er
.
He
d
i
d
n
’
t
k
n
o
w
h
o
w
l
o
ng it
w
o
u
ld take the
o
th
er
s
to t
r
ack
th
e
m
to
this
plac
e
—n
o
t
l
o
ng
he s
e
ns
ed
—and
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
want
h
e
r sca
red
.
I
f
he
o
nly had a
f
e
w
min
u
t
e
s,
h
e’
d
r
ath
e
r
it
b
e
p
e
ac
e
f
u
l
f
o
r h
er
.
He
d
i
d
n
’
t
have
the st
re
ngth
t
o
ru
n
r
ight
n
o
w.
He was
man
e
n
o
u
gh
t
o
a
d
mit
it.
He was
wip
ed
.
H
i
s
b
o
d
y
was
c
o
ns
u
ming
e
v
er
y
o
u
nce
o
f
e
n
er
gy
to
t
r
y
to
cl
o
t the
b
l
e
e
d
ing
and
h
e
al
the
d
amag
e
.
S
hifting
so
o
ft
e
n and
b
a
re
ly
any f
o
o
d
had
m
a
d
e
matt
er
s
w
o
r
s
e
.