Base Nature (116 page)

“
A
.J.
!
”

“Sh
u
t
u
p,
K
e
lly.
I
s he
d
ying?”

K
e
lly
and Ch
e
st
e
r
b
o
th
ru
sh
e
d
f
o
r
wa
rd
.
“We
n
ee
d
to
g
e
t
him
b
ack
and cl
e
an
e
d
u
p. D
o
c
V
erd
e
can l
o
o
k him
o
v
e
r
an
d
—”

“
Le
t
’
s
all
g
o
th
e
n. W
e’
ll
h
e
ad
b
ack
t
o
the
fa
r
m.
I’
ve
g
o
t his mate
h
ere
,
I’
ll
take
h
er
. Y
o
u
take
G
a
rre
tt.”

“
A
.J., y
o
u’
ll take
that gi
r
l
o
v
e
r
m
y
de
ad
b
o
—”

“
E
l
e
ct
e
d
j
u
stice
e
nf
o
r
c
er
,”
he
s
ai
d
.
“
N
o
w
why
w
o
u
ld
y
o
u
d
o
ub
t
m
e
?
P
l
u
s,
I w
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
ha
r
m
h
er
.
T
hat
w
o
u
ld make
me
n
o
be
t
t
e
r
than
h
e
r
and sh
e’
s
a
k
ill
er
.
Are
n
’
t y
o
u
,
d
o
ll?”

She snapp
e
d
at
him
ag
a
in,
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
ro
lling
wil
d
ly
f
r
o
m
h
im,
to
G
a
rre
tt
and
b
ack again.
“
T
hat
j
u
st
n
e
v
e
r
g
e
ts
o
l
d
,”
A
.J.
said and t
ur
n
e
d
h
e
r
r
o
u
g
h
ly.
She
w
a
s
w
r
app
e
d
in n
o
th
i
ng
bu
t
a
filthy
b
lank
e
t
and he
was
b
a
re
.
G
e
tting
b
ack
to
the v
e
hicl
e
s
w
o
u
ld
b
e
f
u
n
bu
t
th
e
y
’
d
make
d
o
.
W
o
l
v
e
s
alw
a
ys
ha
d
.
“W
e’
ll
b
e
o
u
tsi
d
e
waiti
n
g.
Y
o
u s
e
e
a
b
o
u
t
him. D
o
n
’
t
take
t
o
o
l
o
ng,
t
h
o
u
gh. Y
o
u
w
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
want me
to
g
e
t
b
o
red
.
C
o
me
o
n, sw
ee
th
e
a
r
t.
Le
t
’
s
s
e
e
y
o
u
ma
r
ch like
a g
o
o
d
little
p
r
is
o
n
er
.”

He
h
u
stl
e
d
h
e
r
o
u
t
as
L
iv
d
id
e
v
er
ything
within h
e
r
p
o
w
e
r
to
h
alt
his p
r
o
g
re
ss.
“
I
f y
o
u
make
m
e
,
I’
ll
pick
y
o
u
u
p
and
sling
y
o
u
o
v
e
r
my
s
h
o
u
l
de
r
l
i
ke
a
sack
o
f
d
i
r
ty

cl
o
th
e
s. Do
y
o
u
want that?”

“
N
o
,” she
said
f
r
o
m
be
tw
e
e
n
cl
e
nch
e
d
t
ee
th.
“
T
h
e
n kn
o
ck it
o
ff and
walk.”

A
.J.
h
ad
j
u
st
g
o
tt
e
n
ou
tsi
de
,
p
u
shi
n
g
h
e
r
in g
re
at
st
a
gg
er
ing
st
e
ps
ac
r
o
ss the
f
r
o
nt lawn,
wh
e
n
G
a
rre
tt
came c
r
ashing
o
u
t
o
f
the s
e
c
o
n
d
-st
o
r
y
win
d
o
w.
Sna
r
l
e
d
f
ur
,
b
a
re
d t
ee
th,
w
e
ak
e
n
e
d
bu
t
int
e
nt.
He
was
o
ff
the
r
oo
f
in
a
l
e
ap
and had
A
.J.
b
ack
e
d
to
a
t
re
e
in no
tim
e
.

“S
ee
,
I
k
n
o
w
y
o
u’r
e
ang
r
y,
G
a
rre
tt.
I
k
n
o
w
y
o
u
a
re
.
Bu
t
I
h
ave
h
e
r
and
in
o
rde
r
to fight
y
o
u
I have
to
shift.
A
nd
I’
m
n
o
t
s
hifting.
Be
ca
u
s
e
s
hifting
m
e
ans
l
e
tting
g
o
o
f p
r
inc
e
ss
h
ere
,
and
p
r
inc
e
ss
is a ki
l
l
er
.
A
m
urde
r
er
.”

G
a
rre
t
t,
r
o
a
red
,
stalki
n
g
f
o
r
wa
rd
,
h
e
ad
and
n
e
ck
c
r
aning
t
o
wa
r
d
A
.J.
f
o
r
a
w
e
ak sp
o
t.

“
S
o
I
can
’
t shift.
Bu
t
I
s
ur
e
as h
e
ll can take
h
e
r
f
ro
m y
o
u
. W
o
u
ld
y
o
u
l
i
ke
that?”
G
a
rre
t
t
f
r
o
z
e
,
t
ee
th
b
a
red
,
bre
ath
r
agg
ed
.
K
e
lly
and
Ch
e
st
e
r
h
it
the
f
r
o
nt
p
o
r
ch

^{al
re
a
d
y
chang
ed
.
T
h
re
e
w
o
lv
e
s to
o
ne
m
a
n and
a captiv
e
.
A
.J.
d
i
d
n
’
t
m
ind
t
h
o
se
o
dd
s.}

He p
u
sh
e
d
the
s
h
o
r
t
silv
e
r
k
nife
t
o
L
iv
’
s
th
r
o
at
and she y
e
lp
ed
.
T
he m
e
tal
i
rr
itating h
e
r
sk
i
n
alm
o
st
i
nstantly.
T
he th
re
at
o
f
v
i
o
l
e
nce
t
o
o
re
al
al
re
a
d
y
aft
e
r
cha
n
ging.
She was still
o
ff.

She
was a
w
e
ak
o
n
e
,
he
t
h
o
u
ght.
O
r
she
h
ad
bee
n.
He
p
u
sh
e
d
a
little
ha
rde
r
j
u
st
t
o make
his p
o
i
nt.

G
a
rre
t
t
g
r
o
wl
ed
,
a
d
vanci
n
g
o
ne
st
e
p
as K
e
lly and
Ch
e
st
e
r
sl
u
nk cl
o
s
er
. “S
ee
,
what we
have
h
ere
,”
A
.J. said
s
o
ft
l
y, “is a stan
d
-
o
ff.”

*
*
*
*
*

O
ld
W
o
u
n
d
s

“
A
.J.,
y
o
u
do
n
’
t
want
to
d
o
this.”
K
e
lly
a
d
vanc
ed
,
b
a
re
f
oo
t,
nak
ed
,
in h
e
r
plaintiv
e
, v
er
y
h
u
man
f
o
r
m.
Pr
o
vi
n
g h
e
r
v
u
ln
er
a
b
ility.

L
iv
wait
ed
,
h
e
a
r
t
p
o
u
n
d
ing.
I
t
was
G
a
rre
tt
she was
w
o
rr
i
e
d
a
b
o
u
t.
He s
ee
m
e
d
u
nsta
b
l
e
.
I
nj
ur
e
d
and ang
r
y,
he pant
e
d
way
t
o
o
ha
rd
.
His
f
u
r was
m
u
ss
ed
,
e
y
e
s
m
il
d
ly fix
ed
.
He was
w
o
r
se
th
a
n
h
e’
d
l
e
t
o
n
and she
f
e
lt
h
e
r
ang
e
r g
r
o
w.
Who
w
a
s
this
man
to k
ee
p
h
e
r
captiv
e
?
W
ho
was
he
t
o
th
re
at
e
n
what was
h
er
s?
W
h
o
e
v
e
r
he
was, he
was
i
n
a p
o
sit
i
o
n wh
er
e
o
th
er
s
wa
t
ch
e
d
th
e
ir
be
havi
o
r
.