Base Nature (16 page)

“
T
he
pack. I
k
n
o
w.
Bu
t
my
l
o
ss s
h
o
u
ld
h
a
ve
bee
n
pack l
o
s
s,” he
g
r
o
wl
ed
. “
I
t was.”

“
A
nd
th
er
e
was
no
call
f
o
r
re
p
e
r
c
u
ssi
o
ns
th
e
n?
M
y
f
u
t
ur
e
s
t
o
l
e
n
f
r
o
m
me
b
y
a single h
u
man
and th
er
e
c
o
u
ld
b
e
n
o
vin
d
icati
o
n?
N
o
j
u
stic
e
?”
His
v
o
ice
h
e
ld
s
o
m
u
ch ang
e
r
that
he
want
e
d
to
simply hang
u
p.
He
hat
e
d
talking to
K
e
lly
with
s
o
m
u
ch
r
age
i
n his
v
o
ice
bu
t
G
a
rre
t
t
kn
e
w that hangi
n
g
u
p
o
n h
e
r
w
o
u
ld
h
ur
t
h
e
r
m
o
r
e
than
h
is i
re
.

“
G
a
rre
t
t,
we
h
ad
y
o
u
ng
o
n
e
s
a
nd
we w
er
e
o
n
the
r
a
d
a
r
.
We c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
go a
r
o
u
nd
e
xacting
v
e
ng
e
anc
e
.
T
he
s
urr
o
u
n
d
ing
n
e
igh
b
o
r
s might
h
ave
tak
e
n
n
o
t
e
.
A
nd
we
can
’
t aff
o
r
d
a
s
h
o
w
d
o
wn
with
a
bu
nch
o
f
ig
n
o
r
ant
h
u
mans.
N
o
t
that
th
e
y
’r
e
all
ig
n
o
r
ant, mind y
o
u
.”
He c
o
u
ld
h
e
ar the
s
m
ile
bu
t
it
d
id no
g
oo
d
.
H
i
s
h
e
a
r
t
was
twisting,
bru
is
e
d and
b
l
oo
d
i
ed
,
it c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
m
u
ch han
d
le
this pa
r
tic
u
lar
c
o
nv
er
sati
o
n with g
r
ac
e
.

“
N
o
t
e
v
e
n
f
o
r a
w
r
o
n
gf
u
l
de
ath?
E
v
e
n
f
o
r a
de
ath
that
c
o
u
ld hav
e
—shit—sh
o
u
ld have
bee
n
a
v
o
i
ded
.
T
hat
m
a
n
was
a
dru
nk
and
he
had
two
h
u
nting
st
r
ik
e
s
o
n
his
re
c
o
rd
.
D
ru
nks
s
h
o
u
ld
n
o
t
b
e
o
u
t
dur
ing h
u
nting s
e
as
o
n.”

“
G
a
rre
t
t—”

“
A
nd
th
e
y
l
e
t it sli
d
e
be
ca
u
se
he
was
k
in to
the
sh
er
iff.
A
nd
what
w
a
s the
re
s
u
lt?” “
E
il
ee
n.”

“
M
y
kin,
K
e
lly.
M
y
kin
.
M
y
f
u
t
ur
e
wif
e
,
the
w
o
man
I
l
o
v
ed
,
the w
o
m
a
n
who
was
t
o
be
ar
my
y
o
u
n
g
o
n
e
s.
H
o
w
a
r
e
we
p
r
o
t
e
cting
the
y
o
u
ng
o
n
e
s
i
f
we
r
aise
th
e
m
to
b
e

timid
a
nd
w
e
ak?
I
f
we
l
e
t
the
h
u
mans
take
ou
t
ou
r
o
wn
and
d
o
n
o
t
h
ing,
n
o
t
hing
at
all, to
s
e
nd
the
m
e
ssage
that
it
’
s
n
o
t
o
k
ay.
T
hat
i
s
in
fact
w
ro
ng
!
”
T
he
last
w
o
rd
s
came
o
u
t in
a
g
re
at
bur
ning
bur
st
o
f
ai
r
.
His
face
was
h
o
t,
his
h
e
a
r
t
r
acing.
He f
e
lt
that
si
l
v
e
r
tight wi
r
e
o
f c
h
o
ic
e
.
He
c
o
u
ld
cha
n
ge
o
r
he
c
o
u
ld
g
e
t
c
o
nt
r
o
l
o
f hi
m
s
e
lf.

“
G
a
rre
t
t.
Sw
ee
t
b
o
y,” K
e
lly said
and
he
c
o
u
ld
t
e
ll
s
he
was c
r
ying.

“
I’
m
be
t
t
e
r
o
ff
al
o
n
e
,
K
e
lly.
G
i
ve
Ch
e
st
e
r
my
l
o
v
e
.
A
nd take
g
oo
d ca
r
e
o
f
y
o
ur
s
e
lf
be
ca
u
s
e
I
m
iss y
o
u
,” he
said
and
h
u
ng
u
p the
p
h
o
n
e
.

He
was
glad
he
had
h
u
n
g
u
p
s
o
ftly.
His
f
i
r
st
i
n
stinct
had
bee
n
to
dr
ive
the
o
l
de
r wall ph
o
ne
in
t
o
the
c
r
a
d
le
with
e
n
o
u
gh f
o
r
ce
t
o
p
u
sh
it
i
nto
the
wall. “
Bu
t that
w
o
u
l
d
n
’
t have
d
o
ne
a
ny
o
ne
any
g
oo
d
,
w
o
u
ld
it?”

He
p
u
t
h
i
s
h
e
ad
d
o
wn and
t
r
i
e
d
t
o
catch
his
bre
ath.
I
f
he
c
o
u
ld
simply
g
e
t
his p
u
lse
u
n
de
r
c
o
nt
r
o
l it
w
o
u
ld
b
e
fin
e
.
A
ll he
h
e
a
r
d
at fi
r
st
was
the
r
o
a
r
ing
o
f his
o
wn
b
l
o
o
d
in his
e
a
r
s.
T
h
e
n
the
tick
o
f
the
cl
o
ck.
T
h
e
n
the
f
e
w
h
e
a
r
ty
c
r
ick
e
ts
w
h
o
re
f
u
s
e
d
to
give
u
p th
e
ir
mat
i
ng
s
o
n
g
s
to
a
u
t
u
mn
’
s
chill.
A
nd
th
e
n
he h
e
a
r
d
the
s
o
ft
snif
f
le
and
whimp
e
r ca
rr
i
e
d
o
n a
bur
st
o
f
O
ct
o
be
r
win
d
.
T
he
dr
y
l
e
av
e
s
that cl
u
ng
to
the
tall
t
ree
s
i
n
h
i
s
ya
r
d alm
o
st
bur
i
e
d
the
s
o
u
nd
bu
t
h
e’
d
j
u
st
h
e
a
r
d it
o
n
the p
h
o
n
e
,
so h
i
s
al
re
a
d
y
k
ee
n
e
a
r
s w
er
e
t
u
n
e
d
to
its
m
o
ur
nf
u
l
nat
ure
.

L
iv
was
c
r
ying.
He
p
u
ll
e
d
the
b
ack
do
o
r
sh
u
t
as
he
h
urr
i
e
d
o
u
t
and
d
o
wn
the
r
ick
e
ty
p
o
r
ch
st
e
ps
that
de
sp
er
a
t
e
ly
n
ee
d
e
d
re
placing.
H
e’
d
h
a
ve
to
d
o
it fast
s
o
he c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
think
a
b
o
u
t
it.
T
hinki
n
g
a
b
o
u
t
it
w
o
u
ld
int
r
o
du
ce
l
o
gic,
l
o
gic w
o
u
ld
ru
le
it
o
u
t, h
e’
d
capit
u
late
t
o
g
oo
d s
e
nse
and
n
o
t
g
o
.
S
o
be
tt
e
r
t
o
h
urr
y
and
ou
t
r
ace
his
o
wn
g
o
o
d s
e
ns
e
.