Base Nature (92 page)

“Y
e
s,
h
o
n
e
y,
y
o
u
d
i
d
.
Ar
e
y
o
u
o
kay?” She
h
u
nk
ere
d
d
o
wn, l
o
o
king
L
iv
o
v
e
r
f
o
r ma
r
ks
o
r
w
o
u
n
d
s. She
bru
sh
e
d
h
e
r
hair
o
u
t
o
f h
e
r
face
and
smil
ed
.
“
I
t will
b
e
fin
e
.”

“I
d
id
that?”
Bu
t
e
v
e
n
as
s
he
s
a
id
it,
she kn
e
w
she was
st
u
nn
e
d
bu
t
n
o
t
s
o
rr
y.
N
o
t s
o
rr
y
as
she had
e
xp
e
c
t
e
d
o
f
h
er
s
e
lf.
I
t
had
bee
n
nic
e
,
t
h
o
u
gh
p
o
s
si
b
ly
w
r
o
ng,
to
e
x
er
ci
s
e
h
e
r
p
o
w
e
r
o
v
e
r
K
e
vin.
Bu
t
she had
d
o
ne it.
F
o
r
o
nc
e
,
she had
bee
n
the
o
ne with the
u
pp
e
r
han
d
.

T
he
g
r
ay
w
o
lf
that
was
G
a
rre
tt
came
f
lying
o
u
t
o
f
the
w
oo
d
s,
lan
d
ing
b
y
h
e
r
si
de
.

“
G
a
rre
tt?”
She
t
ur
n
e
d
to
K
e
lly.
“
I
s
that
h
im?”
L
iv
f
e
lt
a
s
o
b
ru
sh
u
p
in
h
e
r
th
r
o
at
and c
u
t
o
ff h
e
r
ai
r
.

K
e
lly
n
o
dded
,
tsking
as
s
he
patt
e
d
his
n
o
s
e
.
“He
was
s
h
o
t,
L
iv,
bu
t
n
o
t
kill
ed
.”
T
h
e
n to
G
a
rre
tt,
“Y
o
u
a
r
e
a
t
err
i
b
le
list
e
n
er
,
G
a
rre
tt
G
u
stafs
o
n. Did
y
o
u
n
o
t
u
n
der
stand that
shift
i
ng
c
o
u
ld
m
ake
y
o
u w
e
ak
er
?
K
ee
p
y
o
u f
r
o
m
h
e
ali
n
g
p
r
o
p
er
ly?”
She
swa
t
t
e
d him
o
n the
m
u
zzl
e
, cl
e
a
r
ly
t
r
ying to
i
gn
o
r
e
the
c
o
r
ps
e
.

G
a
rre
t
t
g
r
o
wl
e
d
at
h
e
r and
s
he
whapp
e
d
him
a
gain.
“
D
o
n
’
t
y
o
u g
r
o
wl
at
m
e
,
b
o
y
!
” K
e
lly
w
a
s the
o
ne
in cha
r
g
e
, that was
o
b
vi
o
u
s.
L
iv sta
re
d
at h
er
,
sta
r
ting to
s
hake
f
ro
m c
o
l
d
, a
dre
naline
a
nd
the
chang
e
. “H-h
e’
s
al
i
v
e
?”

“H
e’
s aliv
e
.
Bu
t
he
is
de
a
d
.”
She
sh
u
t K
e
vin
’
s
e
y
e
s with shak
i
ng fing
er
s. “
O
h
h
o
n
e
y, why?”

L
iv
t
ur
n
e
d
and
G
a
rre
tt
h
u
nk
ere
d
d
o
wn
in
f
r
o
nt
o
f
h
e
r
in
h
u
man
f
o
r
m.
“
I
t
’
s
my fa
u
lt,
K
e
lly.”

“
T
h
e
y
’
ll
w
a
nt
a
nsw
er
s
f
o
r
this.”

“
I
t
was
j
u
stifi
ed
.
She
was
n
e
w
and
a
l
o
ne
and
he was
an
agg
re
ssive
f
o
r
ce
with
a hist
o
r
y
o
f v
i
o
l
e
nc
e
.”

“
Bu
t
it
’
s
still a
de
ath
o
n
o
u
r
h
an
d
s.
I
n
ou
r
camp.
We
a
r
e
m
o
r
e
than
y
o
u
and
h
er
,
G
a
rre
tt.”
She
s
t
oo
d
,
h
e
r
m
u
sc
u
lar
f
o
r
m
sm
e
a
re
d
with
m
u
d
and
wa
te
r
and l
e
av
e
s.
L
iv wa
t
ch
e
d
h
er
,
f
ee
ling
n
u
mb and sca
re
d
a
l
l
o
v
e
r
a
gain.
T
h
is
f
e
ar
was
d
iff
ere
nt.
T
his
was the
f
e
ar
o
f
be
ing
p
u
nish
e
d
j
u
stly.

“I
kn
e
w what I
was
d
o
i
ng,” she
said
to
no
o
n
e
. “H
u
sh,
L
iv,”
G
a
rre
tt
sai
d
, p
u
lling h
e
r
c
l
o
s
e
.

She sta
re
d
at
the sh
r
ink
i
ng,
r
agg
e
d
h
o
le
i
n
his
ch
e
st.
B
l
oo
d still
o
o
z
e
d
bu
t
the fast f
re
sh
e
t
w
a
s g
o
n
e
. “Y
o
u’r
e
de
a
d
,”
she
s
o
bbed
.
“I
t
h
o
u
ght y
o
u
w
er
e
de
a
d
.”

“
I
t
w
o
u
ld
t
a
ke
m
o
r
e
than
that
to
kill
o
ne
o
f
u
s.
E
sp
e
cially
bre
d
w
o
lv
e
s.
Y
o
u
might
b
e
e
asi
e
r
to
kill that way
bu
t n
o
t
u
s.”

“
Y
o
u
w
er
e
de
a
d
,”
she said
t
o
G
a
rre
tt
again,
p
u
shing
the flat
o
f
h
e
r palm
to
his
w
e
t ch
e
st.
His skin was
m
i
l
d
ly
c
o
o
l
f
ro
m
the
r
ain
bu
t
h
e
at
still came
o
ff him,
h
e
ating
h
e
r
e
n
o
u
gh so
that
s
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
s
hiv
er
.