Female Prey & the Elusive Prey (2 page)

She sat down on an old fallen tree trunk to think things over. Not all that long ago she was sure that it would have to happen soon. She’d also had the feeling she was being watched, though she didn’t have it at this particular moment. She looked at the spot she’d picked for her campsite tonight. It was obviously a good spot. And, if it was obvious to her, it would be just as obvious to anyone else with a similar map. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment. It was the perfect place for them…whoever they were…to intercept her. She shivered, not entirely unpleasantly. Well, that
was
kind of the point of her going out into the woods alone, wasn’t it? Still…why make it easy for them? She stood up and began to pace back and forth, every so often looking up the trail she’d been ready to follow. Now it smelled like a trap. She could still walk into it…but…somehow it wouldn’t be as much fun. Was fun the right word here? She shook her head as if to clear it. She wanted an adventure, dammit.

So…what to do? The first thing that came to her mind was to follow one of those ravines down towards the lake. Going downhill would be easier, and near the lake the ground looked to be more even. It would take more time to get to the “Safe Zone” that way even so. Food would run a bit short. She patted the survival knife she carried at her belt. Inside the hollow handle was some fishing line and a few hooks. She didn’t really need them, though. She could catch fish without them. Yes, the lake would be ideal. So, she’d have to go uphill. She looked up at the mountain and grinned. She’d hiked in much rougher places.

He was still uncomfortably soggy when he came to the spot where she’d stopped for a bit, then seemed to have walked back and forth for a while before setting out on the trail again. Her footprints were easily visible in the still-damp earth. He was a bit puzzled. There didn’t seem to be any reason for her to do that. Maybe she was trying to work out a cramp?

He shrugged. It wasn’t that important anyway. He set off along the trail again, grinning in anticipation of the night to come. It took him some time to realize he’d been had. He took out his radio and called Lloyd and Kurt.

“Yeah?” Kurt sounded tired and testy.

“Any sign of her yet?” he asked.

“Not yet.” Kurt replied. “Why?”

“Doesn’t she seem to be running a bit late?”

“Well, yeah…” Kurt agreed. “You have her in sight?”

“Nope.” He answered. “She went off the trail someplace back. I have to go find out where. Lloyd with you?’

“About a half-mile away now.”

“Okay. The two of you wait there until you hear from me. She might double back yet.”

As he clicked off the radio, he grinned to himself. It looked like the elf-girl wanted to make them work for her. That was fine by him. He always liked it when they did that. Nothing in the world beat hunting down human prey. Mentally, though, he was kicking himself for simply assuming she’d stick to the trail and not bothering to look for her tracks. Well, she’d fooled him that once. He retraced his steps, looking for her tracks. He had to go all the way back to the last ravine he’d crossed and recross it. Her tracks were there on that side, all right, but they didn’t come out on the other. She’d gone along the ravine, then, where it was too rocky for tracks. He looked uphill and down, trying to see some clue as to the direction she’d taken. No luck. Okay…which way would she go?

He wished he had a bit more information to go on than the little in her file. It didn’t tell him much about her. He sat down on a boulder that the stream in the ravine had half-excavated to do some thinking. He hadn’t been expecting her to do this. She had, though, which meant there was a bit more to her than he’d first allowed. He almost regretted not grabbing her earlier as she pranced in the rain, but she was giving them a more interesting game to play.

Downhill? Well, maybe. The ground got a lot easier close to the lake, but the underbrush was a lot thicker there too. He looked up the ravine. It was rocky, very tough going, and the stream was starting to rise as the rain began draining down the mountain’s flanks. He clicked on the radio.

“Hey, Kurt…”

“Yeah?”

“Lloyd there yet?”

“He’s here.” Kurt replied.

“Okay, look. I’m at a ravine. She went into it, but didn’t come out. She can only go up or downhill. One of you head down towards the lake, keep an eye out for her there. I’m going uphill.”

“You think she went up?” Kurt asked.

“Not sure.” He answered. “She might have gone a little ways just to throw us off. I think she’s going to try to beat us to the Safe Zone, whichever way she went. So one of you has to stay put, in case she tries to get back on the trail.”

“Okay…which one of us goes, which one stays?”

“I don’t care. Figure it out yourselves. I’ll call in if I pick up her trail.”

“Roger that.” Kurt acknowledged. “I like it when they run.”

He clicked off the radio and stored it away. That climb looked rugged. He hoped she didn’t break a leg or something before they caught up to her. He stood and began trudging up the ravine.

Kimberley noted how fast the water was rising, and decided it might be a good idea to get up out of this thing and just walk alongside it. She looked around for a way out, and spotted a smaller gully that fed into the ravine. That ought to do.

It was trickier going than she’d expected. The bed of the gully was mostly loose rocks that threatened to shift under her weight, and in the end it took maybe half an hour to climb out onto more level ground. She was breathing heavily when she was done, but at least now she was safe from being swept away by the water. It was rushing through the ravine now with a constant hissing roar. The soil must not be very deep to get so much runoff so quickly, she noted. She struck out upslope, keeping the ravine to her left. Trees and underbrush sometimes forced her away from it for a while, but she could always find it again just by going towards the noise. She grinned to herself. They’d have to work pretty hard to find her now.

The water was getting too high and too fast, and he had to haul himself out of the ravine by some exposed tree roots and handy vines. Standing on the edge, he looked down at the water surging by and hoped she hadn’t gotten caught in it. He doubted she had, but if she’d gotten out on the other side it was going to be damned hard to spot her tracks from over here. Still, if she went up far enough, she’d strike the upper trail, and probably follow it for a while at least. Since it wasn’t shown on her map, she wouldn’t be sure just where it finally led to. Shrugging his backpack into a more comfortable position, he moved uphill. It would be getting dark soon. Maybe he’d be lucky enough to stumble across her camp before it got too dark. He’d settle for picking up her trail.

Kimberley was feeling rather pleased with herself. She’d hiked a long way today, much of it over rough ground. She felt a bit tired now, but the good kind of tired you get from pushing yourself physically. Still...it was getting darker, and soon it would be too dark to see things she might walk into or trip over. It was time to make camp for the night.

Some time ago, one of the taller trees had toppled over, the result of wind or age and death. The opening it left in the canopy above had given a number of small pines the chance to grow. They were pretty thickly clustered, and offered plenty of cover. She eased in between them, finding a spot just big enough for her to unroll her sleeping bag. This would be perfect.

She shucked off her backpack, wincing a little as various muscles announced they had cramps, and propped it up against one of the pines. In a few practiced minutes, she had the sleeping bag laid out. She sat down gratefully on it and began to unlace her hiking boots when she paused. What if they came across her during the night? She’d need the boots for running. But, somehow, the thought of sleeping in her rather muddy boots was distasteful. If nothing else, they’d get the inside of the sleeping bag dirty. She shrugged. If they could find her in this cover in the dark, being able to run probably wouldn’t help her much. She unlaced the boots and placed them carefully close to hand, so she could find them in the dark. Her socks she kept on. It felt like it was going to be a cold night, and she’d welcome any little extra insulation she could get. The last thing she did before climbing into the bag was retrieve her canteen and some food from her backpack. She wouldn’t risk a fire tonight.

He’d been searching the ground carefully as he moved uphill, looking for any sign that elf-girl had been this way. It slowed him down, but if he came across her trail he was sure he could catch up to her in time. Meantime, until he did find her trail speed meant nothing.

It was almost too dark to see when he came across what he’d been looking for. There in a patch of bare ground were three distinct bootprints, heading uphill. They looked fresh, they looked like hers, and in any case, who else would be out here now? He couldn’t tell how long ago they’d been made. Could be a few minutes, could be a few hours. But she was definitely heading upslope, and would probably find the upper trail some time tomorrow morning. He took out his radio. It only had enough range to reach whoever had stayed put on the trail, but that ought to be enough. Once he’d made his report he could think about where to sack out for the night. All he had for sleeping was a blanket roll, but that would be enough. When he was still in the Rangers, often he’d had to manage with a lot less.

Zippered snugly into her sleeping bag, Kimberley slept very soundly, untroubled by dreams.

Chapter Two

Day Four

Kimberley awoke at sunrise. She always did whenever she was camping, and she thought it was funny. Given a soft bed, she always overslept, and never felt as rested as she did after a night sleeping on hard ground. Before she got up, she listened carefully for sounds of anyone nearby. She heard nothing but birds and the wind whispering through the trees.

She unzipped the sleeping bag and stood up, stretching and yawning hugely. The sky was clear and blue, the air clean and pine-scented. Now, she thought with a chuckle, if only there were a nice bathroom handy.

She was packed up and back on the trail within fifteen minutes. One thing about roughing it: You were never inclined to linger over the same things you would back in civilization. As she hiked, she munched on a trail bar. It was better than nothing, but she sorely missed her usual cup of hot coffee. She had a bag of instant coffee in her backpack, but she hadn’t dared to light a fire. She knew how far the smell of wood smoke could carry. Maybe this afternoon she could risk a small fire for a hot lunch. She’d have to have at least one hot meal today, and a fire at night could not only be smelled, but seen from some distance away.

It was kind of exciting, being hunted. She had a sharp appreciation of what would happen to her if and when they caught her, and that was exciting too…if a bit scary. She grinned to herself. It was the scary part of it that helped to keep her moving.

He stood up, trying to work the kinks out of his neck. It looked like a nice clear day, and he ought to be able to pick up her trail without too much trouble. She’d surprised him so far, first in leaving the trail, and then in being able to cover so much ground. Somehow he’d never thought of an archaeologist as being an outdoor type. Oh, well. He used the radio once to contact Kurt, who’d stayed where they’d originally planned to intercept her, and found out that he’d relayed last night’s message to Lloyd, who was working his way back to that spot now. Once he arrived, Kurt could start uphill towards the upper trail. With any luck they could sandwich her today.

With any luck…he was sure she wouldn’t be easy to catch, luck or not. He shouldered his backpack and set off to pick up her trail. Starting with the footprints he’d found just before nightfall, he moved upslope, scanning the ground for any additional clues. Within twenty minutes he found where she’d camped last night, and it was a bit annoying to discover she’d been so close by. Elf-girl was elusive. He began trailing her again.

Her watch said it was time for a rest halt, and she was glad to take it. Her backpack was lighter than it had been when she started out all those days ago, but it was still a hefty weight to be carrying uphill. She sat on the trunk of a fallen tree and took a drink from her canteen. It was getting close to empty. She’d have to refill it soon, and the only source of water she knew of nearby was that ravine. The water was still running through it too swiftly for her to risk going down into it just to fill her canteen. Maybe further uphill, and later in the day, the runoff would have gone down enough for it to be safe. She huffed a bit from the effort it had taken to get here. The further up she went, the steeper the slope seemed to get. At some point she’d have to start heading west again, but that would mean striking out through the woods with no guidemarks, except for the few times she could see the mountain through the trees. She had a compass, but didn’t entirely trust it. Up in the mountains there were too many things that could make that little needle move off of true north. The last thing she wanted was to start wandering in circles while her pursuers closed in.

It really was a beautiful day. Yesterday’s storm had washed all the dust out of the air, and the cooler temperatures that had followed were a welcome relief from the heat of the previous days. She didn’t know how long that would last, but she was grateful for it now.

Her five minutes were up. She walked a bit wearily uphill, guided by the sound of rushing water in the ravine to her left.

Normally, he’d be taking rest halts every so often, but he was trying to catch up with a young woman who was apparently in great physical shape, so he had to press on. The slope grew steeper the closer you got to the mountain itself, and he hoped it was slowing her down as much as it was him. At one point, he picked out a small, straight sapling and in a few minutes had made himself a walking stick, using his small axe. Maybe the help such a thing gave was mostly psychological, but he was glad to have it. He’d been able to pick up her tracks every so often, and soon realized that she was moving more or less parallel to the ravine. Was that on purpose? He rather thought so. She seemed to be at home in the woods, and keeping the ravine as a guide would keep her from getting lost. She ought to be getting very close to the upper trail now. If she took it, he could catch up with her more easily, he was sure…well, almost sure. He was developing a grudging admiration for elf-girl. When they finally captured her he was sure she’d still be a challenge. That was fine with him. He grinned wolfishly.