Taria8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03i34fyYxL 維尼
Pa woke me up by shaking my shoulder. In front of me he placed a cup of water, and some biscuits and cheese. My stomach grumbled at the sight of the food. Pa sat on the opposite of the fire, and slowly brought it back to life.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSiJhGiiAw 維尼
I sat up and stretched out my arms. Picking up a biscuit, I popped it into my mouth and sighed. Looking around the cave I noticed Kara was gone. She had clearly gone to find her own breakfast and would be back soon.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLV5thLKO2 維尼
“Was Kara gone when you woke?” I said.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxWxNw2n3t 維尼
Pa nodded. “Yes.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQY1mpXTMx 維尼
“Hopefully she will be back soon.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡulYQALDLgm 維尼
I rubbed at my sore shoulder as I ate. The pain was less but the throbbing didn’t seem like it was fading.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUC57L9k45 維尼
“Before we set off I’ll need to change your wrapping,” said Pa.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡhisrDnIIdk 維尼
“Okay,” I said.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IaGHPLDrn 維尼
We finished our breakfast and began to pack up the camp. Pa grabbed some fresh bandages from his saddle bag and called me over. Sitting beside him, we removed my coat and he unwound the bandage. With a wet bandage he gently wiped away the dry blood and examined my bullet wound.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXOR1ZWLCE 維尼
He frowned. “The bullet went through clean and not deep enough to cause any damage, but you’ll have a scar.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLGRNVL7aF 維尼
I sighed. “My first scar, the first of many most likely.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1Hma0c206 維尼
“Don’t be like that,” said Pa, “We might not have to fire another shot on this whole trip.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlcvvGxd2p 維尼
I snorted in disbelief.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HBKJLKlAv 維尼
Pa didn’t respond. He just wound up my arm in a fresh bandage before disposing of the dirty one in the fire.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡp157MBT9s8 維尼
***8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhAy1oqZlA 維尼
Packed and ready to go; it had almost been an hour since Pa and I had woken up, and Kara still hadn’t returned. Worry was beginning to fill me. What were Pa and I to do if she never came back? Would we simply go home or would Pa want to continue on? A small part of me prayed that she didn’t return. If I could go home and see Ma and Gean again, that would be perfectly fine with me. But my conscience had other ideas. I knew it would haunt me with the thought of how I could have helped save Kara and her kind. It would haunt me forever.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡUefF3d4wkj 維尼
Pa turned and looked at me from the cave opening. He rubbed the back of his head. “We should get moving.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3NAoesCte 維尼
“What about Kara?” I said.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZzuJgEaga 維尼
“She can catch up to us.” Pa picked up his saddle and placed it on his horses back. “When she returns and sees that we are gone, she will track us and catch up. We can’t afford to waste a whole day waiting for her to return.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8PQGIa4CN 維尼
I stood up and crossed my arms. “We have no idea where to go. Kara said that if we stray from the path we could get caught in all sorts of traps. And what if we got lost in these woods? We may never find our way out.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnEy77kqQZ 維尼
“Kara told us that we had to make it to the valley of the White Mountains. They are that way.” He pointed west. “If we keep on heading west then I’m sure that we will find where we need to go.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡlu3JkUrh5q 維尼
“What if Kara doesn’t find us?”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWOkwHQFJT 維尼
“When we reach the valley we can ask for someone’s help to find her.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡET9hjKO1CH 維尼
I didn’t like it, any of it. But it didn’t seem like I had a choice. Instead of fighting with Pa I walked over to my saddle. I attempted to lift it from the ground but couldn’t grip it. It landed with a thud.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bFSVtVIrI 維尼
Pa snorted with laughter. He walked over and said, “Probably best to let me do the heavy lifting while your arm heals.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7EhQMhjxA 維尼
I didn’t reply. I simply crossed my arms over my chest.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8V7M4YJNGf 維尼
Pa helped my mount Silver and wrapped a thick blanket around myself before he did the same. We left the cave and were hit by the morning chill on the mountains. Pa looked up the path. He said, “There is a clear path in-between the trees, I figure, if we stay between them then we will be on the path.” He looked over his shoulder at me. He seemed to want to know what I though.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxp4KCETJZ 維尼
I nodded.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMichzACqK 維尼
“Okay then.” Pa looked back forward and nudged his horse.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwLjL6BmtK 維尼
The storm from the night before had left the path with a deep fresh layer of snow. Our horses struggled to move at a decent pace, but our slowness allowed us to stay alert to anything around us. Pa seemed to have one hand on his rifles handle at all times. If he was a horse I would describe him as having his ears pricked. Nothing would escape his notice. I was more alert to the cold that was creeping in through the blanket. Keeping warm was a struggle but the longer we rode the colder I felt.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkcUSBok6I 維尼
Worry also built. Kara had yet to make any sort of appearance. There had been no sign that of her. Pa had tried to keep me reassured by he was failing.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWATBaFsXq 維尼
Around midday when the sun was shining bright in the sky, but producing little warmth, we stopped. Sitting on the stump of a tree we rested the horses and had some food.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQernzHdk4 維尼
Pa wrapped one arm around my shoulder. He said, “Everything is going will be fine, I promise.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4avR2XphU 維尼
“How do you know that?” I said.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0m7v9ePbyA 維尼
He smiled. “I know because I am your father, and I know everything.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPEfResaQC 維尼
I laughed. “Yeah, okay, sure.” I shoved him.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡNotZS87mZf 維尼
He joined my laughter.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡviUKGSzbHd 維尼
“Is it wrong of me to be scared?” I asked him.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7hIHusyHV 維尼
His laughter faded and he looked at me with warming eyes. “There is nothing wrong with being scared.” He squeezed my shoulder. “I would be more concerned if you weren’t. Being scared is what will keep you alive. Just trust your instincts.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2A3jtWHpoA 維尼
I wanted to roll my eyes. Trust my instincts? It was a complete cliché but I couldn’t doubt him; Pa had never led me wrong. “I don’t even know what I’m really afraid of,” I said, “I thought it was that I was leaving behind Ma and Gean, or leaving behind my normal life. I also thought that I'm scared of what I will have to do to help Kara and other familiars. But now I’m not so sure.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPQYZPxscY 維尼
Pa sat silently for a moment. He stood up and looked down at me. “No matter what it is that you fear, don’t let it control you. Don’t let it scare you away from what you want to do.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UrtGLsNXV 維尼
“Want?” The word made me angry. “I didn’t want any of this.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSdZ9BoZZ9 維尼
“I know you didn’t want any of this.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡh369Dx0OTt 維尼
“I didn’t want some animal to show up and just throw my whole life into chaos. I want to be at home with Ma and Gean. I want to be helping you prepare for the arrival of the next lot of cattle. I want this to be someone else’s responsibility. And I want someone else to be getting shot at.” Tears spilled down my cheeks.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgxhPBnBPy 維尼
Pa’s eyes filled with sadness. “I understand all that. I do. What I meant to say was that no matter what happens in the future, if you are in a situation and you are terrified, don’t let that stop you from doing what you have to do.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡYn7tdqIpqJ 維尼
I stood and wrapped my arms around his waist.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1BSkGnBZt 維尼
He bent down and kissed my head. “Because I know that no matter what you want to do, you will do the right thing.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡrL4lMAOtCJ 維尼
We stayed still for a little longer before I pulled back and wiped my face. I turned back to Silver and walked over to her. I stroked her nose, and said, “Let’s get going. We will need to find somewhere to camp before it gets dark.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNWB8B34jc 維尼
Pa agreed.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSNQRmtPlJ 維尼
We mounted our horses and continued down the path.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvsAPYllaW 維尼
***8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yzmr8wVU5 維尼
The road went from straight to turning in all sorts of directions. The trees, lining either side of the path, grew taller and taller; it wasn’t long before we couldn’t see through any of the leaves. Anyone or anything hidden within was invisible to our eyes. And Pa seemed to become even more alert the further we travelled.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7odwOBgSJE 維尼
We had just crossed a small bridge when we arrived at what I had feared we would run into, a crossroads. There were three choices to pick from and Pa turned and looked at me. He had no idea which to choose and neither did I. If we picked the wrong one we would end up who knows where. Possibilities of picking a road full of traps, or one that took us in the wrong direction were higher possibilities then us picking the correct root.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡHH60Dk2iMW 維尼
I pulled Silver to a stop right beside Pa. I said, “What are the chances, do you think, of us picking the right one?”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBbQDxtSSS 維尼
Pa’s brow furrowed. “One in three.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFdd1FpkpG 維尼
The temptation to roll my eyes at him was high, but instead I tried to pick a path. “You said that we should keep heading west. So, let’s go straight?”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡescbluDY16 維尼
“No,” said Pa.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlzPNCvG8W 維尼
“Why not?”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgmGknJPOT 維尼
“Because there is every possibility that the road could end up going in another direction, any of these could lead anywhere.” He was right.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mC0GrdtyR 維尼
Kara was still nowhere in sight. No sign of her anywhere. It meant that it was up to us. She was no help to us.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPLoPWe2JO 維尼
I dismounted Silver and held her reigns in my hand. I looked at the road leading to the north. The snow looked completely undisturbed. It had more snow sitting on the top than the other two. Clearly it was less travelled than the other two. Possibly it meant that those who lived in the mountains knew not to go that way, or someone was trying to trick travellers from going down there. The road that appeared to head east looked the most travelled. There were fresh tracks from a cart and horse that couldn’t have been more than a few hours old. And the path seemed to wider as well. Almost like someone had made it wider to fit more travellers along it. The road leading to the south didn’t appear to have many people travel down it. The trees along either side were thick but there were a few animal prints imbedded in the snow. The snow seemed to have been pushed to the middle to hide any trace of human or animal alike, and if you weren’t really looking you would probably not even think about going down there.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cStoX77g4 維尼
Looking down the third road I had this suddenly feeling that it was the road that we should take. I looked up at Pa who still sat on his horse. He was studying me.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PuxugmcAP 維尼
He said, “I know that look.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fXecWBONB 維尼
“What look?”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqL1p9f1Ep 維尼
He smiled. “It’s your ‘I know something’ look.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7j3USbCB1 維尼
“Your right,” I said, “I have this feeling that we should go that way.” I pointed down the third road.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFslRgImBP 維尼
Pa frowned. “Are you sure?”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWGFjDGkrE 維尼
I shrugged.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡztyglgGID4 維尼
“That’s not reassuring.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWXvGAfOgn 維尼
“I can’t explain it.” I moved around Silver and pulled myself back on her. My shoulder ached as I did so. Rubbing my shoulder, I nudged Silver in towards the road. “We need to take this road. I think it’s my instincts that are telling me.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUVXlNqTJo 維尼
Pa nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡhag2rIAENL 維尼
Moving forward Pa let me take the lead. All I could do was hope that my gut was right. If I was wrong, what we found down the road could lead to all sorts of trouble.8964 copyright protection457ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DWkiM37kl 維尼
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