Base Nature (117 page)

K
e
lly was fi
r
m
bu
t
re
main
e
d
re
s
er
v
ed
.
“
A
.J.?”

“
G
a
rre
t
t
’
s
bee
n
a th
o
r
n in the
hi
d
e
o
f the
pack f
o
r
a whil
e
. His c
o
n
stant
de
man
d
s f
o
r v
e
ng
e
anc
e
.
T
h
e
n he
l
e
av
e
s
to
l
ive
as a
l
o
ne
w
o
lf?
Be
ca
u
se
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
g
e
t his way.”

“He s
u
ff
er
e
d
a
g
re
at
l
o
ss,
A
.J.
A
ny
o
ne
o
f
u
s
w
o
u
ld
want
v
e
ng
e
anc
e
.
I
t
’
s
o
u
r nat
ur
e to
p
r
o
t
e
ct
and
s
ee
k
re
t
r
i
b
u
ti
o
n f
o
r
o
ur
s.”

“H
e’
s a w
e
ak
w
o
lf. H
e’
s
a fa
i
l
ure
.”

L
iv
f
e
lt
the
ang
e
r
bu
il
d
ing.
H
e
r
bre
ath
b
a
re
ly
sn
e
ak
e
d
past
h
i
s
g
r
ip
o
n
h
e
r
th
r
o
at.
G
a
rre
tt
flick
ered
,
the
lin
e
s
o
f
h
is
f
o
r
m
b
l
eed
ing
i
n
the
air
and th
e
n
he
was
th
ere
,
as
a man,
c
r
o
u
ch
e
d
l
o
w
o
n
the
g
r
o
u
n
d
.
P
al
e
,
d
i
r
ty,
b
l
e
e
d
ing.
“
W
hy
d
o
n
’
t
y
o
u t
e
ll
th
e
m
the t
ru
th?
Y
o
u
b
lame
me
f
o
r
E
il
ee
n
’
s
de
ath.”

K
e
lly
l
o
o
k
e
d
c
o
nf
u
s
e
d
and
o
u
t
o
f
the c
o
r
n
e
r
o
f
h
e
r
e
y
e
,
L
iv
ca
u
ght
the shimm
e
r
o
f Ch
e
st
e
r
s
hifting
b
ack
to
h
u
man
f
o
r
m
a
l
s
o
.
She w
o
n
dered
,
in
a
h
alf
hyst
er
ical
way,
h
o
w l
o
n
g it w
o
u
ld
t
a
ke
h
e
r
t
o
g
e
t
u
s
e
d
t
o
all th
e
se
nak
e
d
p
e
o
pl
e
.

“What
’
s
he m
e
an?”
Ch
e
st
e
r
ask
ed
.
He
m
o
v
e
d
f
o
r
wa
r
d
s
l
o
wly.
T
he
st
a
n
d
-
o
ff
v
er
y m
u
ch
a
h
o
stile
h
o
stage
sit
u
ati
o
n.
E
v
er
y
o
ne
m
o
v
e
d
a
r
o
u
nd
th
e
m
with g
re
at
ca
r
e
which
u
ps
e
t
h
e
r
e
v
e
n
m
o
re
.
H
o
w
d
ang
er
o
u
s
was this m
a
n?
O
r
h
o
w a
n
g
r
y?

A
.J.
w
e
nt
ta
u
t
be
hind
h
er
.
His
g
r
ip
re
l
e
as
e
d
j
u
st
a
b
it
and
L
iv s
u
ck
e
d
in a
g
re
at
bre
ath.
S
he
c
o
u
ld
taste
the
w
e
t
e
a
r
th,
g
r
ass and
h
o
stility
o
n
h
e
r
t
o
n
g
ue
.

“I m
e
an,”
G
a
rre
tt
s
a
i
d
,
still
c
r
o
u
ching,
“that
he want
e
d
h
er
.
He ha
r
ass
e
d
h
e
r
a
nd w
o
o
e
d
h
e
r
and
she
w
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
l
e
ave
m
e
. She
l
o
v
e
d
me
and
he
c
o
u
ld
n
e
v
e
r
stand
that.”

“
G
a
rre
t
t,
y
o
u
h
ave
cl
e
a
r
ly
l
o
st
y
o
u
r
min
d
,”
A
.J.
sai
d
.
Bu
t
his
b
o
d
y
la
n
g
u
age
said that
G
a
rre
tt
had
p
u
sh
e
d
a
bu
tt
o
n.
L
iv f
e
lt
the
knife
p
u
ll
b
ack a
b
it.

“Did y
o
u t
r
y
to
take
his
mat
e
?
I
s
that
t
rue
?”
T
he
a
n
g
e
r
i
n
K
e
lly
’
s
v
o
ice
was
a
ud
i
b
l
e
. H
e
r
face
fl
u
sh
e
d
red
,
s
he
s
h
o
o
k h
e
r
h
e
a
d
.
“
Go
dd
ammit,
A
.J.,
h
o
w c
o
u
ld
y
o
u
d
o
that?”

“I
w
o
u
ld
n
e
v
e
r
d
o
that
!
”

T
he
knife
s
agg
e
d
a
little
m
o
r
e
and
L
iv
’
s
b
o
d
y
w
e
nt
t
o
wa
r
.
T
he
w
o
lf
in
h
e
r
ur
ging h
e
r
to
cha
n
ge
to
h
e
r
b
ase
nat
ure
.
Pr
o
dd
ing
h
e
r
t
o
shift
so she
c
o
u
ld
b
e
in
c
o
nt
r
o
l,
have m
o
r
e
a
d
vantag
e
.
T
he h
u
man
pa
r
t
o
f
h
e
r
f
e
a
r
e
d
the
b
la
d
e
and
what
w
o
u
ld
happ
e
n
if
s
he t
r
i
ed
.
A
ll
h
e
ll c
o
u
ld
bre
ak
l
oo
se
a
nd
she
c
o
u
ld
m
a
ke
things w
o
r
se
f
o
r
G
a
rre
tt
and
the
re
st.