Base Nature (118 page)

“H
e’
s
a
lia
r
,”
A
.J.
said
bu
t
h
i
s
v
o
ice said
he was
l
ying.
His
h
an
d
s
sh
o
o
k
with
b
a
re
ly s
u
pp
re
ss
e
d
r
age
and th
o
ug
h
the
k
n
ife
hand f
e
ll
b
ack
a
b
it,
his
o
th
e
r
a
r
m
a
r
o
u
nd
h
e
r waist
be
came
a v
i
s
e
.

“
G
a
rre
t
t
s
h
o
u
ld
b
e
s
e
c
o
nd
in c
o
mman
d
,” Ch
e
st
e
r
said
s
o
ftly.
“
Bu
t
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
want that
o
n
h
i
m.
H
e’
s
always
bee
n
a
b
it
o
f
a
l
o
n
er
.
Bu
t
th
e
n
E
il
ee
n
had him
g
r
o
u
n
de
d
in
the pack.
I
n
the
c
o
mm
u
nity.
D
o
y
o
u
th
i
nk if he
c
o
m
e
s
b
ack
h
e’
ll want y
o
u
r
place
as law
?
”

“H
e’
d
n
e
v
e
r
win
it.
He a
b
an
d
o
n
e
d
the c
o
mm
u
nity
!
”
A
.J.
’
s
v
o
ice
was
p
o
is
o
n
and
b
a
r
b
e
d
wi
re
.
He
g
r
ipp
e
d
h
e
r
h
a
rd
e
r
still
and the
u
nnat
ur
al
st
re
ngth
ma
d
e
L
iv
g
asp
f
o
r ai
r
.
S
he
was
u
nnat
ur
ally
st
r
o
ng
n
o
w
t
o
o
bu
t
o
nce again
in
a
p
o
siti
o
n
o
f
w
e
akn
e
ss.
T
e
a
r
s p
r
ick
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
f
r
o
m f
ru
st
r
ati
o
n.
Bu
t
th
er
e
was
n
o
f
e
ar
and
f
o
r
that she
was g
r
at
e
f
u
l.

G
a
rre
t
t
st
ud
i
e
d
th
e
m
int
e
ntly
and she wa
t
ch
e
d
him
w
e
ighing
the
o
pt
i
o
n.
“Y
o
u want
e
d
h
er
.
Y
o
u
want
e
d
E
il
ee
n
and th
e
n
wh
e
n
she
was
k
ill
e
d
y
o
u p
u
nish
e
d
me
b
y
n
o
t g
e
tting
j
u
stice
f
o
r
h
er
.
Y
o
u
b
lam
e
d
m
e
,
y
o
u
hat
e
d
me
and
y
o
u
p
u
nish
e
d
m
e
.
So
y
o
u
d
i
d
n
’
t
p
ur
s
u
e
it
with
the sh
er
iff.
Y
o
u
s
imply
l
e
t
it
g
o
and l
e
t
h
e
r
de
ath
stand
a
s
n
o
thi
n
g m
o
r
e
th
a
n
an
acci
de
nt.
W
h
e
n
it
was
cl
e
a
r
ly
dru
nk
e
n
re
ckl
e
ssn
e
ss,
s
o
m
e
thing
that

s
h
o
u
ld
n
e
v
e
r
have
happ
e
n
ed
.
N
e
v
e
r
bee
n
al
l
o
w
ed
,
A
.J.!
A
c
r
im
e
.
S
o
m
e
thing
s
h
o
u
ld have
bee
n
do
n
e!
”
G
a
rre
tt
r
o
a
red
.
E
v
e
n
as his
a
ng
e
r
o
v
er
t
oo
k
him, his c
o
l
o
r
g
re
w
pal
er
, his
han
d
s
s
h
o
o
k.
L
iv
s
o
bbed
,
u
na
b
le
to
go
to
him,
t
r
app
e
d
as
she
was.
T
he ang
e
r
in
h
e
r
be
came
white
h
o
t. A
m
o
nst
e
r
with claws and
t
ee
th.

She s
h
oo
k
with
r
age and
A
.J.
la
u
gh
e
d s
o
ftly
i
n
h
e
r
e
a
r
.
“
O
h,
y
o
u’r
e
s
o
br
ave
n
o
w, a
re
n
’
t
y
o
u
?”

G
a
rre
t
t
had to
re
sist
the
ur
ge
to
ru
sh
f
o
r
wa
r
d
and simply
t
a
ke
A
.J.
o
u
t.
H
e’
d
f
u
ck
e
d with
h
i
s
life
y
e
a
r
s
a
g
o
, h
e’
d
l
e
ft
E
il
ee
n
’
s
de
ath
an
o
p
e
n
w
o
u
n
d
—n
o
t
j
u
st
f
o
r
G
a
rre
tt
bu
t f
o
r
all w
h
o
l
o
v
e
d
h
er
—and
n
o
w he
had
L
iv.

H
i
s
h
e
a
r
ing
was
s
h
o
t,
h
i
s
h
e
ad
f
u
ll
o
f
the
s
o
u
nd
o
f
his
o
wn
b
l
o
o
d
in
h
is
v
e
ins
and the
r
ing
i
ng
that
g
o
t
w
o
r
se
the
w
e
ak
e
r
he g
o
t.
H
is
ch
e
st
ach
ed
,
a
du
ll
sta
bb
ing
pa
i
n
that ma
d
e
e
ach
bre
ath
ha
rde
r
and
h
a
rd
e
r
.
A
nd
he was
f
ree
zing.
T
he
lack
o
f
cal
o
r
i
e
s
and cl
o
th
e
s w
ere
n
’
t
h
e
lping
the
w
e
ak
e
ning
nat
ur
e
o
f his inj
ur
y. He
c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
re
ad
L
iv,
e
ith
e
r
be
ca
u
s
e
his wi
re
s w
er
e
c
r
o
ss
e
d
o
r
be
ca
u
se
she
w
a
s t
o
o
sca
red
.

She
l
o
o
k
e
d
a
ng
r
y
and
he
h
o
p
e
d
he
was
r
ight.
E
v
er
ything
in
him
sc
re
am
e
d
f
o
r
him to
lie
d
o
wn,
s
hift
t
o
w
o
lf
and
s
l
ee
p
f
o
r a
t
h
o
u
sand
y
e
a
r
s
o
r
u
ntil
h
e
lp
o
r
de
ath
a
rr
iv
ed
.
I
nst
e
a
d
,
he
st
a
gg
ere
d
f
o
r
wa
r
d
a
little
b
it.
“
Y
o
u
l
e
ft
h
e
r
de
ath
t
o
the
h
u
mans.
Y
o
u
d
i
d
n
’
t p
r
o
t
e
ct
the
pack.
Y
o
u w
er
e
a
c
o
wa
r
d
and y
o
u f
e
ll
d
o
wn
o
n
the
j
o
b
all
t
o
p
u
nish
me
be
ca
u
s
e
a w
o
m
a
n who
de
s
er
v
e
d
the
w
o
r
ld
l
o
v
e
d
me
inst
e
ad
o
f y
o
u
.”

“She
c
o
u
ld
have
l
o
v
e
d
m
e
,”
A
.J. said
and
the
pain and
hat
re
d
w
er
e
c
r
ystal cl
e
ar
in his
v
o
ic
e
.
“Wh
e
n we
w
er
e
y
o
u
n
g
e
r
sh
e
—”

“
Bu
t
th
e
n
she g
re
w
u
p
and
s
aw
what
y
o
u
re
ally
a
re!
”
G
a
rre
tt
y
e
ll
ed
,
t
a
king an
o
th
e
r cl
u
msy st
e
p
f
o
r
wa
rd
.