Bred by the Bushmen

Dropping back on the ground, she glanced around and saw nothing that could help her.

Reaching into her bag, she found her cell phone, and it was indeed dead as well. No miracles tonight. And only one jerky left.

She rested her head on the rock as panic tried to take over. “Don’t panic. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. You waited an entire day in that spot they told you to stay at, and now you’re in the middle of nowhere with a really bad ankle, and a throbbing head. It could get worse.”

As if someone was determined to mark her words, she heard the thunder, followed by a sudden flash, and rain began to fall.

“Seriously! Right now? You’re going to rain? Like I don’t have enough on my plate without you mocking me at every damn turn.” She slammed her hand on the ground and growled. “Give me a damn break.”

The rain didn’t let up, and as she couldn’t move, she grew wetter. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the chill seep into her clothes. Tears filled her eyes as the true extent of her circumstances settled in.

She was alone.

No one knew where she was.

She didn’t have a working cell phone.

Her ankle was either sprained or broken.

No one was coming for her.

The hours passed, and she watched the sun go down until it disappeared with the last of her hope. The rain still fell but more in a light drizzle. When she heard the howl of a wolf, that was it. She let out a scream, hoping that somewhere, someone was as crazy as her, and wanted to spend time in the wild.

****

“What is it, Bear?” Damon asked, watching his St. Bernard’s tail wag as he looked off toward the forest.

“He’s getting old. He probably heard a rabbit or something,” Caleb said, standing in the doorway.

Bear patted his foot then rushed toward the edge of the forest, and came back to him.

“I don’t think it’s a rabbit,” Damon said.

He’d been the one to train Bear after they’d saved him from a rescue center five years ago. He was a huge dog, and being out in the middle of nowhere was the perfect place for him.

“It’s dark.”

“Yeah, and I don’t care. I don’t like the way he’s acting. What if someone’s hurt?”

“Ugh! Fine. Let’s go and see what’s wrong with your damn dog.” Caleb grabbed two flashlights and handed one to him. They’d explored the forest surrounding them so many times that they knew all the dangerous spots where bears liked to hunt.

He had no intention of being eaten by bears or by wolves.

Caleb had also grabbed one of their shotguns as well.

“Come on, boy, go on, go find it.” Damon followed Bear’s trail. The dog sniffed at the ground.

“You know if he brings home a rabbit, I’m not eating it,” Caleb said.

Damon laughed. His brother didn’t like killing and eating rabbits, but then, neither did he. Maybe he was lame, but he’d rather have a big pot of vegetable soup than have to kill a fucking rabbit. Their father never killed a rabbit, and they actually kept them to eat the scraps. They had yet to purchase some, and were using the scraps to help make compost.

They’d been out in the forest for a good twenty minutes when Damon was tempted to head back.

Caleb was moaning, which was what he liked to do. He figured Caleb was lonely, just like him. They’d gotten the life they always wanted, the only problem was, they didn’t have the woman, and they both wanted one.

They wanted to start a family, keep their family name alive.

The right woman would have to live away from society and share her life with the two of them. It was more of a dream than an expectation. It would be a miracle for that to ever happen. What worthwhile woman would want to live out in the middle of nowhere with two very demanding men?

None came to mind.

He was just about to tell Caleb they should head back when he heard the moan. A feminine, pain-filled moan.

Bear whined, and as Damon shined his torch toward his dog, he saw him standing next to a large rock, and leaning up against it was a woman.

“Holy shit,” Caleb said.

They both rushed toward her.

Damon tried not to shine the light in her eyes, but she moaned, and her teeth chattered from the cold. Removing his coat, he wrapped it around her shoulders, and immediately began to check her over.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Caleb asked.

“It’s Opal. I was … part … of the … thing.”

“The thing?” Damon asked.

“The camping trip thing.”

Caleb asked her questions, and Damon held her hand as they discovered something was wrong with her ankle, and also, she’d banged her head pretty good against the rock. “We’ve got to move you, baby. You’re in good hands now. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”