Ninety Degrees Out

“Sssh, Jazz.” Arimina warned the big dog. Blue raised her head and whined softly.

“I need to get out. I have to go potty.” She wormed her way out from between the dogs.

Both dogs followed her to the end of the wagon where she turned to lower herself over the tail gate.

“I’ll be right back. I’m just going over to the trees.”

When her feet didn’t quite reach the ground, she dropped down anyway. Jazz and Blue jumped behind her, landing soundlessly in the deep meadow grass at the edge of the road.

“I can do this myself. I’m a big girl,” she told the dogs who walked on either side of her. She even remembered to take a damp rag with her so she could clean up afterward.

She looked up at the sky. The night sky was clear, and the stars were bright. The moon look like she could reach out and touch it. Pale pearly white, it hung over the forest lighting her way as she walked in between the alders and squatted to do her business. She could hear the creek gurgling behind her and decided to go rinse the cloth she used when she finished. It was cool. Not hot, and she wasn’t sleepy at all.

Blue and Jazz came with her. They were the best doggies. Nothing bad would happen as long as they were with her. Maybe she would find the polar bear. She thought it was the same creek. They followed it until everyone started unpacking the mules and putting up the tents. She was lucky. She got to sleep in the wagon. Mr. Chay and Mommy had their blankets underneath a tarp beside it.

She giggled as she stopped. Sitting down on a big rock she dipped her toes in the water.

She squealed in delight. It was cold and she bent forward dragging the facecloth through the fresh clear water. Squeezing the water out of the soaked terry cloth, she slid off the boulder and spread it out to dry. She walked out into the creek. It wasn’t running very fast, and her bare toes found grip on the rounded stones on the bottom easily.

She wanted a bath. The water felt so good, and she turned pulling her wet cloth back off the rock. She climbed back up taking her clothes off, she put them in a neat pile just like she did on the chair at home. Then she sat down in the water, splashing great waves at Jazz as he snapped at the hand full, she sent his way. Blue laid down beside her, stretching out to let the cooling clear liquid soak her fur. Standing up she shook scattering drops all over Arimina.

Low growls froze Arimina in place. Jazz never growled unless there was danger from somewhere. Blue pushed against her side, nudging her away from the middle of the creek. Why was Jazz standing there with his tail straight out? That was like when Ursa woke up after the earthquake.

Was there a bear? Maybe it was the polar bear. She moved back behind the boulder and crouched. There was no wind, and the soft night air chilled her wet legs as they started to dry. Reaching for her tee shirt, she pulled it over her head.

Jazz’s growls were getting louder, and Blue went to stand with him her higher pitched snarls running counterpoint in the silvery light from the moon and stars.

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“Where’s Jazz?” Alicia pointed to the open tailgate of the wagon and raced toward their makeshift tent.

Chay raised his fingers to his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Why had they stayed so late at the campfire? Jazz would come, unless Arimina was in trouble. He hoped both dogs were with her.

“Blue is gone. Ari is too. Shit!” Alicia yelled. She cupped her hands beside her mouth and screamed. “Arimina!”

Chay sprinted the rest of the way to the wagon. Grabbing Alicia, he held her as she sobbed. Between hiccupping gulps, she screamed her daughter’s name.

Hakan galloped up riding bareback. He slid off landing beside Chay. Wrapping an arm around Alicia’s shoulder, he helped his brother lead her into their lean-to tarp tent. She slid to the ground where their double sleeping bag was arranged on the top of a spruce bough bed. Curling into a ball, her body continued to shake, quiet whimpers wrenching answering fear from Chay.

“Where is Eliza?” Chay asked as two more riders hit the ground. One of the horses had a blanket on its back, and Chay recognized his father as he padded to the back of the wagon.

“When did you go back to the old way?” he asked.

“With the heat, it is far easier on the horses to use a blanket. Besides, my bottom is more comfortable this way. What’s wrong? I heard Alicia screaming from the other side of the camp.”

“Ari and the dogs are missing. We left her asleep after we ate, but she’s gone now. We have no idea when she woke up or why she left,” Chay explained. “I don’t want to leave Alicia, but I need to go look for Ari.” His struggle to decide what to do showed on his deeply bronzed face.

“Eliza is with the chuck wagon. She’s got most of her pots cleaned up, and she setting up for breakfast tomorrow. Biscuits and oatmeal, I think. I’ll send Terry up to fetch her.” Dasan Stargazer took command as Hakan came out of from under the tarp stretched between the wagon and the ground.

“All she will say is find Ari,” Hakan said.

“Eliza will be here to sit with her in a minute. Do we have a lantern?” Chay asked.

“Let me take a look for tracks. Hopefully, we haven’t destroyed them all with everyone arriving in such a hurry. The moon is bright, and it’s cloudless. The stars help too.” Dasan made his way to the back of the wagon. He squatted, on knee slightly higher than the other, studying the dusty road. “Bring that lantern over here.” He pointed to a spot a few feet ahead of where he rocked on his heels.

Hakan took a lantern from Eliza as she ducked into the tent. Moving forward from where his father was, he stayed in the grass at the edge of the road.

“There, Dad. I see her footprints. She must have left her shoes in the wagon.”

As they followed the distinctive barefoot tracks toward the forest, a deep baying bark sounded from the trees.

“There, she went into the woods, here. Bent grass and I see the dog prints in the debris on the forest floor.” Hakan turned between the silvery golden leafed trees.

Sniffing as he followed him, Dasan said, “She must have had to pee. I can smell the urine.”

The growls coming from further in the forest became louder, snarling yips added to the noise, when they all heard the boom of a shotgun. Tiny pellets of buckshot rained down into the forest as Chay hurtled between the trees toward the creek. What in the hell was going on?