“You might want to come see this.”Ryland sounded odd, but I didn’t get a sense of imminent danger.
It was easy enough to find them as the underbrush was crushed and stomped on where Diego had gone rushing through.I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the sight that greeted me when I entered the small clearing.
Diego sat to one side, panting happily with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.Ryland stood at his side, his attention focused on the large white bear in the center of the clearing.
Oh crap.
I skidded to a halt as the bear swung its massive head in my direction.While I admired the rare animals and was aware of their role in the spirituality of the Native Americans, I also respected the fact that they were large wild creatures who didn’t always take kindly to humans invading their territory.This one had a cub to protect, which made it all the more dangerous.
I moved to stand beside Ryland and Diego.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”There was a measure of reverent awe in Ryland’s voice.
“Yes, she is.”We both stared at the animal in silence for a long moment.
“She’s hurt, and she’s guarding a cub.”Ryland made the observation quietly.“It looks like you and I weren’t the only ones that the poacher took potshots at.That’s an arrow shaft protruding from her hip.”
“A cub?”I strained to see the little bear but failed.
“She’s keeping it behind her.It looks like it’s okay, but that arrow needs to come out of Mama before it becomes infected.”
I gave him an incredulous look.“You’re not seriously suggesting that you and I play vet to a wounded bear?”
The corner of Ryland’s mouth turned up in a grin.“No.I’m not a complete idiot.I was thinking more along the lines of sending a wildlife vet back once we make it to the mainland.This isn’t that big an island.They should be able to find her if we give them the coordinates of the island.”
“That sounds like a good plan.”I avoided looking directly at him.“Good thing those guys don’t have guns.It seems like they shoot without knowing what they’re going to hit.If they knew she was here, they would have kept after her until they got her.”
I could feel his eyes on me, questioning.He was right.It was a small island and anyone who spent time here would get at least a glimpse of the amazing bear.
Busted!
I let out a heavy sigh.“I knew there was a spirit bear on the island, but I didn’t want anyone else to know because then my beautiful refuge would be overrun with arrogant tourists.It would ruin it for me, and frankly it probably wouldn’t be good for the bear either.”
“That makes sense.”He sounded surprisingly sympathetic.“I have some connections.I’ll make sure the vet is discreet.Wouldn’t want mama bear to be disturbed.In the meantime” -- he put his hand on Diego’s collar and began to back slowly away from the alert bear --”I think a strategic retreat is in order.She doesn’t look like she plans to attack but mother bears are notoriously unpredictable.”
“I don’t know.”I stared into the intelligent eyes of the Kermode.“I think she understands that we mean her and her baby no harm.”But I retreated in step with Diego and Ryland.
The air was getting cooler now, and I could feel evening getting closer.We needed to get off the island soon or we’d be on the ocean at night.The thought sent a shiver of apprehension up my spine.Unless Ryland’s boat was a lot larger and better tacked out than I expected I’d just as soon not go there.The ocean was not a forgiving place.
As soon as we were well out of the clearing, Ryland stopped and bent down to give Diego a pat on the head.“Good dog.You found the bear and knew she needed help.We’ll make sure she gets some as soon as we get back to civilization.The bad guys are gone for now so she should be fine until we can send a vet back to treat her.”
He talked to Diego as if he were a person, the same way I did, and I knew the big mutt appreciated it.He might not understand everything that was said to him, but he understood the tone and intent, and that was enough.I envied Diego’s ability to live in the moment, taking every day as it came.Life as a dog definitely had its advantages.
“The boat is just over this ridge, and down the slope.”Ryland led the way, walking slow enough for me to keep up.Diego gamboled along the path in front of us.We crested a ridge, and Ryland stopped abruptly.“Damn!You have got to be kidding me!”
Chapter Seven
Ryland
I looked up at the sky.If there really was a deity up there, she definitely had a sense of humor, and right now she was amusing herself by making sure everything that could go wrong with my day, did.The boat that I’d been counting on to get Kimberly and me safely back to the mainland before dark had the trunk of a tree resting across the center of it.
A very large tree.
And it wasn’t really resting across so much as crashing through the center of the boat.
I knew Kimberly had sighted the boat when she let out a loud gasp.I glanced over at her.Hands on her hips, she shook her head as she surveyed the damage.“You managed to tie your boat beside the one tree on the entire island that was just ready to fall down?There hasn’t been the slightest whisper of a breeze today, let alone enough of a wind to blow down a mature tree.It was probably felled by an overachieving chipmunk.Now how are we going to get off this island?”
“Good question.”I clambered awkwardly down the hill to the boat, favoring my injured arm, and pulled the radio case out of the bow.Opening it up, I checked the equipment inside.Surprisingly, at least that had survived the attack by tree-zilla.“The radio is still in operating condition.Give me a few minutes to set it up and I’ll call the Coast Guard for help.”
