Rogue Angel - Footprints Part 23

"If it's my time to die in battle, then so be it."

"Don't dishonor your grandfather with that kind of talk," Annja said. "You think he spent all those years teaching you how to become one with the woods, how to stalk and track, entrusting the secrets of your people to you, just so you could run off recklessly and get killed?"

Joey fell silent. Annja could see the rage coursing through him and she felt awful that someone so young should have to battle the conflicting emotions he must have been feeling.

"Annja," Jenny said. "Maybe we should just let him go."

"Are you nuts? He'll get killed."

Jenny nodded. "Perhaps. But maybe he's made up his mind. Maybe he won't listen to reason."

"He's just a child-"

"I am not a child," Joey said. "I'm growing into manhood."

Annja glanced at him. "Not by doing something stupid, you aren't. You run off now and do what you want to do, you'll just die some stupid kid. Sorry to have to say that to you, Joey. I have a lot of respect for you and your skills, but show me that you've got a mind upstairs. Show me you can think think like a man. Show me you know there will be a time and a place to get justice for Cheehawk." like a man. Show me you know there will be a time and a place to get justice for Cheehawk."

Joey looked at her for a moment and Annja could see the tears starting to flow. He looked away and busied himself with scattering more of the shelter.

Annja gave him his s.p.a.ce and turned back to Jenny. "That wasn't a very smart thing to say," she said angrily.

"Who's to say what our individual destinies are? Maybe it's his to die out here in the woods with his wolf."

"I'd like to think that whoever's in charge upstairs had a grander plan than letting such a gifted young man run off to die needlessly."

"Tell that to everyone who's known the death of a child. Or the death of someone lost in a useless war."

"Now you're getting political."

"Nah, I'm just showing my cynical side."

Annja shook her head. "We can be as cynical as we want to be. But I won't see Joey go off to die if I can help it."

"And just how do you think you're going to prevent that from happening? He's not some baby you can stow on your back and take with you. He knows his way around here better than either of us."

"I was hoping to use reason to get through to him."

Jenny smirked. "Sometimes I think you're even more naive than I am."

"Who's being naive?"

"You are, girl. You think you can use reason to get through to Joey? That's being naive."

"Why so? He's an intelligent kid."

Jenny shook her head. "Doesn't matter if he's intelligent. You're forgetting he's also a teenager. That means reason takes a backseat to raging hormones and overwrought emotions."

Annja sighed. "Regardless, there's no way I'm going to simply let him walk off into the woods on some vendetta mission."

"So he takes us out to the main road and then leaves."

"He's not leaving," Annja insisted.

"And just how do you propose to stop him?"

Annja chewed her lip. Through the trees, she could see the first streaks of light starting to break over the horizon. Pale colors began to show themselves as the last of the storm clouds faded away. It might be a nice day, after all.

"I guess we'll handle that when we get there."

"I suppose."

Annja turned around. Joey had done a remarkable job of scattering the shelter. It was difficult for Annja to even tell where they'd been holed up forty minutes earlier.

Near Cheehawk's burial plot she saw a pile of stones. Annja walked over and knelt down near it.

Jenny came over, as well. "What is that?"

"I think it's a cairn. But I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean."

"Maybe it's a burial marker? You know, so Joey remembers where he buried Cheehawk?"

Annja frowned. The pile of smooth stones branched off to the right. She glanced in that direction and saw something else near the base of a large oak tree. "Over there."

She and Jenny rose and walked to the tree. Jenny squatted. "Another cairn?"

"Looks to be, yeah. But what's it mean?"

Jenny shrugged. "I don't know. Why don't you ask Joey to explain it to us?"

Annja nodded. "Joey?"

A breeze blew through the woods. Joey didn't respond. Annja raised her voice a little louder. "Joey!"

But she heard nothing in response. And Annja got a bad feeling.

Jenny came up next to her. "Looks like the kid has made his decision."

Annja nodded. "I just hope it isn't his last."

Chapter 13.

"Well, that's just great," Annja said. "Our guide has gone and deserted us, leaving us alone in these woods."

Jenny sighed. "We probably shouldn't have been talking about him like we were, huh?"

Annja glanced around. "He wouldn't have just left us. That would be cruel. And it wouldn't be in his spirit to do something like that. Those piles of stones must mean something. We just have to figure it out. And then, hopefully, we can get the h.e.l.l out of here."

Jenny pointed out into the woods. "We're not going after him?"