Infinity: A Bridger's Origin (Bridgers Series Book 0) by Stan C. Smith

Author:Stan C. Smith [Smith, Stan C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-26T06:00:00+00:00

14

Holes

As the bridgers and anthropologists descended the slope heading back toward the forest and the river, Infinity reflexively looked over her shoulder, half-expecting to see hundreds of coyotes in pursuit. When they were back to the spot where they had first emerged from the forest, she decided they should turn to the west. She definitely didn’t want to remain anywhere near the pack of coyotes, and returning to the river wasn’t an option either, so she figured they might as well move toward the distant column of smoke, as originally planned.

After they had been walking in silence along the forest’s edge for about a half mile, Jarvis spoke up. “Am I the only one baffled by what we’ve just seen?”

No one answered.

He went on. “There’s nothing unusual about humans using fire to drive game. And there’s also nothing surprising about humans using domesticated dogs to drive game. But why would you allow your dogs to actually eat your game? Normally the dogs would only be fed the leftover scraps.”

“You’re the anthropologists,” Tequila said. “Aren’t you supposed to be experts on these things?”

Jarvis glanced at Tequila and then cracked a smile. “I guess we’re all learning as we go.”

Horton stopped. “To be honest, I don't find any of this to be the least bit funny! We’re here for a serious scientific investigation. I watched a man I admired get killed by freakishly-large river otters, and then I watched five hundred coyotes brutally slaughter a dozen elk after using fire to systematically separate them from their herd. And here we are, naked and helpless, with nothing more than broken tree branches to protect us.”

Infinity walked back to where Horton had stopped. She gazed at him. The man was sweating and trembling. “Take it easy,” she said. “We’re all freaked out.” She scanned the surrounding area for danger and then turned back to Horton. “I admired Striker, too. He taught me how to be a bridger. During our training, he routinely took me and the other trainees into the forest.” She glanced down at her body. “Completely naked, of course. This was difficult at first. I mean, your bare skin is sensitive and vulnerable, right? But, as Striker liked to remind us, most of our clothing is only about a millimeter thick. It offers us pretty much no protection. Yet we feel vulnerable without it. Feeling vulnerable is important. It forces us to focus on what can really protect us.”

She used her spear to tap the long, forked weapon Horton was still carrying. “That can protect you.” She then used the spear to tap his temple. “Most of all, that can protect you. It tells you to stay close to the trees, in case you need to climb to safety. It tells you to wedge the butt of your spear into the ground if you’re using it to stop a large animal. Most of all, it lets you learn how to adapt to new and dangerous environments, like this one. And we’ve already learned a lot, haven’t we?”

He glared at her.

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