“No!” Coll croaked. His head ached like white fire. “No, come back!”
Dragon lifted its head up to the night sky and roared, and charged after Wolf, and Coll watched as they raced away across the plains and were gone.
When Coll awoke, the world was quiet.
He lay on his back, looking up at a strange green roof. Had they repainted the den? The roof rippled in a breeze and he realised he was in a tent. And suddenly he remembered everything that had happened – Raven, Dragon, the cache, falling, everything. He sat up in a rush and cried out, “WOLF!”
A red blot of pain shuddered through him, and for a moment he could hardly see. He ground his teeth until it passed and then felt at the back of his head. There was a large round lump. As he touched it, the pain shuddered again. He waited for it to fade and then crawled out of the tent.
It was early morning. The storm had cleared and the air was cold and fresh, the grass damp under his hands. A wood fire burned with white smoke, and piles of equipment lay around. Rieka was there, still in her thick cloak, with her backpack open beside her. She was standing next to a thin metal tripod and holding a device, studying it and frowning.
“Take it easy,” she said without looking at him. “You hit your head.”
Coll stared at her. He stood up, and staggered as a wave of dizziness threatened to blow him over. He looked to the south-west, where Wolf had fled.
“What happened?” he asked. His voice was croaky and his throat hurt. He was desperately thirsty.
“Dragon attacked,” Rieka said, still not looking up. “Wolf ran. You fell and hit your head. Quiet now. I’m concentrating.”
Coll blinked. Rustling came from one side and Fillan appeared, dragging a reel of rope. He smiled when he saw Coll. “You were sleeping!” he said.
Coll nodded. He felt terrible.
“I fetched all this!” said Fillan, swinging his arm around at the equipment.
“Shush!” hissed Rieka.
Coll turned back to her. “Are you looking for Wolf?”
“What?” she muttered, tapping the device. “No, of course not.”
Coll’s fists clenched. None of it made sense. Wolf … Dragon … and Rieka on the cable…
“You did this!” he shouted. “You knocked us off! Stop whatever that is and look at me!”
Rieka sighed and stood up straight, facing Coll. “Yes,” she said. “Sorry.”
“Sorry? Why didn’t you pull us up?” He waved at the stand. “What’s all this?”
“It was an accident,” said Rieka. “I didn’t know you were on the rope.”
“But you were climbing down!” he roared. “Couldn’t you tell Wolf was moving? Did you want to be left behind?” Then he stopped. He looked at her cloak and the bag and frowned. “You were… I mean, you were…”
She shrugged. “I was leaving, yes.”
“Leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Leaving Wolf?”
Rieka rolled her eyes. “Yes, Coll. I was leaving Wolf.”
Coll shook his head. Dark spots shimmered in front of him, and he felt dizzy again. Leaving Wolf?
“Are you all right?” asked Rieka. “I think you may have concussion. You should sit—”
“We’re going,” interrupted Coll. He turned towards the south-west. “We need to catch up with Wolf.”
Rieka sighed. “She’ll be twenty klicks away by now, maybe more.”
“We’re going now,” snapped Coll. He walked off on trembling legs, trying not to let her see how weak he felt. “Fillan! We’re leaving.”
Fillan looked at him and then at Rieka. He dropped the equipment. “OK,” he said simply, and followed Coll.
“Coll—” started Rieka.
Coll ignored her.
It was hot. The cool morning air burned off, and the sun hung heavy and angry over them. Coll and Fillan walked, saying nothing. The young boy seemed happy to follow him, skipping to keep up, gazing at the landscape and whistling under his breath. Coll gritted his teeth and concentrated on each step, trying to ignore the pain in his head. He was still thirsty, and they had no water. No food either. Twenty kilometres was a long way. He carried on.
What was Rieka doing? Leaving Wolf? Abandoning her crew, her home, her life? Leaving Wolf and stranding Coll and Fillan at the same time! Sorry, she said! Like it was nothing, leaving them here on the ground, like, like Worms! Up over a small hill and down the other side he trudged, his feet as heavy as clay. What was she thinking?
“Coll?” asked Fillan.
