Bringing All the Bad, стр. 127
She spies Jeff standing just outside his shelter, arms high as he stretches and his mouth wide open in a yawn.
“Jeff,” Willa calls, but not too loudly. She doesn’t want to wake everyone. There’s no need to cause a panic yet.
He turns and waves with a smile. He either senses the tension or sees it in her posture, because the smile drops and he jogs toward them. “Is it Claire?” he asks as soon as he gets close.
“No, nothing like that,” Willa replies. “Sarah just reported that there’s a dead deer near the lower daylight watch station.” At his confused expression, she adds, “A dead deer with flowers and a note.”
His eyes widen. “That’s bizarre. A present? From who? Is it from that group of guys?”
“Who else could it be?” Willa asks.
“You want me to go with?” he asks.
Nodding, Willa turns to Sarah and says, “Wait here. Jeff and I are going to gear up and we’ll be right back.” To Jeff, she says, “Bring your bow.”
Within moments, the three of them are on the irregular trail out of camp. The long slope makes this their most vulnerable direction. The road once used by park service vehicles is halfway down the slope. It joins up with all the other little roads, which means it’s the direction where the Tribe faces the greatest possibility of discovery.
They pass the first watch, who reports no movement within her range of sight. Willa’s tensions dial down one notch. No sneak attack then. And with the day now full on them, any attackers would have missed their best opportunity for a stealthy attack.
At the bottom of the trail, they see Claire and Donna emerge from the trees clinging to a rocky promontory. Both have their weapons in hand, though held loosely.
“Anything?” Willa asks when they’re within speaking range.
“Nothing,” Donna replies, very firmly. “There’s absolutely no indication of anyone nearby. And I can see for a long way from here.”
Claire points in the direction of heavy tree cover across a dip in the land and says, “There’s a cougar over there. I think it smells the deer. No one could be anywhere nearby on the other side if it’s there.”
Willa scans the trees, but sees nothing. “How do you know it’s there, Claire?”
The dirty girl grins in her feral way. “It’s scratching a downed tree. I saw it move.”
Shaking her head at the incredible abilities of the girl, Willa looks down at the open patch of land beyond their watch station. It’s shaped like a shallow bowl, a small meadow nestled into the mountains. Sure enough, there’s a dead deer surrounded by bright flowers.
“What’s with the flowers?” she asks. “Are they asking us to prom?”
Sarah snorts a quiet laugh, but Claire answers. “They’re all ones we use. You’ll see. Some we use for smoking meat, to flavor it and make the bugs not like it. Some is for tea. Some for medicine.”
With a sharp look, Willa asks, “You’re sure? All of them?”
The girl nods, not looking the least alarmed. The two older women do look a little worried at that news though, so Willa isn’t alone in her thoughts. If whoever left the deer knows that much about them, then how much more do they know?
Tapping Sarah’s arm, Willa says, “Let’s go see.”
They approach carefully, eyes peeled for traps. As they get closer Willa sees more of the tableau, and more of the detail put into it. The deer sports a clean wound just behind a foreleg. A good shot, right through the heart. A quick kill by an experienced hunter. The flattened belly tells her the animal has been field dressed as well.
Given the season, it’s not hot yet, but field dressing certainly extends the time they have to fully dismantle and preserve the animal. Whoever did this, they did it with thought and care.
Sarah nudges Willa’s arm and whispers, “They even bundled the flowers.”
Willa hadn’t noticed that, but now she does. The flowers aren’t simply strewn around the animal, but rather, placed with care. Each bundle is wrapped in cord, which makes picking them up and taking them easier.
The note is held to the animal’s neck by a stone. Reaching down, Willa plucks it away quickly, as if wary of a trap. It seems increasingly unlikely, but who can be sure? Opening the note, which is written on simple paper, Willa scans the few lines of text while Sarah leans over to read with her.
The lower meadow is full of game, but we know it’s difficult for your hunters to get that far with us in the way. We brought it to you instead. Can we meet? You can leave a reply here. We won’t approach any further than this.
“Okay,” Sarah says, “This is bizarre. Totally weird.”
Willa nods, but carefully refolds the note and tucks it into the pocket of her vest. Ellie made the vest for her out of old jeans and flannel shirts too ripped to repair any further. It’s the first time she’s worn it. It’s the first time she’s used the pockets. And this is what she’s using it for.
How strange life is, she thinks.
“Or not,” Willa says quietly.
“What?”
Willa smiles at her. “I think this means we’ve found good neighbors. For the first time, I think we’re going to meet new people who won’t try to hurt or own us.”
*****
Three days later, Willa stands with a small coterie of tribe members. Jeff, Ellie, Bee, and Sarah flank Willa to both sides. Further up the slope, other scouts line the trees, just in case there’s trouble. For the first time in years, Willa doesn’t think they’ll be needed.
From the trees on the other side of the meadow, five people emerge. They pause for a long moment, long enough for Willa and her people to see they aren’t armed. They slowly cross the bright meadow.
When they’re halfway across, Willa narrows