(It's) Always There
Copyright© 2026 by Daniel Tors
Chapter 14
The fox prodded, unreserved, “How long are you gonna mope for.”
By the hooves Hane took up nearly three hundred pounds onto his shoulder, odd and greater force put into half his gait to maintain speed and form on return across the grass, what distance he just sprinted in moments leaving him open for unideally-more seconds ... but the other strips of forest weren’t used against him. He withdrew deeper into the natural camouflage, and slowed to a walk.
Focus was kept on either side of their pocket of trees, cover fine-enough down the middle but his silhouette not helped by a giant boar held high. Under immense pressure on one side, the German Shepherd regauged his nine-minute trip back to camp, and reaffirmed he’d get there easily. And with the estimates of pace and terrain on the mind, Hane, as well, measured again how further travel would go.
Going well below Dallas and decently above Waco did force more cautious pathing and watching, neither helped by the limited options they had for proper ways to travel without being seen, those “lanes” of tall foliage certain to thin and eventually disappear. These large and more medium cities wouldn’t be near for longer than a few days total, however, so the cover problem should worsen somewhat slower than prominent civilization goes away. On a related note, how the ground itself stayed dry and stable – to improve though insignificantly, at this point in Texas – was also going to be an issue. It was nearly summer, meaning once they didn’t have consistent shade anymore, they’d have to cover all their exposed fur and tolerate blistering midday heat regardless.
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