Chapter 9: Lost Boys

For our group, it is another day of tracking. Slowly we move through the woods, trying to find an old trail. Anything Diana can find; Broken bushes, bent branches, a piece of fabric. Nev is bouncing with anticipation. I believe we must be getting close. It is at our mid day meal that she notices a land mark from home.

"That tree. It is so old we used to tell stories about it." Nev points to a tree. The tree is indeed old, it has a wide gnarled trunk. Lots of thick branches and seems to touch the sky, it is taller by far than any of the other trees around it. It is marked with lightning strikes because of that.

"We must be close." Nev says as she bounces up again, she can't seem to sit still long enough to finish her meal. She keeps wanting to wander off.

"Nev, stay close." Diana calls her back as she wander over to examine the tree.

"That's right Nev, you needa stay close." A short man with a very big shotgun comes out from behind the tree.

"Cousin Mints!" Nev cries out in surprise, as she identifies the man.

"Well damn girl, we gave you up for dead." Cousin Mints says. He looks us over but doesn't lower the shotgun that is pointed at us. "But who have you got with you?"

Alys starts to cry at the sight of the strange man. Catherine shoots me a scathing look of why didn't you say something, as she and Brin leap to their feet and take aggressive stances. I throw my hands up in disgust.

"Catherine you deal, try not to hurt the cousin." I wave my hand at him. "Brin stay here with me." And point to the ground by me.

Brin's shoulders slump and she slowly shuffles up to me. Satisfied that Brin is obeying me I turn to Alys. She is getting more upset, the longer this goes on. I have very little patience with all her hysterics but I remember Gwen and her actions. A little kindness can solve the problem, just as easily. I suppress my first impulse and turn to Alys.

"Alys, Alys dear," I take the girl in my arms and rock her slightly. "You will be fine, now you need to stop crying so we can meet this nice man."

While I am making nice with Alys, Diana uses our noise and confusion to sneak around until she has come up behind the cousin. Mints has pushed Nev behind him, so now he unknowingly is faced with people from both fronts, as Catherine marches over to him. The tall beautiful amazon that she is, she catches his eye in no time flat. Diana uses this to make her move.

She yanks Nev away and clubs Mints on the back of the head. He goes down.

"Oh, why did you go and do that?" Nev looks at Diana in shock.

"He had a gun pointed at my partner." She gives Nev a pointed look and picks up the shot gun. "Empty." She informs us in a disgusted voice, as she checks it.

"Who points an empty gun at intruders?" Catherine says in disdain and puzzlement at his actions.

"Bring him over here and let me take a look at him." I request of the protectors. They exchange looks and shrugs. Diana hands the empty gun to Nev and picks up Mints shoulders. Catherine leans down and picks up his feet. They shuffle him over to me.

"No blood, that is good." I let me finger glide over his head. "Nice clot. He should wake with a headache, nothing more." I nod my appreciation of a job well done to Diana. She give me a wry grin and half a shrug.

"So, he'll be alright?" Nev asks, caring about her unconscious cousin.

"He will be fine." I tell her. "Now let us clean up so that we can head out when he wakes up."

Cousin Mints wakes up just as we are done with packing.

"Oh, what hit me." He rubs the back of his head. "Nev girl, why you do that to your poor ole cousin." He looks over at her. She looks anxious and chews her finger nail.

"I didn't do it." Her eyes drift around the circle of women.

"Well at least you are not angry." I say in relief. Mints eyes me slowly and frowns.

"Who are you people?" Now he starts to look ornery. I think he realizes that he had been knocked out and taken by women.

I give him my best smile. "We are travelers. We found Nev and want to bring her home." Sort of the short form, I know, but he doesn't need to know everything.